novelraw Chapter 99 : Chapter 99
Chapter 99 : Chapter 99
Chapter 99 Burial (2)
Mid-slope of a certain low mountain.
Two years ago, a large cave suddenly appeared there.
A sudden change without any particular forewarning.
It was a crustal movement caused by mana flowing in the leylines.
Most Demonic Beast lairs are formed in this way.
Naturally, this place was also a Demonic Beast lair.
The amount of Magic Stone mining wasn't bad, and the difficulty of subjugating the inhabiting Demonic Beasts was on the easy side, so the company possessing the mining rights here made quite a decent amount of money.
However, sweet days were brief.
This place declined because of different species of Demonic Beasts that dug tunnels from other areas and flowed into here.
Because due to the influx species, the ground weakened, and the risk of collapse skyrocketed exponentially.
Of course, the company pushed people in regardless.
Because the immediate Magic Stones were more precious than potential danger.
Even if a few people died, it wasn't a big problem.
Because even if they paid compensation to the bereaved families, the money earned was greater anyway, making it a profitable business.
Such a company suddenly closed the cave entrance one day.
It wasn't because they suddenly realized the sublime value of life or anything like that.
It was because pressure came in from the level of a member of the National Assembly.
Of course, that assemblyman didn't do this for some righteous purpose either.
It was just that this company got unlucky and got caught at a timing when election day was approaching and he needed to create achievements.
Whatever the intention, many workers escaped the danger of being buried alive.
Although some lost their jobs.
However, the Demonic Beast lair that had been closed like that opened suddenly today.
At a single word from Pyo Seok-jung.
"By the way, is it okay to open this again like this? You said there is a risk of collapse?"
"Don't know, if the higher-ups say do it, we have to do it."
Currently, about 20 employees were mobilized for the Demonic Beast lair reopening procedure and were working.
Reopening a closed Demonic Beast lair was not an ordinary task.
Because it wasn't at the level of simply unlocking a padlock and opening a door.
A Demonic Beast lair is a place where an enormous amount of Magic Stones are sleeping.
Even if it was a Demonic Beast lair where mining had stopped halfway, its economic value was enormous.
So even when sealing it, they weld and block all sorts of places almost to the level of a safe.
To prevent other humans from secretly entering and digging up Magic Stones.
As such, naturally, reopening it also took quite some effort.
"But the higher-ups seem to like it. Because if we can start mining again with this opportunity, it's a huge profit."
"But honestly, reopening a place that could collapse even so is......"
"If that bothers you, open your bankbook."
"Yes?"
"What, you haven't checked yet? Open your account quickly and check."
The employee turned on his phone and checked his account.
The employee's eyes widened upon checking the balance.
"This......!"
"It's money paid to everyone mobilized for today's work. Now, we should shut up and work hard, right?"
"Yes!"
Around the time the opening work was finishing like that.
Two men walked up the mountain path.
It was Riman and Pyo Seok-jung's secretary.
The secretary briefly exchanged greetings with the person in charge of the site and introduced Riman.
After such brief self-introductions were exchanged.
Riman asked the person in charge of the site.
"Can I go in now?"
"Yes, but since there is still a risk of collapse, please refrain from using big techniques......"
"If this collapses, I'm the one who dies. Even if you don't say that, I will be the most careful."
"...That is true."
SWISH.
Riman took out black gloves and put them on both hands.
The Magic Tool received from Pyo Seok-jung,
After pulling the gloves tight and infusing mana gently, the size of the gloves adjusted perfectly to fit his hands.
Preparation was complete with this.
"I'll be going."
"Be careful."
STEP.
Riman moved his steps into the Demonic Beast lair.
The entrance of the cave was quite huge.
And as soon as he entered the entrance, dozens of metal pillars came into view.
Pillars that couldn't be natural objects no matter where you looked.
They were pillars installed to delay the collapse of this cave.
There was no problem with visibility.
Because luminous stones embedded in the walls and ceiling were emitting light.
Even the company side, which was crazy about Magic Stones, surprisingly tended to leave luminous stones alone without mining them.
It was partly because they helped secure visibility, but actually, it was largely because they were useless even if mined.
Luminous stones slowly lose their light the moment they are mined and brought out.
Because of the characteristic that they can emit light only when embedded in ground where mana flows abundantly.
Moreover, to use them just as Magic Stones, the structure was too soft and there were too many impurities, so refining costs were higher.
Because they were useless like that, they survived without being mined and could emit light like this.
'This cave has been a while too.'
Although it was a cave he came to for the first time in reality, it was a place he had come to several times in the game.
Riman took a step into that familiarity.
CLATTER.
At that time, something hard and light hit Riman's foot.
It was a bone.
Flesh had rotted away, skin was torn, and only bones were scattered forlornly.
Fortunately, it wasn't a human bone, but an animal bone.
Bone of a four-legged mammal.
'It's a Cave Rat's bone.'
Cave Rat was a giant rat-shaped Demonic Beast that inhabited this Demonic Beast lair.
The reason the description is in the past tense is that they no longer lived in this cave.
Did they abandon this place and migrate elsewhere?
Some might have gone that way, but almost most died.
Roughly half were killed by Hunters, and the remaining half......
'Were killed by other Demonic Beasts.'
The master of this Demonic Beast lair now was no longer the Cave Rat.
Other Demonic Beasts that invaded from elsewhere were the masters.
The Cave Rats were annihilated by these invaders.
Which are......
CLICK!
Those bastards.
RUMBLE!
Something began to swarm from all directions.
Demonic Beasts with silhouettes like an anaconda cut in half.
