novelraw Chapter 151 : Cannon
Chapter 151 : Cannon
Chapter 151: Cannon
What would one do if a weapon faster than an arrow and more destructive were aimed at them?
Most people had probably never thought about such a thing.
Robin was no different.
Now, as a flaming cannonball flew toward him—
Wouldn’t it be enough to just slice it apart with a sword wrapped in Fighting Spirit?
That thought briefly crossed his mind.
KWAANG!
Just before drawing his sword, Robin let go and threw his body to the side.
Fragments that scattered from the cannonball grazed his cheek as they passed.
“What are you doing? Get moving.”
Hank had stared blankly for a brief moment as if he had just seen a madman, then scrambled to his feet.
The cannon shifted its aim toward Hank as he ran for the dark corner.
Before the next cannonball could be fired, Robin was a beat faster.
To an ordinary person, it would have been impossible to tell what had just happened.
With a clang, cracks spread across the cannon.
‘It’s not cutting?’
If it had been a Monster, it would have been split in two, spewing blood—but the cannon continued to function.
In the end, the cannonball aimed at Hank surged forward.
The one who saved him was Sigbard.
“How electrifying.”
Striking it as if batting away a ball, he swung his rod and sent the cannonball flying back.
A tingling numbness crept up his hand, as if he had been shocked.
“I-I’ll head out first!”
Without looking back, Hank dashed into the dark corner.
The cannon mounted on the ceiling turned its muzzle toward Hank as he grew farther away.
Cannon fire rang out at intervals of several seconds, but failed to reach its target.
The cannonballs aimed at Robin repeatedly missed, while Sigbard knocked them away head-on.
Drrrgrrk.
With a grinding sound of stone scraping across the floor, Hank slipped out.
“Let’s go too.”
After confirming that Hank had made it out safely, Robin tried to withdraw with Sigbard.
Carefully avoiding the incoming cannonballs, they were just a short distance from the door Hank had exited through—
Drrrk.
The stone door closed.
While Robin distracted the cannon,
Sigbard tried to open the door, but it did not budge.
“It won’t open?”
“It won’t.”
“Move!”
At Robin’s warning, Sigbard stepped away from the door.
Even though a cannonball struck the stone door dead on, it did not break.
“I don’t know what it’s made of, but it’s incredibly sturdy.”
The two kept their distance and focused on evading the cannonballs.
‘Are the cannonballs infinite? Why won’t it stop?’
No matter how exceptional a weapon was, it had to have its limits.
He had thought that if they dodged around and forced it to expend ammunition, it would eventually stop—but the cannon kept firing.
‘Is someone controlling it?’
He did not know the operating principle behind the automatic cannon, but he could make a few guesses.
Either there was an enormous supply of cannonballs prepared in advance.
Or there was something continuously supplying them.
Neither possibility was welcome.
“Ahem, it seems it’s my turn to step in.”
Serena pointed her staff at the cannon.
Water gathered before the muzzle, forming a mass large enough to engulf the entire cannon.
An ordinary cannon would have ceased firing altogether—but the one targeting Robin was no ordinary cannon.
Thud.
With a sound like knocking on a wooden barrel, a cannonball dropped to the floor.
It was remarkable that it could still fire while soaked, but its velocity dropped sharply, and it no longer carried the same destructive force.
“No one’s hurt, right?”
Aelin came down carrying Delinger on her back.
The layer of water enveloping the cannon thickened further; now they could finally relax.
Though the cannon had not stopped firing, things were far less dire.
“We’re fine. More importantly, the exit door closed.”
They gathered at the stone door, pushing and pulling with all their strength, but it would not move.
“Let’s look around first. See if there’s anything.”
Leaving Delinger near the stone door, the four of them split up and began searching.
They collected the bodies of the three deceased Adventurers.
Starting from the corners, they carefully examined the walls.
Since Delinger had revealed a staircase by pressing a hidden button, they searched with meticulous care.
After finishing their individual searches, they regrouped and shared what they had found.
“There’s a footplate over there.”
“A floor tile that sinks in when stepped on? I found it too.”
“Nothing happened when I stepped on it.”
Sigbard, Aelin, and Serena spoke of identical-looking footplates.
In contrast, Robin had discovered a faint crack in the wall.
It was so slight that one might overlook it without careful inspection.
In addition, hieroglyph-like symbols were inscribed here and there, and they discussed what to do.
“How about stepping on the footplates at the same time?”
“Sounds good.”
Aelin worried that it might trigger a trap, but no better idea came to mind.
