Chapter 36: The Cry from the Depths (3)
The blood that flowed along the fingers dripped onto Ronan’s dark blade. Instead of forming droplets or sliding off, the blood seeped directly into the blade. Ronan’s eyes widened.
“D-Doron… What exactly did you create?”
In many ways, the sword was far from conventional. A crimson energy danced across the surface of the blade, which had absorbed the blood. Beyond the translucent sword, the view of a blacksmith’s workshop could be seen.
Its weight was astonishingly light as well. Swinging this blade through straw of the same size wouldn’t feel lighter. Ronan furrowed his brow as he spun the sword in the air a few times.
“Darn, is this thing going to break as soon as it hits something?”
With an anxious heart, Ronan sheathed a longsword and a dagger. It was a precaution in case the new sword didn’t hold up its strength.
Upon leaving the blacksmith’s workshop, he spotted Cita and Aselle moving around busily.
People who had been buried beneath the rubble were emerging whenever debris floated up. Those who had already been rescued were lying in a row on the ground, receiving Cita’s healing magic.
The reinforcements that Marya had gone to call seemed to not have arrived yet. Ronan began to follow the footsteps of the giants.
****
‘Jegiral. Jegiral. Jegiral. Jegiral…’
Dydican cautiously took steps forward. Fortunately, his footfalls weren’t loud. He resented even being a creature that had to breathe to survive.
“Grrr… grrr…”
In the expanse of the cavern, Dydican was surrounded by three Stone giants. Ugly stone creatures exhaled a pungent sulfur smell with every breath.
He felt like he would fall asleep if he relaxed even for a moment. The heat trapped inside his full-body armor, combined with the sensitive senses of a werewolf, made his mind hazy.
Still, Dydican couldn’t remove the armor. The moment the invisibility enchantment on it was lifted, the stone giants would tear him apart. Tears welled up in Dydican’s eyes.
‘How did things end up like this…!’
All the problems started when the newly dug tunnel collapsed. Suddenly, a spacious chamber appeared as the rock crumbled away.
Unfortunately, it was the hideout of the stone giants. Invaded in their territory, the giants chased the miners, reaching Gran Cappadocia.
In just a few hours, the stone giants turned Gran Cappadocia into ruins. They hurled boulders the size of houses, smashing buildings and causing lava to flood the streets.
It was an unprecedented disaster that happened too quickly to respond to. The giants who had destroyed the village took some of the miners and craftsmen as their food.
Even the renowned inspiration, Doron, was among them. Dydican remembered Doron resisting, saying he had to protect his creations.
“Foolish Doron. Did he think he was a warrior?”
Stealthily avoiding the giants, Dydican ventured deep into the cave. Eventually, the cavern that the giants used as their lair came into view.
Dydican swallowed hard. Eighteen stone giants were either sleeping or wandering around. Just then, the werewolf’s acute hearing detected something.
“I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die… Damn it, Master Doron. We’re going to die, aren’t we? Just like that?”
“The chances are very high. But we shouldn’t give up just yet.”
Doron’s voice was mixed in the conversation. Dydican quickened his pace.
Soon, he saw a group of people sitting huddled together. Doron sat beside a highly anxious youth.
“Aren’t you scared, Master? W-We’re going to die… They’re going to devour us…”
“I’m fine. I’ve lived a life without regrets. But it’s a bit regrettable that I couldn’t pass on the sword to that child.”
Doron’s voice was bitter. He felt satisfaction and regret that his final creation concluded in such a masterpiece, yet he couldn’t pass it on to its rightful owner. At least I’ve guarded the forge by leaving my body behind.
The young man, who had been biting his nails all along, stood up abruptly.
“Darn it! I can’t die here! I don’t want to become those monsters’ meal!”
“Hold on, wait!”
Doron tried to stop him, but it was in vain. The young man started running towards the exit. Naturally, his footsteps caught the attention, and the nearest giant began chasing him.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The giant caught up with the young man after just four steps.
“Aaah! Help me!!”
The young man, caught in the giant’s grasp, screamed. The stone giant put the young man’s head into its mouth.
Dydican turned his head.
Squelch!
Blood sprayed out from between the rocky lips.
“For crying out loud…”
The giant that devoured the young man returned to its original spot. Dydican gritted his teeth.
