He who defy Gods (Arifureta X OC/Male Reader)

(Season 2) Chapter 3 The Grand Gruen Volcano

No one's POV

The Grand Gruen Volcano. It was approximately 100 kilometers north of Ankaji. It was around 5 kilometers in diameter at its base, and rose to a modest height of 3000 meters. It wasn't conical like most volcanoes, but shaped more like a dome. Its summit was flat, however, unlike most domes. Its slope was so gentle that it seemed more like a hill than a mountain. A really, really big hill.

Though the Grand Gruen Volcano was one of the only well-known labyrinths aside from the Great Orcus Labyrinth, it wasn't nearly as popular. It was more dangerous than the Orcus Labyrinth, and the monsters that roamed its depths had less valuable mana crystals inside them. However, the main reason for its unpopularity was how difficult it was to reach. It wasn't just that it was in the middle of a desert.

Shea: I'm so glad we didn't decide to do this trip on foot.

Tio: Even someone as sturdy as me wouldn't enjoy marching through that.

Shea and Tio murmured their appreciation for Brise as they stared out of the windows at the howling storm before them. They wouldn't be able to take their time conquering this labyrinth. The stillstone deposits on the surface of the volcano weren't large enough to cure all of Ankaji, so Sora would need to harvest the stone deep below as well. If this was anything like the other labyrinths, there'd be a shortcut leading outside at the center of the labyrinth. It'd be faster to conquer the whole thing than to fight their way halfway down, then double back. Once they were out, making it back to Ankaji would be easy.

Sora wasn't that invested in saving the lives of Ankaji's citizens, but if it was possible to save them without risking himself, then that sounded good to him. If nothing else, it would spare him from having to see Kaori's and Myu's tears.

Hajime gunned Brise's accelerator and charged into the storm.

Once inside, their vision was blocked by a wall of brown that surrounded them on all sides. Just like the mist they'd seen in the Haltina Woods, the sandstorm cut their visibility to practically nothing. And since the sand could physically harm them, unlike the fog, it was even more dangerous. Even with magic barriers and good equipment, breaking through this wall of sand while surviving attacks from monsters was no easy feat.

The sun's rays didn't penetrate down here either, so the only illumination was the green glowstone headlights Hajime had turned on. He slowed down to about 30 kilometers per hour. At that speed, he estimated they'd be out of the storm in another five minutes. Shea's bunny ears suddenly perked up, and a second later Hajime's eyes narrowed.

Hajime: Hang on tight!

Hajime yelled, before gunning the accelerator. Seconds later, three sandworms burst from the ground behind him. Hajime swerved from side to side, dodging their attacks. Once he was clear, he started speeding up again.

With Brise's speed, it made more sense to push straight through the sandstorm than try to fight all the monsters that got in their way.

Two more sandworms erupted from the ground on either side of Brise, bearing down in a pincer attack. Their aim was perfect, and they were headed straight for Brise's side doors. While the impact itself wouldn't have been able to break the car's armor, Hajime wanted to avoid getting flipped over. He was just about to turn hard into a drift when Yue, Aishia and Tio stopped him.

Yue: Hm, leave this to us.

Aishia: Indeed.

Tio: We can handle this, Master.

Hajime nodded and straightened the steering wheel. The sandworms were so close that the party could see them with the naked eye. However, just before they slammed into the truck, they were stopped.