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.'

placed herself in such a difficult situation for such a worthless Ore she couldn't even mine, but

in the direction

these tunnels, there would be no one to come out and save her. Therefore, her best chance was to follow her arrows

way. If she was

confidence, only to come to

they all simultaneously rotated their heads in her direction as though

her

go forward? Or run

following her arrows. But, 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 where she was going and getting

way that Aina would only meet these Invalids on her way back and

her

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

began to boil, a faint red

she shot forward,

they were as fast as Fourth

more like some alien species just learning how to

a cold shiver down Aina's back, but this was a good thing for

quick succession. Without even bothering with the remaining two, she shot by the gap she created after the Invalid toppled over,

might make. As long as the Invalids

had traveled in a straight line before? What possessed her to take

several more Invalids. Many were alone, allowing her to easily bypass them. But, a few came in groups

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

The more she ran into, the more she began to question how she had traveled so deeply without running into even a single