"What the hell?"

The Joker exclaimed as he looked around the interior of the broken church. Apart from some dusty and destroyed seats, there was nothing but blue crystals of all sizes and shapes.

There was even one big crystal that almost reached the ceiling at the far end of the room. Strangely, this wasn't like a normal church as there was a weird painting on a partially destroyed wall near the big crystal.

They couldn't see the whole picture as the wall had countless cracks but they could see two entities fighting each other, one light and one dark.

"The concentration of Mana is very high."

Leiu commented as he picked one crystal and examined it. There were no monsters or enemies, just this eerie room and the numerous crystal scattered all around.

"I read that, in some cases, these crystals can summon evil Gods through faith and prayer."-Leiu

"Why would they summon a god though?"-The Joker

"Many reasons… to annihilate this world or rule it."-Arthur

They were merely speculations but they couldn't be ruled out. Each of the three chose a corner and started searching clues. Arthur searched through the old documents, which only had incomprehensible incantations. Leiu toured the room and was checking if there's a hidden room or a portal.

As for the Magician, who's sensitivity to Mana is the highest out of the three, he stopped next to the big crystal and planted his palm on it. He stood still for five minutes before he started moving his hand, trying to locate something.

After a while, his finger clicked on a hidden button which caused the crystal to violently shook. Beautiful crystalline stairs that led underground appeared from within the crystal, causing the Joker to laugh.

"HAHAHA there's nothing that can escape my eyes!"

He beckoned for the other two then started descending the stairs. Leiu quickly followed, leaving Arthur, who did the same after stuffing the documents in his pockets.

"It's getting thicker."-Leiu

While examining this strange place, which was too illuminated by the stairs and shiny walls, Leiu commented. The concentration of Mana here was so dense that you can see small blue particles in the air.

****

"What's wrong?"

A figure with dark-skin and pointy ears which was staring at some kind of a map, raised its head and glanced at its kin, which barged in with a frown on its face.

"There are invaders."

The leader waved his hand dismissively and said

"Deal with it, I have no time to waste on ants."

"Chief, they're not the bandits."

"It doesn't matter who they are! Just get rid of them!"

As the chief angrily banged his hand on the table, the subordinate bowed and hastily left.

****

The trio descended the stairs for two whole hours before they finally reached the end of this long staircase. What met their sight was a civilized place with buildings and an outrageous amount of Mana Crystals. However, what really caught their attention was an enormous crystal that was at least one kilometer in height.

It resembled a tower and it emitted a mind-numbing amount of pure Mana.

Just as they appeared, the trio suddenly jumped, each toward one direction. In the place they were at a second ago, three fast bolts struck, causing a small crater.

"Three!"-Leiu

"East, North-West, South-West."-Arthur

Arthur relayed the enemies' position while darting toward the East, not bothering to explain what to his companions.

The Joker threw a grey card upwards, which burst into a red light that dispersed into three directions, locking onto the opponents like glue.

'Ghost Rat Trail: Activated!'

Each ran toward one of the enemies, Arthur unsheathed his katana and leapt at the dark-skinned creature. The enemy started retreating the moment they missed their bolts, unfortunately, the invaders were much faster than they had initially thought.

Meaning, these creatures greatly underestimated the trio's strength. The first who successfully killed their opponent was neither Leiu nor Arthur but the Joker, who easily caught up to his enemy using his cards.

He used the card like a magical flying carpet and appeared before his enemy. Four cards were simultaneously thrown, each meant to hit a limb. Surprisingly, the enemy was fast and stronger than those weak bandits.

Two cards missed their target but the other two successfully hit the left hand and leg of the monster, who rolled on the ground and tried to jump away only for a monstrous force to drop on him.

The Joker spared no second and grabbed the monster's throat before pulling the head out of the body.

Arthur threw the katana at the dark-skinned monster then jumped from behind and kicked the back of the katana's hilt, causing it to impale the monster in the ground and finish it once and for all.

Leiu's kill, however, was more brutal as his greatsword causing a cyclone that pulverized the enemy, leaving nothing but some meat paste and blood.

Arthur dragged the dead monster and dropped it next to the other two, who grouped together.

"They're a bit similar to elves."-Leiu

"Dark Elves?"-The Joker

"No, Dark Elves have lighter skin color."

He raised the monster's hand and showed them the tall nails

"They also don't have such tall and sharp nails. There's also this weird tail."

This creature was similar to elves in more than a way but it definitely wasn't a dark elf. Furthermore, it was much stronger than a regular dark elf. Although they easily got rid of them, that doesn't mean they're easy.

In fact, each of the three who attacked them could defeat an A-ranked adventurer.

"Since they tried to sneak-attack us, they must be aware of our presence."-Leiu

"I don't like this place… let's blitz it and get the hell out."

"That gigantic crystal is a bad omen. We're outnumbered. We should leave, for now."-Arthur

Even Arthur opted for leaving as it's not advantageous to fight numerous unknown enemies in unfamiliar terrain. There were dozens of buildings so there must be a whole civilization living here, barging it and killing everyone just to gather some clues is nothing but reckless and suicidal.

The three agreed to do a tactical retreat and rethink their plan before returning here. At least, there was no Cthulhu and these dark-skinned monsters seemed to be the nocturnal type, meaning that they probably won't go to the surface or try to cause trouble.

The Joker was reluctant to leave without a proper fight but the uneasiness he was feeling forced him to accompany Leiu and Arthur and leave this place.

So, after one last look at the ginormous crystal tower, they climbed the stairs and reappeared in the old church after two hours.

"What do we do?"-The Joker

As they left the church and walked around in the bandits' camp, the three looted some gold for their daily necessities and went back to the town.

"We still don't know everything about this world. The library in White Raven isn't enough, we should go to a bigger one."-Arthur

"I heard there biggest library is in the capital. Apparently, the king's personal library has all records of the past."-Leiu

"I guess it's decided then?"The Joker

Arthur's suggestion was enticing and, in their current situation, they must gather information about Riarravar or they won't be able to go back.

****

"They killed three of our own then left?"

The chief glared at the shaking subordinate and then glanced at the mutilated corpse that was killed by Arthur.

"They simply came in to kill those three and then leave?"

The chief kept asking but the subordinate had no answer so he just maintained his silence and prayed not to be punished. Fortunately, the chief had more important matters to think about.

"Cover what happened and tighten the security near the tunnel. We can't tolerate any mistakes before the summoning."

"Yes, chief!"

****

The Kingdom of Calvanar ruled the Central Continent for five hundred years and is prospering every year. White Raven is one of many towns that are near the capital of Calvanar.

The Capital is called Calv-City and is the home of the royal castle and many other Guilds. The main branch of the Adventurer's Guild is situated there and that's where Arthur and co planned to go before visiting the local library.

The Bandits were quite rich as the trio looted over 200 gold coins from the corpses, which was an astronomical amount, enough to let them live like princes.

Arthur used some of the money to buy a few hidden weapons and the rest were stored. They boarded a carriage which took three days to arrive at Calv-City. Their minds were still troubled by the underground city near White Raven but lingering would do them no good.

They weren't invincible and fighting an army of those creatures isn't feasible, for now, at least.