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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hold on a moment.”
“Huh?”
“There’s something I need to do before we enter.”
Just in case, we needed to take precautions against being ambushed.
I adjusted the grip on the shovel I had been carrying and drew a line around the cave entrance.
There was no time to meticulously draw a blueprint, so I was just roughly estimating the dimensions.
It wasn’t my first rodeo, so I could get a good sense of it with just a glance.
…Hmm, this should be enough.
“Everyone, take five steps back.”
The group all stepped back as instructed.
After confirming the safety distance one last time, I activated my skill.
“Crafting. Crafting. Crafting. Crafting.”
Three oval-shaped walls and a roof, each wall about a handspan thick.
This should be enough to prevent any surprise attacks from behind.
I placed my hand on the middle wall and used my skill again.
“Crafting.”
A heavy, but sturdy earthen door was created.
Now that I was at it, why not get more elaborate?
The work took about an hour to complete.
“I thought you were just building a few walls, but you built a fortress? Are you serious?”
“Th, this seems a bit… excessive…”
“That’s why you keep getting chased. When it comes to safety, you have to go overboard. That’s how you truly ensure your safety in emergencies.”
Call it safety obsession.
Safety was only effective when you were meticulous about it.
The group nodded blankly at my words.
It seemed they didn’t fully understand.
I stepped over the traps I had laid out within a ten-meter radius of the cave and opened the door.
“Let’s go in.”
“Uh, okay…”
Why were they all looking so uncertain?
As expected of students, their lack of safety awareness was a serious problem.
The cave was quieter than expected.
There were grotesque creatures, but they were few and far between.
We could easily deal with the one or two that occasionally approached with a swing of my shovel.
Our first hour of cave exploration was smooth sailing.
Except for the fact that there was no lighting, so we had to rely on magic to illuminate our path.
“It’s actually safer inside the cave.”
“Don’t let your guard down. They could swarm us at any moment.”
She was quite intelligent for a noble lady.
“It’s because we blocked the entrance. Normally, monsters would have poured in from outside the cave as well. Being attacked from both sides by even a small number of enemies is a completely different situation from being attacked from only one direction.”
The difference between having to watch your back and not having to was significant.
It allowed you to act more boldly and decisively when dealing with enemies in front of you, and provided a sense of psychological comfort.
I wished these guys had absorbed even half of my knowledge.
It was a self-evident truth that learning from real-life experience was more beneficial than studying dead theories.
“Shuri, increase the brightness of your light magic.”
“Yes!”
With a brighter light source, we could see further into the cave as we progressed.
I cautiously moved forward, contemplating whether or not to dig through the floor.
Was the first floor of this cave also nothing more than a gimmick, like the deserted island?
Considering the size of the island, we should have reached the other side of the cave by now, but that wasn’t the case.
It meant that the structure was more complex than I had imagined, or that there was some kind of hidden mechanism, like on the deserted island.
“Sif, anything unusual?”
“Hmm, I don’t think so?”
“Perinne, can you use your Search spell?”
“Should I use it right here?”
“Yes.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Perinne clasped her hands together in front of her chest and closed her eyes.
“Search.”
Waves of magical energy emanated from Perinne.
I took out a piece of jerky from my pocket, popped it into my mouth, and waited for the results.
The daughter of the Nereid family opened her eyes after I had finished my jerky.
Her face was pale from the excessive expenditure of magical power.
“There’s an empty space about fifty meters ahead. I think it’s a staircase.”
“A staircase, huh…”
Without hesitation, I took fifty steps forward.
There were no obstacles.
No sound either.
I looked at the smooth wall, contrary to Perinne’s words, and placed my hand on it.
‘Around here, I think.’
I traced the wall with the blade of my shovel, feeling for a softer spot among the rough rock.
Was this the opening Perinne had mentioned?
I lifted my foot and pressed the shovel blade deeper into the wall.
Bingo.
One, two, three, four.
After digging about ten times, the resistance against the shovel noticeably decreased.
It seemed like Perinne was right about the stairs.
Haa, if only that spell didn’t consume so much mana, I’d be having her spam it all the time.
“Shuri, come over here and shine your light into the staircase.”
“Ye, yes!”
Shuri, who was still a bit intimidated by me, scurried over and sent a ball of light towards the staircase.
My surroundings became darker, but the inside of the staircase was now clearly visible.
I carefully observed the staircase through my telescope.
“…It’s just an ordinary staircase.”
