[Floor 6]
[Mission Type – Exploration]
[Goal – Investigate the unknown area!]
My comrades and I observed the dark hovering rectangle in front of each of us.
"Exploration? Now that's new."
Jonah commented, to which I nodded.
"We only had two mission types so far. 'Subjugation' and 'Escape.' The former occurred in the first to the fourth floors. While the latter on the fifth."
"Does it mean this is also a special trial like the fifth floor?"
Trudy asked.
"Whether it's a special trial or not, we're already here. We can only return once we completed the mission, which is investigating this area we're in."
I told her.
"So how are we going to do this? Should we just spread out and see what we can find?"
Shanny asked.
"I could run ahead and scout the land."
Darius proposed.
I shook my head upon their suggestions.
"We're still not certain what kind of challenge awaiting us in this trial. I don't want us to be separated just yet. And given how open and exposed this region, Darius would need to go a long way to find what we can't already see from up here."
I continued.
"Observe the spot we're currently at for now, make sure there're no enemies spying on us. After a few minutes, we'll march through the mountain path."
Obliging to my instructions, my comrades looked around the cliffside.
Jonah and Shanny laid their gazes toward the mountain trail, which spanned to the west.
They were eyeing for anything that could come our way.
Meanwhile Darius was observing the valley below.
Using his well eyesight, he was hunting for any creature or landmark worth noticing.
Trudy on the other hand was looking to the east, where the mountain path ended on a steep cliff behind us.
I joined her.
Beyond the cliff was another set of cliff with a mountain path stretching further east.
As for what was in between of the two cliffs was something else entirely, and definitely worth noticing.
Another valley, smaller than the grand one Darius was observing, was trailing to the north.
Other than its size, what was different with this one from the huge valley was that it was completely buried in enormous piles of boulders.
The scale of how the rocks buried the entire valley from mouth to mouth was so unnatural for it to simply be caused by regular landslide.
"What do you think caused this, Serafina?"
Trudy asked.
I observed the two towering ranges pitting the buried valley.
The one on the other side retained their protruding rugged slopes.
Meanwhile the range on our side was concave in general. As if it was gouged out.
There was no doubt the boulder ocean below us flooded down from this side of the valley.
"Whatever's causing this valley to be buried can be found without us having to go to the cliff across us."
"I figured. Apparently we can't go down from here."
Trudy said extending her arm. A barrier manifested right around the cliff edge, preventing her extremity to go further.
A breeze blew through the small valley toward us.
I suddenly caught a strange smell.
It was faint, very faint. But I knew it was of a rotting sense.
From how Trudy was flaring her nostrils, I guessed she picked up the smell as well.
Though from where we were, we could not figure out what was causing it.
"Time to move and search more. Gather up, everyone!"
I called my comrades.
Given Jonah, Shanny, and Darius did not mention anything as they came to us, it did not seem they found anything worth reporting from their observation.
"We'll follow the mountain path and go west. Maintain formation as we march forward."
As I told my party, we began walking toward the westward trail.
Shanny and Jonah led in the front with their weapons ready. Trudy followed behind them. I came after her. And Darius trailing in the back, watching our rear.
Since we were so high up, we did not really pay much attention to the great valley to our left.
Any enemy that came from there could not reach us, not even if an ogre or a hundred of ogres tried throwing something at us like in the fifth floor.
Instead, we kept our wary to our right, toward the mountain range extending to the north.
Monsters could be hiding within the rocky slopes, waiting to ambush us.
Given Jonah, Shanny, and Trudy were guarding our path ahead and Darius our backs, it was my responsibility to anticipate anything that comes from the slopes.
I swirled my palm and caused my mana to flow out like mist and vanished into the air.
Though they were not visible, my mana was spreading toward the slopes, around a hundred feet beyond our party.
I used the magic particles to feel the lay of terrain and detect any abnormalities, such as a presence, an enemy presence.
With this detection field deployed, I would know any monster coming our way before they were close enough to do anything to us.
We marched through the mountain path with great caution.
No goblins could catch us off-guard, assuming we were fighting them in this trial.
Unfortunately to our warrior selves, the mountain path was empty and so were the slopes.
No monsters were coming our way.
Even so, all of my comrades kept their focus.
They kept their guard up despite the uneventful march.
My comrades did well to heed my words and maintain their focused minds.
We then walked along the empty trails with perfect alertness until we reached a crossroad.
One path led further toward the west, while the other made a turn to the north, deeper into the mountains.
"Which way do we go?"
Jonah asked.
Fortunately, we did not need to wonder long for the answer.
I tried walking toward the westward path and immediately found myself bumping into a transparent barrier.
Apparently the trial did not want us to go this way yet.
"North it is. To the mountains, everyone!"
We continued on along the 'allowed' path which was fenced by tall rocky hills on either side.
Now that we were walking on an ascending trail instead of a flat one, the march was turning a tad more challenging.
But the difficulty did not deter us.
Even with their armors and weapons, the three comrades ahead of me kept their strides swift and strong.
There was no need to mention how the veteran mercenary was faring too.
We treaded on and on till the path made a sharp shift to the east, back toward where we came from.
"Halt!"
I ordered my comrades before we made the turn.
My mana field suddenly sensed something just by its boundary.
I extended the border further, just beyond the path that had turned east.
It was then that the magic particles flowed around four moving objects. Irregularities to the constant finding of inanimate ones.
The pattern of the flowing particles made me learn the obstacles' shape.
Heads. Torsos. Limbs. Weapons.
['Serafina (★★★★)' has obtained the skill, 'Mana Detection!]
Unlike the westward mountain path, this time we did not find ourselves on an empty course.
I turned to my comrades and spoke to them in a sharp hushed tone.
"Ready yourselves! Enemies ahead!"