He should’ve at least brought Doron some time. Just then, a shiver ran down his spine.
“Growl?”
“Dammit.”
Dydican slowly turned his head. A stone giant had appeared behind him, staring blankly at him. Dydican realized that the enchantment on his armor had been lifted.
“Of all times…”
It seemed the enchantment was still incomplete. He needed to achieve his goal, even if only partially. Dydican was about to rush towards Doron.
“Growl!”
“Whack!”
Suddenly, another stone giant appeared behind him and swatted Dydican away.
Thud!
Dydican went flying and slammed into the wall.
“Ugh! Growl…”
The impact, as if he were losing consciousness, surged over him. Bleeding, Dydican slid down the wall. Only then did Dydican, who had finally noticed Doron, widened his eyes.
“Dydican? Why are you here…”
“Cough, shut up, inspiration. Just run away!”
There was no way out now. Dydican threw his helmet aside. He grew almost twice his size, and russet fur sprouted all over his body. Transformed into a werewolf, Dydican charged at the giant that had knocked him away.
“Come on!”
“Growl!”
Dydican, now on top of the giant, swung his fist. With a dull thud, the rock that covered the giant’s face shattered. The people who had been trapped began to scatter in a panic.
“Ugh! Dydican?”
“Now’s the time! Run away!”
“Growl!”
Hearing the noise, other stone giants were shouting and charging toward them. All their attention was fixed on Dydican. Seeing Doron still rooted in place, Dydican yelled in frustration.
“Why are you still here? Run!”
The stone giants were already closing in. Uttering curses, Dydican hurled himself forward. Just before the giants could reach him, he smacked Doron and rolled off the ground.
——————
“Ugh! Growl…”
It was a boulder larger than an ordinary chicken coop. Dydican’s resignation settled in as he closed his eyes tightly. Familiar voices reached his ears.
“Thankfully, I’m not too late. ”
Thud!
The giant, who was carrying a boulder, fell to the side unexpectedly. The giant blinked and looked down at his lower body. Yellowish blood was spurting from the severed section of his ankle.
“Growl?”
The foot that had fallen from Dydican’s body lay not far away. The giant, belatedly realizing the situation, let out a pained scream. The shadow that had rushed while stepping on the giant’s body swung a sword.
Swish!
A yellow line appeared on the giant’s neck, and his head fell to the ground.
“Gurgle?”
“Growl?!”
The giants who were stomping on Dydican turned their heads. Slowly, a dreamy voice flowed from Dydican’s lips as he raised his head.
“You are…”
“Well, I guess this won’t be needed after all.”
Ronan tossed the longsword he had at his right hip. Dydican’s pupils widened at the sight of the sword in Ronan’s hand. Ronan pointed his thumb towards Dydican.
“Nice job, Dydican. I saw you fight well.”
“Ro… nan? H-how did you get here… What about the other giants?”
“Ah! The ones we encountered on the way here?”
Ronan was about to say something when a giant, who had belatedly understood the situation, swung a fist at him.
“Growl!”
Ronan jumped up, stepping on the giant’s fist. Rising to the height where he met the giant’s eyes, Ronan rotated vertically and swung his sword.
Swish!
The thin black blade sliced through the giant’s face and simultaneously, the massive body collapsed forward. As the head hit the ground, the gush of brain matter splattered across Dydican’s face. Ronan nonchalantly spoke.
“They’re all dead.”
“What?”
Upon closer inspection, the giants that had been wandering the area were nowhere to be seen. Ronan dashed towards the remaining giants. With each graceful swing of his translucent sword, the giants’ arms and legs were severed.
“Groan! Growl!”
“Growl!”
Intermittent screams erupted from the giants’ mouths. The eerie blade sliced through the rocky skin of the giants like butter.
“Oh my…”
Dydican watched Ronan’s merciless slaughter, forgetting his own pain. Doron’s sword was just a sword, but his swordsmanship was far more refined compared to their previous encounter.
Imperial swordsmanship, the Navirose style, and even the stolen swordsmanship from Marya. Each technique emerged sequentially to match the situation.
Suddenly, Dydican’s body trembled. The sound of a shiver ran down his spine. If Ronan had decided differently, he might have died during their first meeting. Thud! Within minutes, the last giant fell.
“Gr… growl…”
“You damn stone bastards.”
