Chapter 35: The Cry from the Depths (2)
“Damn it.”
Ronan quickly stood up. It was a strange sound, similar to the days when he left Gran Cappadocia. And faint screams were coming from below.
Aselle looked at Ronan’s grim expression and shrugged his shoulders.
“Why, what’s wrong, Ronan?”
“It seems like something has happened in the lower district.”
Ronan pounded the back of the furnace haphazardly. Suddenly, a certain section went in, and the floor began to sink. Ronan furrowed his brows and muttered.
“Too slow…”
The descent was painfully slow. Ronan grabbed a battle hammer hanging on the wall and started striking a corner of the elevator.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“What, what are you doing now?!”
Marya, surprised by Ronan’s sudden actions, exclaimed. The hollow sound echoed, and stone fragments scattered. Ronan nodded at Marya, who locked eyes with him.
“Yeah, you’re the strongest. Use your strength.”
“Hu-huh?”
Ronan threw the battle hammer at Marya. Catching the hammer, Marya alternated her gaze between Ronan and the hammer. Ronan shouted in frustration.
“Damn it, hurry up. You’ve got money and weapons to collect!”
“Ugh, fine, I got it!”
Marya clenched the hammer handle. Mana permeated through the handle, gathering at the head of the hammer.
She raised the hammer above her forehead, then slammed it onto the elevator floor.
Kwaang!
A bluish glow appeared along with a deafening noise.
“Your nickname ‘Riceball Genius’ was right on. This side suits you better.”
The corner of the elevator shattered as a pitch-black space appeared. Complete darkness, devoid of even a hint of light, stretched out before them.
A sudden rush of cold air dampened Ronan’s bangs. Catching a whiff of the smell reminiscent of rotting eggs, Ronan wrinkled his nose.
“The smell of sulfur…”
“Ugh!”
Aselle and Marya covered their noses and mouths. It was a much stronger sulfur smell than usual.
Ronan twisted his lips, considering several possibilities. Boiling lava beneath the ground, the scent of sulfur, and dwarves digging through the earth.
Based on his accumulated experiences wandering the world, a promising future wasn’t coming to mind. Ronan gestured to Aselle and spoke.
“Let’s go, Aselle.”
“Huh? What? What’s happening all of a sudden?”
“Marya, go back to Philleon and let them know the situation. Especially informing Kaido.”
“Kydokan? You mean… the hunting instructor? Dydican’s brother?”
“Yeah, that’s right. He might have some connections for finding people. And given the level of our professors, they probably know something about that forge. Anyway, hurry.”
“Ro-Ronan? Why are you suddenly grabbing me…”
Ronan grabbed Aselle’s hood. Sensing a familiar sense of foreboding, Aselle was about to step back. Ronan’s foot landed on the edge as he jumped into the hole.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Kyaaaah!”
Darkness poured over the boys’ heads. Marya’s scream echoed from above. Cita, eyes wide, wings folded, swooped down toward Ronan and Aselle.
“Byeeee!”
In an instant, Cita reached the boys and grabbed onto Ronan’s back. Her four wings spread open, slightly reducing their falling speed. It was the moment when Aselle, regaining his senses, was about to cast a spell.
“I-in-invisible… hand!”
“Not yet.”
Ronan covered Aselle’s mouth with his palm. Even in the midst of the rapid descent, Ronan’s expression remained calm, as if he were on a picnic. He pulled Aselle’s hood and said,
“We can’t stop now. We’re almost at the bottom. Understand?”
“Ugh… ugh!”
“You have to do it at the right time. If you mess up this time, It’s not empty words—we’ll really die. Got it? Nod if you understand.”
Ronan demanded. Aselle barely nodded his head. Tears welled up in his eyes and scattered into the void. Just as they thought the bottom was getting brighter, the sight of Gran Cappadocia unfolded before them. Ronan twisted his lips.
“Damn, it’s too late.”
“What… What is all of this?!”
It was a dismal sight. It seemed like a deluge of massive rocks had swept over the city. The once orderly buildings were now shattered like sandcastles trampled upon.
The previously confined lava had overflowed and was cooling on the road. Most of the once abundant stalactites and stalagmites were shattered. Ronan, catching the stronger smell of sulfur, furrowed his brow.
“Let’s get ready.”
“Y-yes!”
Steel supports were swiftly passing by the boys’ sides. Aselle closed his eyes. Amidst the roaring wind, a faint incantation resonated.
“Slow Zone.”
“What?”
It was a spell Ronan hadn’t heard before. He reached his hand towards the ground. A geometric magic circle appeared at the point of anticipated impact, and the falling speed noticeably slowed down.
“Wow.”
Ronan rounded his lips in amazement. The boys’ bodies, which had been slowing down gradually, nearly came to a halt about 5 meters above the ground. Another familiar incantation flowed from Aselle’s lips.
“Invisible Hand!”
Invisible hands caught the slowed bodies. Aselle’s telekinesis lowered both of them quickly and safely to the ground.
As Ronan’s feet touched the ground, he gave Aselle’s back a firm pat.
“Good job, Aselle. When did you learn something like that?”
Using a spell other than the Invisible Hand was quite remarkable. Aselle, his eyes wet with tears, managed a faint nod. At last, the ground brightened beneath their feet, revealing Gran Cappadocia’s scenery. Ronan twisted his lips.
“Damn, we’re late.”
“What… What’s going on?”
The scene was dismal. It looked as though a torrent of massive rocks had swept through the city. The once orderly buildings now lay in ruins, much like sandcastles that someone had stepped on.
