Seraphine observed the sphere for a brief moment, ensuring the amber mixture had fully spread through the water.

When she was satisfied, she slowly curled her fingers inward. Then, the entire body of water began to break apart, unraveling into countless smaller droplets.

That moment was all Silvena needed.

She lifted one hand and snapped her fingers lightly.

[Wind Current]

A powerful current burst outward from her position and surged through the cavern, immediately seizing the drifting droplets.

Thousands upon thousands of tiny particles were swept through the thick webbing by the wind, splashing against every strand, every wall, and every swollen egg suspended in the nest.

Silvena held her arm steady while the spell continued to howl through the cavern.

As the wind raged through the cavern, Rosalin finally acted.

She reached for the hilt at her side and slowly unsheathed her sword. As the blade slid free from its scabbard, faint embers began to flicker along the metal.

She cast [Ignition].

Within seconds, her weapon ignited.

Flames wrapped themselves around the length of the [Scarlet Blade], dancing along the steel with a bright, hungry glow. The fire grew stronger with each second until the sword burned like a living torch in her hand.

Stepping forward, she swung her blade with half of her strength.

As the blade cut through the air, fire began to accumulate along the edge, then leapt forward in a huge blazing sweep. A wave of flame erupted outwards with the swing, shooting directly into the storm of wind that filled the cavern.

The moment the fire came into contact with the drifting mix, the reaction took place immediately.

The fire engulfed it easily, burning through the wind like a fire sweeping through the grass. The whirling winds carried the fire through all the webbing and the liquids that stuck to the eggs.

In an instant, the entire chamber erupted into a bright light, burning across the vast cavern as the egg chaver became a sea of fire.

The wind continued to howl, fueling the fire even more as it burned deeper into the monstrous nest.

"Great. Now, let’s get out of this place."

*****

The fire continued to rage on behind them, its restless light dancing on the walls of the vast chamber.

Once they had all stepped out of the passage and had effectively blocked the exit, Ruvian began to grow more and more satisfied as the Runes whispered into his head.

[You have slain a Hatching Brood!]

[You have slain a Hatching Brood!]

[You have slain a Hatching Brood!]

...

[You have received +0.5 Mana Resonance!]

[You have received +0.5 Mana Resonance!]

[You have received +0.5 Mana Resonance!]

[Your Spellcore has grown stronger!]

...

Looking at both Silvena and Rosalin’s expressions, it seemed they were also enjoying the luxury of the rewards without having to spend much energy.

’Now, there’s one thing left to do here.’

"Seraphine," he said calmly while pointing toward the deeper parts of the cave, "can you check if there is a large fluctuation of mana anywhere nearby."

Seraphine paused for a while, analyzing his intention.

Then, she finally said:

"Sure."

Giving a small nod in acknowledgment, she then closed her eyes slowly, and she allowed her senses to stretch outward into the cavern.

[Heightened Sense]

After a while, she finally spoke.

"I do not sense any unusually large fluctuations..."

"Only the normal mana density that most dungeons contain—"

But then, her voice trailed off.

Seraphine’s brows lowered slightly as if something had just entered the edge of her perception. Her expression remained composed, though the silence that followed suggested her concentration had deepened.

"No, wait," she said after a moment.

"There is one."

Her eyes opened slowly as she turned her head toward the other side of the cavern that they haven’t walked yet, her gaze settling on a distant tunnel that disappeared into darkness.

"It’s rising at a faster rate."

Ruvian watched her quietly.

Then a small smile appeared on his face.

’So, her fight is about to begin.’

Suddenly, a sharp crimson light flared to life from the communication device fastened at Seraphine’s waist.

Soon, the attention of all four of them snapped toward her side.

Their gazes fixed upon the device almost simultaneously, each of them recognizing the meaning of that unmistakable red signal without needing a single word of explanation.

It was the academy’s emergency notice.

A command that told the expedition had been cancelled, and all participants were being ordered to withdraw immediately and regroup in front of the dungeon gate.

"It seems they are already aware of it," Silvena said.

She then turned her gaze toward Ruvian.

"So, what exactly are we going to do next? We have already accomplished what we came here for, have we not?"

She lifted one hand and stretched her fingers lazily, as if savoring the lingering sensation of newly strange power still flowing through her body.

"Though, I have to admit, gaining that much Mana Resonance from burning the entire nest felt absolutely wonderful. Spider-type creatures really do produce an absurd number of eggs compared to most other monsters, after all. So this is such a rare treat." she said lightly.

Rosalin turned toward Ruvian, her brows knitting together slightly.

"We are going to retreat now?"

Ruvian shook his head.

"No, we still have one more thing to do. On second thought.... Actually, we are not going to do anything."

He paused for a moment before adding, almost casually.

"However, we still need to be there."

His answer only deepened their confusion.

All three of them stared at him, their expressions puzzled, clearly trying to decipher what exactly he meant by that strange statement.

Thus, Ruvian did not keep them waiting long.

"The strong fluctuation that you detected is coming from Calyra. And she is currently engaging with a Malice-class Voidspawn."

For a while, the air seemed to freeze.

Rosalin and Silvena’s eyes widened almost in perfect unison. Both of them were more than familiar with the terrifying strength Calyra possessed.

They had witnessed and heard of it over the years to know that the girl was far from normal, far beyond the reach of what anyone could reasonably call talented.

But the truth was...

None of them actually knew the true height of her magic.

Not even close.

After all, in every single fight they had ever seen her participate in, Calyra had never once shown any sign that she needed to give it her all.

Even when they had known her since childhood.

Even when the opponents she faced would have forced any other mage into a desperate struggle for survival.

To Calyra, those battles had always looked... effortless. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Almost casual.

And that very thought alone ignited an uncontrollable spark of curiosity within them. Because... if the terrifying strength they had already seen from her was merely the surface...

Then what kind of monster was she when she truly decided to stop holding back?

Of course, anyone would be curious.

After all, the person Ruvian was referring to was none other than a girl who had defeated a Voidspawn at the age of seven.

An age when most children were still struggling to properly control their mana flow. And yet she had already slain a creature that seasoned adventurers would hesitate to confront.

Not to mention the fact that she had also miraculously survived an inter-dimensional, high-scale dungeon at that age — an event that, by all logic and common sense, should have been an absolute death sentence!

Needless to say, almost everyone in this kingdom knew about her amazing achievement.

A faint smile slowly crept onto his lips.

"Let’s move now."

He said, turning his back as if the decision had already been made long before this conversation began.

Then he glanced over his shoulder, a wolfish grin spreading across his face.

"Come on now. We shouldn’t be late for it."

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 107: The Deepmarch Dungeon (12)]