Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Discovery

“Wh-what···!!”

The security team's faces turned pale white realizing the identity of the shadow was a huge bear.

Lee Chan who grasped the situation first shouted loudly.

“Block it first!”

Before the words even finished, the bear's front paw flies in.

Whoong, a chilling sonic boom tearing the air.

The tanks who hurriedly caught the landing point's shields and the bear's front paw collided.

Kwaaaaang!!!

A rough collision shaking the entire ice wall.

The result wasn't bad.

Even though it was a heavy attack loaded with weight, the tanks weren't pushed much.

One knelt as if power was lacking, but even so wasn't pushed back.

Skill is better than thought.

Puuk!

The spear tip that suddenly protruded from the blind spot pierced the hollow eye socket.

A clever attack.

The eyeballs already rotted and disappeared, so a strike unrelated to vision.

Even though a dead being, the instinct as an animal remains so sensitive to the face being attacked.

As expected.

The angry bear's gaze headed downward along the spear handle.

Suddenly the guy's head largely burst.

Pueok!

The right eye socket and skull smashed in one go.

A powerful attack that burst about 30% of the head.

But Lee Chan who actually attacked's face was reluctant.

“Damn···?”

An arrow that accurately aimed at the guy's glabella.

The power was sufficient but speed was lacking.

Right before the arrow stuck in the glabella, the guy turned his head so one eye survived.

“Krooooooo!!!”

A beast that raised its front paw as much as possible with an angry face.

The dealer who was blank from the ferocious roar hurriedly retrieved the spear but it was already late.

The second arrow hasn't left the bowstring yet.

The tank's reaction was agile, but the bear's killing desire preceded him.

The spearman's death is certain.

He is already dead.

Head burst, body torn to shreds.

Puuk!

Suddenly the bear's movement flinched.

The whole body trembled once.

Instead of swinging the front paw to tear the spearman apart, the guy knelt.

Thud!

The heavy weight loaded on the knees pierced the piled snow and shook the ground.

A beast that blankly stopped not understanding the situation.

Liquid steadily flows between the rotten loose fur hide.

The bear's hide that instantly emptied inside collapsed onto the snowfield.

"..."

It was a stronger fellow than thought.

Unlike other undead monsters that couldn't withstand the purification power of Holy Fire and burst.

The guy didn't burst immediately, and at the end even moved finely.

Even though the death core was accurately pierced.

‘Is it that huge beings are insufficient with penetration power alone.’

Maybe so.

Unexpected but no need to fluster at all.

For the past few days, already trained various shape transformations while considering numerous cases.

According to the situation, matching the attack method to the enemy at each time is enough.

Satisfied with the fact that I didn't lose concentration even a little even in this urgent situation, I turned my head.

“Uh···.”

I looked at Lee Chan who was moving his mouth as if trying to say something.

Something, the shape of often cutting words.

Even so, this word had to be said.

“Run.”

Kurururururu···!!

A small crack created by the huge beast kicking the cliff turns into an avalanche and rushes in.

“A-avalanche···!!”

“If we don't turn back quickly we might be buried in snow···.”

“It's late to turn back.”

I cut the workshop master's words who was shouting in fluster.

I grabbed the carts a lot with Mana Thread and said while looking around the people.

“We're entering the cave.”

#

Drip, drip, drip···.

The sound created by water drops that fell from the ceiling echoed.

Fortunately succeeded in evacuating into the cave without major injuries.

But it seemed everyone needed a bit more time to regain composure.

“Perry.”

“...Y-yes?”

“How many exits exist in the crystal cave?”

Focus returned to Perry's blank pupils.

“Ah. The revealed ones are three, mage.”

Somehow the answer became polite.

“Exits exist at 2km, 8km, 13km distance based on the rocky plateau. The collapsed place is around 2km.”

“...Hmm.”

If there are other exits, it doesn't matter much.

Complete the request and receive the reward, that's it.

Even if it takes a bit more time, there's nothing to be a problem.

Barely coming to senses, looking at the people who started coordinating opinions, I asked.

“Where is the place Choi Geon-u went missing close to?”

“Close to the 8km side. Alteon Workshop and Shield security team originally planned to come out that way too.”

Fortunate.

Separate from the entrance collapsing, moving as planned should be fine.

People also gradually gathered opinions that way.

A while later.

Security team leader Lee Chan approached and bowed his head.

“Really thank you. If it wasn't Mr. Transcendence, it would have been a really big problem.”

