novelraw Chapter 131: The Stone That Fell
Chapter 131: The Stone That Fell
No one questioned the commanders action.
They had come too far to treat this lightly.
"Scout," the captain called.
The scout stepped forward without complaint. It was routine, but this time it felt heavier.
Arthur moved closer to him and lowered his voice.
"Be careful," he said. "This isn’t like the ogres. It feels... wrong."
The scout looked at him for a second, reading the seriousness on his face. Then he gave a small thumbs up.
"I know my job," he replied. "I’ll be back."
Arthur nodded but didn’t smile.
As the scout disappeared into the dungeon, the squad didn’t relax. Not even slightly.
Weapons were checked again.
Shield straps tightened.
Potions counted.
One of the casters whispered a quick chant under his breath, readying mana in advance.
Arthur kept Sovereign’s Perception active, stretching it forward carefully. The distortion was clearer now, but it felt unstable, like something was coiled and waiting.
His chest felt tight.
This isn’t just a seal.
Then it happened.
A scream tore through the tunnel.
Sharp.
Sudden.
And it was cut short by a violent explosion that shook the ground beneath their feet.
The sound slammed into them like a physical force.
Arthur’s head snapped toward the source.
He wasn’t the only one.
"That was him.." someone began.
"Move!" the captain barked.
They didn’t wait for further orders.
The entire squad rushed forward.
When they reached the site, they froze for half a second.
A large crater had been blasted into the ground. Rock and dust were scattered everywhere, smoke rising from the center.
The scout lay at the edge of the crater, thrown back.
"Get the healer!" someone shouted.
The healer was already moving.
Arthur scanned the area quickly.
There were no visible monsters.
No immediate second attack.
Just the aftermath.
The healer knelt beside the scout and began channeling her skill. A soft glow wrapped around his body as she assessed the damage.
The squad held their breath.
"He’s breathing," she said first.
A collective exhale followed.
She continued working, smoothing out fractures and internal bruising. "Impact from an explosion. Minor injuries. Concussion likely. But he’s stable."
Relief washed over them.
Some shoulders sagged.
One of the explorers let out a shaky laugh. "You scared us, idiot."
But Arthur didn’t relax.
He was staring at the crater.
"That wasn’t random," someone muttered. "What kind of skill makes something like that?"
"A trap?"
"No. Too direct."
They started debating, trying to make sense of it.
Arthur stepped closer to the edge of the crater.
The mana around it felt disturbed. Not fading, but active.
Wrong.
His instincts screamed.
"Wait," Arthur said quietly.
No one heard him.
He raised his voice this time.
"Get ready!"
A few turned to him.
"What.."
Arthur felt it before he saw it.
A shift in the air.
A violent displacement.
"Down!" he shouted.
That was when they saw it.
A massive stone, easily the size of a carriage, shot down the tunnel toward them at terrifying speed. It wasn’t rolling. It was launched.
There was no time.
Even the captain froze for half a second.
Ryn’s eyes widened. "Move—!"
But before anyone else could act, Arthur vanished from his spot.
Intent Step.
He reappeared ahead of the group, directly in the path of the incoming stone.
"Arthur!" Ryn yelled.
The stone was already almost upon him.
Arthur planted his feet.
He didn’t have time to think.
He reached out with his skill.
The same control he had used before. The same manipulation of momentum.
But this was different.
This wasn’t vines.
This wasn’t a creature’s body.
This was raw mass and speed.
The stone hit the invisible resistance in front of him.
And for a split second, it slowed.
Not stopped.
Slowed.
The air screamed.
The ground cracked beneath Arthur’s boots as he pushed his mana outward. Veins stood out along his neck. His jaw clenched.
The explorers watched in stunned silence.
"How is he.."
The stone’s speed dropped further.
Dust burst outward as the force met resistance. Arthur’s arms trembled, though he hadn’t physically touched it yet.
Ryn remembered the mission of the vine monsters from before. The spider monsters. The subtle slowing he performed.
But this.. this was madness.
Arthur felt the weight crushing against his intent.
Not enough.
The stone still carried too much force.
It broke through the slowing field and slammed into him.
BOOM.
The impact exploded outward in a shockwave that knocked the explorers off their feet.
Shields were ripped from hands.
Several were thrown back against the tunnel walls.
Dust swallowed everything.
For a moment, there was only ringing in their ears.
"Arthur!" Ryn’s voice cut through the chaos.
The captain forced himself up first, coughing through the dust.
"Form up!" he shouted instinctively, even as he searched for a silhouette in the smoke.
The crater had widened.
Fragments of stone lay scattered across the ground.
At the center, through the thinning dust, a figure stood.
Arthur.
He was breathing hard.
His boots had carved trenches into the stone floor from the force.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he was upright.
The stone had shattered.
Not entirely from the impact.
From the clash of force.
The slowing had reduced enough momentum that the explosion didn’t wipe them all out.
If he hadn’t moved—
The captain swallowed the thought.
Arthur wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand and coughed once.
"You all good?" he asked, voice rough but steady.
For a second, no one answered.
Then Ryn burst out, half angry, half relieved. "Are you insane?!"
Arthur gave him a faint look. "Probably."
The tension cracked slightly.
The healer rushed toward him. "Stand still."
"I’m fine," Arthur said, though he didn’t resist when she placed a hand on his chest to check for internal damage.
The rest of the squad slowly regained formation.
Shock replaced fear.
They had seen it clearly.
No one else had reacted in time.
Not the captain.
Not Ryn.
But Arthur had sensed it first. Moved first.
And faced it alone.