68 – Monsters of the Abyss (7)
“Ugh… Hah…”
Rough breaths pierced through his lungs.
He ran without stopping since crawling out of that narrow, rough opening.
His legs felt as if they were about to fall off, and every muscle in his body screamed in agony.
‘I need to tell them, faster…’
But despite the pain of torn muscles, the boy gritted his teeth and moved his body.
He knew that his family, and the fate of his entire race, depended on him.
The image of the city, turned into a wreck by the monsters crawling out from the dark abyss, and the solemn face of the chieftain who had grabbed his shoulder and pleaded, vividly lingered in his mind.
‘I must…’
While the Legion had already completed stabilization and was communicating with Shin Woo, taking a brief moment to regroup, the boy shook his head and thought only about going up.
The reason they had set up their base there was that the ruins of their ancestors had remained intact. It wasn’t that there was nothing on the upper levels.
There was no reason to traverse all the dozens of upper levels for their goal.
“Uwaah!”
The breathless boy stumbled and fell on his backside.
A golem, its core shining, came running and blocked his way.
Unlike the golems of the lower levels, the golems nearby had not been ordered to battle the Devouring Fungus.
“Intrusion! Right now! We’re in danger!”
Crouched down, the boy shouted wildly. Not in their language, but in the human language he had picked up here and there.
The golem that had been about to stomp on the boy halted in its tracks.
After a brief silence,
“Ta, tar?”
The golem extended its hand towards the boy.
Only a low humming sound could be heard. The boy, regaining his composure, climbed onto the golem’s hand.
“There’s nothing much to see. After all, wasn’t this place organized years ago?”
His tone was filled with utter boredom, as if he had no intention of looking closely.
“Y-Yes, Vice Academy President. Still, this time, our branch has discovered various species in the ancient labyrinth…”
“Not that appealing. Didn’t that labyrinth already have an owner? Just go back.”
“Excuse me…?”
At his words, the people who had been on edge suddenly panicked.
They had prepared many things with great effort because the big shot was personally visiting. Many had struggled to scrub the floors and walls with toothbrushes for the big cleaning.
Yet now, he had just taken a glance and declared he would turn back.
“But Vice Academy President..! You haven’t properly examined our research results yet!”
“Um?”
Just then, someone who had been irritated stepped forward.
It was a young woman wearing a white robe as a lab coat. Everyone gasped at her stepping forward.
“Researcher Reina.”
He read the name from her name tag and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I’ve seen enough. What is there worth delving into here? I met the mayor yesterday. The whole city was unimpressive. With competition so fierce among other academies, I don’t have the time to invest in the research of those relegated to this quiet place.”
“But…”
“If you want to keep me engaged, and want to get to the central, you’ll need something incredibly groundbreaking.”
He spoke without hesitation and turned with his aides.
The blatant factual blow stunned everyone present. It was frustrating and unjust, but there was nothing to be done.
For a mage belonging to the academy that ruled this world, the academy’s will was law and truth.
“Am I wrong? Reina. If your abilities were exceptional, wouldn’t those results have been shown to me by the central already?”
“N-No…”
She replied in a tiny voice, her head bowed low.
The looks of surprise directed at her turned to hostility and annoyance. They thought she had foolishly stepped forward and provoked the Vice Academy President.
“Ahem, shall we really take our leave, Vice Academy…”
“S-Something big has happened!”
But just then, news came that halted his steps.
“Yeah. Now I’m a bit intrigued. Aren’t you, Director?”
“Y-Yes! What could this be…?”
The Vice Academy President couldn’t hide the smirk at the corners of his mouth.
The bustling crowd around them consisted of academicians from the academy, gathered at the entrance of a cave known as the entrance to the ancient labyrinth.
A boy with pointed ears, bearing peculiar markings on his body, stood trembling amid them, frightened.
“But still… it’s clear the indigenous Moonlight Fairies are extremely wary of us, and we haven’t even been able to conduct proper research…”
“Can you communicate?”