Looking at Lee Chan expressing gratitude, I lightly smiled.

“Fortunate that it was helpful.”

But the mind was a bit complicated.

The combat scene just now kept circling in the head.

Lee Chan's arrow that burst the bear's head.

Sufficiently powerful but not the best.

If he moved just one step from the position he shot the arrow, he could have caught the bear's blind spot.

The vision would have flown without even time to turn the head.

The team member wouldn't have fallen into danger.

Looking at it that way, an awakener's ability isn't determined only by destructive power.

An unexpected crisis moment.

Quickly judging the enemy's ability and surrounding situation, and whether one can place oneself in the best position.

That judgment divides life and death.

“Instead of waiting for rescue, we decided to move as planned. There's a separate exit we originally planned to use.”

“I'll follow as you judged.”

At my words, Lee Chan bowed his head once more.

He who was about to turn around suddenly moved his gaze to me.

“If by any chance there are points we lack, please tell us without reservation.”

“...”

“Since you seem to have outstanding skill more than anyone among us. Like the mage followed our judgment, I will also follow the mage's judgment in crisis situations.”

“Understood.”

Lee Chan's back recedes.

Seeing that appearance, suddenly such a thought came.

He might not be the highest level awakener.

But as a leader, he was a sufficiently excellent person.

Soon movement started.

The monsters appearing in the crystal cave were quite unique.

Mineral-type monsters whose whole body is transparently visible.

Insect-type monsters that ambush utilizing the reflected light of minerals.

Among them, the most threatening was the bat swarm falling from the dark ceiling.

The number of individuals was too many, so at that time I also had to step forward.

“Jjik, jjaaaek!”

“Kieeeeeek!!!”

Of course dealing wasn't difficult.

In a situation of succeeding the highest difficulty shape transformation of Red Flame.

Expanding flame to block the progress path was not difficult at all.

Whoosh!!!

A huge curtain of fire that instantly covered the cavity ceiling.

Hundreds of bats boldly descended above the flames.

But nothing comes down piercing the flame of Fireball.

Only powder that burned and fell lightly scatters in the wind.

“Wow···jackpot.”

“Huh···.”

“So this is why everyone sings mage mage.”

The reaction people showed was a bit different.

If the exclamations of the Alteon Workshop side people were pure.

The gazes of the Shield security team side were a bit denser.

Especially Lee Chan was like that.

He's already scanned from the crown of my head to the tips of my feet several times.

“...It'll wear out. Stop looking a bit.”

“...Ah! S-sorry···.”

Moving like that for about 1 hour.

The breath that was faint at first became quite thick.

Even though sufficiently prepared cold protection equipment, people who shivered appeared.

Is it because of the feeling.

The shape was the same, but the monsters also seemed quite strengthened.

“How much more to go?”

“Just about 15 minutes more.”

It's frustrating.

Whether because of the unique echo of the cave, or the mana inside the crystal cave.

The range of the Detection skill is restricted to about 800m.

Information farther than that was inaccurate.

Rather it only interfered so I reduced the sensation.

Fortunately, moving 15 minutes more, the passage ended.

Then a huge cavity that revealed its appearance.

A wide open area is unfolded, and at the end a cliff as if cut was located.

White rocks were embedded here and there on the cliff.

The expressions of the workshop side personnel brightened.

“Quite a lot···?”

“Not quite. This much is a jackpot, a jackpot.”

“It seems a lot of cold air came down from the upper layer···?”

Looking at the workshop personnel running excitedly, Perry said.

“When the unique cold air created by the mana of the ice wall meets the rocks, snow rock is generated at a low probability. The frequency is irregular, and the generation amount is arbitrary so everyone is anxious before arriving.”

Production series awakeners started building equipment to climb the cliff on the floor.

The security team that took position at some point guards the surroundings.

Looking at that appearance for a moment, I said to Perry.

“At this point it seems okay to go.”

“The disappearance place?”

“Yes. You said it's not far?”

Perry nodded.

“Understood. I'll go talk and come.”

Perry who hurriedly ran to the cliff conversed for a while.

Returning, he smiled and said.

“Anyway it will take a long time so look leisurely, they said. Also said to tell if support is needed. Come this way.”

The cavity was considerable in scale, and passages were also quite many.

Even if received a rough map, it would have been difficult to find alone.

I freshly felt gratitude to Hanul who attached Perry.

The newly entered passage was narrower than before.

