On the neighboring stone pillar...

The young man leaned on his sword. His messy black hair clung wetly to his cheeks and forehead, while the eyes hidden behind it stared fixedly at Anser.

'A spellcaster. He should have a way to save me, right?' Hope brightened his eyes.

But when Anser began gathering the spoils without acknowledging him, the young man grew anxious.

"Hey, brother! Nicely done—" His voice was clear and bright.

Anser casually tossed the weapons, packs, and other items he had collected onto the ground, then walked to the edge of the platform.

"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten you. The pillars are about to collapse, so we need to save ourselves as quickly as possible." He held up a rope he had found in the goblin's pack.

The two pillars stood roughly twenty meters apart. The other man's pillar was several meters shorter and was being struck directly by the water pouring from above, placing him in even greater danger.

"I know, I know. My name's Bratt. Is your rope long enough?" Bratt grinned, revealing a set of slightly yellowed teeth.

Anser uncoiled the rope and laid it out on the ground to estimate its length. It was only a little over ten meters—nowhere near enough.

"No!"

Disappointment filled Bratt's face. He asked helplessly, "Do you have another way?"

"I'll climb up first, then find more rope and come back for you." Anser had already worked through his options.

The spells he had chosen were highly versatile and specifically suited to his current predicament.

Without a rope, he could combine Mold Earth and Jump with his climbing ability to scale the wall directly.

With a rope, it would be even easier.

"Huh? All right. I'll... wait for you." Bratt lowered his head slightly, the hope that had just ignited in him vanishing at once.

Monsters were running rampant above. Once Anser reached the top, he would probably flee immediately. The chance that he would return to rescue Bratt was minuscule.

Anser did not say much more because he was not certain he would save the man either.

Not even the bodies of the apprentices who had fallen with him were visible. They had almost certainly met grim ends. Life was fragile, and staying alive mattered.

He bundled the weapons, coin pouch, and other valuable supplies together and strapped them to his back, discarding everything else.

"" (Draconic)

With a deep, commanding Draconic utterance, a spectral hand appeared beside the rock wall diagonally above him.

This was the 0-level spell Mage Hand, a cantrip the original Anser had yearned to learn for years without ever succeeding.

The spectral hand lasted for 1 minute and could fly. It was as dexterous as a human hand, but could carry no more than 10 pounds and could not move more than 30 feet away from him.

The sensation of possessing an extra hand fascinated Anser. Smiling, he guided it around with his mind, testing which areas were firm and avoiding cracks or loose earth and stone.

Time was short. Once he had selected his first foothold and sketched out a route up the cliff, he cast another spell.

Cantrip: Mold Earth!

After a brief, forceful incantation, a section of the cliff above him churned like mud. In the blink of an eye, it formed a small stone ledge with an anchoring ring.

It was nine meters above him, the standard range of Mage Hand and Mold Earth. He felt he could reach farther, but chose not to risk it.

"Whew—"

Anser took a deep breath, briefly loosened his body, and calmed his agitated mind.

Cantrips did not consume his own mana. They drew on the magic in the air instead, but the unstable Weave made them much harder to cast and placed some strain on his mind.

He grabbed the rope and hurled it upward. The spectral hand easily caught the end and tied it to the anchoring ring.

The rope was coarse hemp, about as thick as his thumb. Anser tugged hard and found it sturdy enough. Without further hesitation, he gripped it with both hands and rapidly climbed using his arms and legs.

In a little over ten seconds, he easily pulled himself onto the ledge.

"Easier than I expected. Keep going!"

He repeated the same process. Just before the second Mage Hand expired, he finally reached the fourth ledge he had shaped.

He had deliberately placed this ledge one meter below the crater wall's rim.

Instead of climbing up recklessly, he crouched on the ledge and listened carefully.

Evening was approaching. The light around the enormous crater was dim and chaotic, and frantic footsteps mingled with the rush of water.

'Someone's there!'

He had climbed up near the wizard tower, where the foundations were solid and the risk of collapse relatively low.

The wizard tower stood in southeastern Brampton. It overlooked the mighty River Chionthar to the south, while Tumbledown, an Outer City district beneath Dusthawk Hill, lay to the east. A city wall separated the two districts, which were connected by Cliffgate.

'The subterranean creatures emerged in the northwest. There are fewer monsters here, so the refugees probably want to pass through Cliffgate and escape toward Dusthawk Hill.' After a moment's thought, Anser understood their intentions.

He cautiously peeked over the edge. Scattered groups fled southeast in disarray, constantly looking around like startled birds.

'Aren't they going the wrong way?' Anser wondered. He glanced toward the breach in the River Chionthar. 'Could... Cliffgate be blocked?'

Earlier, he had noticed several collapsed sections of wall between the two districts. They now provided a connection, but crossing through them was difficult and would be attempted only as a last resort.

The situation remained unclear, but he had not encountered any monsters for the moment. He now had two choices: flee immediately or find a way to rescue Bratt.

He looked down into the crater. A dark figure stood silently at the edge of the pillar while the waterfall hammered one side of his body. He did not shout. His eyes were hidden in the twilight, and he stood as still as a statue.

'That composure... is anything but ordinary.'

Anser looked away and ultimately decided to rescue him.

If Bratt had tried anything underhanded earlier, or if he had not been clever enough and alerted the duergar, Anser would not have made it up so easily.

The two had established some initial trust and could try escaping together. Anser also needed a helper—someone who could stand in front and absorb a few blows during a fight.

'First, find more rope in the wizard tower.'

After confirming that no monsters were nearby, he pulled himself onto level ground. Gripping the crystal in his left hand, he skulked toward the leaning wizard tower several dozen meters away.

The sky was dim, yet the entire city lay in near-total darkness, with barely a handful of lights visible.

Most creatures of the Underdark possessed Darkvision. To them, this level of visibility was no different from daylight, while the city's residents were too busy fleeing for their lives to risk lighting lamps.

Anser avoided the debris littering the ground, repeatedly using the shadows for cover as he crept toward the entrance.

The wizard tower had six stories and stood nearly twenty meters tall. It had once been the tallest building near Cliffgate. Now it was badly damaged, leaning by more than ten degrees, with enormous cracks covering its walls—a deathtrap waiting to collapse.

'It won't fall down, will it?'

Then Anser reconsidered. The subterranean creatures probably had no desire to remain in a collapsing building either, which meant it should be safe inside.

He peered through the shattered doorway. He saw only a few human corpses and detected no monsters or other unusual sounds.

He slipped inside on silent feet, kept his body close to the wall, and circled the hall with care. At last, he confirmed that the monsters had left.

He bent down, picked up a short stick, and tore a rag from one of the corpses to cover most of it.

"" (Light)

Magic flowed into the stick, and it immediately began to glow. Bright white light illuminated most of the hall.

Anser hurriedly covered it, winding several layers of cloth around the stick until only a small part of its tip remained exposed. The light dimmed accordingly.

'That should do it.'

Light caused an object to shed bright light in a 20-foot radius (at least 6 meters), plus dim light for an additional 20 feet, and lasted for 1 hour. It was extremely useful.

But brighter was not always better.

The new book is now live! I hope you'll support it. Thank you!

(End of Chapter)