novelraw Chapter 153 : Remnants of Calamity
Chapter 153 : Remnants of Calamity
Chapter 153: Remnants of Calamity
Had some dangerous Monster appeared?
Something had swept through this room.
Judging by the roar and the force behind it, it was not something that could be dismissed lightly.
Even after scanning the surroundings, he could not tell where such an explosion had occurred.
“Sss….”
A throbbing pain climbed up from his right hand.
It seemed a crack had formed in the bone when he had slammed his fist into the wall.
‘I should have brought a potion.’
Robin’s luggage had been carried by Delinger, so all he had on him now was his sword.
He looked around warily for any remaining danger, but nothing stood out.
‘This is dreadful.’
Hank and Poch, who had been excited just moments ago at the thought of finding treasure.
The two of them were no longer recognizable in form.
They had not been cut by a blade, nor struck by a blunt weapon.
Unable to determine what had done this to them, Robin did not let his guard down.
As he cautiously moved forward, he discovered a slope leading downward.
‘Is this the treasure vault?’
The moment he saw it, he knew where it led.
It had suddenly revealed itself in the center of the room—there was no mistaking it.
The problem was that large stones were scattered along the path downward.
Not only was the room that supposedly held treasure blocked, but even the passage they had entered through was sealed.
‘Sigbard would be perfect for moving something heavy like this.’
If he recklessly cut through it with Fighting Spirit, it might trigger a collapse.
‘It can’t be helped.’
He strained for thirty minutes, trying to clear a path using only his intact left hand.
Then a welcome voice came from behind him.
“Robin, what are you doing.”
“Sigbard?”
Sigbard effortlessly lifted a boulder as large as his torso.
“Did a bomb go off or something? What a Mess.”
“Is this the end of the Dungeon.”
Serena and Aelin looked around and voiced their impressions.
“Weren’t we trapped? How did you get here.”
“The door opened.”
Aelin’s explanation was simple.
After Robin left, they had searched for another exit.
Then an explosion echoed, and the Stone Door opened.
The Cannon Serena had been keeping in check also seemed to malfunction and stopped operating.
“Where did Delinger go?”
“Well….”
Robin recounted what he had experienced.
As he spoke, he began to think that perhaps Delinger himself had caused this explosion.
“We came straight here, so we didn’t check the other rooms.”
“It doesn’t seem like anyone besides us survived.”
If Aelin had not sensed any presence, the others might have escaped first.
“After the explosion, wind has been flowing in from outside. There’s a high chance an exit has opened.”
“That’s good news.”
While listening to Aelin explain the possible route out, Serena handed him a potion.
As he slowly drank the lowest-grade potion, the pain gradually faded.
In the meantime, Sigbard cleared away all the stones blocking the path.
The ground did not collapse or anything of the sort.
“Is there treasure down below?”
“We won’t know until we see for ourselves.”
According to Aelin, there was a strong possibility that Delinger had already left the Dungeon.
If they tried to follow now, the distance between them would likely already be too great.
The moment he attempted his own escape, the escort request had effectively failed.
“Let’s go down.”
Everyone had put in considerable effort to get this far.
It was only natural to feel anticipation about what kind of treasure might await them.
The four headed downward together.
Though no one said it aloud, they could not hide their pounding excitement.
After all, everyone had once imagined discovering a place where treasure was hidden in childhood.
“This is… the treasure vault……?”
Contrary to Hank and Poch’s claims, there was no treasure.
Setting aside glittering gold and silver, there was not even a mysterious-looking Artifact or valuable equipment in sight.
“There’s something on that wall.”
Aelin illuminated the wall with a Torch.
Characters different from the Imperial language were written there.
Robin felt as though he had seen those characters somewhere before.
As he tried to recall the memory, Aelin read aloud.
“In honor of the forgotten hero.”
“How can you read that?”
“It’s a script that was used in the past but fell out of use.”
“Is it Ancient Elf language or something?”
“It’s not that ancient.”
Even Aelin did not know it in detail, so she read it haltingly.
Still, it was astonishing that she could interpret it at all.
It roughly listed someone’s achievements, though every single one sounded absurd.
