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.'

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

shot back in

have enough time to run and create new markings on the wall. And, if she got lost in these tunnels, there would be no one to

meant that there were more Invalids on their way. If she was correct, then her arrows wouldn't mean much if anything to them.

with confidence, only to come

her. But, they all simultaneously rotated their heads in her direction as though they were night time owls. It was the kind

her

forward? Or run

the latter would force her to forget her initial plans entirely. There was no way she would be able to keep a mental map of

If it wasn't for this, there was no way that Aina would only

her teeth.

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,

to boil, a faint red hue covering her

a thought, she shot

were as fast as Fourth Dimensional humans, their joints would often bend

moved less like humanoids and more like some alien species just learning how to walk on their own two feet thanks to bodies they had

down Aina's back, but this was a good thing for her. The less coordinated they were, the

a leg in quick succession. Without even bothering with the remaining two, she shot by the gap she created after the

could, no longer minding the noise she might make. As long as the Invalids she came across continued to be so uncoordinated and slow, she just had

actions. Why couldn't she had traveled in a straight

them. But, a few came in groups of

grew more anxious the more she ran. How were there so many Invalids here? Why did none

the more she began to question how she had traveled so