I scrutinized the stairs and the surrounding walls with a discerning eye, like a customer carefully selecting an expensive item at a store, but there was nothing unusual.
It was just a plain, ordinary staircase… I turned my head, grabbed the rubble I had dug out from the wall, and used my skill.
“Crafting.”
A bowling ball of moderate weight rolled across the floor.
I inserted my finger into the hole and rolled it down the stairs.
Thud, thud, thud, rumble…
The bowling ball rolled down the stairs, making a racket.
The loud noise gradually faded, leaving only a faint rumbling sound.
No traps?
“Seems safe. Lewis, you take the rear.”
“Got it.”
“Shuri and Perinne will be right behind me. Sif, follow behind them.”
The staircase was narrow, so we had to line up single file like a train to enter.
I confirmed that the group was lined up in a row, like a JRPG party, and began descending the stairs.
“Huh.”
What in the world was going on with this world?
Or was it the rift that was the problem?
I never expected to find a magnificent temple, reminiscent of ancient Greece, deep underground.
As if special care had been taken, red lights, like burning embers, flickered across the ceiling and walls.
The blood-red floor felt ominous.
“This is…”
“A temple.”
“Which god does this temple worship? It’s not… Kalon, is it?”
“Maybe the master of those grotesque creatures?”
I ignored Lewis and Perinne’s conversation and looked at the temple in the distance.
A temple that defied the laws of physics, like a poorly designed game.
Perched precariously on a cliff, it was so massive that it seemed impossible for it not to have crumbled long ago.
What exactly was this island?
The grotesque creatures, this temple, what happened to create this hellish island?
“Johann, what are we going to do?”
“We’re approaching the temple while remaining vigilant.”
“Sir Knight, shouldn’t we set up camp here?”
I shook my head at Perinne’s suggestion.
Building a camp in front of the wide-open staircase was a gamble.
Setting up camp noisily in an unknown place would only draw unwanted attention.
If something worse than the grotesque creatures, something beyond our capabilities, appeared, our camp would be destroyed in an instant.
In the worst-case scenario, if we had to retreat using the stairs, the entrance could be blocked.
If we had to build a camp, it would be safer to dig a tunnel near the temple.
Or go back up to the first floor and set up camp there.
“Everyone, follow me quietly.”
Everyone nodded silently.
Like thieves, we crept along the shadows of the wall, making our way towards the temple.
The temple, as if waiting for us, looked down at us with its imposing presence.
Were those grotesque creatures born here? Or was there another factor?
My question was answered when we reached the outer wall of the temple.
“Th, those monsters over there…”
I looked down the cliff at Shuri’s trembling voice.
A crimson swamp.
Tiny creatures writhed within the crimson swamp.
They looked like mere dots from the cliff, but I instinctively knew what they were.
“…So they’re born here.”
I glanced at the faces of my companions.
They all looked like they were witnessing something repulsive.
No one could look at the grotesque creatures, those abominations that mocked the sanctity of life, being born, without feeling disgust.
I suppressed my revulsion and observed them.
The creatures emerged from the swamp and moved in one direction.
It was difficult to see clearly in the darkness, but I assumed they were heading towards the island.
Since the path back to the cave was blocked, there had to be another way out for them.
“…Stay alert. I’m setting up camp.”
I adjusted my grip on the shovel and drove it into the ground.
Fortunately, digging a tunnel didn’t take long.
In less than ten minutes, we were huddled inside, eating what might be our last meal.
It was nothing more than a few pieces of jerky and water.
“Eat heartily. This might be our last meal.”
“Don’t say that, it’s bad luck.”
“I’m saying be prepared. We don’t know what’s inside that temple.”
“Lewis, will we make it out alive…?”
Shuri’s voice, filled with fear, echoed through the tunnel, her ears drooping like a frightened puppy.
I glanced at her out of curiosity and saw Lewis comforting her with eyes full of affection.
“It’s okay. We’ll get out of here.”
“Lewis…”
“Shuri…”
Should I abandon them?
“To engage in such shameless acts in a place like this, do you two have no sense of responsibility as Kalon Academy students?!”
“This is getting interesting.”
“I agree.”
Sif and I chewed on our jerky, enjoying the unfolding love triangle.
We didn’t want to miss out on the few moments of amusement we could find in this hellish rift.
And amidst the chaos, Viola, who was sitting right next to Sif, added,
“For fuck’s sake…”
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Thanks for the chapter!