Once, the Caldera Mountain Range was the Caldera Volcano. Not just a single mountain, but the entire range was a massive supervolcano.
For a long time, it had been dormant, but the volcano was not dead. It just hadn’t awakened yet. That day was supposed to come tens of thousands of years later.
Gurgle!
If only the Undead Creature hadn’t joyfully dug into the mountain upon discovering the lava.
If only the hundreds-of-meters-long monster hadn’t torn through the earth, absorbing geothermal energy, splashing around in the lava, and stimulating geological activity.
Boom!
As the Undead Creature burrowed deep into the mountain range in search of lava and geothermal energy, the energy from its collision with the ground transformed into heat, tremors, and sound, spreading in all directions. The collision occurred on the surface, and the epicenter of the shaking was not deep underground, but the surface itself.
Thus, the moment the monster slammed into the ground, the earth rose and flipped like a wave, and everything on it was annihilated. The terrain of the mountain range shook, and the pressure within began to rise, but that was just the beginning.
The hundreds-of-meters-long bird began to dig deeper into the lava, seeking hotter areas. It sank deeper and deeper, craving thermal energy.
As the monster swam through the magma, the deep underground magma began to rise due to the disturbance. While absorbing thermal energy from deep within the earth, the excess heat it couldn’t absorb seeped out, stimulating nearby lava and causing it to bubble.
In a normal volcano, the accumulated energy would have already caused an eruption. But this was the Caldera Supervolcano, where the entire mountain range was a volcano.
So, for now, the earth shook, aftershocks occurred, and smoke slowly rose. But that alone was enough to throw the entire Republic into chaos.
The Citadel Republic was so small, almost like a city-state, that the distance between the capital and the volcano was very close. If something really went wrong, everything would be over before they could even flee.
Two Earth Magic experts, Thomas William and Andrew Gilbert, were urgently dispatched from the Republic’s capital, Valles City. Using Earth Vision Magic, typically used for mineral vein exploration, they discovered a giant bird roaming deep within the earth and were horrified.
“W-what is this?”
“I don’t know. But it’s definitely a monster. A naturally born monster like this? Even a passing dog would laugh. It’s undoubtedly Grimudo’s doing!”
“I’m not sure. Let’s report the facts as they are.”
Though not honorable, their leader, Chancellor Adolf Macliren of the Republic, wasn’t on good terms with Grimudo. So why would Grimudo suddenly send his monster to destroy the Citadel Republic?
Andrew couldn’t make any guesses about this.
And in fact, in this situation, such guesses didn’t matter anymore.
As they set up a magic circle on the ground to observe the underground while enduring the tremors, they soon realized the situation was far more serious than it appeared. Earthquakes, flowing lava, and the mountain range being devastated as if meteors had fallen—this wasn’t the end but possibly just the beginning.
“As long as that thing keeps rampaging down there, the geological anomalies won’t stop. Maybe the chance to undo everything has already passed.”
“If it keeps wreaking havoc inside…”
“Even staying still is dangerous. It’s found a heat source deep within the earth and is absorbing it. The problem is, it’s not the only one absorbing that heat.”
As a mage, curiosity is a must. Thomas William, a former Republic official, was more knowledgeable about volcanoes than anyone in the Magic Tower. He understood the situation better than Andrew, who had been dispatched from the Valles branch of the Magic Tower.
After all, the world is vast, and there are many people. No matter how insignificant something may seem, there are always a few people researching it.
Fortunately for the Citadel Republic, Thomas had been steadily researching the dormant Caldera Volcano. It wasn’t a lucrative endeavor, but hobbies should always be respected. For him, even Earth Magic was just something he learned for his research.
To someone like him, it was clear that the volcano wasn’t supposed to erupt yet. That day was supposed to come long after his death. But that monster had pulled fate forward.
No one knew when the eruption would come, but a terrifying amount of energy was building up beneath the surface. The Phoenix was constantly drawing heat from deep within.
“The heat it can’t absorb is stimulating the surrounding lava and increasing the pressure within the mountain range. If the pressure becomes too great for even this massive mountain range to contain… you know what happens. Boom! Everything collapses. The disaster this would bring is utterly despairing!”
It would be better if Emperor Harmail went mad and led the entire Demon Race army to invade the Citadel Republic. Because an erupting volcano is an opponent that can’t be reasoned with, begged, negotiated, or surrendered to. No one in history has ever seen a volcano of this scale erupt.
Grimudo might have, but they weren’t Grimudo. The largest recorded volcanic eruption in history was the Lofunpo Volcano in the south, which turned an island into a death island and buried all life there under volcanic ash.
Though the Lofunpo Volcano was large, it was still just a volcano. It wasn’t a supervolcano like the Caldera Mountain Range, where the entire range is a volcano. If this erupted, the Citadel Republic would meet its end that day, and the entire southwestern continent would be covered in volcanic ash, becoming a land without sunlight.
“Fighting a volcano is nonsense. We have no choice but to flee.”
“Let’s book passage for our families first. We need to flee as far as possible… only then can we all survive.”
“We and our families can escape, but what about everyone else?”
At Thomas’s words, Andrew clenched his mouth shut.
The answer didn’t need to be spoken aloud; both had already sensed it. But neither voiced the ominous prediction, as if speaking it would make it come true.
“All we can do is submit a detailed report to the Republic’s higher-ups. Let’s write everything you’ve said without missing a single detail. Whether they believe it or not, we’ll gather our families and flee today. That’s all we can do.”
Of course, they knew that deserting in the face of the enemy would at least land them in a dungeon to be tortured. But was the Caldera Supervolcano their enemy?
In the face of this massive volcano, do humans even have the right to call themselves enemies? All they can do is tremble in fear, anxiously waiting, and flee at the first sign of anger.
“We don’t know when the eruption will come. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after… if we’re lucky, we might last a week. If we report this threat to the higher-ups, it’s like giving them that much time. A few days to prepare. Beyond that, there’s nothing we can do. Mr. Thomas. We have families.”
“We’re not the only ones with families. I can’t go.”
“Get a grip! There’s nothing to gain by staying here!”
Andrew placed a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and shook him. His eyes were desperate.
If Thomas refused, he could just leave him behind, but he genuinely liked Thomas. Though they had only met briefly, they had become close friends.
“No, there is. There’s something I can do. For that, I must stay.”
“I know you’re a great scholar. But what can one person do in this situation?”
“We can’t do anything about the volcano with human power, but we can deal with the monster. If we eliminate that monster, the eruption won’t happen immediately.”
Andrew muttered in disbelief at Thomas’s words.
“You can’t be serious…”
“I’ll propose to the Republic’s higher-ups to gather all the Republic’s strongest to exterminate that monster. But no matter how great the heroes are, they won’t know the terrain and paths of this volcano better than me. I’ll guide them to the monster.”
He grabbed Andrew’s hand on his shoulder and held it tightly.
“Mr. Andrew. Can I entrust my family to you?”
The man, unable to speak, slowly nodded. He was too ashamed to lift his head. But he didn’t have the courage to die with Thomas, so he remained silent.
“Is that really necessary?”
After a long pause, he barely managed to utter a single sentence. Thomas smiled weakly.
“It’s also the way to protect my family. If the supervolcano truly awakens… then perhaps, no matter where my family flees, it will be meaningless. This volcano’s eruption is like an unopened box. We can’t even guess what’s inside.”
“Then let’s hurry. If we exterminate that monster as quickly as possible, we might avoid the worst.”
The two nodded and quickly headed toward Valles City.
The struggle to avert catastrophe had begun.
