Colin and the others near the tunnel entrance immediately went on alert.
Only after they saw light shining from underground and heard footsteps that sounded fairly normal did they relax a little.
Soon, as the hurried footsteps drew closer, three Servants came running out. They tried to keep their expressions composed, but they seemed to have encountered something, and their faces were slightly pale.
However, when they saw the several bright lights above the entrance, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
By then, the rope they had prepared was already being lowered. Once the three men had been pulled up, Colin took the Hurricane Lamp one of them handed him and studied their somewhat pale expressions. "What did you encounter? What's down there?"
"My lord, there's a staircase that descends continuously for about five or six minutes. When we reached the bottom, we found that the Gray Fog had disappeared."
The Servant at the head of the group spoke with lingering fear.
At the bottom of the stairs was a spacious hall. There was no Gray Fog inside, but tree Roots covered the place.
They had tried to enter, but the moment they stepped forward, they felt the presence of a superior predator bearing down on them.
Remembering Colin's warning, they had promptly withdrawn to avoid danger and any unforeseen incidents.
"A hall entwined with branches, with what seems to be an Unknown life-form inside."
Colin pondered for a moment, then asked, "Did it feel more powerful than a Lord-level Aberration?"
He wasn't worried they'd be unable to compare the two. The men belonged to the Number One squad, one of the five frontline teams that had taken part in the campaign. They had once faced it from extremely close range.
"No. It was nowhere near as