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TL: ALT
Chapter 183 – Day 14 of Management Life
After burning the withered vines and enjoying some tea and snake soup, we headed to the Sealing Clan’s dungeon.
Since we couldn’t visit many houses yesterday, we decided to visit them in order today, starting with the ones nearest to us.
“Be careful of traps. The Sealing Clan doesn’t seem to allow intruders.”
“Yeah, I can sense magic leaking out.”
“Oh, thanks.”
I discarded the magic power that had been restored while I slept outside and circulated the remaining magic power in my body.
“Where did the discarded magic power go?”
“It’s blown away by the wind. In a desert, it’s probably absorbed into the sand.”
“Does that mean it becomes part of the Earth’s energy?”
“I wonder. Maybe a bigger force is at work, like the rotation of the stars or magma.”
“…”
Apparently, Kahiman didn’t know that stars rotate to create day and night. He also said that he didn’t know much about magma because he had never seen a volcano.
“You’ll learn all kinds of things as you go along.”
“Yeah.”
There are many things I didn’t know, either, if it weren’t for my memories from my dreams and what the old women in the village taught me. Education is important.
The same must be true for the Sealing Clan. But if that’s the case, should we abandon everything and go to Midgard, where we don’t know what will happen?
Kahiman and I spun our magical power inside our bodies as we entered the dungeon again.
We had cleared most of the traps the day before, so we began exploring immediately. However, there were traces of slime on the sand and walls. Moreover, the traces appeared to follow the path we had explored the previous day.
“Do you think slimes have consciousness?”
“No…”
“Right.”
They’re probably just searching for magic.
Slimes aren’t much of a threat if left alone, so we continued our search without worrying about them.
We find traces of leather that resemble books and broken magic tools, but most of them are damaged.
We made a note of the magic circle drawn on the stone tablet. We found a small pot for heating water, an unfinished flying carpet, and a stone tablet with a magic circle that seemed to explode.
The deeper we went into the workshop, the more dangerous the items seemed. In the blacksmith’s shop, P.J.’s knife and armor were carelessly left behind.
“If we use magic here, the whole workshop will blow up.”
This is dangerous.”
The workbench was covered with King Anaconda leather, which does not conduct magic. The magic-sealing bracelet that Chel had been wearing was lying on the floor. The store counter and shelves were broken, but the tools and workbenches were almost undamaged.
Since we didn’t know when our magic might leak out, we decided to put on the bracelets. We couldn’t let our guard down, but we felt a little relieved.
After exploring the building, which looked like the town outside, we took a short break.
There had once been a large door in the back wall, but the hinges were rusted, and the door had fallen over. Beyond the door, we saw a spiral staircase leading down and a slime peeking at us.
“How do you defeat slimes without using magic?”
Kahiman’s question reminded me of when I first arrived in this demonic land.
“Keep your distance with a hoe, cover them with fur, and stab them with a knife. Let’s go outside and prepare first.”
“Got it.”
This dungeon is full of traps, so it’s better to be overly cautious.
We went outside and collected dried, hardened vines. There was no leather, but we found torn cloth in a ruined house.
We gathered as much as we could and carried it with us.
After eating some snake soup and skewered meat to calm down, we headed into the dungeon. I asked Kahiman if he was tired, but he said he was fine. Perhaps he is becoming accustomed to the dungeon or has gained strength, but he is becoming someone I can rely on.
We found some large pieces of leather in the ruins inside the dungeon and headed for the stairs.
Clang, clang, clang.
Footsteps echoed.
The stone stairs were clean, with no dirt or mold. Perhaps the slimes had eaten them.
There didn’t seem to be any traps.
Below was a large room with a massive stake suspended in the center. It was about the same size as the one I saw in Cliff Garuda’s Great Hole. The walls were carved with details of the construction process.
The iron used for the stake appeared to have been gathered from all over the country. There were detailed descriptions, such as “brought from near the northeastern sea.”
There was also a miniature model of the floating island on display. Apparently, only part of the original administration building remains, but it was quite large. It is said that magic was used to keep it afloat, and that several propellers, similar to windmills, were installed to propel it.
The model also revealed the number of magic circles embedded within the golems. The text also showed that thorough experiments had been conducted on weapons and that several people had been sacrificed. Negotiations were also held with shamans and sorcerers from various places regarding the golems.
Research was also conducted on dungeon cores, and the necessary amounts of magic power and other figures were recorded. The conditions for creating dungeons are described as “more common in winter” and “when the host is in danger.”