Sigbard joked that he would not die so easily, and Serena surrounded herself with water in preparation.
“So you’re all that confident, huh…….”
“If you’re that worried, I’ll take Aelin’s place.”
“No need. If something flies at us, we’ll just dodge.”
With Aelin stepping on hers last, the three footplates were pressed down.
‘Was that wrong?’
For a moment, there was no response. Then the sound of gears turning echoed along the wall.
The crack Robin had been watching gradually became more distinct, then slowly rose upward.
It was not a wall—it was a door.
A door that moved up and down.
“So this was the answer after all.”
Sigbard smiled in satisfaction as he stepped off the footplate.
At the same time, the door slammed shut with a thud.
Robin’s foot was nearly caught beneath it.
Not only that, but the door through which the five of them had entered also closed.
“…Step on the footplates again.”
Flustered, Sigbard listened to Robin’s words.
The door then rose smoothly.
However, the door they had originally come down through did not open.
“This time, Aelin, try stepping off.”
With Sigbard and Serena remaining on the footplates, only Aelin stepped down.
Once again, the door closed.
“It seems all three footplates have to be pressed at the same time for the door to open.”
“And aside from that stone door, there’s no longer any other way out.”
“Is that so? Everyone step off.”
As Serena swung her staff, lumps of stone formed atop the footplates.
Though the stones were visibly heavy and pressed the plates down, the door did not move.
“Does it have to match a person’s weight exactly?”
When the stones were removed and the three of them stepped back on, the door opened without issue.
“It seems like it only works if actual people stand on them.”
“I’ll try placing the three corpses instead.”
Sigbard brought over Beka, Pugulsh, and Charles, whom they had set aside earlier.
Was it because the bodies were no longer intact?
Even after placing them on the footplates, the door did not budge.
“What’s the problem? Is it because his stomach’s blown wide open?”
While Aelin stopped Serena from trying to fill the hole in the corpse with stone,
Robin’s eyes turned to Delinger.
Sigbard caught on to Robin’s thoughts and hoisted Delinger onto his back.
“W-Wait…?”
“Try stepping on it.”
Leaving the two women bickering behind, Delinger, Sigbard, and Robin stepped onto the footplates.
“No change.”
The outline of the answer was becoming clear.
To open the door, three able-bodied people had to stand on the footplates.
Someone who limped like Delinger was of no help in opening it.
“If we do it right, we might be able to fix him upright in a standing position.”
“Serena, stop desecrating the dead. Call Robin.”
The five gathered, and Robin shared what he had figured out.
The conclusion was simple.
Three people had to remain here so that the others could leave.
Aelin looked up at the ceiling.
“What about going back the way we came?”
“Is there a way to open it?”
The passage through which Robin had entered connected to the ceiling.
With that route sealed, only the stone door in one wall could be opened.
“Couldn’t Sigbard just break it?”
“I’ve no problem using force, but is that really alright?”
It was not exactly a safe method.
They did not know how this space had been constructed, but it was not something that could be opened through brute strength alone.
Above all, there was the concern that the entire chamber might collapse.
The possibility of being buried alive could not be ignored.
“With enough time, we might be able to open it.”
Everyone looked at Serena, but what followed was far from hopeful.
“If we shave it down with Wind Blades for about a week, wouldn’t it work?”
“Let’s leave that as a last resort.”
In the end, they were back to where they started.
Who would stay, and who would leave?
It was an important matter that could determine life or death, yet the decision came easily.
“Robin, you go.”
“Robin’s the best fit.”
“I’ll attach a spirit to you. Go and come back.”
‘It does feel good to be trusted, but…….’
“Each of you, give me one reason.”
“Well, aren’t you the wisest among us?”
Sigbard believed Robin’s decision would be the best one.
Aelin handed him the map she had drawn and said,
“You’re the next best at finding your way after me.”
“Don’t you want to go, Aelin?”
“I was hoping to rest, so this works out.”
Seeing her tap her helmet lightly, he understood.
If she took Delinger with her, she would have to reveal her bare face.
“What about you, Serena?”
“You’re the leader.”
She said it lightly, but there was another meaning behind it.
Even as the leader of a mere four-person team, there was still the weight of responsibility.
“If we’re going to keep that cannon wrapped in water, I have to stay.”
“That’s true.”
At some point the cannon had quieted down, but if Serena left, it might start up again.
Robin agreed with everyone’s reasoning.
Each of them had their own justification.
“Delinger, let’s go.”
“M-Me as well?”
“Better two than one.”
There was no benefit in Delinger staying behind.
