Building The First Adventurer Guild In Another World

Chapter 311: Rock Beasts

In another section of the Vault, the ground sprawled endlessly, a chaotic expanse of uneven stone and jagged rock that formed a vast mountainous landscape. It appeared as though it had been crushed and reshaped over countless years by unseen forces.

Towering ridges jutted upward like broken teeth against a peculiar sky, casting long shadows that enveloped entire sections of land. Deep cracks snaked across the surface like scars that had never healed.

There was no greenery here, no hint of warmth or life; everything felt cold and silent, weighed down by an oppressive atmosphere that seemed to watch anyone who dared to tread upon it. The air carried a faint metallic scent mixed with dry dust, and each step on the rocky ground echoed far too loudly, bouncing off cliffs and returning in distorted whispers that disoriented the senses.

The mountains were not entirely still. If one stood quietly and focused long enough, they might notice subtle shifts in the terrain, like a breath too slow to detect at first glance.

The jagged rocks blended into one another in unnatural ways, while shadows between them grew deeper than they should have been, forming shapes that almost seemed alive if stared at for too long.

Above them hung an unusual sky, a dull gray ceiling pressed high above with faint lines running through it as if cracks were forming in something never meant to endure forever. This created a suffocating sensation, as though being trapped inside a colossal stone cage poised to collapse without warning.

Yet amidst this lifeless heaviness, chaos erupted as movement broke the stillness. The silence shattered with sharp sounds of steel slicing through hard surfaces followed by dull impacts echoing across the mountains.

A group of individuals clad in black navigated the rugged terrain like living shadows, their figures flickering in and out of sight as they advanced with terrifying precision.

Their movements were swift not chaotic or rushed but controlled and efficient; each step seemed calculated before it was taken. They didn’t shout or call out to one another; their coordination was so flawless it felt as if they operated as one entity rather than separate individuals.

The foes they faced were anything but easy prey by ordinary standards. Stone beasts emerged from the very terrain itself, blending seamlessly with surrounding rocks until they struck.

These creatures bore rough bodies made entirely of layered stone plates that shifted like moving cliffs, some towering like small hills while others resembled massive beasts with jagged limbs and blunt forms capable of crushing anything in their path.

What truly set them apart was their ability to vanish into their environment; one moment visible with powerful strides, then merging into rocky surroundings only to launch surprise attacks from unexpected angles.

But against the black-clothed figures, the beasts’ natural advantages were rendered meaningless. The camouflage that made them so dangerous to others seemed utterly ineffective here.

Before a beast could fully vanish into its surroundings, one of the shadowy warriors would already be there, their blade slicing through stone as if it were mere flesh. A single strike would land precise and unyielding and the outcome was immediate.

The beast would freeze for a moment, as if caught off guard, before its body shattered with a heavy crack, sending shards of stone flying while thick green blood erupted from within, staining the gray ground with an unnatural hue that hissed softly upon contact.

There was no wasted motion in their attacks; each strike was lethal and delivered with chilling efficiency. One man stepped forward and swung his blade in a smooth horizontal arc, effortlessly cutting down five stone beasts that had been lurking in the terrain.

Their bodies erupted into fragments before they could even emerge fully. Another figure appeared behind one of the rising beasts and plunged a short blade into the gap between its stone plates.

The impact sent cracks racing across its entire form before it burst apart in a shower of debris and green fluid. The sounds of shattering stone mingled with the wet splatter of blood, creating an eerie rhythm that echoed through the mountains, a battlefield transformed from chaos into something resembling a controlled execution.

From a distance, two figures stood on an elevated ridge overlooking this grim spectacle. One was tall and composed; his very presence made the air feel heavier around him.

Patriarch Belmont Stonehelm observed the battle below with eyes devoid of surprise or excitement, just quiet observation, as if everything unfolding was precisely what he had anticipated.

Beside him, slightly obscured by shadows cast by nearby rocks, stood another figure cloaked in darkness; his presence faint yet unmistakable like a shadow imbued with awareness.

They remained silent for some time, watching as the black-clad individuals moved like blades cutting through water, leaving only broken stone and spreading pools of green blood in their wake.

