For four whole days, we walked through the swamp whenever time allowed, but there was no progress at all. Wherever we went, the same scenery repeated itself, and the only difference was that the swamp grew deeper as we went on.
There were no monsters, and we avoided the place where a sword was stuck. I even hoped to accidentally step on a corpse out of sheer boredom. Our bodies and minds became tired from these sticky and monotonous days.
If only there were some visible progress, even the toughest tasks could be endured. But as we went further, doubts about whether I was going in the right direction grew stronger.
“Ugh, why are there so many bugs here…! Akashi, don’t you have any spell to drive them away? You’re a Great Magician, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, sure, he is a Great Magician. But first and foremost, he’s a Dark Magician. There are spells to summon insects, but none to drive them away. Why chase away materials when we should be gathering as much as possible?”
“Still, isn’t there something to drive mosquitoes away?”
“Well, you should’ve said that earlier. There’s a spell to drive away vampires. Now, let me write in my book.”
Myungho also seemed to be getting exhausted; he started reacting to the bugs he initially ignored, and even Yuna, who had the resilience of her own arm, looked bored.
What are we doing here in this swamp full of corpses and bugs? It’s not even clear what we’re looking for anymore. They said it’s an old Dwarf ruin, but even when I kicked hard, there was no space beneath.
I did feel the bones of some colossal being, but that’s another matter. If there had been space inside those bones, it would’ve made sense, but it was just a pile of dead bones.
“…Seriously, is this the right place…?”
“The key kept pointing here. And as we got closer, the constellations shone brighter. Isn’t that proof we’re getting near?”
Indeed… That’s true. Moreover, if you listen carefully, the key hums more actively, indicating that something is happening.
It still doesn’t feel right to others, but every time I doubted, I dropped a blood droplet onto the ingot to confirm again. To be honest, I want to drop another blood droplet now.
That’s how much there seems to be no space for ruins around here. As for the sky, I’m not sure, but it probably doesn’t have anything either.
Not all adventures are glamorous, but shouldn’t there be something exciting? Walking through the swamp where your feet sink is far from enjoyable.
Ah, there’s another one ahead. By channeling magic into the horn, I refilled the pit dug by the sludge monster. The creature’s fluid erupted like pus squeezed from a pimple.
“It’d be nice if something came out to make things interesting.”
The first couple of times were fun, but doing the same thing over and over gets boring quickly. It’s so dull that I’d rather fight a fierce monster.
As we continued floundering in the mud without any results, Myungho suddenly took the key out of his bag and stared at it silently.
“…Guys, isn’t this key trembling? Am I imagining things…?”
Now that you mention it, it’s trembling visibly. It must be noticeable enough for Myungho and others to feel it. Since I’ve always felt it trembling, I don’t know how others perceive it.
“Yes, it really is trembling. I can feel it too. So… do you think we’re close? Let’s hope so.”
“I agree. My toes are numb. I want to step on something other than mud. If it’s trembling, then follow the increasing vibration while carrying the key. Though… we might need to drop some blood again.”
“That means… we’re almost there!”
“If we find it, retrieving whatever is inside will be a different story altogether, but feel free to celebrate now. Ancient Dwarf ruins aren’t easy to find. Even the Demon King has seen only a few in his lifetime.”
Myungho finally ran off holding the key, moving three times faster than before.
Though it’s only a brisk walk on land, his frantic splashing forward looked quite comical. Still, it felt justified.
The key was trembling violently now, like a motorcycle handle when you turn on the ignition.
“Oh, wait a minute. Myungho, that’s—”
A hole! I quickly reinforced the ground beneath him before he fell, preventing him from becoming covered in mud.
He bounced high and was thrown back down onto the risen earth. He should have been thrilled.
“Ow… There was a hole. Still, we must be somewhere around here! Look, it’s trembling fiercely! Alterra?”
“I’d know even if you didn’t say anything, so stop asking repeatedly. A man shouldn’t be so insistent.”
