I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 214: Race Against Time

Chief Lutherford is running for her life.

Behind her, the giant eight-legged spider haelion is chasing her. She’s lucky it’s not like regular spiders that spin webs. This one doesn’t trap. It hunts. It only spews out green mist, thick and suffocating, clinging to the air like poison.

She jumps and ducks behind a very large tree that is covered in disgusting slime. The surface is wet, sticky, and foul, but she doesn’t care. She presses herself against it, heart hammering, lungs burning. Escape is the only thing that matters.

The spider haelion screeches when it loses sight of its prey. The sound makes her scalp prickle.

Chief Lutherford pants heavily, forcing herself to quiet her breathing. She listens. Counts her heartbeats. Scans her surroundings again and again, terrified the creature will circle back and catch her unaware.

Minutes pass.

No screeching.

No movement.

Slowly, she exhales in relief.

She has been in hell for the last twenty-four hours of her life. She doesn’t know exactly how long she’s been trapped in the dungeon, but she is certain at least a full day has passed. Time here feels distorted, stretched and warped by fear.

Both teams she led are gone.

The three teams she came to rescue are nowhere in sight.

This rescue mission has failed. Catastrophically.

Her body shudders as the memory hits her.

She remembers the moment she woke up.

One minute, she was seeing Alexander walking toward her, arms open, ready to embrace her. Ready to forgive her. She was standing there too, arms opening in response, heart breaking and mending at the same time.

Then a voice cracked through her mind.

"Stupid Ali, wake up!"

The voice lashed her thoughts like a whip, slicing through the fog, tearing open a thin line of clarity. Her vision snapped into focus.

She blinked.

Her consciousness returned.

And she saw it.

The most horrifying creature she had ever laid eyes on.

Its snapping mouth was inches from her face.

The voice screamed again, sharper, louder, undeniable.

"RUN!"

Chief Lutherford didn’t need to be told twice.

She turned and bolted.

For a split second, the spider haelion seemed stunned, as if surprised its prey had broken free.

Then it shrieked.

And chased her.

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"And I’m afraid... the first three teams’ fates are sealed."

Theo lifts his gaze and meets Captain Chambers’ eyes directly. He doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t look away.

"No..." Captain Chambers whispers.

His breath stutters. His hands tremble.

"You’re mistaken. You’re wrong!" His voice rises, frantic. "You’re young. You don’t have any experience. You don’t know what you’re talking about."

His words tumble over each other, faster and faster, panic bleeding through denial.

"You’re wrong!" he shouts.

"Captain Chambers!"

Arthur steps in front of Theo, his voice snapping like a whip.

Theo takes a step back without hesitation. He turns away from the confrontation and resumes scanning Lieutenant Cole, eyes closed, posture still, as if nothing else exists.

"What are you doing?" Captain Chambers lunges forward, reaching out as if to grab Theo.

Arthur blocks him instantly. Liam is already behind Arthur, solid and unmoving, ready to restrain him if needed.

"Stop," Arthur says. His voice is firm, grounded. "You’re not yourself. Stop, Captain."

Captain Chambers glares at him, fury twisting his features.

"Out of my way, Montrose!" he snarls. "It’s clear now. All of you Rhaenas are crazy and incompetent. I don’t know how you cleared those dungeons, but you’re frauds. Every last one of you!"

The words fire like bullets, sharp and desperate.

Arthur doesn’t respond with anger. He only looks at Captain Chambers with something worse.

Pity.

"Captain," Arthur says again, softer this time, steady. "I’m sorry about your comrades. Truly. But we can still save some of them if we move fast. Right now, Thea is the only one who knows how to navigate that dungeon."

"I don’t believe you!" Captain Chambers snaps. "I don’t believe her!" He points at Theo, who still looks like he’s praying, eyes closed, hand resting lightly on Lieutenant Cole’s wrist.

"I need you to pull her away from Lieutenant Cole," Captain Chambers pushes forward again, trying to force his way past Arthur and Liam.

