70. He Actually Pulled It Off

『Hmph. These ones are a bit tougher than the last batch.』

Shiroru sent the thought my way with a disgruntled growl. Looking closer, I realized the apes had changed. These weren't Rampaging Shojo anymore; they were a different monster altogether—Killer Apes. At C-Rank, they were a full step above our previous opponents.

Both Shiroru and Lowell were doing an admirable job of striking down the swarming apes, but the ease they’d shown earlier had evaporated. If this turned into a battle of attrition, they would eventually run out of steam.

"We should pull back for now," Lowell called out, his request blunt and to the point. He was right; we were just wasting resources here.

"Yes, yes. I’ll drop the wall then. On my mark... three... two... one... Move it, move it!"

Pearl timed it perfectly, deactivating the Firewall. Simultaneously, Halfa and Pearl sprinted for the rear, with Shiroru right on their heels. Spira was already nowhere to be seen, likely veiled in invisibility.

Someone had to play the part of the rear guard to ensure everyone else's escape. That role fell to Lowell and me. Without needing a single word of discussion, Lowell sensed my intent and fell back to my side.

"What’s the plan?" he asked.

"I’m going to shove the storm right into them!"

I was referring to the Shredding Storm I’d been using as a makeshift wall. Moving an active spell required immense concentration and mana, but I managed to wrestle it under control, clenching a small vial of Magic Power Recovery Potion between my teeth. I knew this wouldn't be enough to actually kill the Killer Apes, but it would certainly break their momentum. Sure enough, the apes trying to dodge the gale collided with the ones trying to force their way through, throwing the whole pack into chaos.

...Though as I expected, my mana reserves were hitting the red.

We had to get out of here while the apes were still scrambled.

"Let’s go!"

"Right!"

Lowell and I sprinted toward the spot where Halfa and the others were waiting. A few Killer Apes managed to give chase, but Halfa’s covering fire kept them from closing the distance. Meanwhile, Pearl was mid-incantation. Judging by the pressure in the air, she was preparing High-Level Magic.

The moment we reached the group, Pearl unleashed her spell. It was the High-Level Fire Magic: Flare Cannon. A torrent of roaring flames erupted, incinerating everything in a direct line. Since the Killer Apes had bunched up to chase us, dozens were caught in the blast. That finally gave the monsters pause. The apes that had avoided the flames began to retreat, slinking away one by one in visible terror.

"Goodness... that certainly made my blood run cold."

Despite her words, Pearl seemed entirely composed. She truly carried herself like a veteran mage. It was impressive.

"But seriously, what is going on here...?" Lowell muttered, unable to hide his confusion.

It was a fair question. The situation was bizarre, to say the least.

I took a moment to organize my thoughts.

First, there was the matter of the Rampaging Shojo attacking us so relentlessly on the climb. Since Mt. Misarda was their natural habitat, encountering them wasn't odd, but the frequency was. I had a hunch as to why: they’d likely been driven out of their territory—or perhaps subjugated—by the Killer Apes, who were a higher-rank species. The Rampaging Shojo weren't just attacking us; they were likely in the middle of a desperate territorial expansion because their old home had been stolen.

As for the Killer Apes, the way they vanished upon death confirmed they were dungeon monsters. That meant there was likely a dungeon nearby. I’d never heard of a dungeon on Mt. Misarda, so it had to be an undiscovered one that the Adventurer’s Guild hadn't mapped yet. Given that almost no one ever visited the Ninth Station, it made sense that it had gone unnoticed... though I couldn't help but notice I’d been stumbling onto "undiscovered" dungeons a lot lately. Was it really just a coincidence?

I started to wonder if this was more interference from the Destiny God, but Shiroru shot that theory down immediately.

『I haven't felt a peep of interference from Lord Lamuyadas since the Pandora Box! Getting dragged into trouble is just your natural constitution, Tort!』

Wait, seriously...?

I really didn't want to believe I was just a walking magnet for trouble. I would have felt much better if it were a divine trial. That was definitely a truth I could have lived without... even if I was the one who asked.

Anyway, moving on. The Rampaging Shojo being aggressive and the existence of an undiscovered dungeon weren't the truly strange parts. The real anomaly was the fact that a massive horde of monsters had overflowed from that dungeon.

While it wasn't unheard of for a monster to wander out of a dungeon, it was extremely rare for a large group to do so simultaneously. Dungeon monsters were supposed to vanish if they strayed too far from their source. Most of them understood this instinctively, so they rarely left unless they were complete eccentrics.

"It’s an emergency, then," Pearl noted. "Normally, we’d leave the investigation to the Knight Order or the Adventurer’s Guild... but this is a real pickle."

"Damn it, why now of all times!?" Lowell spat, his voice tight with frustration.

Analyzing the situation had only confirmed that we were in over our heads. Pearl looked worried, and Lowell was visibly fraying. It made sense—a proper investigation and resolution would take days, if not weeks. By then, the blooming period for the Eternal Dream Flower would be long over.

"Hmm. Do you think we could thin them out if I picked them off one by one?" I asked.

With the Dagger of Piercing and my Shadow Strike skill, I was confident I could kill a Killer Ape in a single blow. My Boots of Silence gave me a huge boost to stealth, so as long as I was careful, I could probably do it... but it would take forever. Depending on how many were left, it seemed like an impossible task.

Lowell, Pearl, and I were right in the middle of trying to brainstorm a way through the deadlock when Halfa, who had been resting on the ground, suddenly stood up.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I just heard... something."

I strained my ears, but I couldn't hear anything over the whistling of the wind. Shiroru, however, seemed to catch on. Her tail began to wag furiously, and she let out a happy bark.

『It’s the presence of Lord Lamuyadas! An oracle!』

...Wait, the Destiny God can actually deliver oracles!?