One should maintain dignity and know how to ask with just a glance. His strange lack of confidence makes me wonder if people in the future are different.
It’s not unusual for the weak to seek help from the strong, but seeing a man ask a woman feels odd.
After pressing my thumb into my palm and letting the blood flow onto the rapidly vibrating key, the familiar night sky appeared within the ingot.
Since I’ve seen it so many times, it’s no longer surprising. While licking the blood off my fingers, I watched as the constellation began to spin unexpectedly.
Instead of pointing in a specific direction, it kept circling aimlessly, as if lost. Suddenly, the stars broke free of the night sky and started spinning wildly.
Uh…?
Unusual appearance and power made us take a step back, ready for anything unexpected. The rotating stars formed a spherical shape and shone like the sun.
Then, abruptly, a black hole appeared in the air. Its alien nature was hard to comprehend, and we stood there dumbfounded.
“Hooh. A treasure vault sent to another dimension. What kind of treasures did they hide so securely? What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
While the constellation was spinning, Myungho slipped awkwardly on the mud but managed to get up after Akashi casually entered the portal.
“Akashi, wait! We don’t know what’s inside… Ah. Yuna! Alterra! Let’s go in! Akashi can’t handle everything alone!”
Even though leaving him to die might be fine… he does cook well, doesn’t he? Extracting dirt from muddy water, I created a rock broadsword and jumped into the black hole after Myungho.
Is this what space looks like in sci-fi novels? After passing through the strange space and emerging from another hole, we found ourselves in a completely different place from the vast swamp we left behind.
There were lights emitting soft glows, seemingly still functional despite their age. The floor and walls emitted a faint blue light.
Too narrow to call it a hall, yet too wide to call it a corridor, it was an odd space.
Is this what they mean by a vault? Just as I wondered, the people who should have been here were nowhere to be seen. Myungho, Akashi, Yuna—where did they all go?
By placing my horn on the ground and channeling magic, dedicating all my senses to detecting vibrations, I finally figured out where they were. Let’s see… this is… an adult male, right?
Well, it’s somewhat similar to Yuna too. I’ll check once I get there.
Apparently, we’ve all been scattered. I looked for exits but found no holes or such.
Standing still won’t solve anything. After using my broadsword as a cane to stand up, I released a stream of magic to test if my abilities worked here.
Surprisingly, the flooring responded easily to my will. Good, at least I can destroy anything that appears.
Let’s reunite first.
—
“Altera! Yuna! Akashi! Where has everyone gone?!”
Walking alone in the corridor gives an eerie feeling. No matter how loudly I shout, the only response is the echo of my voice.
Where have the others fallen? It’s unsettling not knowing. Without an exit in sight and no sense of direction while walking, anyone would feel this way.
As anxiety threatened to consume me while aimlessly trudging along, a sudden loud noise and vibration startled me.
Something breaking or collapsing—something even I, without Alterra’s incredible detection skills, could tell…
Knowing my sword wouldn’t help much, I gripped it anyway. The Sword Witch says it’s not a sword but a tool to capture souls—but what else could it be?
Reprimanding my past self for getting distracted by the mention of Dwarves, I headed in the opposite direction of the vibration.
Just stay away from whatever it is.
However, the vibration grew closer.
As if something was coming straight toward me, destroying everything in its path to reach the shortest route.
Could it know where I am?
Overcome with extreme anxiety, I fled wherever my feet took me. If it were Alterra, she would’ve responded somehow when I called earlier.
Akashi’s words echoed in my mind: retrieving what’s inside is a completely different story. Was he talking about this?
The vibration was now close enough to feel on the other side of the wall.
I can’t escape this. Whatever comes, I’ll fight back with all I’ve got. Swapping my sword for a brush, I prepared to face whatever emerged.
Come on, try me.
As I aimed my brush at the vibrating wall, cracks appeared, and it shattered instantly.
“Why do you keep running? I thought you were being chased by something, so I rushed here…”
It was Alterra.
