"Amazing..."

Luke's astonished voice escaped his lips once again.

"To see novices take down a Sentinel with my own eyes... I've heard stories, but in my 20 years as an explorer, I’ve never actually witnessed it."
"So, there have been cases?"
"...Yes, though there are only a few. You could probably count them on one hand since the current ranking system was put in place."

That’s a little disappointing.
Having a title like ‘Killed a Chromatic Fiend during training’ or ‘Defeated a Sentinel as a novice’ would be great, but being the first would’ve made it more special.
Not for bragging rights, but just for personal satisfaction.

‘Then again, maybe it’s better this way. Fame can be troublesome.’

Fame? No thanks.
My identity is already somewhat out there, but there’s no need to throw more fuel on the fire.

"But half of those were the Scullery rank Sentinels. Taking down an Upper? That's an extraordinary achievement. You should be proud."
"I think I heard about it once? Something about the leader of the Pioneer Guild defeating a Sentinel."

At Ray’s comment, Luke elaborated further.

"That’s natural for a Pioneer. While some make it to that position through perseverance, most show promise from the start. But that incident was quite a while ago. Surprising that you’re familiar with it."
"Ah... well."

Ray’s expression turned bitter as she recalled her grueling days under the Pioneer Guild’s leader’s training.

"I trained with them."
"You trained? With a Pioneer?"

Luke's astonishment grew even more as his voice rose in pitch.

Then he sighed.

"Hah... truly remarkable. You received guidance from a Pioneer despite not being part of their guild? Or maybe it was because you weren’t a part of it."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"She must have seen it—your extraordinary talent. The budding potential of a new trailblazer."

Luke seemed entirely captivated, as if he was witnessing history in the making.

"Your roots are exceptional. You’re like the first explorers from the legends, destined to become great. You’ll uncover more of the Abyss's mysteries, and I was fortunate enough to walk with you, even for a moment... indeed, it’s good to live long."

According to Luke’s theory, we were the embodiment of "true roots" or something along those lines.
However, he was mistaken about one thing.

"Ray was the only one trained by the Pioneer. I trained elsewhere."
"Oh, right, you said you were with the Telema School. It was so shocking I momentarily forgot. But my opinion remains unchanged. None of you were born in the city; you all came from the outside, correct?"
"That's right."
"The first explorers were like that too. Though back then, Res Lemen hadn’t been established yet, so it’s not exactly the same. But those who first ventured into the Abyss came from outside the cities, driven by pure curiosity and the spirit of adventure, rather than habits or inertia from growing up in the city. They were true explorers, diving headfirst into the unknown..."

By the time Luke had rambled on for a while, I was more focused on searching through the remains of the Sentinel.
Ray, who had already stepped away from the conversation, gave me a cheeky grin.

"That took a while."
"He knows a lot."

I thought we’d find some valuable information from him again, but this time, nothing.

"What about the core stone?"
"Something’s odd about this one."

Inside the gaping hole left by my Smite, it was empty, like a hollow doll.

‘Must be because it’s a golem-type monster.’

Scholars who study the Abyss often say that golem-type monsters hold the greatest secrets of the Abyss.
Unlike biological creatures, golem-types give off an artificial vibe.
If the Abyss has a creator, the golems might have been made with some purpose.

There’s even an entire school of magic dedicated to studying golem-type monsters.

The reason I bring all this up is that I’m starting to think those scholars might be right.

"This? Is this a core stone?"

If this is supposed to be a core stone, what about the ones I’ve seen before?

Typically, core stones are glowing gems.
They emit mana so intensely that just holding them makes you feel like you’re absorbing radiation.

But the core stone Ray handed me was nothing like that.

It looked mechanical.
Like a magical-engineered heart.
That’s the immediate impression I got when I saw it.

It was crafted with incredible precision, and there was definitely mana within it, which only made it more bizarre.

"This thing still seems functional."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, if the core stone is intact, why did the Sentinel stop?"

Ray only realized the oddity after I pointed it out.

"Now that you mention it... usually, with golem-types, you either destroy the core stone completely or extract it while the monster is still moving to stop it."