They crawled squirming at furious speed.
But they weren't snakes.
If one had to classify, they were closer to legless centipedes.
These bastards' name was 'Tosakchung' (Earth-Burrowing Worm).
Demonic Beasts with the ability to freely burrow through the ground.
And because of this very ability and habit, the risk of collapse arrived at this perfectly fine cave.
Since they burrowed through the ground making holes all over the bedrock like a sponge, the ground was bound to weaken.
"KYAAAK!"
Dozens of Tosakchungs lunged at Riman.
Teeth dripping with slime flashed from their mouths.
Teeth sharp enough to chew and crush even rocks lightly, ruthless bite force.
They rushed to bite Riman to death with such teeth.
Of course, Riman did not move.
Instead, faster than the speed at which they squirmed, he built up an image in his head.
Association leads to calculation, calculation leads to reconstruction.
Meaning is granted to indiscriminate mana.
The air becomes rapidly heavy.
And in this empty space, magic is finally painted over.
[Frozen Earth Critical Point]
It freezes.
CRACKLE!
At the exhaled cold air, the Tosakchungs froze all at once.
They had no choice but to freeze.
Saya had lowered the surrounding temperature, and Riman even poured freezing magic on top of that.
Even the body surfaces of the Tosakchungs were covered in slime.
Because they secrete slime from their body surface to burrow freely through the ground.
Of course, in front of the sudden cold wave, the slime became ice.
"Kuh......"
"Kuh......!"
Groans like boiling phlegm were heard from here and there.
Riman quickly ended that pain.
[Weight]
Gravity pressed down on them.
CRASH!
The frozen Demonic Beasts shattered all at once like glass.
With this, the Tosakchungs in this hallway were annihilated.
"Shall we go."
Riman began to move his steps further inside.
* * *
Outside the Demonic Beast lair.
Most of the employees who were at the entrance had withdrawn.
Because it was a situation where this many people couldn't wait indefinitely when they didn't know when Riman would come out.
So leaving only a minimum of three personnel, everyone else withdrew.
And those three were sitting at the entrance of the cave keeping watch.
"Yawn-."
While yawning lazily in between.
Meanwhile, there were those watching them from a distance.
"How long has it been since that bastard Leman went in?"
"It's been about 15 minutes now?"
"Hmm......"
Escapee Jensen Morrow, and Cha Hak-jun's secretary.
The two were hiding behind distant bushes monitoring the surroundings of the Demonic Beast lair.
"But why did that guy Leman go in there? And alone at that."
"Exactly. Even though it's a place closed due to collapse risk."
"Hmm......"
After refining his thoughts for a moment, Jensen asked the secretary.
"But if it's collapse risk, it hasn't collapsed yet, right?"
"For now, according to records, yes. And look at those pillars. They really did everything to prevent collapse."
"That means it wouldn't be strange if it collapses?"
"Excuse me, wait a minute."
Jensen's tone subtly tinged with killing intent.
At this, the secretary felt an unknown anxiety.
"You can't, Mr. Jensen. We just came to monitor!"
"What is our final goal? Isn't it killing that guy named Leman?"
"Pyo Seok-jung is involved! They told us just to leave him alone because things might get troublesome if we kill him recklessly!"
"But what if it's an accidental death?"
"What......?"
"If that guy Leman dies by accidental death, Pyo Seok-jung won't have anything to say either, right? It's a simple accident, and our Mayor Cha has no responsibility."
"Are you possibly......"
"Let's bury that bastard Leman in that cave."
"......!"
"It's a cave with collapse risk anyway. Even if it suddenly collapses, there's nothing strange about it."
The secretary couldn't refute.
Because it was a perfect operation.
Leman entered a cave with collapse risk on his own feet, and if the cave collapsed just in time and he died, it was his own fault.
There was no cleaner way to get rid of Riman than this.
But a problem still remained.
"But what about those employees? If we catch their eyes, it's all over. Because it will be revealed that it's homicide, not accidental death."
"Watch closely."
Jensen raised his crouched body.
Instantly, the secretary noticed what thought he harbored.
GRAB!
The secretary grabbed Jensen's sleeve.
"You can't. They are innocent people unrelated to this case......!"
"Let go."
"Killing innocent people for this reason......!"
"I said let go, you son of a bitch."
The secretary felt fear as if his spine froze for a moment.
"...Do you want to use that cave as your grave too?"
"......"
The secretary let go of his hand.
And the devil began to walk out.
"Oh my, you are working hard."
Jensen casually greeted and approached the employees in front of the cave.
The employees showed strong wariness and stood up from their seats.
"Stop. This is private property."
"No, I got lost in the mountain. Could you show me the way......"
"Just go down along this path. Go."
"I have no sense of direction, so come a bit closer and tell me."
"Stop playing around and go when told."
CLICK.
One of the employees took out a taser gun and aimed at Jensen.
A signal that he would shoot if he came one step closer.
Jensen smirked and took a step.
The trigger was pulled.
ZZZT!
Needles flowing with electricity stuck into Jensen's body.
Current enough to knock out an ordinary person immediately was injected into his body.
But Jensen was still standing in that spot.
"...Ah, it stings."
"What......?"
WHOOSH.
In the blink of an eye.
Jensen had approached right in front of the employee holding the taser gun.
"What the......!"
"I'll make it sting for you too."
GRAB!
Jensen grabbed the employee's face with his large hand.
SIZZLE-
"ARGHHH!!"
At that moment, the employee's head held in Jensen's hand began to melt.
Watching the melted flesh dripping between his fingers, Jensen was laughing.
Even with a flush on both cheeks.