Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Chapter 2 - Ascent
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“Juho! Come down! It’s dangerous!”
Aria shouted, her voice filled with concern rather than anger.
“W-what’s wrong? Hmm?”
Ignoring her, I started climbing, carefully placing my feet on the protruding rocks.
Only when I reached a height level with their heads did the mermaids begin to clamor, trying to pull me down. But their powerful tails, designed for swimming, made it difficult for them to stand upright.
None of them followed me. No mermaid could support their weight on their tails while climbing the inverted cave wall.
“Leave him be.”
The elder mermaid clicked her tongue, her voice dripping with scorn.
“Let’s see how far he gets. Let him do as he pleases!”
“Grandma! Stop it!”
Aria fidgeted anxiously. The other mermaids clung to her, trying to soothe her.
“Juho! It’s dangerous if you fall…! Will you listen to me? Hmm?”
“Sorry.”
But I couldn't stop.
I didn’t want to stay here any longer.
“I want to leave.”
“Oh, hmm…? W-with us! Let’s all go to the lake, okay?”
Tears welled up in Aria’s eyes. She clasped her hands together, pleading.
But the distance between us continued to grow.
I wasn't just talking about a casual trip to the lake.
"Gasp…"
I reached a height of about three meters above the water's surface and paused on a small ledge, catching my breath and loosening my muscles.
It was just big enough to support my legs and buttocks.
The rock was solid enough to offer a brief respite.
“Juho, please! Okay? You’ll really get hurt…”
“Juho! Listen to Aria! Do you really want to be punished?”
“We’ll break your other tail if you come down!”
The mermaids splashed and yelled from below. Ignoring their cries, I continued my ascent.
The cave wall was slippery but uneven, offering handholds and footholds.
“Doctor, place your foot slightly higher.”
Amy, analyzing the visual data, guided me towards safer holds. Trusting her calculations, I climbed slowly, inching my way upwards.
“He won’t make it anyway.”
The elder mermaid grumbled, her voice laced with annoyance.
Her wrinkles deepened with frustration and a hint of sadness.
“Look closely as you climb. There have been at least a hundred males who tried to climb that wall. Do you really think you can make it? You’re the weakest of them all.”
Her words were laced with bitterness.
When I didn’t respond, she raised her voice.
“Are you listening?! You’re the weakest! Your grandfather had four front legs. Hmm? Even he only managed to reach that point before giving up. It was too difficult! He thought he was going to die! Then he fell and could never swim properly again! Do you think you’re special?”
She was right.
I had no retort.
My trembling arms and legs already hinted at the arduous climb ahead.
How much further could I go?
Could I even reach,
That distant opening, where the starlight shone?
“Grandma, please stop… hmm? Juho, Juho! I’ll forgive you if you come down now. Okay?”
Aria waved her hands, calling out to me.
But I,
Continued climbing, noticing the physical marks on the wall.
Only now, up close, could I see them clearly.
Fingerprints and small, oddly shaped holes in the rock face.
The marks of others who had attempted this climb.
But as I reached higher,
The marks became fewer and fewer.
Those who had desperately clawed at the wall,
Those who had climbed with hope in their hearts,
Had all ended up,
At the bottom of the lake.
“Gasp… pant…”
The distance between me and the mermaids had grown significantly.
Looking down, a wave of fear washed over me.
Falling from this height would certainly injure me. A bad fall could be fatal.
Even if I landed in the water, I could break a bone. I had never practiced diving.
At least 10 meters…
The mermaids’ voices echoed faintly.
“Juho! Juhooo…! You’re really in danger! Please!”
Aria was still jumping and pleading with me to come down.
The other mermaids, anticipating my fall, clutched rocks and pieces of wood, ready to use them as clubs.
And the elder mermaid,
Shouted louder than before.
“You’re going to die!”
She no longer spoke of my falling.
She glared at me and said,
“Do you even know what’s out there? Do you really think you can survive out there?!”
Her frail voice cracked, but she continued shouting.
“You’ll want to come back. And then it will be too late. There are only monsters out there! They’ll all try to capture you!”
I knew.
There wasn’t a single lie in her words.
The elder mermaid was genuinely concerned for my safety.