Could this be a unique feature of Sentinels?

"Is Leif... no, not yet. She hasn’t arrived?"
"Nope. Should we check on her?"
"Nah, you can sense her presence, right?"
"I can see her."

Ray teased me as she crouched down to peer deeper into the Sentinel’s hollow body, squeezing her small frame inside.

She’s going to get stuck in there.

“Ugh! Roman, help me out!”

Sigh.

She’s like a kid sometimes.

I grabbed Ray’s firm calf and turned my head away.
Leif and Elowen had gone off to talk privately, but what was taking them so long?

‘I wonder if they’ll tell us later.’

"Pull harder!"
"Alright, alright."

While the three of us were rummaging through the remains of the Sentinel, Leif and Elowen’s conversation had moved past a long silence to a new phase.

Their atmosphere was much heavier.
So heavy, it was almost solemn.

Leif fidgeted with the staff in her hand, trying to conceal her nervousness from Elowen.

It wasn’t just Leif—Elowen, too, seemed cautious about how to phrase her words.
Each sentence was spoken with great care.

"I didn’t expect it to truly exist."
"..."
"You didn’t know it could synchronize with uncontracted spirits, did you? It was my first time experiencing it too..."
"Are you with The Shade?"
"...No. No, I’m not."
"Then what?"
"La mémoire des troncs."

Elowen was an independent explorer.
But she still had an affiliation.

Not as an explorer, but as an elf.

La mémoire des troncs.

The name means "the memory of the trunks," but it carries a double meaning—referring both to ancestry and to the memories of those who came before.

Elves, having lost their central figure, the World Tree, had scattered.
They had formed various factions based on personal leanings or heritage.

Some were extreme purists, while others accepted even the smallest trace of elven blood as enough to be considered kin.

La mémoire des troncs was a faction leaning toward purism.
However, they weren’t entirely inflexible. If someone had talent and met certain criteria, even half-elves could be accepted.
These criteria were based on tests of ancient knowledge from the time when the World Tree was still alive, making it incredibly difficult.
They weren’t purists because they supported pure bloodlines, but rather because they cherished and gathered those who longed for the old times.

Still, La mémoire des troncs was one of the more reasonable factions.
At least they didn’t kill half-elves, calling them impure like The Shade.

The Shade was a group that blamed the death of the World Tree on the rise of impure half-elves and sought to revive the World Tree by exterminating all mixed bloodlines.
They were also deeply connected to Abyss-worshipping cults.

"I’m so relieved we met before The Shade found you."
"..."

Elowen genuinely felt relieved.
And she thanked whatever grace was left of the World Tree for protecting her kin.

Perhaps it was fate that led her to join the training camp.

For now, even her gratitude toward Roman took a back seat.

"Come with me. Not only La mémoire des troncs, but The Silent Forest and The Whispering Leaves would welcome you..."
"It’s fine."
"…Leif."

Elowen didn’t understand.

Leif was special.
Even as a half-elf, she was nobler and purer than most full-blooded elves.

And Leif knew that to some extent.
She might not fully grasp the impact, but she was aware of her importance.

If she were to reveal her true identity, many of the elven factions would undoubtedly unite under her banner, except for the ones like The Shade, who had turned completely to the Abyss.

"Please keep this a secret."
"But..."
"This is a request, as a comrade..."

Leif paused for a moment before continuing.
Her voice was calm but firm.

"And a command, as a High Elf."

After gathering the spoils from the Sentinel’s remains, we headed to the area Elowen had found suspicious and intended to search.

As soon as we arrived, Luke spoke.

"This is bad."

Before us stood a gate.

It was one of the portals that allowed movement between the levels of the Abyss.

But this was not a regular gate.

It was a shortcut.

An unpredictable passage that could open or close at any time, anywhere.

The problem was, there could be more than one.
One shortcut alone wouldn’t be enough to disrupt the entire ecosystem of the second floor.

"There might be one in every Sentinel’s territory."

This hinted at deliberate interference.

It was the work of Abyss cultists.