To reach the place that the investigator mentioned.

Ronald and Nicole still needed to traverse the remaining three caves.

— Things were almost smooth sailing.

One of the caves was especially unusual; apart from some old traces of nests left on the ground, there was no dominant species populace ruling the cave anymore.

Sometime during a primitive hunt of the weak being preyed upon by the strong.

The original occupiers here were completely annihilated, and even the hunters had long left the cave.

As for the other two locations.

In one of them, Ronald could simply use a Flying Spell to carry Nicole over them, just like avoiding the ant scorpions.

While in another cave dominated by some kind of beetle, they encountered creatures capable of flight. In a hard-to-resolve situation, Ronald and Nicole initiated an attack, dealing with part of these insects, and finally passing through safely.

Finally, it was the cave the investigator had previously mentioned.

However, upon entering, Ronald still didn't sense the strange Magic Power hidden underground. Trusting the investigator's identity and Nicole's assurance, Ronald continued to probe around the cave.

Luckily,

This cave, while having dominant species, they were not herd creatures but rather types that survive through individual strength and cunning.

As long as Ronald and Nicole were a little careful, these creatures resembling pangolins, they successfully reached a low-lying hollow spot in the cave.

"Hmm… this place seems to be the lowest."

After a simple inspection of the surroundings, Ronald continued:

"If we want to confirm the presence of the Dust Beast below, this is the closest point."

Ronald stated his findings, but Nicole was quite perplexed by such remarks:

"Ronald, this should be your first time here, right?"

"In such an environment, you can confirm this is the lowest spot in the entire cave?"

"..."

"After leaving Berlinwich, I learned a lot of spells."

While explaining to Nicole, Ronald also extended his perception ability downward: "Among them is the ability to automatically record surrounding topography, which I used to confirm the terrain around us."

Listening to Ronald's explanation,

Nicole's expression changed from initial confusion to astonishment:

"Recording terrains, that's too unfair!"

"If I had such a convenient spell, chasing some pesky criminals would be much easier!"

Nicole mentioned it was just a trivial matter.

Ronald, while trying to perceive below, gave Nicole a definite answer:

"Nicole, if you want to learn this spell, I can teach you."

"After all, the original canon is with me right now."

"But just a heads up, learning this spell requires corresponding meteorite fragments, which you'll have to gather yourself."

"You collected meteorite fragments just to use this spell!" Nicole's reaction was genuine, and hearing Ronald's response, she unhesitatingly revealed some information from the investigative bureau, "I've seen your dossier at the bureau."

"It said you've been collecting meteorites from various sectors for a long time; some people even thought you were preparing some very special magic ritual and needed them."

Ronald shrugged indifferently.

Collecting meteorites wasn't a secretive operation for him, as it was an arduous and long-term task that wasn't easy to hide.

The investigative bureau's reaction was predictable.

"Hmm?"

"Wait a second…"

Just at this moment, Ronald paused their conversation.

Because when he pushed his perception ability almost to the limit, he finally sensed a very unusual Magic Fluctuation deeply beneath the ground.

The prior information from the investigator was indeed accurate.

However, this distance… was beyond the normal range for an average caster to reconnoiter.

Nonetheless,

It was fortunate that such specialists had pre-scouted the environment.

If Ronald had to search on his own, knowing nothing, a lot more time would have been wasted digging to such depths.

"Confirmation, there's indeed an issue below here."

"But this depth is a bit troublesome, going down might take us a considerable amount of time."

Ronald briefly explained the situation to Nicole.

Ronald then prepared a spell, intending to use his power to forcefully pave a path.

The earth here, although quite deep, wasn't as daunting as a thousand-meter-thick ice sheet above; with some patience, he could open a passage to the target location from here.

However, at this moment,

Nicole's expression shifted, and she surprisingly stopped Ronald with an outstretched hand.

In Ronald's quite puzzled gaze, the investigator girl revealed a cute smile:

"Ronald, if it's just going downward, I can help."

"But a heads up, later on, I might lose my combat ability for a period, so you'll have to protect me well!"

"Huh?" At these words, Ronald's expression changed, "Nicole, what are you doing?"

The investigator girl remained composed,

Since her fellow investigators had safely evacuated from this dangerous place, her attitude reverted back to the Nicole Ronald was familiar with — generally very optimistic.

"Hey, I just want to experiment a little!"

"You know, the ability I gained by sacrificing an eye should be very strong. But since I've always been a crucial battler in the team, I had to be careful and couldn't fully unleash it."

"Now with you around, I surely want to seize the chance to test it out?"

The investigator girl briefly explained her thoughts.

And in such matters, Nicole was definitely a super quick actor, even faster than Ronald.

While talking, her fingers already infused with Magic Power, swiftly etched runes comprised of horizontal and vertical lines on the ground.

Normally,

The spells formed by such magical writings were hard to decipher.

But Ronald's comprehension in languages allowed him to instantly grasp the meaning of the words Nicole was inscribing —

The ground shall crack, deeper and deeper.

...

That's a bit too straightforward, isn't it?

The moment those words were comprehended,

Ronald's mind felt a bit bewildered.

But soon afterward, these runes erupted with enormous magical energy, rapidly extracting nearly seventy percent of Nicole's Magic Power, causing the ground beneath to violently tremble!

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