Chapter 30: A Trip to the Sewers

“Threatened…”

Lorena hadn’t considered that possibility.
She’d assumed the sewer issue was just a monster invasion, albeit with unusually powerful creatures.

“Well, it’s just a theory…”

Sensing Lorena’s unease, Ina softened her tone.
“We won’t know until we see it for ourselves.”

“What do you think, Cynthia-chan?”

Ina turned to Cynthia, leaving the final call to her.

“Sounds reasonable to me.”

Cynthia didn’t care much about being spotted by the Holy Church, but with Ina and Lorena in tow, caution was wiser.
Their enemies weren’t just the Church but also monsters capable of overwhelming A-rank adventurers.

“Let’s move. Avoid the guards.”

With Cynthia’s lead, they swiftly bypassed the city’s patrols and reached the drainage outlet at the wall’s edge.

In a secluded clearing, a dark entrance loomed, sealed by a rusted iron grate, clearly neglected for years.

Tiani’s intel was spot-on—no guards here.
But…

“What’s that stench?”

Ina pinched her nose, grimacing.
“No wonder it’s unguarded. Only a lunatic would come here!”

Cynthia and Lorena glanced at her silently.
Ina blinked, confused.
“What?”

“Nothing. You’re right.”

Cynthia looked away, keeping her thoughts to herself.
The smell was nearly unbearable, even for her—no sane person would linger.

Lorena, covering her nose, tilted her head.
“Strange… it didn’t smell this bad before.”

“Probably the monsters,” Ina muttered.
“Won’t we suffocate down there?”

She envisioned them choking on toxic fumes before even starting.

“Don’t worry. Tiani prepared us.”

Cynthia pulled several glowing white stones from her pouch and handed them to Ina and Lorena.

“Purification Stones! Tiani’s thorough~”

Ina twirled the small stone, satisfied.
“We’re good now.”

The stones would neutralize the foul air—a handy piece of tech.

With no more concerns, Cynthia gripped the rusted grate and yanked it free with ease, leaving Lorena stunned.

The act was brute yet oddly graceful.

Lorena might’ve bent the bars to squeeze through, but removing the entire grate effortlessly? Unthinkable.

“Lorena, don’t just stand there. Come on.”

Ina’s voice snapped her out of it.
Cynthia and Ina were already moving, and Lorena hurried to follow.
“Oh, right, coming!”

“Pull the grate back to cover our tracks.”

Inside the sewer, Cynthia was surprised.
It wasn’t as filthy as she’d expected.
Aside from the city’s wastewater, the place was tolerable, the sewage seemingly pre-purified.

The dark waterway stretched ahead, its depths hiding unknown threats.

“I know the city well. I’ll lead,” Lorena offered, holding her Purification Stone as a faint light source.

It wasn’t bright, but it illuminated their immediate surroundings.

“Thanks for taking point.”

Cynthia’s vampire vision made darkness trivial, but with Lorena’s local knowledge, why not let her guide?

They walked silently along the waterway’s edge, the only sounds their footsteps and the trickle of water.
Underground, even Lorena needed the map to navigate, slowing their pace.

At a bend, Cynthia’s hand shot to Lorena’s shoulder, signaling a halt.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something’s ahead.”

Cynthia’s voice was curt.
Without Lorena noticing, she produced several iron throwing knives, flicked her wrist, and sent them flying into the darkness.

Soft wails followed, accompanied by a scraping sound against the walls.

“Careful, there’s more.”

At Cynthia’s warning, Lorena’s instincts kicked in.
She drew her longsword and thrust upward.

A wail echoed as dark green liquid dripped from her blade.
A spider, struck in its vitals, fell into the water and floated away.

“This… what is this?”

Lorena shook the green ooze from her sword, staring at the drifting corpse.
“A monster?”

The same question gnawed at Cynthia.
She examined the spot where her knives landed, finding creatures oozing green blood.

Oddly, her blood magic could manipulate this green fluid.

Why’s their blood green?

Once safe, they pressed forward.
Up close, Lorena and Ina saw the insect-like monsters Cynthia’s knives had killed.

None looked normal, warped beyond known species.

“Demon spiders? But they don’t have these weird bumps,” Lorena said, shocked by Cynthia’s precision but distracted by the creatures’ oddity.

“Normal demon spiders aren’t this big,” Ina added, approaching with her new staff, the Purification Stone now affixed to its crystal.

The dual-attribute crystal amplified the stone’s glow, brighter than Lorena’s.

Inspecting a spider, Ina mused, “This green blood… toxic, maybe?”