Chapter 220: Emma, the Lost Girl

The group continued making their way through the ruins.

Liam was carrying the small ball they’d discovered among the pottery fragments. He couldn’t be certain it belonged to Emma, but finding it inside the ruins strengthened the possibility that the girl had passed through there.

The problem was that the footprints were becoming increasingly difficult to follow.

Sand covered much of the floor, and in some areas, collapses had blocked their path. The group had to take several detours through different corridors before finding a route that continued deeper into the castle.

“Can you detect anything, Nora?” Liam asked.

The hunter kept her eyes closed while her shadow creatures explored the surrounding area.

“There are several more rooms ahead. Some are blocked, but I found a corridor leading to an open area. I’m also detecting some movement, though I can’t tell whether it’s monsters.”

“What about any signs of the girl?”

“Nothing so far.”

Liam nodded and looked at his teammates.

“We’ll take that corridor. Maintain formation, and don’t wander off to explore on your own.”

Chuck let out a sigh.

“I’m starting to think this castle is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.”

“That’s because we’ve been walking for quite a while,” Lena replied.

“And we still haven’t found a single comfortable room to sit down in!”

“If you find an armchair, make sure it doesn’t have teeth.”

Lucas burst out laughing, though he remained alert to the corridors around them.

The group continued forward until they reached an opening leading to a small inner courtyard. The roof had almost completely collapsed, allowing light to filter in from a sky that didn’t seem to belong to the outside world.

Broken columns, headless statues, and several overturned stone planters were scattered around the courtyard. In the center stood a dry fountain covered in sand.

Lydia stopped beside one of the walls.

“Wait. There’s something here.”

She pointed to some small marks on the ground, partially covered by a fallen column.

Liam immediately approached.

They were human footprints, much smaller than those of any of the hunters.

“They look similar to the ones we found earlier,” Ray remarked.

“And they seem more recent,” Lydia added.

Liam crouched to examine them. Some of the impressions were clearly defined, as though someone had passed through only a short time ago.

“Emma could be nearby.”

Before moving on, Liam noticed something else. The footprints stopped near a narrow opening between two collapsed walls.

Nora sent one of her shadow creatures through to the other side.

“There’s a room behind it. It’s small and appears to be empty.”

“Can you check more thoroughly?”

“Yes.”

The creature slipped through the opening. This time, Nora took a little longer to respond.

“There’s something on the floor. It doesn’t look like a monster.”

Liam exchanged a glance with Lydia.

“Let’s check it out.”

◇◆◇

Jordan carefully moved aside several fragments of stone while Ray shifted a slab that was partially blocking the entrance.

The gap was just large enough for a person to squeeze through while crouching.

Liam entered first, followed by Lydia and Lucas. The rest of the group stayed near the opening, ready to help if a threat appeared.

The room was narrow and contained very little furniture. An old shelf rested against the wall, and several broken containers lay scattered across the floor.

In one corner, beside a pile of faded cloth, a little girl was curled up against the wall.

Her hair was disheveled, her knees were covered in dust, and her face was pale with exhaustion. She hugged her legs against her chest, trembling slightly.

Liam stopped, careful not to frighten her.

“Emma?”

The girl suddenly raised her head.

Her eyes widened when she saw the hunters. For a moment, she seemed unable to comprehend what was happening. Then, when she realized they were people rather than monsters, she began to cry.

“You… came to look for me?”

Lydia approached slowly and knelt at a respectful distance.

“Yes, sweetheart. Your dad is very worried about you. We’ve come to take you home.”

Emma covered her mouth with both hands. Tears began streaming down her cheeks.

“I thought no one was ever going to find me…”

Lydia felt a pang in her chest. She moved a little closer and offered the girl her hand.

“You’re not alone anymore. We’re going to get you out of here.”

The girl threw herself into Lydia’s arms and hugged her tightly.

Lydia held her gently, stroking her back as she tried to comfort her.

Liam crouched beside them.

“Emma, I need you to listen to me. Are you hurt?”

The girl shook her head, though she looked exhausted.

“My leg hurts a little.”

