Chapter 644 – Calm Under The Tree.

“Look at that, flat as a board.”

Brakka whistled again as she looked over the gash in the ground. It was another cluster of salamanders, flattened once more by Roland’s gravity magic. The only difference this time was that lava did not flood the trench, leaving behind a scar filled with pancaked remains.

“If you keep this up, I won’t get the chance to do anything, sugar.”

She laughed and smacked Roland on the back. He did not move even a millimeter, and the other adventurers began to look at him with mixed expressions. Some were impressed, others jealous, and a few were harder to read. Their leader, however, was all smiles, praising him every time he cleared out a wave of monsters.

“Great. With Siegfried around, we might even reach the third ring in just two days.”

Roland placed the sword back against his back, where it magnetized into place. His armor remained hidden beneath a robe, concealing most of the runic inscriptions. Even so, one person present was clearly focused on what he had done.

“That spell.”

The gnome mage muttered as he adjusted the lenses perched over his eyes.

“You didn’t chant. And the mana compression, those runes are not standard academy magic. It’s something new, something non-traditional.”

Roland turned slightly, just enough to acknowledge him.

“Trade secret.”

He answered, unwilling to give anything away and hoping the refusal would end the conversation. Instead, the gnome’s interest only seemed to deepen.

“Ah, guarding your secrets. I do love a challenge.”

It seemed the short mage had no intention of letting the matter drop.

“Gather this up.”

The leader of the group turned to the porters and issued the order. One of the men stepped forward to inspect the gash filled with monster remains, a mess that would take considerable effort to sort through. The bodies were mangled, bones shattered, scales crushed, and blood was already beginning to pool.

“But sir… it’s all flattened…”

He hesitated, clearly reluctant to continue, but a sharp look from the group leader was enough. The man quickly nodded and waved the others over. The adventurers walked past without a glance, seemingly unconcerned about whether the porters might be attacked while collecting the remains.

‘Everything is going well now. I doubt anyone will try anything until we make camp for the night.’

Roland glanced back once, but the porters did not truly concern him. The one he was here to protect was the blacksmith. Even so, if an attack did occur, he would know. Unknown to the others, he continued placing small sensors into the dungeon walls. They were improved versions of the mapping devices from Albrook, capable of connecting to one another without cables. Through them, he could track the route they had taken and receive an alert if even the porters were attacked after the group moved on.

Things were going well, and the journey continued at a faster pace. He did not want to give his potential enemies time to think things through, and in record time, only half a day, they managed to reach the second layer, the one that led into the Rotten Forest. This region was home to decaying monsters and pervasive poison. Only after passing through it would they arrive at Drachnid Valley, where the adventurer settlement was located.

While their progress was fast, it was not especially remarkable. The superdungeon was old and well explored. The first and second rings had been thoroughly mapped, and several shortcuts existed, similar to the ones Roland had created within the Albrook dungeon. They simply took the fastest route available. However, if they were to explore these areas from start to finish, they would likely be trapped there for several months.

The moment they crossed into the second ring, the air changed. It became heavy, damp, and foul, carrying the stench of rot and stagnant life. The volcanic heat faded behind them, replaced by a sickly chill that clung to armor and skin alike. Twisted roots jutted out in every direction, swollen with fungi and oozing blackened sap.

“The Rotten Forest. I have heard about this place, but no one told me that it would stink this much…”

The barbarian woman beside him turned her face away as the smell assaulted her nostrils. He was spared thanks to his helmet’s filtration system, but most of the others were not so fortunate, visibly reacting to the reek of decay.

“Be careful, everyone. This place is filled with Treants, so do not get too close to the trees. We will move to the encampment area and rest there before continuing. We should be able to get there in a couple of hours.”

The captain addressed the group, and once the porters returned with the loot they had avoided earlier, the march resumed. This region was far more dangerous than the first ring, and the strength of the monsters made that clear. Poisonous marshes teemed with venomous toads. Trees lurched and grabbed, attempting to devour anyone who passed too close. Humanoid mushrooms exploded into flesh-eating spores when defeated. It was a deadly place for ordinary adventurers, but the Vanguard leading them was anything but ordinary.

“Am I seeing things, or are those mushroom men floating?”

One of the adventurers spoke up as they pushed deeper into the dead forest, staring at the monsters suspended in the air ahead of them.

“Use fire arrows and spells. I cannot hold them forever.”

Roland shouted as he gripped his sword with both hands. The blade was embedded in the ground, radiating a dark violet light that enveloped every monster in the area. Each of them hovered several meters above the ground, unable to move.

“Haha, this makes it easy!”

The gnome mage was the first to act. Although he was not a fire specialist, he could still cast basic fire spells. A fireball shot forward and struck one of the floating monsters, detonating in a burst of flame.

“Awoo!”

Next was Agni, who was still in his disguise. He opened his mouth and released a surge of blue flames that, upon connecting with one of the mushroom people, immolated it instantly. The adventurers glanced at one another, and soon the spectacle began.

The fireball blossomed against the mushroom creature’s spongy cap, igniting the spores before they could disperse. It shrieked in a strange sound before collapsing in on itself, charring midair and falling as a smoking husk. At this sight, the other adventurers finally joined in showering the dungeon with arrows.

Arrows streaked through the gloomy forest, their tips flaring with enchantments and alchemical oil. Bolts from crossbows were also there, along with a few scrolls that could call up flames. Suspended by Roland’s gravity field, the monsters could neither dodge nor retaliate. One by one, they were reduced to ash, splinters, and burned pulp.

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‘Mana consumption is stable, and the runes are holding up nicely. However, if the creature exceeds a certain size or power, activating the spell will become difficult.’

Roland used this opportunity to field test the gravity spells he had runecrafted into his new armor. The sword was not truly the focal point of these spells. It existed mainly to mislead the other adventurers into believing it was the source of his power.

Gravity was remarkably flexible. It could slow approaching monsters or even make them float. The spell did not always work, since monsters with higher mana reserves could partially interfere with it, and those that were too heavy were barely affected. However, when dealing with tier two and lower tier three monsters like these, Roland could simply present them to the other adventurers and let them waste their ammunition instead.

‘Those Treants aren’t as easy to lift though…’

Even though he knew he would struggle, he focused his spell on one of the monster trees. Its roots snapped under the pressure as it was slowly lifted into the air, just like the mushroom men. It resisted furiously, trying to drive its roots back into the ground, which made it much harder to maintain the spell. However, while it was busy contending with his magic, the adventurers launched their attacks, laughing as they did.

“This is great. It was never this easy to get through this stink filled place. Can we recruit that man?”

Asked one of the archers, who was having a blast shooting at the monsters.