Chapter 93
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Mother Lode
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*Splash—*
Pernyan burst out of the water.
Pitch-black darkness greeted them, but Pernyan retrieved a magic lamp from his subspace to illuminate the surroundings.
“To think I’d be back here again.”
He had suggested to Aint that they make the bell together, but Pernyan had come to the underwater cave alone.
He had realized it too late.
‘Come to think of it, doesn't Aint know I've been here before?’
And he must never find out.
‘I was too hasty.’
In his rush to create the Bell of Ruin as quickly as possible, he had overlooked something crucial.
Thankfully, he’d remembered before it was truly too late.
Pernyan had ended the conversation by belatedly asking if the method for crafting the Bell of Ruin was still kept in the Armian family.
Then he sought out the underwater cave alone. It was better if no one knew how he knew of this place.
Of course, there could be traps, or another monster might have nested here, as the water dragon had, but that was fine.
He already had a reliable bodyguard he could use anytime, as long as no one was watching.
“Wooden.”
- *Kuuuu!*
Freed from the necklace, Wooden expanded in size. Roughly 1.8 meters. The size of an average human.
An excited Wooden drew the sword from its back and swung it lightly.
*Swish—!*
A massive boulder was sliced apart in an instant.
- *Kung! Kung!*
“Don’t pray for a monster to show up.”
Calming the excited golem, he walked slowly down the path.
Normally, magic lamps should have been installed on the ceiling, but thanks to Pernyan having pulled them all out, only the marks where they had been embedded remained.
After passing through the long corridor, he arrived at the cavern where the spirit grass had grown and the water dragon had coiled.
Only traces of the water dragon's rampage remained within the cavern.
- *Kung?*
“Yes, the water dragon was here.”
- *Kung! Kung!*
“Are you asking why I fought it all by myself like a cheat? I didn’t fight it.”
A thought had occurred to him lately—was Wooden really a tree spirit? This was more like a battle junkie, crazed for a fight.
‘Not that I don’t understand.’
It was only natural to want to test out a body like that.
Pernyan first checked the spot where the Mithril had been. He had mined it in a hurry, pressed for time, so he wondered if he might have missed any.
“Nothing.”
But, as expected, his meticulous self would not have left even a crumb of Mithril behind.
“Then the next place to look is…”
It was the pit he had noticed on his way in. The hole the water dragon had fallen into, which was also mentioned in the Prophecy Book.
Aint must have mined the Adamant from there.
“It’s deep.”
Peeking over the edge, he saw an endless abyss.
He created a chestnut-sized ball of light magic and sent it down, but even when it reached its limit, the bottom was nowhere in sight.
“Hmm.”
What could possibly be down there?
There could be nothing, or there could be a trap. And Pernyan didn't want to risk that 'what if'.
“Wooden.”
- *Kung?*
“Go check it out.”
*Rumble—* Pernyan raised the ground Wooden was standing on. Unprepared, Wooden fell into the hole more easily than expected.
- *Kuuuung?*
The abyss instantly swallowed Wooden’s black form. In the darkness, only a pair of red eyes rapidly receded into the distance.
Pernyan couldn’t help but smile at the bewilderment and sense of betrayal in those eyes.
They said spirits were rich in emotion.
“Wooden, are you still falling?”
A spirit and its contractor can communicate no matter the distance, as long as they are not in different dimensions.
However, for a typical spirit user, the farther away the spirit, the more mana is consumed for summoning. But for Pernyan, who used a golem as a vessel, this did not apply.
- *Kuuuuuuung!*
A sound that seemed to tremble with betrayal echoed in his head.
How could I push you? To be precise, I didn't push you, I lifted the ground beneath you. Well, I suppose that’s not the important part.
“What if I went first and there was a trap? That would be a disaster.”
- *Kung! Kung!*
“It wouldn’t matter for you. Have you forgotten? That body is the sturdiest in the world. Isn't this a good opportunity to test its limits?”
- *…Kuung?*
Only then did a question full of curiosity return.
“That’s right. If you want, you can just fall without any precautions. It won’t break.”
- *Kuuu… Kung!*
Wooden’s voice cut off abruptly. Pernyan realized it had hit the bottom.
“Wooden, how many meters was that?”
The answer came after a moment.
- *Kuuuuung! Kung! Kung!*
“I didn’t ask whether it got a scratch or not.”
- *Kugugugu!*
“It didn’t hurt at all? That’s great news. So, how many meters?”
- *Kuguuuu!*
“You just kept falling and falling…”
*Sigh.* Pernyan let out a soft sigh and calmly asked again.
“Be specific. The magic sigils embedded in your body can handle that kind of measurement with ease.”
- *Kuuu.*
Finally, the desired answer returned.
“666 meters? Well, that’s…”
A demonic number.
Could it be a trap set by a demon, not the first emperor?
“Wooden, are there any enemies or traps there? For instance, Vile Breeds, demonic beasts, or perhaps a demon?”
Pernyan swallowed dryly, preparing to reverse-summon Wooden to his side if necessary.
The last one was highly unlikely, but one must always consider the worst-case scenario.
- *Kung! Kung!*
“Nothing at all?”
That was a relief. Pernyan let out a sigh of relief.
- *Kung! Kuuuuu! Kuung!*
“You say there are amazing things there?”
Now that was something to look forward to. Having received confirmation from his scout that it was safe, Pernyan slowly took a step forward.
