Vol 7. Chapter 71: If Nothing Goes Wrong

Following a few narrow mountain trails, the four children arrived at the lair of the Steelwing Scorp-Crabs.

"Hefei, why is it so remote here?" Muse asked worriedly.

Hefei explained:

"Steelwing Scorp-Crabs are B-rank dangerous species, but because they live in colonies, capturing or killing them is harder than other species of the same rank. That’s one reason they’re worth higher points on the list. And another reason is their habitat. Scorp-Crabs usually come out at night, so their nests are always far from other dangerous species. That makes finding their lairs pretty difficult."

Muse nodded:

"Oh, I see. Not bad. You know a fair bit about their habits."

Zorn cut in:

"The question is whether you can do more than just talk on paper."

Zorn clearly knew Hefei couldn’t stand being goaded. But what he didn’t know was that anyone daring to provoke her despite that usually had some ability to back it up. Hefei didn’t want to waste breath on him, so she said coldly:

"Let’s just get in there. Once I beat you, Muse and I still have other species to catch."

"Hmph, big words. Let’s go!"

"Yeah, let’s go!" added Luka, itching to get started.

The two boys stepped into the cave.

Hefei followed close behind.

But after a few steps, she realized Muse hadn’t come. She stopped and looked back, finding Muse still standing at the entrance, unmoving.

"Muse, you..."

"Oh, I almost forgot. You might not fear anything, but that doesn’t mean your magic can keep pace."

The sudden mocking laugh echoed through the cave.

"Besides, relying on a power you don’t even understand yet to fight a war-general–class species is just forcing the impossible."

Before Muse could retort, Hefei spun around—and in one stride grabbed Zorn by the collar, staring straight into his eyes.

"Hey, what the hell?! Let go!"

"A contest is a contest. Cut the useless talk. Otherwise, we can talk about things other than the contest, Zorn."

Hefei shoved him away in disgust. The boy straightened his clothes with a scowl but said no more.

Muse’s magic attribute had always been a sensitive subject. That was why Hefei almost never mentioned it in front of her. Zorn had no filter at all—saying things that cut deep.

But Hefei didn’t just defend her friends with words. If Zorn kept pushing, she really wouldn’t mind teaching him a lesson. She’d told Muse before:

"If classmates bully you here, don’t think about running to the teachers, or coming to me to whine. The first thing you should do is slam your fist into their face."

After putting Zorn in his place, Hefei turned to Muse again, shedding her fierceness for gentleness.

"It’s okay, Muse. Just wait here for me. I’ll be right back."

Muse’s eyes drifted past Hefei’s shoulder toward the black depths of the cave.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say she could go in with Hefei. But the words stuck in her throat and went unspoken.

Turning her gaze aside, she whispered:

"Then... come back quickly."

"Mm-hm. Just count three hundred seconds in your head, and I’ll be out."

"Okay."

"Then be good and wait for me. I’m going."

Hefei patted Muse’s cheek, then followed the two boys into the cave.

Muse took half a step forward, lifting her hand, fingertips stretching toward Hefei’s retreating back. She still wanted to say something.

"You could’ve... taken me with you."

A faint sadness welled in Muse’s eyes. Because she couldn’t control her power, she couldn’t even accompany her friend in fulfilling a wager against their classmates.

She lowered her gaze, sat down at the cave mouth, curled up her small body, wrapping her arms around her legs, burying her face in her knees.

"One... two... three..."

...

"Two hundred ninety-seven... two hundred ninety-eight—"

Muse stood, staring into the dark ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) cave. No shadows moved, no footsteps came.

"Two hundred ninety-nine..."

"Three hundred."

Worry rose in her chest.

"Didn’t she say she’d be back in five minutes...? Hefei..."

Staring at the blackness ahead, Muse clenched her fists. She bit her lip, mustering all the courage in her heart, and stepped toward the dark—

"Don’t chase me!! Don’t chase me!!!"

Before she could enter, a shrill scream tore out of the cave.

Muse barely had time to react before Luka stumbled out, clutching his head, covered in wounds.

Behind him swarmed dozens, maybe hundreds, of Steelwing Scorp-Crabs. Their wings beat furiously, their sharp pincers slashing Luka’s skin.

The boy looked pathetic, but he staggered out alive in the end.

"Luka!"

Muse rushed to him, catching him by the arm. Seeing his body covered in cuts, she asked anxiously:

"What happened inside? Aren’t Scorp-Crabs only B-rank? Why were they so violent?"

Her barrage of questions left the boy dazed. Panting hard, he finally raised his scarred face, pointing a trembling finger at the cave. His voice shook too.

"They’ve gone mad... mad... those damn crabs have gone crazy! Zorn and I investigated. In the daytime, Steelwing Scorp-Crabs are sluggish, almost harmless. We thought we’d just see who could catch more and called Hefei along. But then..."

He swallowed hard, forcing back the terror rising again, and went on:

"But then they changed completely—ferocious, berserk. And they even laid traps. They let us walk right into the circle, then ambushed us all at once."

Muse listened carefully, then quickly asked,

"Where’s Hefei? Why hasn’t she come out?"

"She and Zorn are trapped inside. I was the only one who barely got away. Luka swayed as he stood. "Zorn told me to get you and find a teacher to help. Muse, let’s hurry! Those crabs are monsters."

"But..."

Muse bit her lip. "But this place is so remote. By the time we get back and bring someone, it’ll be too late."

Looking at Luka’s injuries, she realized—if even one lucky escapee looked this bad, then Hefei and Zorn inside must be suffering worse.

By the time help arrived, it might all be over.

"Then what else can we do? You can’t seriously think about going in after them, right? You can’t even control your own ability."

Luka pleaded. "Let’s go, Muse. Getting in there will only put you in danger too."

The two boys might have been competitive and obnoxious, but they weren’t bad kids. This time, his words weren’t meant to push Muse away—they were genuine concern.

But Muse’s eyes hardened with resolve as she stared into the cave’s depths. The scorp-crabs’ cries had just faded, leaving the oppressive darkness pressing back in.

The cave was like the gaping maw of a monster, waiting for her to throw herself inside.

After a few seconds’ silence, Muse whispered:

"I’m going to find her."

"...Muse, don’t you understand? It’s dangerous in there! If you go, you’ll only—"

"But if there’s one more person, that’s one more target for the crabs to attack. I can at least share some of the damage for Hefei."

As she spoke, she dropped her backpack, kneeling down and rummaging inside.

"I admit I’m scared, and I have no confidence in my ability. But I keep thinking—if it were Big Sister trapped in there, in mortal danger, would she quietly wait for help, or would she charge in without hesitation? Or Third Sister, Second Sister, or even Dad and Mom... what would they do? The answer’s obvious, Luka. I may not have Big Sister’s strength, or Third Sister’s cleverness, or the twins’ awakening. But no matter what, I won’t stand by and watch my best friend in peril."

From her bag, Muse pulled out the gold-and-red gauntlet and strapped it onto her hand.

Then she stood slowly, eyes cast down at the place where sunlight met shadow.

After a long breath in and out, she turned to Luka and said quietly:

"Go get help. I’ll do everything I can to buy you and the teachers time."

With those words, the girl stepped forward, into the shadows.