Chapter 22 - Blacksmith (3)

Blood-sucking Bat.

It was the name of a Spiritual Beast I'd heard of before. A giant bat.

I'd heard that its fangs were so deep that once bitten, the bleeding wouldn't stop. Famous for always moving in packs within dark caves, the story went that if a human entered, only bones would emerge.

＂If you're not confident, you can forget about it. It can’t be helped.＂

＂......＂

＂Thirtieth. If the Blood-sucking Bat stories are true, this is suicide. They say it’s a Spiritual Beast that has claimed the lives of countless Masters.＂

Twenty-Ninth's words weren’t wrong. It was an incredibly dangerous proposition.

I fiddled with my sword. Crimson Blood Stone, huh.

＂...Is there no other way?＂

＂Thirtieth!＂

＂There isn’t. There's no other way. If there were some moderately good quality ore, I would try, but the Crimson Blood Stone has the highest chance of success. Do you know why it’s called Crimson Blood Stone? When it reaches a certain temperature, it seeps between metals. It fills the broken parts and strengthens the connection. Like blood. It's a precious repair material. Once it mixes with other ores, it becomes irreparably damaged, making it even harder to find.＂

＂...How much do I need to mine?＂

＂I'll lend you a pickaxe. It'll be easy to find, it glows red. You’ll need at least as much as your right arm. At least that much to fix your sword. It might not be enough, so bring back twice that.＂

He handed me a woven backpack and a pickaxe.

I accepted them.

Twenty-Ninth warned, ＂You’ll die, Thirtieth. If what that blacksmith said is true, this is no different from throwing yourself into the jaws of death.＂

＂If there’s a way to save my sword, I’ll try it.＂

＂It’s just an object!＂

＂It holds a heavy meaning. If possible, I want to save it and continue to be with it.＂

I strapped the pickaxe and the woven backpack to my back.

＂Twenty-Ninth, you stay here. Will you show me the way?＂

＂I’ll draw you a rough map. I have some work piled up, so I can't guide you personally. It'll be dark, so I'll lend you a Fire Starter and some oil-soaked cloth. You can make a torch yourself, right?＂

＂Thank you. Perhaps a sword as well...＂

＂I’ll lend you one.＂

＂Thirtieth! Are you out of your mind?!＂

＂Twenty-Ninth. If I don't return within three days, you can leave without me.＂

＂Really… You’re going to go in…?＂

＂If I think I can’t win, I’ll retreat.＂

＂What if you feel it's over the moment you encounter them?＂

＂Then I'll resist.＂

＂...A friend's sword is more precious than your life?＂

＂Of course, life is more precious, Twenty-Ninth.＂

I opened the door and went out.

＂But I want to at least make that much of an effort.＂

. . .

I followed the path down. Fortunately, the map was easy to understand.

After half a day of steady walking, I arrived at a place that looked like a dark pit. The entrance, which stretched downwards, was half-hidden by bushes.

The blacksmith’s doing, huh? He probably hid the entrance to keep it all to himself.

I couldn't see inside well. I broke off a nearby tree branch. Using the borrowed Fire Starter and the oil-soaked cloth, I made a makeshift torch.

The fire caught quickly. Holding the thick branch aloft, I stepped inside.

After sliding down a short distance into the pit, a path opened up ahead. Although the passage was somewhat narrow, it wasn't impassable.

A musty smell wafted from within. At the same time, I heard an indistinguishable sound.

I drew the borrowed sword with my free hand. Carefully, I stepped further inside.

—Thud… Thud…

…Were my footsteps always this loud?

It felt like I was submerged in silence. I turned the torch. Unlike the narrow entrance, the passage widened as I went deeper.

The ceiling gradually rose. Even though it seemed to continue horizontally, the slope kept descending.

Stalactites clung to the uneven interior. A faint smell of water tickled my nose.

Something was mixed in with the smell.

…The stench of decay.

I pushed the torch forward.

＂.......!＂

A corpse, covered in tattered rags.

I couldn't tell who it was. Because only bones remained. There were signs that the body had been searched, but it was obvious who had done it.

The blacksmith. He probably died here. He likely deduced the existence of the Spiritual Beast after seeing a corpse like this.

Certainly, looking at a corpse stripped down to its bones like this…

Blood-sucking Bat.

Nothing else comes to mind.

There was nothing to salvage from the corpse itself. Still, just in case, I tore a piece of the dry cloth and put it in my woven backpack .

I walked further into the somewhat complex interior. I heard the flapping of wings. I raised the torch, but I couldn’t see anything.

The source of the sound moved closer and further away repeatedly. It felt like it was observing me.

The one fortunate thing was that whatever was flying didn't come within the reach of the light.

Was it afraid of the light?

Or was it wary of me?

Unable to tell which it was, I continued walking.

The passage narrowed again. The ceiling was still high, but it was a bit difficult to proceed.

Judging by the traces, a part of the wall seemed to have recently collapsed. Debris from the stones was scattered on the floor.

I hesitated briefly between the space that seemed to have been created by the collapse and the space that continued straight ahead.

…It would be right to choose the direction I was already going.