Such as leading a war to victory single-handedly.
Or resolving a catastrophe that had befallen a nation.
“Among Monsters, the strongest Monster roared. That Monster was super insanely strong, the strongest. It defeated the Demon Tribe. It defeated everyone who came at it.”
‘What is that.’
Sigbard listened intently to Aelin’s reading, apparently to his taste.
Tired of the interpretation, Robin quietly moved away.
Serena had already wandered elsewhere, so he went to see what she was doing.
“Can you read it too, Serena?”
Unaware that Robin had called her, Serena stared intently at one wall.
She was so focused that he did not interrupt her.
By the time Aelin and Sigbard, curious about what was happening, had gathered as well.
Serena finally spoke.
“It’s about someone I’m looking for.”
“What?”
“There’s an uncle who taught me how to handle spirits, and his story is written here.”
Robin, Sigbard, and Aelin could not process Serena’s words at once.
The writing recorded on the wall was too nonsensical.
They had thought it to be a fictional tale.
“There’s also a story about an Elf besides that uncle.”
“W-What?”
“I think her name was Elicia. The owner of the memory you inherited is mentioned too.”
Aelin looked at the wall Serena had been staring at, but she could not see such a story.
“Don’t read it like that—try looking diagonally. Elicia shot an arrow. It was the strongest bow.”
Looking where Serena pointed, it was true.
It was not written vertically, yet when viewed diagonally, a sentence formed.
However, the content was childish and lacking substance, as if written by a child.
“That uncle’s sense of humor is pretty unique, and this matches it perfectly.”
“Who is this uncle?”
“Spirit Mage Lexus. I don’t know his age, but he looks like he’s in his thirties.”
“He’s like a mentor to you, Serena.”
“Right.”
Faced with this unexpected information, the four exchanged opinions.
Whether the story written here was true.
Who had made it, and for what purpose.
The writing on the walls was vast, making it impossible to interpret in a short time.
Thus, they could not reach a conclusion quickly.
Still, a few things were certain.
“Our connection isn’t ordinary.”
Not only Elicia, but there were also accounts concerning Harold and Gunrad.
There was also Taironi, the master craftsman of the Dwarves they had heard about from Brandok.
And on top of that, several unfamiliar names were mentioned as well.
The important thing was that they had once traveled together as companions.
Now, four who could be called their successors had formed a team—an encounter too unlikely to be dismissed as mere coincidence.
“To be adventurers across generations. That’s full of romance.”
“Sigbard, didn’t you ever hear anything from your father?”
He had heard many tales of Gunrad’s exploits as an Adventurer, but apparently there had been no specific mention of his companions.
“Now that I think about it, that’s strange.”
“It feels like it was hidden on purpose.”
“Right. I think I understand the reason, too.”
Serena also did not know much about Lexus’s companions.
The story she had heard from Brandok.
If that was true, it explained why.
They had avoided making their existence known to the world.
There was nothing good about catching the Emperor’s attention.
“It’s not gold or treasure, but we might have discovered something even greater.”
‘Aelin is right. And this is an opportunity for us.’
There were three main ways to manifest Fighting Spirit.
Among them, recreating another person’s will required an understanding of that person.
That was how Calimacos had used Harold’s power.
And the foundation of the swordsmanship Robin used was also Harold’s swordsmanship.
In other words, if they transcribed the writings here, their strength might increase.
That applied not only to Robin, but to Sigbard and Aelin as well.
“I’d love to copy everything down, but there’s just too much.”
“There’s no need to copy it all. Most of it is useless.”
Serena brushed a hand over the wall once, then turned around.
“The old stories are interesting, but that’s about it.”
“You might not think so, Serena, but for us this is a chance to grow stronger.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere. This wall is incredibly sturdy.”
Serena abruptly commanded a spirit.
A fist-sized stone shot toward the wall, but it did not leave even a scratch.
“That’s one less thing to worry about.”
“It won’t break easily. If you’re still worried, I’ll memorize a few passages.”
Serena muttered to herself as she memorized the text.
Listening to the interpretation, it did not seem particularly important.
They could remain here for a day or two with their current supplies, but they lacked paper.
