Chapter 232

Chapter 232: The Abyss of the Deep Valley, Erebore 2

“There’s something over there.”

Hippolyte raised her finger, pointing ahead.

There, in the darkness, glimmered something faintly. A stack of stones that anybody could tell was an artificial structure.

“A tower…?”

Who said it? It was likely Antiope, but she was right; it was a tower—a small stone one.

“Be careful. We don’t know what might be here.”

Swoosh—Clang.

Pulling out a longsword from her waist, Hippolyte readied herself. We all drew our weapons, raising our guard to the maximum. Even Antiope, who had been casual just moments ago, now crouched low, spear at the ready, scanning the dark surroundings.

A darkness so thick that you can’t see a hand in front of your face is something that sharpens your senses. Of course, perhaps due to the newly gained blessing Dark Sight, I could see farther than the torchlight illuminated.

Despite everyone being on high alert, all I could see was the desolate interior of the cave.

As we cautiously approached the stone tower, there was a small handkerchief tied to a branch, stuck at the top.

“It’s Edwin’s stone tower.”

Elfride pulled out the handkerchief from the top. The cloth, tinged with red, looked soft and expensive.

Hippolyte asked upon seeing it.

“It doesn’t look like it was just built. It seems it has meaning. Does the red handkerchief signify something ominous?”

In response to Hippolyte’s question, the fairy Elfride replied.

“It’s just a marker indicating a battle happened here.”

“An indication of a battle, huh…”

Hippolyte swept the ground with her gauntlet. Antiope, standing beside her, was examining the walls, caressing scratches with her palm.

“Definitely. This is a battle mark. It’s from something sharp, maybe a sword?”

“Probably Delphina.”

“Hmph, whoever it was, they seem skilled.”

While they were discussing amongst themselves, I couldn’t understand it at all. How could they make such inferences from such tiny clues?

Despite this, I decided I shouldn’t just stand idle. So, I crossed my arms with a serious look. Then, Hippolyte asked me.

“What do you think?”

“My thoughts?”

“You, Samarian, with your expertise in combat. What kind of battle do you think happened here?”

“Well…”

While I was trying to maintain my composure, a chuckling sound emerged. Turning my head, I saw Elfride trying to suppress a smirk.

Swish.

Under normal circumstances, I’d probably put on a front and spout some plausible nonsense, but with Elfride, who knows I’m clumsy and dim-witted, standing nearby, I couldn’t pull it off.

“I don’t really know.”

So, I simply answered truthfully.

“Hmm…” mused Hippolyte.

“We’ll continue forward.”

And so, we walked further into the dark and chilly cave.

“Antiope, don’t be afraid and run. I’ll catch you.”

“I’m not a kid anymore, sister.”

In the middle of our journey, we encountered a cliff-like space that suddenly dropped below. We threw ourselves downward toward it.

Huff.

As we descended lower, the air grew heavier. Breathing became slightly difficult.

I thought it was just me, but Hippolyte, Antiope, and Elfride were also panting heavily and sweating profusely.

Is it hot?

But, on the contrary, it was rather cold for summer. Yet, none of them seemed to be in good shape.

So, I wondered what it was, then Hippolyte said,

“Huff, it seems the rift is quite large. We’re still in the upper layers, yet the eroding power is this strong. I might not be able to save your party members.”

“Sister, I think I’m going to throw up…”

“Hold it. Vomit can summon monsters.”

Hippolyte and Antiope’s complexion was growing increasingly pale, which made me worried. It seemed there was some kind of ominous energy here that I couldn’t perceive.

“Hell’s magic… It’s terrifying.”

Even the witch Elfride, who knows much about mana, covered her nose and mouth with the red handkerchief she’d just received.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but…

It seemed they were taking DOT (Damage Over Time) from something horrible. Their breathing became increasingly difficult, and they kept sweating profusely, looking quite miserable.

While thinking about if there was anything I could do, I suddenly remembered the pouch hanging on my waist.

It contained something Luna had packed for me: either acorns or lightning hazelnuts or something. If I remember correctly, she had said to break one and eat it whenever things got stressful.

So, I took one of them out and offered it to Hippolyte, who was walking ahead.

“What’s this? Why are you giving me something like this?”

But, surprisingly, my innocent gesture elicited a rather sharp reaction. Though Hippolyte can be nitpicky at times, she wasn’t usually this sensitive.

Maybe this deep, dark, and confined space was making people more aggressive.

