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TL: ALT
Chapter 143 – Day 35 of the Strategy Life
I woke up early in the morning and stretched. Ka-Ryu was sitting right next to me. Skewered meat was roasting over the fire. The meat smelled appetizing as if it had been coated with a wild herb paste.
“Good morning! That smells good.”
“Good morning. Hel prepared it.”
“Where’s Hel?”
“She went to get water from the well and decided to take a walk. She took the crossbow with her, so I think she’ll be fine.”
As Ka-Ryu was explaining this, Hel returned, climbing up the valley.
“You’re awake. Good morning.”
“I just woke up. Did you manage to fetch the water?”
“No, it’s dry. There was a water collection device, but it had deteriorated and become overgrown with plants. The plants were dead, too.”
“Were there any monsters?”
“No, I didn’t see any clearly. There was an unusual puddle, though, so there might be slimes.”
Slimes shouldn’t be a problem.
“Let’s eat and explore the dungeon.”
“Yeah. The meat looks good.”
Hel put down her crossbow and water bag and reached for the skewer.
“Sorry. I couldn’t see or smell it, so I didn’t know if it was burnt.”
Ka-Ryu apologized, but the meat was well-cooked and delicious. Judging by the sound of the fat dripping, Ka-Ryu must have a vivid imagination.
I had infused her body with a lot of magic.
After a quick breakfast, we descended into the valley.
At the bottom was a road lined with buildings carved out of the rock that looked like workshops. All of the buildings showed signs of overgrowth and were mostly half-collapsed.
We began exploring each building, one by one, watching out for collapsing structures.
Since they were workshops, I expected to find hammers, chisels, and parchment, but we found almost nothing. The furniture, such as chests, chairs, and tables, was broken and covered with moss.
There were wells here and there, but they were all dry. Nearby, piles of cloth and bamboo were rotting. Hel told me that, on humid days, they could be used to collect moisture from the air.
“You know a lot,”
“No, I just read about it in old documents. Apparently, wells sometimes become unusable in the elf kingdom or are used in dried-up areas.”
“Huh. Do you know how to use them?”
“Just spread the cloth in the early morning and put a bucket underneath. But it doesn’t collect much water, so it must have really dried up.”
“So the plants started growing after people left?”
“I wonder. Let’s check it out.”
The plants that had been eroding the area were vine-like, similar to cam fruits. However, they seemed to grow very large. The dried-up vines were thicker than my body. The back of the valley looked as if it had been swallowed up by the plants.
As I cut through them with my magic-infused knife, slimes camouflaged as puddles attacked me.
Tosh!
Hel accurately shot the slime’s magic stone with her crossbow and defeated the slime.
“Your accuracy has improved,”
“I’ve been practicing in the dark, but I haven’t had many opportunities to show off.”
She said as she pulled the arrow out of the magic stone.
After clearing away the dead vines, we discovered a secret passage. Unlike the workshops we had seen before, this one had magic tools left on the shelves.
“A shop?”
“This is a cup that keeps the contents cold.”
Hel tried to hand the cup to Ka-Ryu, but she refused.
“It’s a hassle to warm up my frozen arms.”
There were also lukewarm plates on the shelves. They were probably insulated, but even though they were made of pottery, they felt warm to the touch, which was kind of creepy.
There were also boards that heated up when magic was applied, as well as curved sticks that vibrated.
“Maybe a massage device?”
“I don’t want to use it for anything else…”
There were also boxes that blew a pleasant breeze and pots that gradually warmed up.
“Everyday items are useful.”
“If they had found this 100 years ago, P.J. and the others would have gotten rich.”
“That’s true. But it seems they found the flying magic circle, so I don’t think their goal was simply to make money.”
“What about Makyo?”
“Making money is one of my goals, so let’s take it with us.”
For now, I decided to take all the magic tools on the shelf with me.
“The dungeon is probably further inside…”
“It’s collapsed.”
As I left the shop, I looked toward the back and saw that the path was blocked by a landslide.
“Let’s dig. Stay back in case a golem appears.”
“Got it.”
After confirming that Hel and Ka-Ryu had retreated to the well, I used sonar magic to search the collapsed area.
It appeared to be the aftermath of a giant sandworm rampage; there were dead bodies buried there. There also appeared to be several human bones.
There was no sign of anything attacking us, but there was water and magic stones. Perhaps slimes were sleeping there.
I used a magic cube to pull out the rubble and dug deeper. The inside of the sandworm had turned into sand and rock, and the corpses were empty shells.
A door with geometric patterns on it was stuck in the mouth, and it seemed to have a doughnut-shaped hollow.
“The door is completely horizontal, but it looks like the entrance to the dungeon.”
I returned to the well to report to Hel and Ka-Ryu.
“I see. I felt bad about using magic, but I was bored, so I tried summoning a spirit. The buried human bones appear to be from a group of dragon-folk explorers. The Magic Sealing Clan must have escaped from here.”
“How did you figure that out?”
“It was easy to tell from the residual thoughts and footprints. But Makyo is amazing for digging a hole to the dungeon in such a short time. You should be more aware of your own abilities.”
“I just feel great because I’m lacking in other areas.”
Hel and Ka-Ryu looked at me and sighed deeply. It was amusing that even golems could sigh. I wondered if they were starting to pick up my mannerisms after living together for so long.
“For now, let’s keep an eye on our surroundings and head into the dungeon. There doesn’t seem to be anyone to guide us.”
“Understood.”
Hel grabbed her crossbow and followed behind me.