I started walking again. Fortunately, as if to confirm that my choice was correct, the path continued straight ahead.

Crimson Blood Stone.

Where could it be?

＂...Ah!＂

As the light of the burning torch began to weaken, I finally found what I was looking for.

The crimson radiance reflected in the firelight. Its distinctness proclaimed that it was the Crimson Blood Stone I was searching for.

I quickly picked up the pickaxe. In the silent space, the crack— sound pierced the Crimson Blood Stone.

It was so hard that I had to infuse Qi into the pickaxe. After swinging it a few times, a barely detached fragment dropped to the floor with a thud.

The Crimson Blood Stone itself was quite large. Even the fragment I chipped off easily exceeded the size of my forearm. As I collected two pieces as the blacksmith instructed, the small woven backpack quickly filled up.

This should be enough. Things went better than expected.

I immediately turned around to leave the cave.

If a black shape hadn’t flashed before my eyes.

＂...Ugh?!＂

Strange things clinging to the cave walls, making them appear black. Creatures resembling winged rats emitted bizarre cries.

Their claws and teeth were exceptionally long. Enough to deeply gouge the cave walls they clung to.

＂......＂

The entrance I came through was blocked by the Blood-sucking Bats, out of sight.

I have to break through.

I carefully raised my sword. One chance.

I dashed forward, scattering my sword strikes like lightning.

Nine Heavenly Demon Arts.

Second Form.

Soul Chasing Technique.

---Crack!

Several Blood-sucking Bats screamed and fell. But the next moment, black dots, far exceeding their numbers, rose from the walls.

＂Ugh!＂

I threw myself through the opened path. I sprinted with the torch.

The flapping of wings was right behind me. The Blood-sucking Bats that began to cling to me sunk their teeth into my neck.

---Chomp.

The sensation of blood being sucked out.

I sheathed my sword. In agony, I raised my hands and swatted at the Blood-sucking Bats.

Blood streamed down my entire body. I stumbled and ran, but I couldn’t see.

The torch I was gripping tightly went out. Several Blood-sucking Bats collided with me, and I rolled into the darkness.

＂Aaagh!!＂

I couldn’t see properly. My body, crashing to the floor, lost its direction.

My whole body is being torn apart. But I still opened my mouth and bit down on the Blood-sucking Bat that flew into my face.

I'm getting out. Just because it hurts doesn't mean I’ll give up.

This kind of pain…

Is nothing compared to the pain of Thousand Veils!

I pushed myself back up. I ran, relying on my senses in the darkness.

Inside the cave, with the torch extinguished, it was even darker than Demonic Valley. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t see at all.

I drew upon my Qi. I focused on my eyes. My eyes, trained in Demonic Valley, pierced the contours of the cave with the aid of Qi.

The walls I brushed against registered on my fingertips. Even though my entire body was covered in blood, I didn’t give up.

Closer. Getting closer.

Through the narrow passage, forward.

Further forward.

＂...Light...!＂

I see light!

Gasping, I reached out. My clothes were torn, and I was in no condition to fight, but I was still alive.

I dashed towards the exit. Amidst the cries of the Blood-sucking Bats, I threw myself into the light.

I rolled over. I tore off and crushed the creatures that clung to me until the very end. My entire body was battered, and my mind felt like it was about to shatter, but I staggered to my feet.

I’m a mess. But the Crimson Blood Stone in the woven backpack was still there.

＂...Haha!＂

I succeeded. After confirming my safety, I sat down again. Then, suddenly, I realized something was strange.

＂.......?＂

The surrounding scenery was different. I could see a frozen waterfall in the pouring sunlight.

A strange feeling. I hesitantly turned around. Looking again, the shape of the entrance was different from what I had first seen.

Where… Where is this?

Could I have lost my way and stumbled out somewhere else? But even so, the passage was almost entirely connected…

…Ah!

The gap that looked like it had been created by the collapse!

The reason the exit seemed so close was because it actually was close. I dusted myself off and stood up. For the moment, I was grateful for the light.

But what was this? This frozen waterfall.

It felt like I had fallen into a giant pit. The reason light was coming in was because the ceiling far above was covered in vegetation.

Next to the shadowy, frozen waterfall lay several corpses that seemed to have fallen to their deaths. After gathering their bodies in one place, I examined the frozen waterfall.

The weather itself was cold. But it wasn't freezing weather.

The temperature here was the same, wasn't it? It wasn’t cold enough for ice to form.

Then what was this? Why could such abnormal ice form?

I peered into the frozen waterfall. It seemed like there was something beyond the transparent ice.

I raised my sword. I struck, but it didn’t break. The thick ice was as hard as iron, and my Sword Edge was damaged instead.

＂...Hmm...＂

No. Wait.

Didn’t I have a tool for breaking rocks on my back?

I grabbed the pickaxe again. Infusing it with Qi, I struck the ice with all my might.

---Clang!

With a clear sound, cracks appeared in the frozen waterfall. I struck it several more times.

I can see it. There’s something inside. A small space hidden beyond the frozen waterfall.

I pushed aside the broken ice fragments.