Everyone present almost simultaneously heard the sound.
The next moment, Gauss quickly cast "Any Door" several times to arrive at the front of the cave.
However, the sight before him immediately made Gauss’ heart pound with fear.
The once solid and sturdy cave had collapsed. When they selected this location, both Gauss and Serdur had specially picked a cave with exceedingly hard ground to avoid the risk of an unexpected collapse.
Moreover, when he came here an hour ago, he hadn’t detected anything unusual.
Yet now, it had collapsed.
But there was nothing to be done; the snake nature in Serdur’s blood made it naturally inclined to like these cool environments, so naturally, it chose a similar place for its breakthrough.
Gauss was already too late to regret.
"Buzz!"
He immediately extended his spiritual consciousness outward.
As the ripple-like spiritual power spread outward, the intangible and formless energy instantly penetrated layer upon layer of rubble, permeating into the cave’s depths.
The scene inside the cave quickly unfurled like a painting in his mind.
He saw the cave buried under huge fallen stones.
In the cave’s depths, he "saw" a cold figure curled up on the ground, surrounded by fallen rocks.
"Thump! Thump!"
To Gauss’ relief, Serdur’s heart was still beating slowly.
Signs of life were all that mattered...
Given Serdur’s Level 5 Professional status and the physique of a Half-Snake Man, as long as there were no particularly severe injuries or deadly wounds, recovery should be possible.
Now, within the Red Dragon Team, there was an abundance of talent, unlike Gauss’ previous team where Serdur alone handled medical professions.
Moreover, apart from Serdur, there were no other creatures nearby, suggesting the cave collapse was merely accidental.
Gauss sighed in relief.
Just as he prepared the rescue.
"Creak—"
The cave’s fallen stones began colliding, making creaking sounds.
"Hmm?"
Immediately, Gauss turned his attention toward the source of the noise; Serdur had moved.
As he shifted, the stones pressing atop him were quickly displaced.
"Seems you still have some strength left..."
Gauss felt a weight lift from his mind.
In his view, as long as there was no danger to life and health, other setbacks didn’t matter much, such as failed breakthroughs.
"Creak, creak!"
Soon, the large fallen stones rolled more intensely, and Gauss could sense an increasingly strong aura emanating from Serdur.
"Hmm?"
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the fallen rocks at the cave entrance exploded outward.
Amidst rolling dust, a figure slid out from within.
Now, Gauss could finally see Serdur’s condition, and his brows instinctively furrowed.
Serdur’s lower body scales were cracked, with blood seeping from various wounds, but these were minor issues, considering he had nearly been buried.
Yet looking at Serdur’s upper body, his eyes were very unusual, making Gauss feel a sense of unfamiliarity.
Crimson light flickered from deep within his eyes, as if he lost his usual rationality.
Furthermore, his cheeks were almost entirely covered by scales.
While Gauss was observing Serdur, Serdur, in his abnormal state, was also watching the outside world.
Naturally, he noticed the conspicuous Gauss floating in midair.
"Hiss!!!"
Serdur suddenly opened his mouth, his expression becoming ferocious, emitting a shriveled hiss like a snake’s threat toward Gauss.
His instincts told him the creature floating in the sky posed a deadly threat.
Seeing Serdur hiss at him, Gauss finally confirmed Serdur had indeed lost his mind.
As Serdur twisted his thick snake body, intending to escape into the distant forest depths, Gauss couldn’t possibly let him leave in such an abnormal state.
Immediately, Gauss urged the Flying Skill, bursting forth with speed exceeding Serdur’s, chasing after him.
As the distance between them narrowed, the irrational Serdur seemed to realize he couldn’t shake off the airborne creature, and quickly grabbed stones from the ground.
His body emitted forest-green energy, instantly covering the stones, completing their enchantment.
"Whoosh!"
The stone was thrown like a cannonball towards Gauss in the sky.
Although Serdur’s attack was sudden, Gauss had already been fully focused on observing him, and shifted to the side, instantly evading it.
"Looks like I must subdue you first."
Gauss didn’t waste time trying to awaken Serdur’s consciousness.
Normally, he would never attack Gauss. Now, indiscriminately attacking meant he truly couldn’t control himself.
"Any Door!"
Gauss’ body flickered, appearing beside Serdur, floating midair.
Then, while Serdur was completely unresponsive, Gauss’ fist tightened, his shoulder acting like a spring, unleashing a powerful punch at Serdur’s cheek.
"Boom!"
The powerful blow instantly dented Serdur’s cheek, his scale-covered face rippling like waves.
The next second, he was like he was struck by a massive hammer, unable to resist being flung sideways.