Master Of Astral Summoner-Chapter 163: Separated

Chelsie slowly turned her head toward Shaan behind her. Her face stiffened instantly, and her entire body began to tremble, as if she had seen something from the same direction where Shaan stood. That's strange… what's happening? Why is she looking at me like that?

"S-Shaan…" Chelsie slowly pointed downward with her trembling finger. "Th-the ground is cracking."

"H-Huh?"

Shaan looked down, and his face went pale at once. His heart pounded violently when he saw a wide crack spreading directly beneath his feet. Damn it—he had to think of a way out of this situation.

"W-what should I do?"

"... Shaan, slowly lift your feet and try to move away from the crack."

"U-uh… y-yeah. I agree."

Taking Nalira's advice, Shaan followed their instructions. He carefully lifted his foot, inch by inch, trying to step away from the裂 line in the ground. However, the situation only worsened. The crack spread faster and widened, creeping toward Nalira and Chelsie.

"Oh, damn." Shaan immediately gave up on trying to move. "It's not working. It's getting worse."

"Oh, damn it." Shaan stopped moving immediately. "No… this is making it worse."

"Th-then what should we do?" Chelsie's voice trembled as she tightly grabbed Nalira's hand. "W-we can't stay here."

"Chelsie, take a deep breath," Nalira said calmly, trying to steady her. "We'll find a way out. Just stay calm."

"O-okay."

"As long as I don't move too much, the crack won't spread," Shaan said. "You two—slowly move away from here."

"Shaan, b-but we can't just leave you here alone," Chelsie shook her head. "There has to be another way—"

"Chelsie, Shaan is right," Nalira interrupted firmly. "We need to move away now, before this gets worse."

"B-but—"

Shaan shook his head. "No, Chelsie. There's no other way. Just listen to me."

"…." Chelsie lowered her head weakly. "Alright."

With a sorrowful expression, Chelsie took the first step away from Shaan, followed closely by Nalira. Step by step, the distance between them grew, and they nearly reached the end of the path.

'Good, at least they'll be safe for—'

Suddenly, a cluster of footsteps echoed from behind Shaan, drawing closer with every second. Damn it—other participants. They must have chosen the same route.

"Hey, stop!" Shaan waved both arms desperately, trying to warn them. "This path is going to collapse! Stop!"

But the sound of his voice drowned beneath the thunder of rushing footsteps. The ground responded immediately—the cracks spread violently, and the path shattered in an instant.

The participants behind Shaan plunged downward one after another as the ground beneath them collapsed.

"Oh—damn it!" Shaan's eyes widened, and his face turned pale as he witnessed the horrifying scene. "Everyone, run!"

Hearing Shaan's scream, Chelsie and Nalira immediately ran as fast as they could. They all ran with all their might, trying to reach the end of the road. However, the cracks spread faster than they could run, and in an instant, everything collapsed.

***

'Kh—kh!'

Dust rushed into Shaan's mouth, snapping him awake in an instant. He never expected to survive after the path collapsed moments ago.

'W-where am I?'

Shaan scanned his surroundings, searching for Nalira and Chelsie, but he couldn't see either of them. Around him, he spotted only a few other participants and several massive chunks of rock—fortunately, none of them had crushed him.

"I have to find them." Shaan stood up and shouted their names. "Chelsie, Nalira, where are you—"

"I'm here!" shouted Nalira from behind the boulder in front of Shaan. "I'm here, Shaan!"

"Nalira?" Shaan quickly moved the boulder in front of him. "Where's Chelsie?"

"Calm down, I pushed her across the road before it collapsed."

"Thank goodness." Shaan let out a breath. "W-wait. I'll help you out right now."

"...No, Shaan. That would waste time," said Nalira. "Remember, our time is limited in this event, and we can't waste it."

"I understand."

"I'll look for another route. Be careful, Shaan."

Nalira's footsteps faded as she moved farther away, until the sound disappeared completely. Shaan realized that Nalira had already left the area, which meant he needed to move as well and find another way forward.

"If that's the case, I'll have to ask Robin Hood for help," Shaan muttered to himself. "He'll be instrumental right now."

Shaan focused his mind, and his spell-scale symbol instantly appeared. In the next moment, a man in a green cloak stood tall before him, radiating confidence. A wooden bow rested firmly in one of his hands.

[It's good to see you again, Shaan.] Robin Hood smiled, looking around. [Eh, where is this? Where are Chelsie and Nalira?]

"Robin Hood, I'll explain everything later, but right now I need your help," Shaan said urgently. "Help me find Chelsie and Nalira. We got separated."

[I can't do that.] Robin Hood shook his head. [Too many daemon energies fill this place. I can't distinguish which ones belong to Satan or Carmen.]

'Damn it. I completely forgot Robin Hood doesn't have that kind of ability.'

[Shaan, over there.] Robin Hood pointed to the side. [I see another path. Several Daemonists like you have already taken that route. That path might lead us to Chelsie or Nalira.]

"Yeah, I think you're right." Shaan nodded and started moving along the path. "We need to move now."

Dim light from the lamps guided Shaan as he walked along the path. Silence filled the area—so deep and oppressive that he could hear his own footsteps echo with every step. Damn it. It seemed the other participants had already made their way out of this route.

[Shaan, I don't see anyone else but-]

"Robin Hood, what's wrong?" Shaan furrowed his brow, seeing Robin Hood in front of him suddenly stop walking. "Did you see something?"

[Shaan, look at this.] Robin Hood pointed at a strange liquid lying on the ground. [What do you think this is?]

Shaan lowered his body slightly and examined the substance more closely. The liquid looked thick, slimy, and dark purple mixed with black. Strange. For some reason, the color immediately reminded Shaan of the blood of the dark creatures he had fought before. Could the creature he searched for lurk somewhere nearby? 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

'But then… why can't I see it at all?'