"Vice-Captain, we’ve completed the task."

Christine, along with the knights and soldiers in the wasteland, had dealt with the monsters trying to climb up the cliff. The soldiers had rushed in to finish the job without her even needing to get involved.

"Good work."

Christine's soft voice eased the tension on the faces of the knights and soldiers. Her gentle and kind demeanor had made her immensely popular among the troops, though she herself seemed indifferent to it.

Throughout, Christine had been using detection magic to continuously check the state of the ground and the terrain. The results were, of course, not promising.

"As I thought, it's very unstable."

The overall terrain was so worn down by external forces and weathering that it could fracture at any moment. Most of the areas she inspected were in this condition. There was even a slight chance that the ground could collapse, leading to a serious accident.

I need to recommend to the captain that we relocate the investigation area when I return. Continuing to investigate near the cliff is too dangerous.

If the cliff were to collapse, it would mean retreating the front line, which would signify an expansion of the wasteland and the monsters' territory. The constant impact from large monsters throwing themselves against the cliff and scratching at it with claws and teeth seemed to be a major factor.

"Behemoths can subjugate other monsters."

Christine suddenly recalled this fact.

Even with all her knowledge from the Magic Tower, Christine had only heard a little about Behemoths. And even that was mostly old tales and rumors.

The king of monsters, a mythical creature from ancient times.

There were only vague and uncertain speculations left, and even the stories from 15 years ago, when its existence was supposedly confirmed, didn’t provide much concrete information about the Behemoth.

Is the senior okay?

Christine glanced westward, where Maxim was likely continuing his investigation. She had a bad feeling today, a sense of foreboding that made her heart race, as if something was about to happen.

"Vice-Captain, we should move on to the next area now."

A soldier approached and said. Christine nodded reluctantly. The area she needed to cover was in the opposite direction from Maxim’s.

"Yes, if everyone’s ready, then let’s..."

Rumble.

A faint vibration could be felt, followed by a deep, resonant sound that seemed to come from the very depths of the earth.

"...No way."

Christine turned her pale face toward the west. The epicenter was definitely in that direction. The source of the rumbling was also coming from where she had turned her head.

"Vice-Captain, what is that...?"

The soldiers and knights looked at Christine in confusion. She didn’t move her head.

"To the west."

Her voice was hard and unfamiliar, even to herself. The knights and soldiers quickly formed ranks and began running toward the west. Christine grabbed one knight and two soldiers.

"Hurry, return to the gathering point. Wait for the Margrave to return and report to him. Tell him the cliff where the first team is stationed has collapsed."

"Understood."

The knight nodded and led the soldiers back toward the gathering point on the opposite side of the cliff. Christine watched them go for a moment before chasing after the knights running westward. Her magically enhanced body quickly accelerated, allowing her to catch up.

Please, please.

Christine silently prayed, her emerald green eyes filled with anxiety.

You have to be safe.

==

Maxim opened his eyes amidst the rubble. The sun was still up. His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably. He wasn’t buried under the rocks. He didn’t know how he had fallen, but he wasn’t dead. Maxim staggered as he slowly exhaled. A fit of coughing erupted from his throat as he regained consciousness. A name immediately came to mind.

Theodora.

Maxim forced his aching neck to turn as he looked around. Theodora was nowhere to be seen. He took a deep breath and assessed his condition.

Breathing was difficult, but there was no pain with each breath.

My ribs are intact.

Maxim carefully tested the muscles in his body by twitching his fingers. He had sensation. There was pain, but it wasn’t severe. He could probably stand if he tried.

It seems my spine is okay, at least for now.

Maxim cautiously moved his arm. Sharp pain shot through him, but it wasn’t broken—just badly bruised.

"Damn it..."

Maxim pushed himself up with his throbbing arm, using the rocks for support. His legs were in better shape than his arms. He could bend his knees steadily. Maxim groaned as he stood up. As he wobbled to his feet, debris tumbled down beside him. He breathed heavily as he looked around.

I need to move forward, toward the cliff.

Rubble crumbled beneath Maxim's feet. He felt around his waist. Thankfully, his sword was still securely strapped to his side. Maxim drew his sword and began moving forward.

The area around him was dim, almost like being under a roof. The cliff had collapsed in a horseshoe shape, with both sides blocked by the cliff walls. Maxim advanced toward the oppressive darkness ahead.

Theodora.

Just then, Maxim spotted something white. He hurriedly scrambled over the rubble. He slipped and bumped into the rocks repeatedly, but he didn’t care.

"...Fenrir."

The white object was a Fenrir. Maxim sheathed his sword and approached the pile of rubble where the Fenrir lay. The sword that had taken its life was still embedded in its neck. Maxim grabbed the hilt, and his voice, strained and desperate, called out.

"Theodora!"

Theodora hadn’t let go of the hilt. For a moment, Maxim's heart sank, fearing that she might have been crushed by the falling debris, but fortunately, only her right leg seemed to be pinned. Maxim hurriedly approached Theodora, who was slumped over the Fenrir's body.

"Theodora."

