Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

As the group of six students and eleven familiars proceeded deeper into the forest, the underworld energy continued to thicken.

The underworld energy permeated the air in the entire forest, even stretching slightly beyond the contaminated area. But the closer to the edge of the forest, the thinner it was. The first few leagues of contaminated forest had air almost as clear as the outside world.
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However, now the group had come so deep that the sunlight could barely reach the ground. The air was murky grey, and the sky was no different from looking at a singular large rain cloud. There was also an especially thick layer of black smoke lingering up to a hand above the ground. It snaked and curled around their feet and ankles when they walked.

Although they wanted to continue riding Nessa's Millipede since it was so much easier than walking, they had to dismount. They were too deep now to prioritize comfort. Both the students and the familiars had to be ready to react at less than a moment's notice if they were attacked or if something else happened.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the layer of underworld energy lying on the forest floor prevented anything from growing, even plants that had gotten used to the underworld energy in other parts of the forest. They still had to be wary of tree roots poking out of the ground, but as long as they didn't drop their brains, they didn't have to worry about tripping on anything.

It wasn't much of a comfort, though. The underworld energy was chilly, and the students were uncomfortable with it hugging their feet and ankles.

But it helped them continue in the right direction.

It was obvious the underworld energy would be thicker the closer to the source they got. So, they knew they were on the right track when the layer of underworld energy started rising. It was at a snail's pace, but it went from the top of their feet and ankles to the base of their shins. And it showed no signs of descending again.

"Guys, wait a minute." Julius stopped the procession and looked around. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in concentration. He licked his finger and held it up in the air. There wasn't so much as a hint of a breeze in the forest, so the others were a little confused about what he was doing.

After a short while, Julius opened his eyes again and looked at the others.

"I can't be sure, but I think the underworld energy is moving."

The others frowned.

"To or from that direction." Julius pointed in a specific direction. Dukiel looked at the map while the others tried to understand what he meant by how it moved.

"What do you mean 'to or from'?" Anerias asked.

"I can't tell which way it's moving, only that it's related to that direction."

"Couldn't it be the other direction as well?" Nessa looked in the opposite direction.

"...No. That's almost the way we came from. Julius is pointing in the right direction. What we're looking for should be over there." Dukiel slowly shook his head, rejecting Nessa's idea.

Any doubts they had were put to rest by Dukiel's words. Dukiel was already guiding them toward the general area, and now Julius had helped pinpoint the direction.

They were on the right track. And they were getting closer.

Anticipation rose in their throats. But so did a sense of trepidation. They weren't just getting closer to the source of the contamination. They were most likely getting closer to something very dangerous.

They had no way to confirm it. They had also only said that they should be prepared for anything and everything. No one had explicitly stated that they would be fighting for their lives shortly. But they all thought it.

Some of them wanted to rest and let their familiars recover a little more before they proceeded, but it seemed like wolves had an incredible innate potential adaptability to underworld energy as more and more of them came to attack them.

They were fortunate that the underworld energy had destroyed any pack mentality in exchange for their strength, but they could not confirm if that was true for all wolves. So, before they got swarmed by a pack of six or more-legged wolves, they should find what they were looking for and then decide what to do.

After a while, when the grounded layer of underworld energy had reached the middle of their shins, the others could also tell that the underworld energy was moving. They felt the chill on their legs sweep back and forth. It was slow, so slow that it first felt no different from when their legs swept through the mist-like underworld energy.

But they could feel it even when they weren't walking. It was clear they were getting close.

It should be great news. But all of them had foreboding feelings. The instincts they had developed over many fights and life-and-death situations were warning them.

It was another sign they were headed in the right direction.

In the future, some of them would wonder if they should have listened to those instincts. Maybe it would have changed how things played out. Maybe it would have changed the future.

But there was no way of knowing the consequences of their actions ahead of time, and all of them decided to ignore the instincts telling them to go back. They proceeded deeper into the forest.

Gradually, the underworld energy climbed to Julius' knees, who had the longest legs in the group, excluding Alzara.

The students gulped and swallowed the saliva that kept building in their mouths more frequently as they continued, the chill of the underworld energy creeping into their legs.

There was something about the atmosphere, the darkness, and the moving shadows of the underworld energy that made it seem like they were surrounded by ghosts, surrounded by ill omens warning them that their path was not one for the living.

But it was too late to turn back. Much too late.

They had arrived.

Nessa slipped. Her foot hit nothing instead of solid ground.