Aelin had already used up what she brought to draw maps, so though it was regrettable, they postponed it for later.
It would be more practical to set aside time and return properly next time.
“Aelin, can you find the way out?”
“Go that way.”
‘We don’t even need a compass.’
“To think there’s no treasure. I’m a little disappointed.”
“Sigbard, I told you, this place is more valuable than treasure.”
Aelin soothed Sigbard and took the lead.
Though they had spent no small amount of time wandering the Dungeon, once they reached its end, they did not stay long before leaving.
Resolving to bring plenty of paper and food next time.
For his first Dungeon exploration, Robin left with a feeling that it had not been bad.
Once Delinger stepped out of the Dungeon, a wave of helplessness washed over him.
It was not as though he could turn back.
Startled by the explosion, he had bitten his tongue, and he could still taste blood.
‘The sun is setting.’
There was no way he would escape the jungle today.
Not knowing what might emerge from the Dungeon, he climbed a hill where he could see the entrance and began preparing to camp.
If any survivors came out, he would join them; otherwise, he planned to hide.
‘I’m glad I brought my pack.’
He had been betrayed by a companion, and he did not know whether those who had entrusted him with escorting them were alive or dead.
Even in such a dire situation, Delinger did what he could.
All he did was clear a spot on the ground to lie down, but as he moved his body, his reason gradually returned.
‘I’m just glad there’s no root-tree Monster.’
Inside or outside the Dungeon, danger was the same.
At least the Monster he had feared most was nowhere in sight, which eased his mind slightly.
‘I wonder if those three are still trapped.’
He thought of Sigbard, Aelin, and Serena.
They had a Beast Tamer, so they would be fine for the moment, but they were still human.
He worried how long they could endure in a sealed place.
A sense of duty to return to the city and dispatch a rescue team weighed heavily on Delinger’s heart.
“The moon’s up.”
The threadlike hope sank along with the sun.
As he spent the night half-asleep for the sake of the next day.
“Once we get back, don’t you want to start a clan?”
“A clan? There are only four of us. It’s too early.”
“So what. If we want to make one, we make one.”
His ears perked up at the sound of Serena and Robin talking.
When he lifted his head to look, they were alive and well.
Just as he was about to greet them with relief and joy—
“The root-tree Monster. It’s coming.”
“Again? Did it lend us money or something? Why does it keep tailing us.”
“It’s not just that one. There’s someone else.”
The four quickly finished preparing for battle.
Their presence alone felt different from when they had traveled under Delinger’s lead.
“At this hour, what kind of bastard would—”
Robin began to speak more calmly than before, but did not finish.
As the cracking sounds drew nearer, the surrounding air grew sharp.
Sigbard, Aelin, and Serena were no different.
“Oh? I wondered who had unleashed the remnants of calamity, and it’s brats like you?”
Someone mounted atop a moving tree looked down at them with a grin.
Purple skin and horns.
A member of the Demon Tribe.
The moment he saw him, Robin deliberately took a deep breath.
To maintain his composure.
“Now that you’ve seen it yourselves, what did you think? Was it truly terrifying?”
“What kind of bullshit are you spouting.”
“I’m asking what lies buried beneath here. I cannot go in myself, you see.”
The Demon Tribe member naturally spoke down to Robin.
His tone resembled that of a noble, but the atmosphere was slightly different.
At the very least, a noble would not prepare to cast magic simply because someone disrespected him.
“I shall grant you the opportunity to report what you saw and heard.”
“Report?”
“I mean for you to tell me what the humans who stirred up the Demon Realm were like.”
Sigbard tapped his rod against the ground and then reached into his clothes.
The Demon Tribe member watched with interest, as though he truly expected a report.
“What is that?”
“Fuck you, Demon Tribe.”
What Sigbard produced was his middle finger.
It was a common Imperial curse, but the Demon Tribe member seemed unable to grasp its meaning.
“Explain yourself more clearly.”
“Shut up and prepare to die.”
Robin swung his sword, imbued with Fighting Spirit.
Startled, the Demon Tribe member fired the magic he had prepared.
In midair, Fighting Spirit and Demonic Energy collided.
Without anyone needing to say it—
The battle began.