Despite their size and peculiar abilities, the stone beasts fell without resistance; every attempt to merge with their surroundings or launch surprise attacks proved futile against opponents who seemed to anticipate every trick before it could even be executed.

After a long moment, Belmont’s gaze shifted slightly; his eyes narrowed just enough to signal that he had thought of something significant.

His voice emerged calm yet weighted: "Since the Adventurer Guild has entered the Vault... then he must have come."

The shadowy figure beside him responded without hesitation: "Yes. He is here."

A heavy silence followed not awkward or tense but profound, as if unspoken thoughts filled the space between them. Belmont didn’t speak immediately; instead, he returned his attention to the battlefield where another group of stone beasts met their demise in swift succession, their bodies crumbling like brittle rock under relentless blows.

Yet it was clear that his mind had drifted elsewhere.

After a moment, he exhaled softly, not quite a sigh, but a subtle indication of something stirring beneath his calm demeanor.

"Looks like he’s doing well in that Adventurer Guild," he said slowly, his voice layered with an ambiguity that was hard to decipher. "And he must really despise me."

The shadow behind him paused, contemplating his response before matching his calm tone. "He does hate you. After all, you never even acknowledged him. He was overlooked in the family, abandoned while the others turned their backs on him. None of his siblings wanted anything to do with him."

Belmont’s expression remained largely unaltered, but his eyes drifted shut, as if those words had settled deeper than he was willing to reveal. He didn’t respond right away.

The sounds of battle broke through the silence; the last of the stone beasts were dispatched with the same efficiency as all the others, their remains breaking apart and falling silent as the figures in black came to a halt, blades dripping with green blood that pooled on the ground.

For what felt like an eternity, Belmont was silent. Without opening his eyes, he stood there, allowing the silence to communicate for him. The shadow refrained from pushing further, remaining still behind him, acknowledging that some things were better left unspoken.

The battlefield below fell silent, the remains of the stone beasts scattered like debris after a storm. The dark-clad figures stood among the remnants, breathing steadily, their movements measured as they cleaned their weapons and readied themselves for the next step.

There was no celebration, no display of pride or excitement, just a quiet readiness, as if this was merely a small waypoint on a much larger journey.

In that moment, both Belmont and the shadow raised their heads slightly, drawn upward. The "sky" overhead, which had appeared as a distant ceiling of dull gray stone, began to shift in a way that was impossible to overlook.

The faint lines across its surface deepened, spreading outward like cracks in glass, while a low, resonant sound echoed throughout the mountain range, as if something enormous was moving out of sight.

An oppressive weight filled the air, pressing down on everything below as the cracks widened and the sky itself seemed to bend inward, curving toward the ground in a slow, unnatural manner.

The light dimmed as the gray surface above began folding in upon itself, the edges curling and twisting like the mouth of a colossal creature opening wide. The surrounding mountains trembled, small rocks loosening and tumbling down the slopes in response to the upheaval.

Belmont opened his eyes, gazing at the collapsing sky with the same composed expression he had maintained throughout the battle.

There was no fear or astonishment in his eyes, only a quiet acceptance, as if he had anticipated this moment. "Looks like," he said softly, his voice steady despite the shifting reality around them, "we’re done at this level."

The shadow behind him remained silent, simply observing as the sky began to fold in on itself. The opening grew larger and darker, eventually consuming their entire field of vision. The light from above was engulfed, replaced by an overwhelming darkness that seemed to draw everything toward it.

Below, the figures dressed in black looked up, their movements halting as they braced for what was about to happen. Their bodies tensed slightly, yet their faces stayed calm, just like their Patriarch.

There was no sign of panic or confusion among them; instead, there was a palpable sense of readiness, as if they had encountered this kind of event before.

In the next instant, the sky collapsed completely.

The vast opening closed in on everything around them, swallowing the mountains, the battlefield, and everyone present in one swift motion. There was no time to react or escape; the world simply folded inward and succumbed to the darkness.

And just as abruptly as it had begun, it all came to an end.

The mountains, the battlefield, and all those who had stood there were gone.