Chapter 48. Ruins of Marsica (3)

Clearly, in the original work, this abandoned village was described as a ghost town, but for some reason, a considerable number of people lived in the village.

I heard they were planning to leave the abandoned village en masse soon, and it seems the timeline in the original story was after they had left.

Anyway, the full-scale Yungcheon Mine exploration started that day.

The village chief provided an empty house that was suitable to stay in until the exploration was roughly finished.

It was shabby and problematic in many ways, but it wasn't so bad for just sleeping.

As the chief said, the Yungcheon Mine exploration took quite a long time.

In fact, the Yungcheon Mine was essentially an ordinary abandoned mine, so there was no reason for the exploration to take long, structurally speaking.

However, what I was looking for wasn't the Demon Iron said to be at the deepest part of the abandoned mine, but the secret Passage connected to the ruins near it.

The Passage was divided into several sections, and because only one section could be explored per day, I had no choice but to grind it out.

Above all, as the chief had said, the Death Energy within the mine itself was intense, making it impossible for ordinary humans to endure for more than ten hours.

Of course, it wasn't a problem for me, but since I couldn't ignore the condition of the boy guiding me, the daily exploration time was at most five hours.

Nevertheless, the boy named Ian diligently guided me.

The section where the Demon Sword was sealed was the final 14th section.

Theoretically, the exploration should be finished in 14 days, but without Ian, it's uncertain whether it would've taken 14 days, let alone several months.

If he refused my request for guidance, I was prepared to persuade him by any means necessary, but from our first meeting until now, Ian, for some reason, was unsuspicious and affectionate towards people.

“Luke, hyung!”

When I went to find Ian for the exploration, he ran to me with his characteristic pitter-patter.

He was holding something in his right hand, and as soon as he arrived, he showed it to me.

“...?”

As I stared blankly, wondering what it was, Ian chuckled and held out his hand again as if offering it to me.

“Raspberries.”

“Raspberries?”

“Yeah. Hyung, do you not like raspberries?”

As if I wouldn't.

I was just taken aback by the pure goodwill I rarely encountered in this otherworld.

“Thanks.”

“Hehe. They're tasty, right?”

I popped the raspberries into my mouth, and the sweet and sour taste lingered on the tip of my tongue.

When I ruffled his hair, Ian beamed.

I chuckled and said quietly,

“Let's go.”

“Okay!”

****

The exploration continued after that.

Repeating the exploration for a set amount of time each day, quite a bit of time had passed.

As a result, my relationship with the boy named Ian continued naturally.

“Hyung! Want some watermelon?”

“I'm fine.”

“Come on, let’s eat together.”

“I’m full.”

After several days of sticking together, he now came to talk to me even outside of Labyrinth exploration times.

Honestly, it was a little bothersome, but it wasn't particularly unpleasant, so I acted as his conversation partner.

Then one day, the village chief came to me and calmly asked,

“How’s the exploration going?”

“It’s going smoothly.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The chief's attitude, unlike when we first met, had become quite gentle.

Perhaps it was a natural progression after spending just a few days in the same village.

“Shall we have dinner together tonight?”

Because of this, he often invited me to dinner, and whenever he did, Ian would jump for joy.

A few other villagers who passed by would also join us for dinner, glancing at us nervously. It was, frankly, a boringly peaceful daily life.

‘…Not bad.’

It was just strangely comfortable.

So, I started to wonder about their well-being.

In the original story, this place was a ghost town without a single person, and there wasn't any particular description of the backstory.

Of course, that was just a fleeting thought. I decided to focus on solving the more pressing issue at hand rather than dwelling on a problem with no clear cause.

“Luke, hyung! Today is the final section.”

“I’ll go alone today, so you rest here.”

“Huh? Will you be okay?”

“Yeah.”

It'll be fine.

There was no need to explore the final section.

The narrow, cube-shaped rock wall space itself was the Ruins of Marsica.

Once I retrieve the Demon Sword enshrined there, everything will be over.

Therefore, it was cleanest to handle it alone, so I didn’t need anyone to accompany me.

“See you tonight!”

I waved back vaguely at the boy’s farewell and headed to the abandoned mine.

I slowly moved through the Passage Ian and I had opened beforehand.

First gate, second gate, third gate... After breathlessly passing through eleven gates, the final section finally revealed itself.

A cube-shaped space, about the size of a studio apartment, unfolded before my eyes.

It was questionable how such a strange space could exist inside an abandoned mine, but I didn't have time to question every little thing now.

I had to focus on finding the Demon Sword.

A wooden box placed in the center.

Papers with characters resembling talismans were plastered all over the outside of the box.

And through the gaps, I could see ominous-looking black, Strange Death Energy leaking out.

“…Found it.”

When I opened the lid of the wooden box, a sword wrapped in a leather scabbard appeared.

The moment I grabbed the scabbard for a closer look, a torrent of black, Strange Death Energy rushed towards me.

Of course, it didn’t affect me, but it was clearly a sinister object.

Demon Sword Devourer.

Certainly, it differed from a typical sword in many ways, starting with its appearance.

Patterns carved along the blade's surface were tangled like blood vessels.

The blade was made of bluish Demon Iron, but the edge glowed red, as if stained with blood.