The previously contained lava had overflowed and was cooling on the streets. Most of the prominent stalagmites and stalactites were broken. Ronan, catching the stronger scent of sulfur, furrowed his brow.
Just then, a faint moan reached their ears.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Both boys turned their heads almost simultaneously. The groan was coming from beneath a scattered pile of stalagmites.
Hastily, Ronan pushed aside the rocks. A dwarf, draped in a tattered apron, came into view.
“Cough, cough! Urgh…!”
Ronan’s eyes widened as he recognized the dwarf’s face. It was the same dwarf who had been scolded by Dydican for something related to transparent scrolls before.
“My, my legs… twisted.”
Seeing the dwarf’s legs twisted at a grotesque angle, Aselle felt a surge of nausea. Ronan poked Cita, who was still clinging to his back.
“Cita.”
“Alright.”
As if in response, Cita muttered, and it casted a spell on the dwarf. A small magic circle appeared in the air, and the twisted leg straightened back to its original position.
The dwarf, feeling relief from the diminishing pain, opened his eyes wide.
“Th-this… my leg… Wait a moment, you two came with Dydican before…”
“That’s right. We don’t have much time, so I’ll ask quickly. Simple rock accident, infuriated rock spirits, cave giants. Which one happened? Personally, I hope it’s not the second or third.”
Ronan grabbed his shoulders and shook the dwarf. The dwarf, trembling, spoke with a quivering voice.
“I-it seems like the third… suddenly, they surged from the depths of the tunnel…”
“Darn, I had a feeling. Stay put here.”
It seemed they accidentally stumbled upon the dwelling of the cave giants while digging through the tunnels. Considering their tendency to live deep underground, encountering such monsters was unlikely for dwarves, in any case.
Ronan was about to take a step forward.
“Ho-hold on… just a moment!”
The dwarf, struggling, got up. He held onto Ronan’s shirt and spoke.
“C-can you help… my comrades have been kidnapped. Even the old Do… Doron was taken… by the time the stupid old man tried to resist, Dydican’s child had gone to save him, but he hadn’t returned yet.”
Ronan impatiently swept his bangs aside. The situation was far from cheerful.
“How long has it been since the rocks came crashing down?”
“Uh, not much time has passed. It’s been a few hours at most.”
“At least that’s somewhat fortunate. Wait here.”
Ronan nodded his head. Given the cave giants’ habits, there was still hope if it had only been a few hours. These creatures had the habit of taking captives to their lairs and preserving them for a while before consuming them.
Tears resembling chicken droppings were flowing from the dwarf’s eyes under his apron.
“P-please… both of you… going like this won’t do… especially that Dydican’s child…”
“I’ll do my best.”
Ronan promised. While rescuing those kidnapped was important, it wasn’t right to leave other survivors to their fate, especially when there was a possibility they might perish soon.
However, sending Aselle to rescue everyone was impractical due to the vast area. It was also possible that his mana would deplete quickly while searching for injured people. Knowing where the captives were buried would make things much easier.
With a quick decision, Ronan spoke with a bitter tone.
“It can’t be helped. We’ll be back soon, so do your best to hold on.”
“Okay.”
Aselle nodded with determination. Cita, who had been playfully tilting its head by their side, now climbed atop Aselle’s head.
“Cita?”
“Go fast.”
Suddenly, its four wings spread wide. Its red pupils emitted light. Soon, beams of red light began to rise from various piles of rocks. Ronan’s eyes widened.
After swinging a total of twenty-five times, the ores that functioned as armor finally fell apart and scattered. Ronan finally swung his sword toward the exposed gray flesh.
Slice!
Along with the sensation of cutting through frozen meat, yellowish blood spurted out.
“Kraaaargh!”
Once again, a guttural scream erupted. The unbalanced giant staggered and fell.
Ronan thrust his sword into the giant’s face as it crashed to the ground. The blade went deep, almost as if piercing through something soft. A squelching sound followed as the blade went in… and then the giant let out a gurgling scream, thrashing before finally going limp.
“Disgusting bastards.”
Fortunately, Ronan was accustomed to dealing with larger foes. He drew his sword and swung his arm like a seasoned warrior. The blade, stained with yellow blood and chunks of flesh, was already showing signs of wear.
There might still be more giants lurking around. Ronan hurried as quietly as he could toward Doron’s forge.
Thankfully, no new giants appeared until he reached the interior of the building. Suddenly, a doubt crossed Ronan’s mind.
‘But how did they know what weapon to take?’
He realized he hadn’t heard the most important part. However, it was too late to worry about it now. Ronan stealthily made his way into Doron’s forge.
The nest made of barrels was still intact. In the center of the nest was a furnace with a perpetually burning fire and a pristine white anvil.
“What’s that…?”
As Ronan’s gaze fell upon the anvil, his eyes widened. Resting atop the anvil was a sword unlike any he had seen before.
Ronan approached the sword almost trance-like. The hilt was short, the pommel almost nonexistent. The long blade, radiating a black sheen, was so thin that the back could be seen through it.
“This is my sword?”
Ronan instinctively recognized it as his weapon. To confirm, he lightly touched his fingertip against the blade. A sharp pain and a thin cut followed on his finger.
“Damn!”
The sharpness was beyond belief. The blood that trickled along his finger didn’t stick or slide off; it soaked directly into the blade. Ronan’s eyes narrowed.
“An expert like Doron made this… What on earth did he create?”
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