Perhaps it’s time for my dungeon to appear, or maybe they are selecting a dungeon master.
The Sealing Clan has many achievements, but some of them have been erased along with the walls for some reason. There is no mention of a plan to transfer Midgard to the dungeon. Maybe the transfer failed.
Looking back, I see that the slime was watching us intently. It doesn’t seem to be attacking us. However, our footprints have been completely erased.
Beyond the erased wall, there was a continuation, but the amount of information was incomparable to what came before.
Sealing treatment for beast demon patients. Dungeon disparities are caused by the movement of earth veins. The outflow of monsters due to the dungeon’s collapse. Abnormalities in plants, etc. The words are there, but there are no depicted solutions.
For now, I’ll take notes on everything.
“Look.”
Kahiman pointed to a large magic circle drawn on the wall that sealed magic.
The dungeon seemed to end there.
“The material is different.”
“What? Oh, you’re right!”
The magic circle wasn’t drawn on a stone wall but on wood painted the same color as the stone.
We tried pushing and lifting it, but it didn’t move.
“What should we do? Should we try breaking it?”
“How?”
“Carve away the magic circle, then strike it with all your magical power.”
We had planned to proceed cautiously through the dungeon, but it seemed that there was no other way to continue exploring. Moreover, the dungeon core might be nearby.
“I didn’t mention it before, but when we first entered the dungeon, I heard a voice. I have a feeling that whoever it was is ahead of us…”
At my suggestion, Kahiman silently thrust his knife into the wall. He seemed intent on chipping away at the magic seal to proceed further.
After confirming that the magic circle was completely destroyed, he removed his magic-sealing bracelet.
He checked the surroundings for any magic circles. He scanned the ceiling, too, but saw no sign of the slime.
“Be ready to run at any moment.”
“Got it.”
“Maximum power with minimum magic…”
I transferred some of the magical power swirling in my dantian* to my arm. I leaned my weight into the wall and unleashed it. [T/N: The lower abdominal energy center is the body’s core, where strength, balance, and breath originate.
BOOSH!
“Magic detection…”
A woman’s voice echoed. It was the same voice I heard when I first entered the dungeon.
Water dripped steadily from the ceiling.
I immediately grabbed Kahiman, scrambled up the stairs, and made a swift escape. I blocked the entrance with a fallen door and fled to the ruins.
Swoosh!
The sound of a massive flood of water surging from beyond the door reached my ears.
Kahiman and I wiped away sweat.
We scanned our surroundings, but no further attacks seemed imminent.
After waiting for the noise to stop, I removed the door and peered inside.
Water dripped from the ceiling, but that was it.
We descended the wet stairs and headed toward the back, where we found a wall.
A neatly spiraled magic hole opened up, revealing a passageway.
The passageway was dark, but the room ahead was bright and appeared to be made entirely of white stone.
In every other dungeon I had seen, the dungeon core had floated, but in this room, a large, sand-colored face floated instead.
Larger than a person, the face was covered in countless magic circles and had the features of a woman. This face might be the source of the voice I’d heard.
“Do dungeons have personalities?”
I asked before entering the room, but no voice answered.
Upon entering, I saw several skeletal figures sitting on benches along the walls. They appeared to be imprisoned beast-magic patients wearing blue-and-white striped garments.
Indistinguishable furniture like desks, tables, and chairs, similar to those found in the ruins, was placed within.
Shelves held dishes and cooking utensils, though it was unclear where cooking took place. Another shelf held parchment scrolls. I looked inside, but most of them seemed to be magical circles, similar to those drawn in P.J.’s notebook.
There wasn’t a speck of dust visible; the place was meticulously cleaned, yet there was no sign of a human presence.
Only the parchment map spread across the table bore what appeared to be bloodstained fingerprints. The map likely depicted the entire Yggdrasil region, and the bloodstains traced a path from the Sealing Clan village to the western coast.
Had the escapees headed for the western coast?
Perhaps some of the deceased Sealing Clan members were still there.
“We’ve confirmed the earth veins are shifting. There’s nothing more to find here.”
“Yeah.”
“Should I channel magic through it?”
“Got it. I’ll prepare to leave.”
I removed the Sealing Magic Bracelet and stood before the large face.
I gently touched the sandy face and slowly channeled the carefully cultivated magic into it.
“Magic power replenishment confirmed… Replenishing magic power…”
The large face’s mouth opened, and a woman’s voice echoed throughout the dungeon.
No sand gathered on the floor, and no water droplets fell.
The large face floated in the air with its eyes still closed.
We decided to only take the bloodstained map with us.
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