Maxim checked her pulse and held his fingers under her nose. She was breathing, but still unconscious. Maxim removed the large rock pinning her right leg. As he summoned a bit of mana, pain shot through him.

"Guh...!"

Maxim heaved the heavy stone backward. Theodora’s right leg was revealed, and Maxim gritted his teeth. Her armor was completely crushed.

It’s broken.

He could tell without looking closely. The leg was probably broken so badly that it would be difficult for her to walk without excruciating pain. Her right leg was now just a piece of meat incapable of supporting her body. There was no way to wake her up at the moment.

"Damn it."

Maxim first retrieved Theodora's sword. Then, he detached his scabbard from his waist and cut it into a suitable size to use as a splint. He roughly skinned the Fenrir with his knife and used the pelt to bind Theodora's leg to the splint.

Maxim inspected the joint of Theodora’s armor on her right leg. The crushed shin, the knee joint—there was a gap. Maxim forcibly tore off the armor covering that area.

"...Theodora."

The leg was broken worse than he had thought. Her ankle was twisted in an unnatural direction, and her shin was swollen and bruised. Maxim immobilized the leg with the Fenrir’s pelt and the cut-up scabbard, completing the makeshift first aid.

"It’ll hurt, but... just hold on a little longer."

Maxim gently lifted Theodora and leaned her against the cliff wall. The best course of action was to wait in this spot where they had fallen. Since the ground had collapsed, those up on the cliff would surely have noticed something was wrong. It would be best to wait here and hope that the knights, having sensed the disturbance, would find him and Theodora.

Moving to another location on his own, trying to climb out, could lead to an even bigger disaster.

"What the hell is going on here..."

Maxim sighed and sat down beside Theodora. Even if monsters were drawn to the scent and came for them, he was confident he could fend them off if it came to a fight. He could hold out for a few hours. If there was some sort of magic that allowed for flight, perhaps Christine could find them sooner.

Maxim leaned back against the wall, trying to remain calm and conserve his strength.

Creak.

Maxim’s eyes widened. It was a terrifying, skittering sound that seemed to bore directly into his skull.

Creak.

It was unbelievable, but it sounded like an insect gnawing through rock.

Creak.

Maxim slowly, very slowly, looked up.

At first, he hadn’t noticed it—a massive, dark, and deep hole bored into the cliff.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

Clatter.

The sound of rocks collapsing echoed from behind him. Maxim turned around with a pale expression. Monsters had arrived, drawn by the sound of the collapse and the scent of Fenrir’s blood.

But the approaching monsters were not Maxim’s main concern at the moment. He quickly lifted Theodora onto his back. She hung limply over his shoulders. Maxim supported her leg with his left hand and gripped his sword tightly with his right.

Is that hole the reason the ground became unstable?

Maxim swallowed nervously as he stared at the massive hole. He knew of a monster that burrowed through the ground like that. It was sometimes found in desert regions—the Grim Reaper of the sand, the Death Worm.

Creak.

The sound of an insect gnawing through rock grew louder and closer.

However, Maxim had never heard of a Death Worm boring through rock like this. He had thought they only lived in the sand, burrowing through it.

But the presence—it was unmistakable.

A very powerful monster’s aura emanated from beyond that hole. If it was a Death Worm that could bore through rock, then such a monstrous presence would make sense. He couldn’t tell if it was fortunate or unfortunate that there seemed to be only one of them. The creature would undoubtedly be enormous.

Maxim imagined what it would be like to fight that monster. The narrow space, the unstable footing. And on top of that, this was practically the monster’s nest. Without using aura, there was no guarantee of victory against such an opponent.

If I use aura...

Sweat began to bead on Maxim's hands. He glanced back at the entrance. If he used his aura and killed the monster lurking beyond, he and Theodora would end up as nothing more than a meal for the creature, just like the Fenrir.

A monstrous roar echoed from the entrance. Maxim looked back to see about six or seven monsters approaching. He had no choice. If he fought the Death Worm, he would most likely die here. Maxim clung tightly to Theodora. If he were as badly injured as she was, he would have had no chance of survival.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Maxim tried to steady his racing heart.

Stay calm. The decision I make now will determine whether Theodora lives or dies.

If only he could wake her up, he might have considered fighting the monster approaching from the depths of the tunnel. But frustratingly, Theodora remained unconscious.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

The gnawing sound grew closer and closer. Maxim staggered forward with Theodora on his back.

Creak. Creak. Creak. Creak.

The increasingly loud sound pierced Maxim's mind, making him feel as if it were physically assaulting him. His pace quickened.

Rumble.

The sound of rocks grinding against each other echoed from behind him. Maxim didn’t need to look back to know that the monster had finally emerged. There was no time to worry about the unstable ground beneath him. Maxim sprinted forward, crushing the ground with each step.

A screeching howl resounded behind him. Maxim raised his sword horizontally with one hand.

A monstrous cry reverberated through the air as Maxim and the creatures recognized each other. Maxim poured all his heart into a prayer to a god he didn’t even believe in.

Heaven, please, I don't care if you haven't helped me before. Just this once,

Please, just this once, help me get Theodora out of here safely.

As the cliff shook violently once more behind him, the desperate battle for survival began.