'Hmm?' Noel frowned. Although he wanted to check the shelf, there were already too many people in that area. Trying to go that way would end up causing some ruckus, so he restrained himself.
Noel glanced at Clara and asked as quietly as possible, "What do you think?"
"I can't deduce anything with just this room alone. It's like a residential area, but I have never seen this piece of machine." Clara shook her head helplessly.
Before they continued discussing further, Shale and Septa came to them.
Septa was covering his mouth with a finger as if telling them to keep quiet. He even pointed at the outside.
Noel and the others couldn't understand it at first, but everything changed when there was a huge roar that shook the entire building.
"!!!" All of them widened their eyes as their bodies became tense. The roar was followed by multiple roars and howls.
They began to hear footsteps outside their room. This must be the reason why Septa wanted Shale to close the door immediately.
He knew that the demons were about to come out, so they wanted to block this room to become their hiding spot.
A few loud bangs immediately filled the entire building. The glass shattered, the wall crumbled, and the ground shook. Demons were rushing to the outside to chase after their prey.
'A hundred? No, a few hundred… It might even reach a thousand…' Noel sucked a cold breath, realizing how dangerous it was to explore the building.
He also understood that the people outside were bait to lure these demons away. On the one hand, it looked heartless. On the other hand, the opportunity that came after it was truly something they couldn't pass on.
Luckily, they had erected a fort that could help them resist the demons, but those people obviously planned to stay around for a while so that they could lure as many demons as possible.
While waiting for them to come out, Septa nodded to Shale as if telling him to use his ability. Shale didn't hesitate to stretch out his palm.
The air around him began to move and expand, matching its shape to the room.
After that, Shale said, "I have isolated the room with my wind. The wind should keep our voices inside. So, it should be fine for the time being…"
"The output of your Spiritual Energy…"
"I have made it to the minimum. It should be able to fool weak demons. But a Peak Level Demon will come out soon, so we don't have much time." Shale nodded his head, assuring them.
Septa then turned to the other people. "Alright. From my sense, I can feel at least six hundred demons residing in the building alone, not accounting for the demons that just come out, as well as the hidden nest."
"This might be harder than we originally thought, but it's alright for the time being."
"I will be moving ahead of you guys and trying to find all the demons. Shale and his squad will be killing those demons. Make sure to keep the noise as low as possible. If it's not possible, then split up even further and check all the rooms, especially with any human remains. We don't need the human remains, but having someone living inside the room means there will be more items we can take out."
"The member of my squad should be informing the same thing to the other half. So, we'll proceed first."
"What will you do, Clara?" Septa asked.
"I'll conserve my energy by staying on the back. During that time, I'll try to gather all the unique items that we can bring. Zion and Ben will be taking care of the luggage, while Iadre shall handle the mapping. If you have any request, we're willing to do it."
Septa and Shale exchanged looks before shaking their heads.
"Alright." Septa nodded. "We'll be moving when most of the demons have left the building. Meanwhile, keep our heads down so that the demons don't see us from the outside. I'll give you the signal."
They agreed to Septa's decision. While waiting, Noel moved around to make a simple measurement of the room before drawing a rectangle on his note. He even gave a few notes inside the room itself. Of course, Noel wouldn't take a note when they were in danger.
Meanwhile, Clara came to the shelf and found a few pieces of equipment. There was a long white coat and a big cylinder made of glass. She had seen the cylinder, but the white coat was something unique.
Although it was a normal coat without any protective enchantment, this was the first time there was a coat . She didn't even know what they used it for.
She immediately wrapped it and tossed it to Zion while searching for other things they could bring out in the initial expedition.
After a while, the voice of the demons started to decrease. Septa kept maintaining his focus on the demons outside the door.
Suddenly, Septa said, "Three Low Level Demons on our right, two Mid Level Demons on our left. We are near the corner, so we have to be careful. I'm going to erect an invisible wall to make them think we're not coming out of the room. During that time, we'll proceed to the hallway and find a good place as our temporary base."
Shale nodded and ordered his subordinates, "You two kill the Low Level Demons. I'll handle the Mid Level Demons. The rest will check and clear the hallway while waiting for us."
As soon as they reached an agreement, Septa closed his eyes before clasping his hands.
The hallway outside their room was quite long. Although there were demons near them, there were also demons that stood on the opposite side of the hallway. These demons would surely find them when they came out if not for Septa.
Suddenly, an invisible wall appeared and replicated everything behind it. This way, the demons would only see the replica while the demons behind the replica would die.