And she was worried about her descendants, who would be left behind.
“Stay here!”
So, one last time,
Truly, one last time,
She softened her voice and pleaded.
“Father of my children, just stay here. Please.”
But I continued climbing, my arms and legs trembling with exhaustion.
Just a little further, and I could rest.
A small, protruding ledge, like a horizontal tombstone…
“Ugh…! Groan…!”
I reached it, placed my hand on it,
And pulled myself up with the last of my strength.
“Kyaa! Be careful…!”
Every time I slipped, Aria screamed from below.
She frantically prepared to catch me,
But I held on, inching my way towards the stars.
“Gasp- pant…”
“Doctor, the ground is unstable.”
Amy’s calm voice reached me.
The ledge I was on wasn’t very secure.
“Based on my calculations, it will collapse within three minutes.”
“Shit…”
I was,
Truly, at my limit.
I had climbed too high.
The outside world was within reach,
But the last five meters seemed insurmountable.
“Amy, can I make it?”
“Impossible.”
Amy’s voice was firm.
But was it my imagination,
Or did it sound a little sad?
“Right, of course.”
I glanced down.
I couldn’t sit or stand, so I could see below simply by opening my eyes.
Aria was still there, her hands cupped around her mouth, shouting.
“Juho…! Juho! Please come down! Hic… sob…”
She was crying.
She truly cared for me.
I felt a pang of guilt.
But,
I couldn't stay down there.
“Amy.”
“Yes.”
Accepting my limitations,
I asked Amy, my voice light, almost joking,
“Should I throw your head up there?”
“Negative.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring the starlight above.
“Why?”
“Without Dr. Juho, my mission is also a failure. Throwing my head upwards would achieve the same result as falling into the cave with you.”
Touched by Amy’s loyalty, I gently stroked her head.
I would fall soon.
But until then, I would try to climb a little further. I pushed myself up.
“Groan…! Wow, I’m really fucked.”
But I no longer had the strength to support my weight.
This was truly the end.
So, I decided to take one last look at the opening.
This would be my last glimpse of the stars.
“…”
Beautiful starlight.
The Milky Way, stretched across the sky.
“Wait a minute.”
And, beneath it, a short sentence.
“Who wrote this…?”
I wasted precious time trying to understand it.
My last few minutes,
My last glimpse of the stars.
“…”
It was written,
In the mermaids’ language, which I had learned from Aria,
Crude but clear.
Simple enough for even me, who hadn't fully mastered their language, to understand.
[I made it this far. You go further.]
And,
A few arrows.
Marking the best handholds.
Then I understood the elder mermaid’s story about her husband.
He hadn't given up because he lacked strength.
He had given up, unable to abandon the mermaids below.
You go further.
Repeating those words,
I started climbing again.
The mermaids’ voices were distant, indistinguishable.
Exhaustion blurred my vision.
But my arms kept moving.
I bit my lip, pushing myself upwards. Waves of dizziness threatened to overwhelm me, but I couldn't faint yet.
Even if my fingernails ripped off, I wouldn't stop. I clawed my way up, pushing my head through the opening.
“Gasp- cough- gasp-”
The opening was narrow. Squeezing through it was agonizing.
But finally,
I felt the damp earth and the cool night air against my skin.
“Ugh…! Grunt!”
Blood oozed from my torn fingernails. The burning sensation in my hands made me dizzy.
But I pulled myself out of the opening, leaving a trail of blood on the grass.
Beneath the open night sky,
The stars shone even brighter than they had from within the cave.
And,
Naturally,
Alone here, I was the most vulnerable creature.
The sounds of night insects and strange cries echoed around me.
“Doctor, it’s dangerous.”
“I know…”
I had just crawled back into hell, but I pushed myself up, my body screaming in protest.
There were no excuses in the face of nature.
I had to keep moving to survive.
It was painful.
But,
Still,
I was a little closer to the stars.
“Doctor, large lifeforms exceeding two meters have been detected nearby. Exercise caution.”
“I understand…”
This was hell,
Death lurked everywhere,
But I walked with a newfound lightness.
“I understand. Yes…”
I felt a pang of guilt for leaving Aria,
But I had to keep moving.