“I’ll wait here until it’s safe. It seems the dragon-folk explorers were also caught in a trap.”
“Is that so?”
When I asked Hel, she nodded.
“It seems they were wiped out in the dungeon. I heard that if you get lost, you die.”
“We have to stay alert.”
I put on my mask and gloves, prepared to release my magic cube at any moment, and headed toward the hole. Hel stood behind me, ready to fire her crossbow at a moment’s notice.
We advanced slowly and reached the deepest part of the hole. I inserted a doughnut-shaped stone with a thunder pattern on it into the door and turned it with all my might.
The door glowed blue and white, and the dungeon opened.
It was pitch black inside, but as soon as we stepped inside, the ceiling flickered and lit up the surroundings as if someone had turned on a light.
Looking around, I saw that it was the same valley as the Magic Sealing Clan’s village. However, everything was reversed, left to right, and none of the buildings had collapsed. Though there were shadows of slime-like monsters, they had retreated into the buildings.
“Magic detection…”
A woman’s voice echoed.
As if called by the voice, I took a step forward, and the sand on the ground began to move and form a beautiful magic circle.
Tosh!
When I turned around, Hel was firing a crossbow. It seemed like she was aiming at the slime, but the arrow hit the building instead. Usually, the arrow would have either pierced the building or fallen to the ground, but this time, it rebounded toward us with tremendous force.
I tried to jump back, but my feet wouldn’t leave the ground. My shoes were frozen.
I gathered magic in my fist, deflected the arrow, and grabbed Hel by the head. The arrow flew past the entrance.
Biiiiii!
A warning sound echoed through the valley, and countless flaming spears appeared in the air.
A heat wave swept over me, making the air feel thin.
When I poured all my magic into my feet, it felt as if all the magic in my body was being sucked into the ground.
Still, I forced myself to gather momentum, tore my shoes off the ground, and leaped backward while holding Hel.
We watched the flames rain down on the spot where we had been standing as we emerged from the dungeon.
“That was close. What kind of trap was that?”
When we exited the dungeon, my vision swayed, and I felt a headache, like when my magical power ran out.
“Makyo, are you okay!?”
Hel supported me.
“Are you okay, Makyo? Your magic power is extremely low.”
Ka-Ryu, with an arrow stuck in her head, ran over to us.
“It seems the dungeon sucked up my magic power. It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this.”
I took off my torn shoes and walked barefoot on the ground.
As I climbed out of the hole with Hel’s help, a slime that had been buried near the dungeon burst out and attacked us.
Hel calmly handed me over to Ka-Ryu and returned fire with her crossbow.
However, the arrows couldn’t reach the magic stone and were absorbed into the slime’s body. I took out my knife and infused it with magic, though I didn’t expect it to be effective.
The slime slowly approached.
Ka-Ryu moved away from me and stepped in front of Hel, opening her mouth wide. I remembered the golem’s attack, which seemed to release all of its magic.
“Stop!”
I shouted instinctively, knocking Ka-Ryu down by bumping into her shoulder.
I threw my knife at the slime and moved forward, keeping it at bay.
“Hel, keep shooting!”
Hel shot arrows while moving forward.
It took the slime some time to absorb the arrows, and we managed to escape.
With Ka-Ryu on my back, we finally crawled out of the valley and returned to our base.
We hurriedly ate some dried meat, drank water, and took deep breaths to calm down.
“At least we’re alive. I’m sorry. I didn’t think there would be so many traps.”
Ka-Ryu said as I calmed down, looking at me.
“We barely made it. From the very first step, we were trapped. If I hadn’t thrown away my shoes, I would have died.”
Despite myself, a smile slipped out. Was this a message from the Magic Sealing Clan? “If you enter the dungeon, you will die” was not as gentle as a military base. What was the Magic Sealing Clan fighting against? Were they the guardians of the ruins?
“Couldn’t you have defended yourselves against those flaming spears with magic cubes?”
At that point, the air felt thin. Do you think I could have endured an attack of unknown duration in a small cube of magic? Besides, I didn’t notice, but my magic power was being drained from my feet. My only option was to escape.”
“I see. But how do we get into the dungeon? We can’t open the entrance without magic. Since there’s ‘magic detection,’ if they sense our magic, they’ll attack us all at once…”
“Should I open the door and let only Hel go in?”
I suggested that, but Hel looked uneasy after seeing the dungeon’s traps.
“The Magic Sealing Clan should be able to suppress their own magic. It might be better to make a magic tool or learn such a technique. You should think about what would have happened if you had gone in alone.”
Ka-Ryu’s suggestion made sense.
Even the dragon-folk explorers went in with a group of people. Going alone is too dangerous.
“Ka-Ryu, don’t use attacks that waste too much magic. We just met a knight from 1,000 years ago. It would be a shame if you disappeared right away.”
“You’re right. Maybe it’s because I’m a knight, but when I’m protecting something, I want to give it my all. I’ve never seen Makyo get beaten like this before, so I’m confused.”
“Me neither.”
It seems like they’re both worried about me.
“When I first came to the demonic land, I was on the verge of death every day. I thought I had gotten used to it, but it seems like I’m weak against clear hostility from the past.”
It’s hard to respond to traps made by humans when you’re used to dealing with monsters and plants. I can read a few moves ahead, but I’ve never had to deal with layered traps.
It’s no wonder the dragon-folk explorers died.
“Either you can control your magic freely, or you’re talking about something difficult. The Magic Sealing Clan…”
It’s not even noon yet, but I’m losing consciousness. Leaning against Hel’s back, I fell asleep.
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