While removing rock monsters charging while thumping the floor.

Perry's voice came from behind my back.

“At the end of such a narrow passage, the magic power of the cave concentrates. Very occasionally rare minerals are generated, the missing person probably entered thinking that? So···.”

The passage being narrow was good news for me.

While listening to the continuing Perry's words, I spread Mana Thread.

Like when finding the secret space in the kobold canyon, 800 Mana Threads started thoroughly scanning the floor, walls, and ceiling.

Perry who was following without much thought, whether he discovered the Mana Thread, spat a bizarre sound.

“Eeeek?”

“Don't mind it. It's just ordinary Mana Thread.”

“Uh···ha, haha···what ordinary Mana Thread is this? Not even a jellyfish, not even a tentacle monster···.”

“Continue speaking. It's being helpful.”

Perry who awkwardly smiled slowly continued speaking.

Ears listening to the words, Mana Thread groping the passage for a while.

I stopped for a moment and stared at the board.

“...”

The passage is ending.

But there wasn't even a single trace.

Traces of a grand fight either.

Traces of a bizarre monster appearing either.

Even traces of plausible resources not a little.

‘Troublesome.’

I thought with maximum level Mana Thread and Detection skill I would find even a small trace.

Maybe it was arrogance, thinking that I chuckled.

How long has it been since awakening that I was so arrogant.

The things going well until now might have been good luck.

Now that luck has run out.

“Up to here.”

The passage ended and a new place appeared.

A modest space about the size of two rooms.

I thoroughly searched the entire space with Mana Thread, and stared at the board but nothing special at all.

“...”

Troublesome.

At this rate the request fails.

The appearance of missing the most necessary thing for the current me right in front of my eyes.

“Is it certain that he went missing here?”

“The workshop people last saw Mr. Choi Geon-u about 100m before from here. Since he disappeared after that, it's fine to see it as around here.”

···Then should I scan 100m again.

With that thought, the moment I turned around.

Huuuuuung!!

Suddenly the air shook.

The sharp sensation tells me it's not wind blowing from outside.

When I raised the sensation, even a strange vibration was felt.

A bizarre echo like a ship's horn sound.

Perry shrugged as if nothing much.

“It's a sound that occasionally comes from the crystal cave. Isn't some terrifying monster sleeping somewhere?”

Hearing Perry's words, I realized.

The fellow only hears the sound and can't catch the fine tremor of the air.

If even a fellow so familiar with the crystal cave doesn't know.

Other awakeners might be the same.

And, was that a coincidence.

A scene that clearly floated in my head in an instant.

In the suffocating darkness of the labyrinth.

One red dot that floated on a board where there was nothing.

A mineral plant that soon split into five.

Five Vine Creeper.

If even one mithril the size of the upper body has an intermediate monster parasitizing.

Would a bizarre cliff that periodically creates magic minerals be an exception.

It's not strange that it can't be found with the Detection skill.

Like Yu Seo-ha couldn't find the Five Vine Creeper.

I can also be like that anytime.

I immediately spread Mana Thread and groped the space.

Not even one very small thing should be missed.

If there's a feeling even a little different from the rocks here-

“...?”

I raised my head.

One strand of Mana Thread is swaying above the crown as if sending a signal.

Clearly nothing is visible to the naked eye.

But the moment I scanned the ceiling with Mana Thread, it's felt.

Appearance and texture perfectly identical to rock, but one thing clearly different.

'Temperature.'

I raise my head and stare at the ceiling.

With naked eyes and sensation too.

An ordinary rock ceiling where not a single peculiar point can be found.

Moisture that periodically gathered turns into water drops and falls to the floor.

Gathering, falling.

Drip.

Gathering, falling.

Drip.

Gathering, falling···.

Sook.

I lost words for a moment.

The water drop ignored gravity, and hid its appearance above the rock ceiling.

I let out a hollow laugh.

Found it.

It was the roots absorbing water.

That was when it happened.

The ceiling that flinched as if noticing that I noticed its existence.

Then as if an earthquake occurred, the entire rock cave roughly shakes.

Kugugugugu···!!!

At the same time, the board before my eyes was dyed completely red.

Hundreds of plant roots that pierced the rock ceiling at some point, turned their heads toward me as if they had eyes.

Perry said.

“Mage?”

“...Yeah.”

“What do we do?”

“What do we do, the enemies aren't even properly visible.”

Looking at Perry's expecting eyes, I shrugged.

“Run.”

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