“That’s… If you’re feeling unwell, maybe you should try eating this.”

“…”

Without a word, Hippolyte took the lightning hazelnut from me. She hesitated for a moment before crunching it loudly with one bite.

Crunch.

Suddenly, a tremendous crackling sound echoed around. I thought she was chewing some kind of metal. How could such a noise come from just chewing a nut?

Even more surprising was Hippolyte’s reaction.

“Oooohh, Ugh, Gahhhhh—”

The decorous priestess we knew was nowhere to be found. She was gagging towards the void like she was about to throw up, though she didn’t actually vomit. She was just in obvious agony.

“What, what is this? That this vile thing even exists!”

Hippolyte, forgetting her earlier instruction about moving quietly, shouted loudly. Her voice reverberated through the cave and echoed far and wide.

“In front of my eyes, it felt like lightning struck! d*mn!”

“Really?”

“My senses are so sharp now. My mind is clear, very clear. I think I was being eroded by the abyssal poison. Give these to everyone. Hmm…”

While dribbling saliva between her lips, Hippolyte gave the command, so I shared the lightning hazelnuts with Antiope and Elfride. Reluctantly, they crunched them.

At the same moment, high-pitched screams pierced the air, as if they were all being pricked by needles.

“Ah, my tongue is being violated! This, what is this!”

“Ugh, it’s too salty… Hassan, I could d*e!”

Despite their varying reactions, it seemed better than their earlier state of collapse. Eventually, after spitting out the shell, Antiope spoke.

“The poison here is stronger than expected. If this is how it is in the upper layers, how are we supposed to handle the lower levels? We won’t last two days like this—Ugh…”

Antiope’s remarks seemed valid. So, pausing our journey, Hippolyte, who had stood with arms crossed, spoke.

“We’re changing the plan. One day. We need to finish by today. Elf, let’s say you have one day to rescue your comrades. More than that, and I can’t guarantee our safety. Do you agree?”

Elfride looked at the handkerchief she held.

“Understood. Can’t be helped. If it goes beyond the set time, you should retreat. Even if I have to go alone.”

“Haven’t seen someone value their comrades this much in a while. You’re different.”

“Because they said they wouldn’t abandon me. Unlike some people… So, I can’t leave them behind either.”

Upon hearing Elfride’s words, something stirred uncomfortably in my waist.

*

We almost had to run through the darkness due to Hippolyte’s decision to compress our schedule to a single day.

Both Hippolyte and Antiope were individuals known for their speed, and keeping up with their pace wasn’t easy.

Breathing heavily in the cold night.

But there was no way to show exhaustion. As I tried to keep up, unexpectedly, Elfride, who was guarding the right side, collapsed onto her knees, breathing heavily.

The halt of Hippolyte’s steps.

“Are you not paying too little attention to your physical conditioning as a mage?”

“Shut up.”

Sweat dripped down Elfride’s forehead and slipped down her jaw.

I instinctively reached for a handkerchief from my pocket to offer her, but that kind of habit was hard to break.

Even after chewing several lightning hazelnuts, Elfride’s condition hadn’t improved much. It must be the World Tree’s seal reducing her stamina.

Originally, Elfride should have been a superhuman with stats beyond 10.

“Just a little more. There’s a gondola leading deeper into the abyss over there. It was made by the old priests of Pluto.”

Where Hippolyte’s finger pointed was a somewhat familiar-looking pulley.

Could it be the gondola I often used when visiting the Skeleton Knight’s cottage?

It looked somewhat similar, but there were subtle differences.

According to the Skeleton Knight, there were several routes descending to the lower levels, and it seemed this course would lead us to somewhere different from his place.

Thinking about the trouble we would encounter if our group ran into him, I was a little relieved that our paths wouldn’t cross.

Creak, thud.

We all boarded the gondola and gently activated the pulleys. As we slowly descended, I spun the handle to manually start it, and the surroundings gradually changed with a creaky and shaky sound.

Squeak, squeak.

The deeper we went, the heavier the air became.

“Is this rope going to break or something?”

“It won’t.”

To Antiope’s question, Hippolyte, who was turning the pulley, answered.

“It’s made from Titan’s tendons, so it won’t snap.”

“Titan’s tendons? Are you seriously using such expensive things for something trivial like this?”

“Back then, when Pluto’s priests were considered heretics, they had immense funds. It’s said there were temples of gold built underground.”

“Hmph, those heretics. Suits them.”

Creak, creak.

While Antiope and Hippolyte exchanged casual talk, the gondola continued its descent.