Then–

"Captain Chambers..."

The voice is barely there. Thin. Fragile.

The entire tent freezes.

Captain Chambers turns slowly.

Lieutenant Cole’s eyes are open.

She’s blinking, unfocused, tears pooling and spilling down her temples.

"Ashley?" Captain Chambers’ anger evaporates in an instant.

"Captain..." Lieutenant Cole sobs weakly, her voice breaking. "Please... save the Chief... and the others..."

Her words are quiet, but her resolve is unmistakable.

The doctor rushes forward, disbelief written all over his face.

"She’s awake?" he blurts. "How is that possible? We tried everything. Nothing worked!"

No one answers.

All eyes shift back to Theo.

Theo is pale. Noticeably so. The color has drained from his face, and there’s a faint sheen of sweat along his temples.

Maeve stiffens immediately. So do the three men.

"Thea!" Julian exclaims, already stepping closer, hand half-raised as if ready to catch him if he sways again.

Theo lifts one hand, stopping him. He shakes his head once, slow and deliberate.

"I’m okay," he says, voice a little hoarse. "Just... a little tired."

That alone does nothing to reassure them.

Theo straightens anyway and turns toward Captain Chambers. His posture isn’t strong, but his gaze is steady.

"I just proved that I can help," Theo says calmly. "The doctors couldn’t wake Lieutenant Cole. I did."

Captain Chambers swallows hard.

Theo continues, pressing on before doubt can take root again.

"Your chief and some of the officers in Team Omega and Sigma can still be saved. But only if we move now."

He pauses, just long enough for the words to sink in.

"You don’t want to be late like the first three teams, do you?"

The silence that follows is heavy.

Captain Chambers looks at Lieutenant Cole. Awake. Crying. Alive.

Then he looks back at Theo.

He still doesn’t fully understand how Thea Montrose is doing it.

But the evidence is right in front of him.

"What do you need?" Captain Chambers asks finally, his voice stripped of rank and resistance.

"Undisturbed fifteen minutes," Theo replies without hesitation.

"With my teammates."

------------------------------

"Listen," Theo says quietly, but there is no mistaking the urgency beneath it. "I don’t know how much time we have to save the remaining thirty-one people. But I know this much. We can’t delay anymore."

They are alone inside the tent now. Truly alone.

Theo can feel it. No stray footsteps. No curious ears pressed against fabric. Captain Chambers has kept his word.

"I need the four of you to listen very carefully," Theo continues.

All eyes are on him.

"The green mist," he says, choosing his words with precision. "There is no ambient mana inside the dungeon. None. The green mist is the mana."

The realization hits hard.

"That means we can’t fight the way we usually do," Theo explains. "We can’t rely on the dungeon’s mana like we did before. We have only two choices. Either we use our own personal mana, or we purify the mist and then use it."

He exhales slowly.

"The safest option is using our own mana," he says. "But ask yourselves this. How long can we sustain that? Minutes? An hour?"

He doesn’t wait for an answer.

"The second option is purifying the mist. But that’s nearly impossible for you right now. You haven’t learned how to do it yet. And there’s no time for gradual learning."

The tent feels heavier with every word.

Arthur’s jaw tightens. Liam’s fists curl. Julian’s expression darkens.

Listening to impossibilities pile up is never encouraging.

"There is a third option," Theo says at last. "And right now, it’s the best one we have."

Their attention sharpens.

"Arthur and Liam," Theo says, looking at them directly. "You need to work together. Fire and water. Two of the strongest elements for purification."

Arthur straightens. Liam nods once.

"I want you to burn the dungeon," Theo says.

The words land like a strike.

"Not recklessly," he adds immediately. "Controlled. Focused. Arthur burns the mist. Liam protects the unconscious humans with water barriers."

Julian frowns. "Wait. You’ve already found the teams?"

Theo nods once, expression grim.

"It’s hard not to notice," he replies. "When they’re scattered across the dungeon floor, unconscious. Completely exposed."

The silence that follows is thick.