Water Magician

The door was violently opened without knocking.

“Master, there’s trouble.”

The receptionist Nina had flown into the room.

When guild personnel, including Nina, entered the Guild Master’s office without knocking, it signified that a really urgent and very troublesome matter had happened.

“Report.”

However, it was important to calm down precisely during such situations.

That applied for both the Guild Master Hugh and the messenger.

Hugh urged her to continue with a slow and calm voice.

Nina took a deep breath and then reported.

“Something went wrong in the dungeon and the investigation teams have disappeared. Professor Christopher of the Magic University wants Guild Master to come to the dungeon entrance immediately.”

“The investigation teams have disappeared …?”

Hugh was stunned for a moment at the unexpected report.

“I’ll go right away. The staff will be on standby here. Have only the liaison personnel head to the dungeon branch office. Don’t let the adventurers who are still in the guild know. If you have to say something, just tell them I will explain it later.”

Then Hugh put on his cloak and left the office.

(What does he mean by they’ve disappeared, disappeared?. What the hell is … no, more importantly, Abel and his party should be inside too … after all … shit, the last time it was the sea now it’s in the dungeon that he goes missing? … I hope we find them soon … I don’t want to report that he went missing again …)

Hugh’s heart was disturbed as he headed for the dungeon on a guild liaison horse.

Hugh’s heart was still disturbed when he arrived at the tent of the guild branch office at the entrance to the dungeon.

However, after going through hundreds of battles, he had a technique to forcibly calm his mind.

After taking a deep breath and calming down, he entered the tent.

Inside the tent was Professor Christopher of the Magic University, Deputy Director of Research of the Court Magic Group, and a professor from the Kingdom Central University.

They were probably the highest-ranked person that could be contacted in each investigation team.

“Professor Christopher, please tell me the details.”

Hugh first urged Professor Christopher to explain.

Professor Christopher’s explanation was brief.

All the people in the dungeon disappeared at the same time.

Some disappeared in front of their eyes.

About 1,000 people from the Kingdom Central University, including President Clive, were on the 11th floor, and about fifty people from the Court Magic Group, including Advisor Arthur and the Crimson Sword, were on the tenth floor.

Also, the adventurers hired in the City of Rune were stationed from the entrance to the 11th floor to secure supply routes, but it seemed that they also disappeared.

However, to be exact, it was not known what happened to the people on the 11th floor.

It was confirmed that the members of the Court Magic Group on the tenth floor disappeared through the response from the magic tools they were using.

And that there was a response from that magic tool from the 40th floor for an instant.

“40th floor …”

Even Hugh had no choice but to be surprised at that.

Hugh also understood that the 100 C-rank adventurers there were almost the full force remaining in the City of Rune.

With that in mind, the 40th floor was a place that 『usually』 could never be reached.

Yes, usually.

“I heard reports that there were no monsters from the first floor to the tenth floor, but is that true?”

Yes, if there were no monsters below the 12th floor due to the influence of the Great Tidal Bore … it was not impossible to reach the 40th floor.

Maps of the 30th floor and below no longer remained in the Adventurer’s guild, so it would take time to find the stairs leading to the lower floors, but he felt that it could be done using human wave tactics.

“Yes, that’s true, so it is certainly possible that there are no monsters below the 12th floor.”

Yes, it was a 『possibility』.

It may not be. However, there was a possibility.

“But the problem is that we have no idea why they disappeared. And the same thing might happen again, no, it is more likely that it will happen again. We don’t know if the ones who were transported to the destination are even alive. I’m sorry, but in such an uncertain situation I can’t command my subordinates to enter.”

Professor Christopher said.

Hugh expected that he would say so.

If Hugh was in the same position, he would have made the same decision.

“Yes, I understand. I don’t have the right to command people from Magic University. So what I want is to cancel the contract for the C-rank adventurers in this City of Rune that the Magic University hired.”

“Well, that can’t be helped. My Magic College will kindly cancel the contract with them.”

“Thanks for the help.”

With that said, Hugh bowed.

Abel didn’t know what had happened.

At one moment, he felt a sensation of floating and was immediately struck by the feeling of being placed on the ground.

The next moment, the scenery in front of him had changed.

It was an endless meadow.

He was a little relieved to see that Rihya, Rin, and Warren were on his left and right.

In addition, he saw Arthur and the Royal Court Magic Group investigation team nearby.

“Rihya, Rin, Warren, are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

Warren nodded.

“Arthur, are you okay on that side?”

Abel called out to Advisor Arthur, who was a short distance away.

“Yeah. It seems that the members of the Court Magic Group were also transported in the same manner.”

Arthur looked around and replied.

“Transported?”

“It felt the same as the transfer I experienced in a dungeon in the Western Nations a long time ago. I don’t know if we’re on another floor in the dungeon or somewhere else … but I believe we were forcibly transported.”

Arthur explained as he approached Abel.

Alongside him, the members of the surrounding Court Magic Group also naturally gathered.

In some hands were the residual magic detectors.

“Is the detector working properly?”

“Yes, it’s working. I think it’s probably sending information about this location to the analytical magic tools on the surface …”

“Then help might be coming!”

Rin exclaimed happily.

“Well … I wonder about that …”

Advisor Arthur looked skeptical.

“Is there something you’re concerned about?”

“Yeah. This space. Rihya, does this space resemble something?”

When asked, the priest Rihya thought while looking up at the sky.

After thinking for a while, she thought of it.

“It is similar to a Sanctuary …”

Sanctuary is an 『Absolute defense』, said to be God’s Miracle, that can only be used by higher-ranking priests.

Its defense has a tremendous effect that blocks all magical attacks and all physical attacks and is exactly what the name of God’s Miracle deserves.

However, the fact that this location resembled a Sanctuary …

“In other words, we are trapped in some sort of barrier.”

“That is very likely.”

Rihya answered Abel’s question.

“But it’s so huge that we can’t even tell where the boundaries of the barrier are.”

At least, even Abel understood that they seemed to be trapped in a troublesome place.

For the time being, they had to investigate the surrounding situation.

“Rin, sorry but use <Probe> to find out if there is anything around us.”

“All right~. Gather the heartbeat and existence of life and bring them to me, <Probe>”

The light of her Probe spread through the air.

“There are many reactions of creatures over there, at a distance of about 500 meters. About a thousand humans? And about fifty other creatures that I have never encountered before.”

“A thousand humans …”

“Well, the most probable explanation would be that Clive and his team had also been transported too.”

Advisor Arthur replied to Abel’s mutter.

“It seems that the canary got caught and we didn’t have time to escape. Sheesh … Well, I think we should head over there for the time being …”

“Well, there is no other way.”

Thus, the Crimson Sword and the Court Magic Group investigation team began to walk in the direction where the Kingdom Central University investigation team was believed to have been transported to.