Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

William found it hard to believe that a magic academy would allow its students to embark on such a dangerous expedition. It didn't make sense. What kind of institution would risk their students' lives like this?

"You're saying the other students are down here in this fissure too?" William asked, his brows furrowed. "Or are they somewhere else?"

Asir nodded grimly. "Yes, they should be. But like I said, once we descended, a strange fog appeared, and we got separated. It comes and goes, and the only way to stay safe is to lock ourselves inside these houses."

William exchanged glances with Victoria and Sarah. A fog that appeared at random, disorienting people and forcing them into hiding? That wasn't natural.

Sarah's expression darkened as she processed the new information. She had spent countless hours studying everything written about the forbidden zone, yet she had never come across any mention of this fog.

"I didn't know something like this existed," she muttered, her voice laced with confusion. "That's... strange."

William glanced at her, knowing how meticulous she was in her research. If she hadn't heard of it, that meant either this phenomenon was new—or someone had intentionally kept it a secret.

The implications were unsettling.

Asir continued, "People vanish because of that fog. That's why we've been hiding here. You three are lucky it wasn't here when you arrived. If it had been…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "You might not be standing here right now."

William felt a chill run down his spine. They had unknowingly walked into something far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

His mind raced. Is the fog related to demonic powers? He had no proof, but something about this place, about the way the skeletons avoided it, about the eerie stillness—it all pointed to something much darker lurking within the fissure.

"So what do we do now? Stay here or keep moving?" William asked, glancing at the group.

It was clear that Asir and the other students were in no condition to go outside. Their hollow expressions and tense postures spoke volumes—they had been shaken by the fog and the disappearance of their fellow students.

"I'll go with you," Asir said, stepping forward. "But the rest will stay here. I can't risk losing more of them."

William nodded, respecting the professor's sense of responsibility. Guilt weighed on Asir's shoulders, even though none of this was his fault. His decision to come with them was a brave one.

"Alright," William agreed. "Let's keep moving. We need to find out more about this place." He turned to Asir. "Do you know if the fog gives any warning signs before it appears?"

Asir shook his head. "No, but based on my calculations, it appears every three days. That means we have one day before it returns."

That was valuable information—possibly the most important thing they had learned so far. William made sure to commit it to memory.

With that, they left the house and descended the stone staircase once more, venturing deeper into the fissure. As they moved through the narrow path, William reached out to Asura mentally.

"Asura, do you know anything about this fog? Could it be demonic in nature?"

"It's possible," Asura responded, his voice unusually cautious. "But I have no knowledge of it. You should proceed carefully."

William tensed. If even Asura had no idea what they were dealing with, that meant they were truly walking blind.

The fissure seemed almost... ordinary. There were no monsters lurking in the shadows, no signs of battle or destruction. Just water trickling through the cracks, small animals scurrying in the underbrush, and the eerie silence of abandoned stone houses.

"I think there's something at the end of the fissure," Asir said suddenly. "I glimpsed something before, but I'm not sure what it was."

During his time trapped here, Asir had noticed what appeared to be an entrance at the far end of the fissure. But between the relentless fog and the chaos of missing students, he hadn't had the chance to investigate.

With that lead in mind, they pressed on.

Still, something was deeply unsettling. No magical creatures had made this place their home. No skeletons wandered in from the outside. It was as if the fissure itself repelled them.

"Why?" William thought, unease creeping into his mind. "Why does nothing come here?"

A part of him wished he could turn back and leave this place behind. But something kept pulling him forward—something beyond mere curiosity.

The voice.

The one he had heard the moment he approached the fissure.

"Come to me… come to me…"

The words still echoed in his mind, urging him onward.

And he needed to know why.

"That's the place I mentioned," Asir said, his voice quiet as he pointed toward the end of the fissure.

At the far end, an entrance to a cave loomed, casting an ominous shadow. It was dark, foreboding, and the air around it seemed to vibrate with something unnatural. A warning sign flashed in William's mind—danger was close.

"Are we really going in there?" Victoria asked, her tone filled with unease.

"We don't have much choice," Sarah replied with certainty. "The missing students are almost certainly inside, and there's nowhere else in this fissure to explore. Let's go."

Her voice was calm, almost detached. As one of the summoned heroes, Sarah carried with her a quiet sense of pride—she was powerful, brave, and felt she could face anything. Whatever lay inside the cave, she was ready.

William didn't hesitate. He stepped forward into the cave, and the others followed. The air grew cooler, thicker, as if the cave itself was breathing.

What they saw inside matched their expectations—rough stone walls and a vast emptiness. But one thing stood out immediately: a large pile of bones, scattered haphazardly across the floor. The bones belonged to both creatures and humans, mixed together in a grotesque heap.

This wasn't the work of a lich, William noted. There was no organized arrangement, no signs of the bones being recently disturbed for reanimation. These were the remains of the victims, whoever they had been, likely claimed by whatever dwelled in the cave.

When Asir saw the pile, his face paled. His worst fear seemed to materialize before his eyes.

What if my students are already dead? The thought haunted him, a grim weight settling in his chest. He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the dread that threatened to overtake him.

But they had to press on.

The sight of the pile of bones struck each of them to the core. Deep down, none of them wanted to take another step into the cave, but they all pressed forward. There was no turning back now—fear would only make things worse, and they all knew it.

With every step they took, the sound of cracking bones echoed through the cave, amplifying their unease. Each footfall seemed to disturb the silence that had settled around them, their presence an intrusion into something far older, far darker than they had anticipated.

Then, as if summoned by the very air around them, a voice rang inside William's mind. It was chilling, mocking, familiar. "You finally arrived, chosen one. Why did it take you so long?"

The voice. The same one that had whispered to him before, during the sharp pain he had felt when he first approached the fissure. What was it? The question gnawed at him, but he had no answers.

He tried to reach out mentally, as he had done with Asura, but the connection was different this time. No response. The link was closed off, as though the voice itself was too far beyond his reach to communicate with.

A chill ran down his spine, and for a moment, he almost wished he could hear Asura's voice again—anything to drown out the malevolent whispers creeping into his thoughts.

But he couldn't. The voice wasn't Asura, and it wasn't something that could be ignored.

William's heart raced, but he did his best to remain calm. He didn't dare share this with anyone—especially not Sarah. If she knew that he was hearing voices, that he was somehow connected to whatever dark force resided here, it could ruin everything. The last thing he needed was for her to see him as weak or tainted by something beyond his control.

He clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. Whatever was happening inside his mind, whatever force was watching him, he couldn't let it distract him now. Not when there were lives at stake.

They had to keep moving. They had no choice but to face whatever lay ahead. But in the back of his mind, the voice lingered, the words echoing like a taunt.

Why did it take you so long?

After walking for around 10 minutes, they saw something sinister. It was a creature, laying down on the end of the cave. Next to it was a stone structure that looked like a magical portal. The creature opened its eyes the moment William and the others approached.