The last time I descended with the Skeleton Knight, the area was adorned with bioluminescent jellyfish, moss, and fascinating creatures that created a mesmerizing spectacle.

Now, it was nothing but a terrifying descent into dark voids.

“Huff, huff…”

Even Elfride was panting incessantly.

“You alright? You should exercise more.”

“…Shut up. Don’t tell me that. And stop pretending we’re close.”

Elfride…

Her pride made me worried, even when trying to help. I awkwardly pressed my brows together. Caring about Elfride wasn’t the right choice.

While awkwardly staring at the pitch-black emptiness ahead,

Whoosh.

Suddenly, an unusual face appeared in front of me.

I… I was completely startled.

A face appearing out of nowhere in the air?

No, can this even be called a face? It was flat like a mask, and its eyes were entirely black without any whites.

If the pupil covered the entire eyeball entirely black, this would be the feeling.

Too shocked to even utter a word, my fingers froze, unable even to speak.

The face floating in the air descended with us. Is this visible only to me? Can the others not see it?

“Hey—”

Just as I managed to barely open my mouth, the face in the void gave an eerie smile.

We welcome you.

Swish—Swish—Swish.

“What, what is this!?”

The gondola, which had been descending at a steady pace, suddenly accelerated. The sensation was closer to falling than descending.

We had to cling to whatever we could to avoid being thrown off the gondola.

Fortunately, something protruded right in front of me, so I gripped it tightly. It felt quite soft with a feminine shriek.

“Hey, why are you grabbing my chest, idiot!”

A slap landed on my cheek.

Apparently, I had grabbed Elfride’s chest by accident. That explains the softness.

“Sister, sister! What’s going on? Fix it quickly!”

Swish—Swish—Swish.

The situation was undeniably an emergency as the pulley malfunctioned and we continued to plummet.

Hippolyte seemed to be trying to control the situation by hand but to no avail, shouting,

“We’re going to crash! Everyone, brace for impact!”

The image of my squashed corpse flashed through my mind. I couldn’t let this end like this. So, in a desperate attempt, I grabbed the rope holding the gondola tightly.

Gagaag—Crack!

The titanium gauntlets screeched in protest, sparks flying in all directions.

Yet, it seemed to be working as the gondola’s rapid descent slowed slightly.

“Hippolyte! Grab this rope! Let’s slow down!”

“Got it!”

As Hippolyte also laid her hands on the rope, it let out a ripping sound, and sparks flew in all directions.

Boom, Rumble—.

The gondola shook violently as if it were about to break.

Yet, the crashing speed had clearly diminished. Perhaps now, Antiope also grabbed the rope.

“I’ll help, sister!”

“You don’t have gloves!”

“Does that matter now? We’re all going to d*e!”

Just as Antiope was about to grab the rope,

Urrr—.

The gondola, which was slowing down, finally came to a stop.

It seemed we didn’t stop due to our efforts. In front of us lay a solid-looking ground and an endless void.

“The ground… Is it the ground? Are we alive?”

Antiope stood up after sitting down hard, speaking. While Hippolyte, who managed to steady herself, spoke in a very grave tone.

“This place… This must be the abyss’s lower layers. The very bottom.”

“The bottom of the abyss? This is inside Erebore? d*mn!”

Antiope, seemingly in a panic, pulled out a pipe from her pocket and tapped it with trembling hands.

Hippolyte spoke.

“Now, don’t trust or listen to anything. If we get enchanted, it’s over. The abyss’s god Erebore feeds on human fear, doesn’t he?”

“Look, sister!”

Antiope pointed at her wrist. Across her hand was a dark streak, visible on my wrist as well as Elfride and Hippolyte’s wrists.

Just as I wondered what it was, Hippolyte said in a relatively calm tone,

“I’ve seen this before. It’s probably the… mark of a sacrifice.”

Sacrifice?

As I was taken aback by her words, a bl**d-curdling scream of a woman rang in my ears. On reflection, Antiope had reacted quite sensitively to the mention of sacrifice.

But the person curled up on the ground, trembling, was not Antiope—it was Elfride.

[Author’s Note] Sunday is over…

Even though I live a life without days of the week, I can hear the cries of the readers reaching me…

In that sense, I, Michuri, who received lots of coupons, have dabbled in dark forces…

Leaving a comment, recommendation, or coupon all readers will have a deeper and longer sleep tonight…

You’ll get double the rest with the same amount of sleep…!!!

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