I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World…

Stella and Renar kept the coast clear. So far, they had only encountered half-turned vampires, too weak to even grow full wings.

As for the earth mage, Doblin, he did his part, either pushing the ghouls aside or making the ground swallow them whole. Still, there were thousands, rushing at them one after another.

Stella tried to hold them back with her shields, but even that was becoming harder with each wave.

That was when Zavar, leader of the half-bloods, began unleashing his ice magic. Sharp spears of frost appeared in front of them, spreading like the quills of a porcupine.

"You two, recover. We have more than enough firepower. Take turns, I'll handle at least the next five minutes," Zavar said, firing continuously without pause.

Stella couldn't even reply; she was breathing heavily, struggling to catch her breath.

"I'm fine. Just tell me when you want to switch," Renar managed to say.

Zavar, unwilling to show weakness, added quickly, "Good. I hoped to see a capable team."

But even with magic, their group of thirty couldn't cut through all the vampires. Their pace slowed to a crawl after just half an hour.

"Doblin, make a wall… we need to rest for a few," Renar said, now bracing himself with his knees as he struggled to stay standing.

"We'll need to think of something else, Commander of the Hero… We won't be able to keep going at this pace," one of the half-bloods said, breath ragged.

Renar forced his mind into overdrive. He scanned their surroundings, trying to think of a solution.

They had done nothing but move from passage to passage, climbing deeper and deeper down.

Occasionally, Doblin found shortcuts to chambers below, but the entire structure felt hastily constructed, more like a maze than a well-planned bunker.

It was then that Stephon, the assassin, who stood to the side near the cliff that led down, waved to them to get everyone's attention.

"I can make a thread using my darkness magic. It won't be long enough to reach the bottom, but if ten of you descend for now, the rest of us can continue creating a diversion here."

Renar nodded to the suggestion and began to think carefully about who should go ahead.

"I'll be going," Zavar added without hesitation, then turned to select four from his own team of half-bloods to bring.

Renar was sure Stella would insist on going, which meant he would need to stay behind. He could only send the best with her.

"Kael, Thessa, Jorin, and Mirael—you four will go with Stella," he decided. "I'm choosing you because I know you're up to the task."

The four nodded firmly as Renar motioned for them to begin the descent.

"Take care of her, Zavar," he said, his voice steady. "I'll hold the demons back from overrunning us here."

The former half-blood king gave a small nod, then glanced at Stella with a thoughtful look.

"I will treat her like my own daughter—don't worry. Just don't die here. I'm sure the hero is safe and making his way up at his own pace."

While he spoke with Renar, Stella felt a little more at ease, comforted by the words spoken by Zavar.

The unit of ten began its descent, using the thread Stephon had conjured.

It was thin and sharp, so they wrapped torn cloth around their hands to avoid injury.

Stephon's limit was around a hundred meters, nowhere near a tenth of the distance down to where Roland was, but it was a start.

They moved slightly faster at first. No demons attacked as they descended, at least not immediately. But that changed when two real vampires flew toward them at an incredible speed.

"Keep going! Don't worry, we have someone in my team who'll teach them not to underestimate us," Zavar called out, turning toward one of his own.

The one he meant was Eira, a wind-user who didn't need to hold on to the thread to stay aloft. Having real wings and mastery over wind magic, she could glide with ease—and even assist others if needed.

She summoned the wind to form sharp blades and launched them toward the two approaching vampires.

A clash erupted between the three mid-air, deadly, and at times even blinding as dirt flew.

Their battle sent violent gusts rippling through the air, causing the string to sway unpredictably and making it difficult for the climbers to hold on.

Stella, realizing how dangerous the situation could turn, quickly began conjuring a ward to stabilize the surrounding area.

"Hurry! Just reach the nearest corridor we can jump off!" she urged.

Above them, Eira continued her aerial battle, hurling deadly wind arcs that finally struck one of the two vampires.

It lost its wings and plummeted into the dark depths below.

The second vampire, however, shifted tactics. It concentrated its blood into dagger-like shapes and hurled them, not at Eira, but at the very thread the others were still holding on to.

Stella, however, was ready.

She raised her hand and produced another ward just in time. The blood daggers splattered harmlessly against it before dripping down into the abyss below.

"Thanks, Princess! Now jump, I'll stabilize your landing as best I can," Thessa called out.

Thessa, another wind mage, this one from the human side, couldn't fly like Eira, but she had enough control over air currents to soften someone's fall.

Her magic was primarily focused on allowing wind to carry sound, which made Thessa the perfect scout. She had been chosen specifically for her ability to detect threats before others could.

"There are two passages," she reported calmly. "One seems to go upward... and the other is the one you're all probably thinking of."

Stella was about to suggest they go down when she noticed Zavar raise his hand.

"While I also think descending is a valid option," he said, "I believe heading upward is the better choice. The other team is likely engaging the enemies we would have encountered before. If we strike from below while they keep descending, we'll trap the enemy in between. That way, we avoid needless deaths, and possibly gain reinforcements, quickening the long descent."

Stella closed her mouth, acknowledging the strategy. She was becoming more impressed with Zavar with each suggestion.

After a moment, she gave a firm nod.

"Fine, but we only need to keep just enough mana for later. I just hope that no one attacks us from behind while we attack them and face the same problem."

With the decision made, the team began climbing upward following the suggestion.

There, they spotted a horde of fledgling vampires who hadn't noticed them, too focused on clawing over one another in a desperate attempt to overwhelm Renar's team below.

"I might not have enough mana after this, so stand back!" Stella warned, her voice steady but tense.

She was about to unleash a skill she had hoped to save as a trump card meant for demon generals. Roland had warned her to keep an ace hidden, something that could turn the tide if all else failed.

"Sorry, Roland... but I'll have to use it now," she whispered.

Focusing her energy, she raised both hands. A massive beam surged forward, erupting in a piercing column of radiant light. It was so intense that it nearly blinded several of her allies, especially those whose eyes had already adjusted to the deep, ambient dark of the tunnels.

"I didn't mean to blind you!" she called out, a bit breathless. "But... I can feel it. I killed hundreds of them!"

Though Stella didn't experience the overwhelming flood of sensation Roland did when absorbing experience, she still felt it was an eerie, euphoric feeling that was coursing through her body.

Her stance faltered slightly as the rush of mana release and the faint aftershock of levels gained caused her composure to slip.

Stella did her best to steady herself and regain balance as Thessa helped her up.

"They'll start attacking us now… so I hope you're ready for another volley of those ice spears, Zavar."

The half-blood nodded, already prepared. He had finished casting his next spell just moments before, ready to unleash it as soon as Stella's beam cleared.

"On it. Just remember to keep your eyes on the corridor below us," he reminded. "Like you said, if they use the same tactic we just did, we'll be the ones getting flanked."

Mirael, the archer, spoke up next.

"Focus on the bulk of the demons above. Leave the bottom path to me. I'll shoot anything the moment I see it."

What Mirael didn't mention was that he could already see perfectly in the dark. His improved sight, blessed by the Light Spirit, let him see far more than any of the others could. And what he saw now was troubling.

A large creature was climbing the stairs from below.

It looked like a twisted fusion between a werewolf and a vampire, like a massive, dog-like bat walking on four elongated limbs.

"They're sending their Garmr pets…" Mirael muttered grimly. "I can take out at least five of them, but we'll all be needed for what comes next. So finish your part fast."