Mages were fundamentally thirsty for research, particularly for materials.
Especially for mages in a fierce competition to rise based on research results in such a remote area.
“Well, I managed to mutter a few words. Right now, he’s keeping quiet, possibly out of fear.”
“How amusing. What’s your name?”
The Vice Academy President scoffed at the testimony from the mage manipulating the cautionary golem, pointing his staff at the boy’s chest.
“Oleson.”
Understanding what that meant, the boy, who had remained silent before their arrival, said his name with trembling eyes.
As the human language came out of the mouth of this previously enigmatic race, all the mages were taken aback and murmured in shock.
“Good… Oleson. Why did you break our mutual non-aggression treaty first and our…”
“Intrusion! Right now! We are in danger! Monsters coming from below!”
The Vice Academy President, representing the group, aimed to continue questioning calmly, but Oleson, not comprehending his words, desperately poured out what he had to say.
He had no choice. Even at this very moment, his kin were dying.
“What does that mean…”
“Help, need help. Assistance!”
At least that urgency and desperation conveyed a message to everyone.
Among the panicked mages, there was Reina, cupping her mouth with her hand.
“Everyone, quiet! This does not seem like a matter we can take lightly. Secretary, bring that child here for now.”
As the chaotic atmosphere continued, the Vice Academy President struck the ground with his staff, causing a shallow shockwave to ripple through the area.
“Are you talking about that one?”
“Then are we to keep doing this?”
“N-No!”
As he glared, the startled secretary scrambled to grab Oleson’s hand and dragged him along.
Despite Oleson’s frantic cries, no one moved. It was true everyone present was curious, but they dared not go against the academy.
“Vice Academy President! From what I hear, it seems their situation is quite dire. Therefore…”
“Again, it’s you, Researcher Reina. As a mere researcher, focus on your duties. Surely, you’ll manage.”
It was Reina who stepped up again.
And as expected, he didn’t even listen to her words.
“Vice Academy President, then I will at least contact the mayor. Let’s quickly send an investigative team to…”
“No, stop it.”
Right after he had distance from the spot, he shook his head at the director’s obsequious words.
Oleson could only listen anxiously to the words he did not understand.
“Y-Yes? But…”
“Director, don’t you want to come to the central soon? It seems there’s good research material here. For example, the anatomy of indigenous ancient species. What do you think? Doesn’t that pique your interest?”
He grinned, suddenly placing a hand on the director’s shoulder.
The director’s face paled in an instant as his throat gulped.
“I’m telling you, I’m still in urgent need of research. And you don’t know how heavy a burden I carry. Ugh.”
Then suddenly, he burst into laughter and started moving ahead on his own.
The startled onlookers paused for a moment to stare at him, but his thoughts were entirely elsewhere, having left others stunned.
‘Fools. You’re just now learning to cast even basic spells. However, since the whole race, though weak, has some talent, a little more development could allow for the possibility of large-scale collective magic, which could change everything.’
His eyes sparkled. A completely different world was unfolding in part of his vision.
In the dark, barren land, there seemed to be thousands of beings living in groups.
As if they had sensed he was watching, the creatures startled and all fell flat on the ground in awe.
For the knowledge and issues they received from their god.
“Get up. There’s no time for that. The war is not over.”
At his command, they rose again and began their tasks.
The realization that his life depended on the existence of those once mere beasts before meeting him always pressed upon him.
“What about the items given by the Ashkruud?”
[Preparation has been completed.]
He continued to walk ahead while handling the affairs. This was something that required ongoing attention, but it was absolutely not something to be done in front of others.
“No matter how much research and how tempting it may be, I need to survive first.”
He circled around the view and grinned.
His units. Somewhere, the beings that humans called kobolds were in the process of moving precious items they held tightly in wooden crates to a specific location.
Anyway, the exchange with this mystical otherworld had greatly helped his strength and social status.