*Grind—*
Rock jutting out from the wall formed a foothold. The platform began to descend slowly, carrying Pernyan with it.
‘At 666 meters, there’s no way Aint fell all the way to the bottom.’
There must have been a ledge partway down. And he must have mined the Adamant there.
‘But did Aint really get all of it?’
The situation had been urgent, and Aint was no professional miner. The same likely went for Gardner.
Neither of them knew how to properly read the earth or knew much about minerals. The Prophecy Book describing the Mithril as ‘a little over 5kg’ was proof of that.
‘Here it is.’
About 50 meters down, Pernyan found what he was looking for. A protruding rock, and a small hole leading inward behind it.
Pernyan used magic to widen the hole and went inside. He found traces of someone having dug into the earth and mined minerals.
“The Adamant was here, and Aint mined it.”
He placed a hand on the excavated area. The mana from his mana heart began to spread rapidly.
Earth magic was his specialty, and the reason he had chosen it as his primary element over fire magic, with which he had the highest affinity, was…
“Found it.”
…to use it for moments just like this.
A smile formed on Pernyan’s lips as he found about 5kg of Adamant—though it would be much less once refined—hidden deeper inside.
- *Kung! Kung!*
“I’ll be right there. Don’t rush me.”
After collecting all the Adamant, Pernyan began his descent again. But he soon stopped.
“…What’s that?”
About 100 meters further down, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him at the sight of a protruding rock and a small hole beyond it.
“…No way.”
Barely calming his pounding heart, he entered. And he discovered the violet metals that awaited him.
“…You have got to be kidding me. Is this really Orichalcum?”
Mithril, Adamant, and now Orichalcum.
An underwater cave that contained all three legendary metals.
Pernyan could bet his entire fortune that this cave was man-made.
“About 20kg of Orichalcum, too.”
After mining all the Orichalcum, Pernyan descended again with a pleased smile.
He looked carefully, hoping for another find, but he wasn’t lucky a third time.
‘It’s a lot, but still not enough to make the bell.’
I wish there were more.
But that worry was unfounded.
“……”
Pernyan’s eyes widened as he finally stepped onto the bottom.
- *Kung! Kung! Kung!*
Wooden’s scolding, asking why he took so long, didn’t even register.
“…Ah.”
Pernyan’s gaze was fixed on the cavern wall.
It was…
Without a doubt, the most beautiful sight Pernyan had ever seen in his life.
It was…
Something that could make anyone one of the wealthiest people on the continent.
It was…
An endless feast of minerals.
On one side, a feast of turquoise light.
On another, a brilliant silver that shone with various hues.
And on yet another, a lustrous violet.
“…Jackpot.”
Mithril, Adamant, and Orichalcum.
The legendary minerals, said to be extremely rare and precious, filled the walls of the massive cavern.
Was something like this even possible?
The question arose, but it was overshadowed by the joy that all of this was his.
“…I’m glad I came alone.”
If he had come with someone, he would have had to share.
His greedy eyes slowly savored the minerals.
- *Kuuuung!*
Just then, Wooden waved a hand in front of Pernyan, stealing his attention.
- *Kung! Kung!*
It then pointed to one spot. As if to say, there was something more important than that.
“What is it, Wooden? With all these legendary ores, what could possibly be more important than…”
There was.
At the end of Wooden’s pointing finger, a single plant was growing.
A spirit grass that absorbed the power of minerals.
Perhaps because it grew surrounded by legendary metals…
Its color was more brilliant than any Itarium.
Its size was so immense it could be mistaken for a young sapling rather than a blade of grass.
“…I’ve really hit the jackpot.”
He had been a little anxious since Altriark’s Itarium had disappeared at the hands of some scoundrel, but this Itarium was far, far better.
“…Carefully, now. You have to dig up all the roots…”
It was at that moment.
*Thud—!*
The cavern shook.
*Thud—!*
It was a rhythmic sound.
*Thud—!*
The sound of slow, but heavy footsteps.
It was a giant snake. No, a dragon.
Its body was large and long, with two sharp horns on its head. It had no wings, but fins instead.
The four legs that protruded from its body made the cave tremble with every step, and a faint poisonous aura emanated with each breath it took.
“…A Knucker?”
Similar to a water dragon, but its nature was closer to that of a monster than a mystical beast.
It wielded absolute power underwater, and the breath it exhaled with its noxious poison could melt anything.
Such a monster…
*Grrrrr—*
…was showing hostility and murderous intent toward the intruder who coveted its possessions.
“…What in the world is this place?”
Mithril, Adamant, and Orichalcum all in one place, with a water dragon above and a Knucker below.
The Knucker opened its mouth. Its poison-filled breath was about to be unleashed.
- *Kung! Kung! Kung! Kung!*
A giant Wooden, now grown to 8 meters, let out a cheer, thrilled to finally have a good fight, and charged the Knucker.
The two behemoths tumbled to the ground, locked in a struggle. Fortunately, the cavern was large enough for a golem and a Knucker to fight.
But that wasn't the problem.
“Of all things, a Knucker…!”
Pernyan ground his teeth. The poison of the mystical beast Knucker was noxious enough to damage even legendary ores.
“Wooden! Don’t you dare let it open its mouth!”
The ore can’t be damaged!
Pernyan shouted with more desperation than he had in a long time.