Ronan swung his sword through the air like a whip. It was a habitual motion to shake off blood, but the strange sword didn’t spew any blood.
“Oh, ohhh! You finally found me…”
At that moment, Doron crawled out from beneath where Dydican had been crouching. Seeing Doron unharmed, Ronan ruffled his hair.
“You’re alive, Doron. I thought you would have become a piece of meat.”
“Yeah. Thanks to my apprentice.”
There wasn’t a single wound on his small body. Dydican, who smiled faintly, collapsed as if he crumbled. Doron gently patted the battered armor of his assistant and spoke.
“Thank you, Dydican. Truly.”
“If you are then… promote me to a proper master blacksmith…”
Dydican left those words hanging before he fainted. Doron chuckled and turned his head to Ronan.
“He’s quite an impatient fellow. Anyway, this guy will end up taking my position sooner or later.”
“Our race can’t live for hundreds of years like you, Donor.”
“Is that so? Hahaha.”
Doron chuckled while stroking his beard. He looked at the sword in Ronan’s hand and said,
“So, do you like Lamancha?”
“Lamancha?”
“Yes, that’s the name of the sword. I took the name from my beloved dreamer. It’s the name of the knight who was madly obsessed with touching the stars.”
“Madly obsessed with stars… It’s not bad at all.”
Ronan nodded. Doron snorted and continued,
“Isn’t it impressive? You have no idea how much effort I put into melting that eggshell to alloy it. Creating ore from a blend of ten different ores was less demanding than that.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“That’s a weapon specifically made for you. It’s as strong as mithril or even stronger, and it’s so light that it’s almost chilling. But the most astonishing thing is that when it’s fed blood, it heals from injuries and gains additional attributes. Oh my, and I didn’t even apply a separate enchantment!”
Doron said that the reason Lamancha drank blood was unknown even to him. Ronan could only speculate that it stemmed from Cita’s ability to manipulate blood.
After discussing Lamancha for a while, Doron seemed to remember something and widened his eyes.
“Oh right, what happened to the people who were captured?”
“They all managed to escape safely. I killed all the giants we encountered on the way here, so you can rest assured.”
“Well, well… you’ve done something big.”
Doron let out a relieved sigh. He closed his eyes for a moment and reflected sadly on the young man who had died.
When he eventually opened his eyes, Doron looked around carefully. He noticed the scattered bodies of the stone giants. There seemed to be dozens of them. Doron’s head tilted as a sense of unease washed over him.
“However… something’s strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“The current situation. Do you know anything about the ecology of stone giants?”
“To some extent.”
Ronan nodded. He had been involved in a mission to subdue stone giants in his previous life as a punitive officer. Doron absentmindedly stroked his beard.
“In that case, our conversation should be quick. Can you guess why these creatures have gathered like this?”
“Huh? Aren’t monsters like them naturally social creatures?”
“They do form groups, yes. But at most, there are usually three or four together. I’ve never heard of so many stone giants gathering like this before.”
“Come to think of it…”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Upon hearing Doron’s words, it seemed to make sense.
The previous operation to subdue the stone giants had taken place in a western mine. Despite being as deep and vast as the Gran Cappadocia, the mine had only four giants. Ronan remembered the words of the commander back then.
– It’s the first time I’ve seen them gathering in groups of three or four. Stay alert, everyone.
“Hmm…”
Doron’s expression turned serious. Ronan, who had been massaging his chin, finally spoke up.
“I wonder what happened among them.”
“Well, I’m bothered by the fact that they were overly aggressive. Perhaps…”
“Kruawaaaack!”
Doron was about to continue speaking, but a familiar roar echoed from the other side of the cave.
With thudding footsteps, new stone giants emerged, and Doron took a sharp intake of breath as he stepped back.
“W-What is this… There are still more of them left?”
“Well, these creatures sure have a talent for interrupting conversations. I think it’s just as you said, Doron.”
Even at a glance, there were over twenty of them. The pupils of the giants glowed fiercely in the darkness.
Ronan looked at Lamancha’s blade. Despite reaping so many lives, the ominous aura around the sword didn’t diminish. Adjusting his stance, Ronan fixed his gaze on the giants.
“Well, we’ll find out once we start killing them.”
“Kruawaaaack!!”
The stone giants roared in unison. Ronan gripped Lamancha tightly and lunged forward.
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