I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World…

The next day, the team assembled shortly after breakfast.

Only Logan, Rubina, Yui, and Victor had slept peacefully, recharged by the abundance of darkness mana that now saturated the region. The others, particularly the light-affiliated or mana-sensitive, were growing worse with each passing day.

Which meant Logan was under pressure.

He had to find the temple, and soon.

They departed early, around eight in the morning, even though the sky overhead made it feel like it was ten at night. The journey back to the wide cavern—Juggernaut's old domain—would take about an hour on foot.

Fortunately, the path was quiet.

Most of the region's stronger monsters had either fled or been culled by Gaia and the dragons during earlier patrols. The only beasts left were weak stragglers, easily avoided or crushed without effort.

The real danger would begin once they neared the temple.

For now, they traveled in formation.

Logan rode atop Scorch, the towering Tyrannosaurus Rex, clearing the path with each heavy step. Right behind, Silis—now a full-fledged earth dragon—moved like a living fortress. Her back was packed with passengers, acting like a tour bus.

Above her flew Orus, wings spread wide while glowing every so often to see what was before them. He carried Lisa on his back in the specially made saddle Ruben had created. The Sanctified Valkyrie was still drained from prolonged exposure to the dark mana in the air.

Far beneath them, Terra tunneled quietly, moving through stone and soil with ease. Her presence was a constant small earthquake beneath their feet.

Serana rode on Garmr, her massive shadow-wolf mount following just behind Logan's lead.

Her loyal vampire beasts followed close—

Iris and Umbral were seated atop Elarion, the Celestial Halo Unicorn, unfazed by their weight. His holy aura remained useful, just like Orus creating light to help the team move forward.

High above, Nyxar circled—his vampiric wings stretched wide, mimicking Serana's own flight technique.

By mid-morning, they reached the cavern—familiar, but no less eerie than before. The old entrance still reeked of decay and waste, but this time, they didn't need to use it.

Terra had already created a new route—clean, stable, and wide enough for even Scorch and Juggernaut's new form to pass without issue.

Without hesitation, Logan led the group into the freshly carved tunnel.

The hunt for the Temple of Darkness had truly begun.

Silis trailed steadily behind the group, her massive claws reshaping the path with ease. She was in charge of widening the entrance so the rest could pass through without issue. Along the way, she carved outside vents and air channels, ensuring the long tunnel wouldn't suffocate them with stale air.

Logan supplemented her efforts by weaving wind magic into the path, guiding fresh air in and out of the passageways like an invisible current.

"How much farther, Juggernaut?" Logan asked. He had switched mounts—now perched comfortably on the broad shoulder of the towering ogre. Juggernaut didn't seem to mind. If anything, he looked proud to carry his master.

[Need to walk until we feel power surge. We enter two big spaces… many creatures wait there. We fight.]

Logan frowned slightly, processing the broken explanation.

He could only imagine what that meant—likely some kind of massive chambers ahead. Maybe domes? And just as he suspected, twenty minutes later, the group emerged from the rocky corridor into something unexpected.

A subterranean jungle.

The chamber was vast—large enough to rival surface forests. Vines crawled up natural stone pillars. Moss and glowing fungi blanketed the ground. Trees rose high into the cavern ceiling, roots breaking through walls, creating what looked like bridges from tangled barricades.

But the most unusual thing?

The fog was thinner here.

It hadn't vanished, but the darkness mana wasn't as overwhelming. It was as if something—or someone—was devouring it.

Logan's instincts tensed.

"That's not good…" he murmured, scanning the overgrown terrain. "If something's absorbing this much energy, it has to be strong. Possibly ancient."

He turned his head slightly as he felt movement behind him.

The bag shifted.

Inside, the precious egg pulsed faintly—almost like it was reacting to something. Logan narrowed his eyes. It can feel the temple… The closer they got, the more it stirred.

The egg had grown so much that he could no longer carry it comfortably for long. Lately, he'd had to strap it onto Scorch or Silis just to travel normally. Now was one of those times.

Logan adjusted the egg's position gently, securing it onto Scorch's back beneath a thin mana barrier. The shield was there to protect it from the dinosaur's body heat. Alongside it, several darkness-elemental crystals were nestled in a pouch—emergency fuel in case the temple wasn't reached today.

But before he could finish checking the straps—

Something lashed out.

A pink, slick appendage—tongue-like—shot out from the dense undergrowth, stretching at least a dozen meters and wrapping tightly around the egg.

Logan's instincts kicked in.

He gripped the sticky tongue instantly, refusing to let go. The texture was wet and elastic, strong and clinging—like glue. His mind raced, trying to identify the creature.

Chameleon? No… that one's not even half this size.

No answer came. Just the force pulling the egg—and him—with it.

He couldn't allow that.

Without hesitation, he summoned Wind Blades, shaping them like short, spinning daggers. The blades dug into the tongue with slicing precision, tearing small punctures into its flesh.

The response was immediate.

The tongue spasmed violently and recoiled—but not alone. Logan didn't resist. He allowed himself to be dragged along, following the retreating appendage until—

There.

The source came into view.

A monstrous frog, at least four meters tall, its body bloated and covered in patchy, moss-like skin. It was letting out a guttural croak, its lone eye twitching from the pain. Blood dripped from its twitching tongue, which it now drew back defensively.

But its gaze locked on Logan with murderous hatred.

It wasn't going to flee.

Instead of pulling him closer to its gaping mouth, the beast snapped its tongue out sideways, using it like a whip. The move came fast, aiming to slam Logan into the cavern wall with raw force.

Logan's grip shifted mid-air, and he braced himself.

This wasn't going to be a simple fight, especially since the creature was not alone.