“That’s okay. We won’t make you do anything that hurts. First, we’ll get you some water, and then we’ll leave this place.”

Liam took a bottle from his gear and handed it to Lydia, who helped Emma drink slowly.

While the girl regained some of her strength, Liam examined the room. There didn’t seem to be any other exits, and he couldn’t find any signs of other humans.

“How long have you been here?” he asked gently.

Emma lowered her gaze.

“I don’t know. I got lost, and then I heard noises. I hid because I thought the monsters would find me.”

“How did you get into the tower?”

The girl pressed her lips together, looking embarrassed.

“I wanted to help my friend.”

Liam waited without interrupting her.

“Some older boys were picking on him. They took his ball and threw it inside the tower. They were laughing at him, so I told them I’d get it back.”

Emma wiped her tears with her sleeve.

“I thought I could go inside, find it, and get out before anyone noticed. But when I crossed the entrance… I didn’t know where I was anymore, and I couldn’t find my way back.”

Lydia hugged her a little tighter.

“You wanted to help your friend, didn’t you?”

Emma nodded.

“My dad taught me that you should help people who are scared. I didn’t want those boys to keep making fun of him.”

Liam felt a mixture of sadness and relief. The girl had acted out of innocent intentions, but she hadn’t understood the danger she was putting herself in.

“It wasn’t wrong to want to help him. But going into a dangerous place alone wasn’t the safest way to do it. You could have asked an adult for help.”

“I know…” Emma murmured.

“You don’t have to solve every problem by yourself. What matters now is that you’re safe, and we’re going to take you back to your dad.”

The girl began crying again, this time with relief.

Lydia gently stroked her hair.

“He’s waiting to see you. I’m sure he wants to hug you just as much as you want to hug him.”

◇◆◇

Once Emma had calmed down a little, Liam decided it was time to get moving.

However, before leaving the room, he noticed Lydia carefully examining the remains of a small stone container beside the wall.

Inside was a dark blue crystalline substance that emitted a faint glow.

Lydia stepped closer to inspect it.

“This seems to contain energy.”

Liam frowned.

“Are you sure?”

“Not completely, but I can sense it.”

The substance felt familiar to her. Throughout her adventures, Lydia had learned to recognize different forms of energy and absorb them without needing to harm their source.

Since the crystal was separated from any living creature and didn’t appear to be connected to a trap, she decided to try absorbing a small amount.

She extended a finger and pressed it against the surface.

The crystal slowly began to crumble, turning into glowing particles that drifted into her body. Lydia closed her eyes as she absorbed the energy, feeling it spread throughout her.

Suddenly, the system chat appeared before Liam’s eyes.

[Your Slime has consumed Crystallized Energy Fragment.]

[Your Slime has leveled up to Level 72.]

[Your Slime has learned Energy Crystallization.]

Liam’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow. I wasn’t expecting you to gain two levels.”

Lydia smiled.

“I leveled up?”

“Yeah. It seems this crystal contained enough energy to help you advance.”

Chuck poked his head through the opening.

“Can we find more of those?”

“Let’s get out of here alive first,” Liam replied.

Lucas chuckled.

“For once, I agree with the boss.”

Lydia stood up and checked that she was feeling all right. She hadn’t experienced any unusual reaction after absorbing the energy, and she couldn’t sense any difficulties on her copy’s end at home while it looked after the twins, either.

Everything seemed to be in order.

Liam turned his attention back to Emma.

“All right. We’re leaving.”

The girl slowly got to her feet, leaning on Lydia for support. Although she was still tired, she seemed much calmer now that she knew she wouldn’t have to face the ruins alone.

When they emerged from the room, the rest of the team greeted them with relieved expressions.

“Did you find her?” Emily asked.

Liam nodded.

“Yes. Emma’s with us. Our priority now is getting her out of the dungeon.”

Jordan stepped forward, offering to carry her, but Emma shyly shook her head.

“I can walk.”

“All right,” Liam replied.

“But if you get tired, let us know. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

The girl nodded.

The group began preparing to retrace their steps.

They had found Emma.

But they still had to get her home.