World's Best Protagonist [BL]

After that reunion, we braced ourselves as we stepped through the vortex. Allen’s barrier protected us all the way until we exited the dust-filled rift and arrived in the other world.

We were greeted by solid ground. Rocks everywhere, dusty air, and dry wind. We landed in a valley between two mountains.

It’s not a normal mountain, mind you—no grass, no birds, no goats doing their goat-parkour nonsense. This place was pure stone. No trees, not even moss or algae growing in the crevices and cracks of those rocks.

Towering cliffs clawed at the gray sky, and the air smelled like ash and cracked earth. Jagged boulders jutted from the ground at odd angles like some giant had just had a tantrum and started stabbing the earth with stone knives.

Of course, something like this was to be expected. We entered a TS vortex after all.

"Where the hell are we?" Lexie muttered, shaking grit out of her copper-colored hair. I missed her commentary.

"A Terramourn Swirl," Claude replied, his voice echoing slightly. He wasn’t joking when he answered. Did he think Lexie didn’t know that?

Lexie just rolled her eyes at him and looked around. There was excitement in her eyes. I think she also misses the team and going on raids. Instead of joining other teams, she took a leave instead.

"I have a feeling we’re fighting rocks this time," I said, my eyes observing the surroundings.

Noir was already scanning the perimeter. "Something’s moving down there," he said, pointing to a series of shifting hills. "About three... no, five heat signatures. Large ones. Also, underneath us."

Terrius crouched beside a slab of slate, his eyes narrowed as he noticed the slight tremor of the slab. "Indeed. There’s something under the soil. The vibrations are off."

"I can feel it too," Allen said quietly after placing a hand on the ground. "I think they’re not just under it. They’re moving. Worms? Be alert, guys. I’ve already removed everyone’s barrier."

Suddenly, Noir ran forward. Etienne called out his name but he didn’t look back and continued running to some point. He disappeared from our sight after he turned a corner.

"What happened to him?" Lexie asked, wondering at the strange behavior.

I gave her a shrug, but I looked away instantly because I didn’t want to break the news to her. The World Tree said that otherworlders would know their world once they stepped back into it. I haven’t had an idea how, but judging from Noir’s expression, I could say he was checking the area for something.

This time, I have a feeling he’s not checking the perimeter for nearby monsters. I turned my back to Lexie. She just came back to the team, but now, one will be leaving soon.

"Etienne." The guy turned to me, halting at his attempt to follow Noir after I called out. I shook my head. "Don’t go. Let’s wait for him to come back."

"But what if something happens to him?"

"I doubt it. I have a feeling he knew this place more than any of us here."

"Did you mean..." Terrius’ eyes shook. I gave him a knowing look and just pointed at the moving boulder from a distance.

"Let’s deal with them for now."

They all turned in the direction where a deafening growl reverberated. I kid you not. The mountain started growling like it had finally achieved humanization, woke up, and was now moving up to stand.

The other rock formations moved.

Huge stone figures rose from the rubble—golems, formed of earth and rage. They had no eyes, just hollow pits in their faces and arms the size of tree trunks.

"A little less tough than a sizzling rock giant, isn’t it?" I remarked as I moved next to Etienne, dragging him out of the way.

Our job is to fight if we’re attacked, but if we’re not, then it’s better to just stay out of the monsters’ sight so Allen doesn’t have to waste his energy on us. Etienne only helps if someone is injured, while I was told not to use my power on small fries.

"Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to him," I said as I secured a spot far from the ongoing battle. "Noir will return because he still needs you, right?"

Etienne sighed as he nodded. "Right."

I was about to reply when the ground beneath us started quaking. We both jumped away just in time when the ground cracked and pincer-like legs crawled out of the rift. These legs are as thick and long as a human arm.

So, I quickly pulled out my sword and stabbed the ground. It rumbled as if what was underneath wriggled painfully and thrashed its body. The shaking became intense.

"Etienne, let’s run!"

Etienne bolted away as soon as I yelled. He went to a clearing—to a wider part of the valley where there were fewer boulders. I followed soon after I pulled the sword.

At that moment, once the hundred-leg monster shot up to the sky, it was frozen by an ice spear which pierced through its segmented body. The giant centipede-like beast convulsed while slowly being devoured by ice.

It stood tall, frozen from the ground, like a tall obelisk with a monster inside.

Terrius nodded at us before focusing on the other monsters again. An infantry of golems marched toward, coming from both ends of the valley.

"What are we going to do now, Jade?"

I grabbed Etienne’s arm without answering. Then, we floated, covered by a green transparent sphere.

Mist formed in the valley, giving it an eerie, mystical effect. From above, we could only see the heads of the golems. The captain’s mist formed into a thick horizontal line, reaching up to the monster’s chests, covering the ground from their sight.

The golems would have to bend down and bury their heads in the thick cloud to see underneath. But as soon as they did, a surprise attack would come their way.

With their large, hard-rock hands, they tried to blow away the mist, but the mist wasn’t natural. It was controlled by a high-ranking Seeker, so no matter how much they tried, if they didn’t kill the master, the mist wouldn’t vanish or move out of their way.

Meanwhile, Terrius dealt with the hundred-legged monsters crawling under the ground, while Claude and Lexie took the blindsighted golems one by one.