The entrance to the ruins was half-buried due to the thick snow that had piled up overnight. Between the dark, unfathomable entrance, a chilly breeze occasionally surged, tousling Fernandez’s bangs.
He gazed at the entrance of the quarry tunnel, where the piled snow was crumbling down. To an outsider, it would look like nothing more than a large, abandoned mine. However, the Rune Glyphs were a form of inscribed characters that marked their origin on the rocks.
The cracks between the rocks, small as they were, connected like spiderwebs, forming a chaotic pattern. But to those who knew, it was a sentence with a certain regularity.
-If you are not prepared, leave. If the time has come, be strong.
‘Or, refuse death and endure the end.’
It might seem like a nonsensical sentence, but that’s the inherent nature of Rune Glyphs. They are ideograms that can be interpreted in multiple ways, expressing multiple meanings simultaneously with a single word, and even structurally, they consist only of nouns.
To translate it more bluntly, [Death], [Outside], [Time], [Endurance]. Generally, sentences inscribed at dungeon entrances carry a warning to intruders, so it’s not something to be taken lightly.
“Let’s just go in.”
Loft clapped his hands and laughed. Yeah, in this situation, overthinking won’t lead to any clear answers. Fernandez shrugged and stepped into the tunnel.
There exists a discipline called Magic Engineering. Originating from alchemy, this field is said to have used magical energy as fuel, combining it with complex mechanical devices to create a new system that surpassed the existing magical frameworks.
The phrase “is said to” here literally means that this discipline has been lost and deemed irrecoverable.
The combination of magical craftsmanship based on Rune Glyphs and the intricate, dense mechanical devices. This unique magical system of the dwarves, who achieved overwhelming success in both Rune Glyphs and blacksmithing, transcending their race, was what ‘Magic Engineering’ was. Now, only traces of it can be found in ancient dwarven dungeons.
‘The important point is, they actually sealed the Great Demon.’
All five Great Demons are sealed across the Sixth Realm. Among them, only Mumto is sealed in the Material World. Like the scaled Empress Sadarkelisa, sealed by the Celestial Dragon Kaladpelin, the Great Demons are each sealed in different dimensions, only able to exert indirect influence.
However, thousands of years ago, the dwarves succeeded in sealing a Great Demon during the Celestial War. Not in the Material World, but somewhere in a distant dimension, they ‘imprisoned’ it.
The Crimson Duke Tyban. A mighty demon who started as a lowly undead and rose to the rank of Great Demon through sheer destruction and slaughter. Though his beginnings were humble, and he was not recognized as a king by his peers, hence called ‘Duke,’ his power is by no means inferior to other demons.
The power to destroy any magic, any material. Tyban’s ability lies in the realm of ‘destruction.’ His power is so immense that it borders on divinity, and merely walking in the Material World would cause the earth to crumble.
‘My old friend.’
Fernandez wandered through the familiar underground tunnel, lost in memories. It was a miracle to find clues about the Crimson Duke’s seal in the ancient dwarven dungeon. Poisoning the fellow adventurers who discovered it and beginning his research was the work of his youth.
Even while being chased by the Inquisition Office for stepping on their toes, he never gave up his research. As a result, he succeeded in excavating the dwarven dungeon where the Crimson Duke was sealed… and the clock of the world’s destruction ticked one step closer.
‘Though the style is more archaic, the essence remains the same.’
Fernandez stopped at the end of the tunnel, gazing at the massive bronze door blocking his path. The door, engraved with a tough-looking man with a long beard, bore marks of attempted destruction with picks and hammers.
“It seems young Erik gave up here. Well, there are more pressing matters than excavating an ancient city. What about you, can you do it?”
Loft chuckled. Fernandez silently stared at the door. Simple destruction wouldn’t break it. Fernandez stroked his beard, looking at the rusted door handle.
[Brother, we shall endure.]
To put it bluntly, these words were inscribed here. It’s open to interpretation, but… endure, the end. Then… Fernandez muttered quietly.
“Ragnarok.”
-Thud. Clatter…
Along with his words, the sound of thick chains winding and rough gears clashing echoed from inside the door handle.
“Oh ho? Impressive!”
Loft giggled. The door creaked and then slid open to both sides, as if the tunnel walls absorbed it. Inside, a wide corridor made of neatly cut stone and bricks appeared.
-Screech, thud, thud, thud.
-Clatter. Grind…
With the door opened, it seemed like some kind of mechanism had started throughout this tunnel, no, this entire underground city. Loud friction noises surged from various parts of the massive underground city.
Fernandez walked down the corridor with his hand on the sword hilt. The sensation in his left hand was gradually returning. The pain was still there, but it had become bearable. Rather, the excruciating pain gnawing at his nerves had sharpened his mind to an extreme.
-It’s massive.
‘Yes. It’s on par with the Steelfloor Seal.’
-There’s no way they built something this massive as a hobby, Fernandez.
‘At least…’