The overall shape of the sword resembled an Eastern straight sword.

However, the protrusions along the back of the blade were reminiscent of vertebrae, and the guard was engraved with grotesque figures.

In particular, the hilt had protrusions like Monster teeth, making the sword itself look like a Fierce Monster.

What was especially unusual was the subtle vibration I felt while holding the sword.

That throbbing, like a hungry pulse yearning for something, told me this sword was no ordinary weapon.

“It’s a Demon Sword alright.”

I put the sword back in its scabbard.

With my business concluded, I returned the way I came.

As I exited the mine, the sunlight suddenly stabbed at my eyes.

I muttered as I walked,

“…I should have one last dinner with them before leaving.”

****

The way back didn’t take long.

I belted the ominous Demon Sword to my waist and went down to the village.

However, from afar, I could see a blurry but numerous crowd in the village.

Each one had a human form, but their whole bodies seemed rotten and decayed… like gruesome figures reminiscent of the undead.

My pace quickened again.

In the distance, I could see a considerable number of corpses lying on the ground, bleeding.

Looking closely, their faces looked familiar; they were the village chief and the villagers I had dinner with the previous day.

Among them was the boy who had been guiding me through the mine, Ian.

Ian slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant.

I stood still, staring blankly at the scene. A pool of blood had formed on the ground, the thick metallic scent assaulting my nose.

Adina, Rudine, and Siron, who had gone hunting Monsters near the village, belatedly grasped the situation and came running towards us.

My eyes met with those of a man standing in the center of the crowd surrounding the village.

Clad in a black robe, he adjusted a mask that seemed to be made of bone, covering half of his face. A wide, white grin stretched across his lips.

“Oh, you’re here.”

The man smirked at me, seemingly amused by the situation. Siron, who had rushed over, surveyed the scene and then subtly approached me, bowing his head.

“…6th Lord, it's the 2nd Lord.”

That confirmed the man's identity.

2nd Lord, Black Hand Myung-gak. The continent’s greatest Necromancer.

True to his profession, he relied on overwhelming numbers, evident in the horde of Undead lined up behind him.

“You’re the human the Great Lord personally appointed as a Lord?”

His playful voice reached me. Siron urgently whispered to me.

“6th Lord, it would be best to leave. It’s best to avoid conflict between Lords.”

Siron was right. It was tragic that these people were dead, but there was no bringing them back. They were nothing more than fleeting acquaintances I’d met only a few days ago.

It went against my principles to escalate a conflict with another Lord over something like this. It would only create more problems.

I didn’t know why the 2nd Lord had visited this place, but I could just pretend I hadn’t seen anything and move on. After all, I had achieved what I came for, and my companions were safe.

However.

“Judging by your expression, you knew him? This is getting interesting.”

“……”

“So you’re the rat who’s been rummaging through the mine for days? Not only did you sneak into my Territory like a rat, but you also plundered the Ruins? You’d better not think you can get away with this. And what’s that sword at your hip? I need to check it out.”

For some reason, I found it harder to restrain myself than usual.

It irritated me, greatly.

I knew it was just an impulsive feeling. If I just ignored him, I wouldn’t suffer any consequences.

In the first place, it wasn’t that surprising.

Death was a rather common occurrence in this damned world. I had simply witnessed one of many deaths.

But why?

My logic screamed at me to retreat, but suddenly I didn't want to.

You know, sometimes there are things that just… grate on your nerves so much that you can’t rest until you’ve dealt with them.

This was exactly that kind of situation. The corpses strewn across the ground, the 2nd Lord’s face as he spouted nonsense… everything irritated me. If I let this slide, I knew I wouldn't sleep well.

If I let that bastard go, I’d feel suffocated, regretful, and just plain irritated.

And that bastard, he’s just going to die by the protagonist’s hand later anyway.

Therefore.

“Acceleration.”

I raised my right hand and muttered the Activation Word. Dozens of golden wisps erupted from the tattoo beneath my eye, instantly enveloping everyone except the 2nd Lord in a spherical barrier.

Reverse.

Their Time stopped.

Phase.

As if a giant hand was gripping the space, an invisible swirling Pressure crushed the area. The ground beneath their feet caved in like a crater, and Pressure surged in from all directions.

Centered around the bright yellow wisps, space contracted, and their bodies began to grotesquely distort. Limbs crumpled inwards, bones snapping at the collarbones and pelvis, their bodies contorting at unnatural angles.

Gravity compressed into a single point.

And then.

“Pressure.”

*Crack!*

With an earsplitting roar, everyone except the 2nd Lord exploded simultaneously.

“!!!”

A flicker of surprise crossed the 2nd Lord’s lifeless eyes at the sudden turn of events. Siron also stared at me in shock.

“…What… What did you just do?”

Myung-gak radiated a Fierce Killing Intent. My actions were a clear declaration of war. So, I couldn’t blame him for his reaction.

However.

“What does it matter to a dying man?”

The golden wisps hovering in the air wrapped around Myung-gak’s right arm. Space itself seemed to separate. Dozens of faint, shimmering lines overlapped, encasing his arm, and then…

“You’re about to die.”

*Crackle!*

Myung-gak’s right arm flew off, spraying blood.