It might be more comfortable for him personally, but it was right to make use of every available asset.
Perhaps understanding that intent, Delinger picked up Robin’s backpack.
“If anything happens, call me. The spirit will relay the message.”
Though Serena said she had attached a spirit, it was not visible.
She was conserving her strength, as it continuously consumed Ether.
The three stepped onto the footplates, and the door opened.
“We’ll be back.”
Robin walked beyond the door with Delinger.
Once their footsteps could no longer be heard, the three remaining stepped off the footplates.
The moment the door closed, Aelin removed her helmet.
“Let’s see if there’s anything else here.”
“Understood.”
The three busily moved about, searching for any hidden mechanisms they might have missed.
* * *
The two walked through the narrow, winding passage.
Robin lit the way ahead with a torch, and Delinger followed behind.
Though Delinger’s leg was injured, he did not show it.
Because he had realized that to escape this complicated Dungeon, he could not simply rely on others.
“Did you want to be promoted to Silver Rank that badly?”
At Robin’s question, Delinger quickly brushed away his wandering thoughts.
“Of course. What Adventurer would refuse to aim for a higher rank?”
“What’s your goal?”
“Well, obviously… to earn a lot of money…….”
“And once you earn a lot of money?”
“I want to move into a bigger house, get married, and live without envying anyone.”
“What does living without envying anyone mean?”
Delinger was at a loss for words.
Why was he asking something like this? Still, he continued in fits and starts.
“I’d have no greater wish than to live my whole life without worrying about money.”
“Aren’t you already earning enough?”
Robin struck at the heart of it.
Even as Copper-Ranked Adventurers, Delinger’s team had achieved solid results—enough to reach the edge of the Safe Area.
Hunting Monsters and occasionally taking on requests, they earned more than ordinary people.
“It’s a job where you never know when you might die. You have to earn while you can.”
“That’s true.”
Just looking at his injured leg now, it was clear the work came with danger.
It was not a serious injury and would heal with a potion, but the pain was something he could never quite get used to.
“But isn’t it greedy to hope for a peaceful old age while being an Adventurer?”
“It is greedy.”
“Forget it. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
When Robin fell silent, only the sound of their footsteps filled the space.
Delinger walked quietly for a while before curiosity about Robin surfaced.
“What is your goal, Robin?”
“To go to the Demon Realm and beat down the Demon Tribe.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s a long story.”
He had thought Robin extraordinary, but he had never imagined he dreamed of going to the Demon Realm.
“Do the other companions know?”
“Yeah.”
“All four of you intend to go to the Demon Realm……?”
“That’s right.”
Was it for money that they intended to explore the Uncharted Area?
Yet Robin had spoken as though something other than money mattered more.
Delinger was curious what story lay behind it, but he stopped himself from asking further.
It did not seem like Robin would tell him.
On the surface he looked perfectly normal, yet Delinger felt he had become entangled in something dangerous.
“There’s something over there.”
After wandering around, they arrived at another space.
It was slightly smaller than the place where they had left the three behind.
“Is this the end?”
Unlike the previous chamber, this one connected to another passage.
At a glance, it was clearly the terminus of several Forked Paths.
“There’s a path leading downward over there.”
“So this isn’t the end. It’s getting more complicated.”
Robin marked the route they had taken and their current position on a piece of paper.
“…Chi. Now… derstand.”
‘Hank?’
A faint human voice seeped up from below.
When he looked at Delinger, the latter gave a slight nod.
“It’s Hank’s voice.”
Robin and Delinger descended the passage from which the voice came.
At the end of it, there was yet another unexpected survivor.
“Hank! Pochi!”
Delinger called out the two names in delight.
Forgetting even the pain in his leg, he stepped toward his living companions—
“Wait.”
Robin called out to stop him, but Delinger reacted too late.
With a faint smile, Pochi pulled a nearby lever.
“Huh?”
The ground beneath Delinger’s feet shifted with a clunking sound.
‘A trap…….’
Sensing death, he squeezed his eyes shut—but then his collar was seized and he was yanked upward.
Robin had barely managed to grab him with an explosive dash.
“I didn’t plan on falling in.”
However, in pulling Delinger out so hastily, Robin lost his balance and fell into the trap instead.
In the blink of an eye, he plunged beneath the ground.
“So the swordsman got caught. Even better.”
Pochi snickered as he spoke to Hank.
Hank, too, wore a broad smile, clearly pleased.
“Uh…….”
Delinger could not process what had just happened.
No—he could not accept it.
He had never dreamed that the companions he trusted would betray him.