Master Of Astral Summoner-Chapter 171: Chelsie’s track

Seeing Chelsie sprint after the mysterious figure that slipped through the crowd, Shaan pushed his body to its limit and forced his way forward.

"Chelsie!"

Shaan kept shouting her name, but she never heard him. The roar of the crowd swallowed his voice. Damn it—at this rate, he would lose her completely if he didn’t get out of here fast.

’I have to catch up to her. As soon as possible.’

He shoved through the mass of people as it grew thicker by the second. Exhaustion and suffocating heat crept over him, and his steps began to slow.

’No. No—I can’t stop now.’ Shaan slapped his cheeks repeatedly. ’I must keep moving. I must!’

He pushed on without pause, refusing to lose Chelsie’s trail. At last, his effort paid off. He broke free from the sea of bodies surrounding him.

"Che–Chelsie!"

Shaan shouted her name again, but Chelsie had already reached the end of the path. She turned right and vanished from his sight. Where did she go? He didn’t know—but he had to follow her as fast as possible. She could be in danger.

’I need to catch her before—’

"Shaan!"

The sudden call made him stop short. Shaan turned around and saw a golden-haired girl in red armor—dressed like a knight—walking toward him. From the way she walked, he knew it was her.

"Nalira?"

"...Shaan, is Chelsie with you?"

Shaan shook his head quickly. "No, but I saw her turn right." He pointed ahead. "I don’t know where she’s going, but she looked like she was following someone."

Nalira fell silent for a moment. "...Following someone?"

"Yes. I couldn’t see the person clearly," Shaan said grimly. "That figure wore a robe that completely hid their body."

"...In that case, we need to chase Chelsie right now. She might need our help."

Without wasting another second, the two of them broke into a run. They chased after Chelsie until they reached another chamber. This one felt far larger than the previous rooms, and clusters of dark crimson crystals filled the entire space—from the walls to the ceiling.

’This must be one of the mining areas,’ Shaan thought as he tilted his head upward. ’Jeez... I didn’t expect the crystals to reach all the way above us.’

"...Shaan. There." Nalira pointed ahead. "Chelsie. She’s down there."

Shaan’s eyes widened. "B-but how did she get down there? There’s no path leading down. Forcing our way down from here would be extremely dangerous." He scanned the surroundings. "How could Chelsie descend so fast without getting injured at all?"

Nalira didn’t answer. Instead, she just kept walking alone toward a massive rock not far from their position. Her quiet nature made Shaan frown, questioning in his heart, what was this woman thinking?

Shaan frowned. ’What the heck is she doing?’

"Hey, Shaan. Come here." Nalira’s voice came from behind the rock. "You need to see this."

"O-okay. I’ll be right there."

Shaan hurried over—and froze. He had no idea that behind the rock was a ladder. A wooden ladder fixed vertically along the wall, leading straight down to the lower floor, without getting injured from all of this crystal.

’Oh... I never expected something like this to be hidden here.’

"Chelsie definitely used this," Nalira said calmly. "That’s why she can get down so fast."

"Yeah, that’s true." Shaan nodded. "So, what are we waiting for? We need to follow her as soon as possible before we lose her track."

"...That’s true, but hold on." Nalira tested one of the steps with her foot. "These planks... they look fragile. We must be careful, and hopefully we will not ruin the ladder."

"You’re right."

Without delaying further, they began their descent. Step by step, they climbed down, moving as quickly as caution allowed. The lower floor drew closer with every creaking plank. That’s relief, and it seems that all of these steps are still safe.

"Shaan, we need to hurry," Nalira said from below. "Chelsie might already be far ahead."

"Yeah, I know. I’m trying to—" Shaan suddenly stopped. "Nalira, what—"

"Psst." Nalira raised a finger to her lips. "Lower your voice. Something’s above us."

"...Huh?" Shaan whispered as he lifted his gaze. "Nalira, I don’t see—" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Shaan’s face paled. His eyes widened instantly when he saw several blue lizards right above them. If they made a single sound, the blue lizards would immediately notice their position. There were quite a lot of them, and in their current condition, it seemed impossible for the two of them to defeat these creatures

"...Shaan. Stay still and don’t move," Nalira whispered.

"I-I understand." Shaan nodded slowly.

***

’Damn it... Why won’t these creatures leave already?’

Shaan’s arms trembled. Sweat soaked into his palms as he forced himself to stay frozen in the same position for far too long. He never imagined things would turn out like this.

At first, Shaan considered launching an attack with Robin Hood’s abilities. But the more he thought about it, the more reckless it seemed. Even with Satan fighting alongside Nalira, victory felt impossible. They would lose—no question.

’Calm down, Shaan... calm down.’

He regulated his breathing, doing everything he could to avoid making a sound. But exhaustion crept into his muscles, and his grip slipped for just a moment. His hand struck the ladder.

’Cr-Crack!’

’W-woah’

Shaan began to lose his balance. His hand accidentally broke the step in front of him. Fortunately, he immediately grabbed the handrail tightly before he fell. That’s relief.

"...Shaan, what are you doing?" Nalira whispered, "You’ll make those blue lizards suspicious of our position."

"S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to-"

"Psst. Just stay quiet."

Fortunately, the Blue Lizard didn’t spot them. After a tense pause, it turned away. One by one, the creatures moved off and vanished into the shadows.

’Good. They were still safe—for now.’

"Now, this is our chance," Nalira whispered as she quickly descended the remaining steps. "We need to move before they realize we’re here."

"I-I understand."

They continued down the ladder with extreme caution. Step by step, they descended until both of them reached the lower floor safely. None of the Blue Lizards noticed them.

"So, where should we go now?"

Nalira pointed her index finger forward. "... Shoe prints. They look identical to Chelsie’s shoe prints."

"Very good observation, Nalira," said Shaan. "Hurry, we have to move as quickly as possible."

However, just as they were about to follow the footprints, another blue lizard appeared before them. Unfortunately, this blue lizard had mutated and was grinning widely at them.