Dimensional Descent

Aina pulled her sword out quickly.

She didn't quite understand what was happening. Shouldn't Invalids be creatures of instinct? They shouldn't have any intelligence or sense of comradery. Something like signaling one's allies was a distinctly human trait. Sometimes beasts of higher intelligence would engage in such matters as well. But, Invalids? That should never happen.

'It didn't become energy?'

Aina was shocked once again. The Invalid before her collapsed, but it didn't disappear into energy she could absorb. Just what was happening?

Aina's heart seized. Did she make a mistake? Was it not an Invalid at all?

No, that was impossible. Its eyes, its aura, its demeanor, it all screamed Invalid. So, what was happening exactly?

Aina didn't believe that she would make such a rookie mistake. Plus, what existence other than an Invalid could shriek like that even after having its head pierced through?

Aina was certain, it hadn't been a shriek of pain or unwillingness. It had no emotion behind it all, it was completely hollow and without conscience.

'I need to move.'

Aina thrust these thoughts to the back of her mind, taking a glance at the wall the 'Invalid' had been scratching at.

If Leonel had been there, he would immediately recognize the Tier 5 Black Ore embedded into the wall. It wasn't very valuable, but it wasn't worthless either. At the very least, it could sell for a couple kilograms of Black Urbe Ore.

'I don't have time to dig it out and it doesn't seem like a very high level ore either.' Aina nodded to herself. 'Run.'

such a difficult situation for such a worthless Ore she couldn't even mine, but there was no time to cry

in the direction she

in these tunnels, there would be no one to come

she thought, then it likely meant that there were more Invalids on their way. If she was correct, then her arrows wouldn't mean much

rounded a corner with confidence, only to come to a

backs facing her. But, they all simultaneously rotated their heads in her direction as though they

hesitated, her

forward? Or

entirely. There was no way she would be able to keep a mental map of where she was

that Aina would only meet these Invalids on her way back and never

her teeth.

that this was the best choice she had. If there were Invalids on her way back, that only meant that she had been very lucky not to run into them on the way here. If that was the case, there might very well be even more if she headed in deeper rather than trying to exit. Her only way out of this situation was to leave this

blood began to boil, a faint red hue covering her

thought, she shot forward,

but their reactions seemed disjointed. Though they were as fast as Fourth Dimensional humans, their joints would often bend at odd angles as though they were

like humanoids and more like some alien species just learning how to walk on their own two feet thanks to

back, but this was a good thing for

of her blade, one lost an arm and a leg in quick succession. Without even bothering with the remaining two, she shot by the gap she created after the Invalid toppled

as the Invalids she came across continued to be so uncoordinated and slow, she just had to continue running

rounded several corners, almost lamenting her previous actions. Why couldn't she had traveled in a straight line before? What possessed her to take

ran into several more Invalids. Many were alone, allowing her to easily bypass them. But, a

were there so many Invalids here? Why did none of them become

into, the more she began to