Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Fading Miasma
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“What the hell, it’s so damn dark in here.”
The voice came from the back right as they first entered. From the tone, it sounded like one of the mages—specifically, someone familiar from the detachment.
Just as he said, the inside of the underground passage was pitch black.
Of course, it wasn’t the kind of impenetrable darkness from a shadow monkey that could block even a knight’s vision, so it looked plenty bright to Arsen’s eyes. The other knights were probably seeing the same.
When the mages and soldiers lit fires to secure their sightlines, the light blazed through the darkness.
The revealed interior drew a grumble from Vascal.
“For a ruin, this place looks pretty rundown inside.”
“You’re telling me.”
Just as he said, the environment inside the ruin was utterly desolate.
Half-decayed stone walls, a ceiling that had to be dozens of meters high.
The width on either side seemed to exceed a hundred meters too, making it an enormous scale that couldn’t simply be called an underground passage.
“Wow, can’t even see the ceiling...”
One of the soldiers looked up and muttered in complaint, and Bakran replied with an unnecessary swagger, even though the other guy couldn’t hear it.
[It has to be this big. This is the path for the Continental Loop Train, after all.]
[A train that circles the entire continent...]
There were no ordinary railroad tracks on the floor like you’d expect.
When asked about it, it turned out it moved like a maglev train using magic power.
Faint remnants of magic circles on the walls proved the point.
As Arsen listened to Bakran’s explanation, he pictured it: a massive train floating off the ground with magic, hurtling through the underground at near-sonic speeds, looping around the whole continent.
The image of a train racing through winter only lasted a moment before Arsen’s attention snapped back to reality.
In the dark tunnel—endless blackness ahead and behind—something started clacking from deeper in.
Anun asked in a voice mixed with tension and excitement.
“Is that sound...?”
“Battle formation!”
Arsen quickly issued orders to the whole group.
As the things making the eerie noise pierced the darkness and revealed themselves, one soldier shouted sharply.
Almost like he was answering Anun’s question.
“Magic beasts!”
Angular exoskeletons like they were made of rock, crouched on four legs like bears, with protruding snouts flashing sharp teeth. At about human height, their weight had to be bear-like too.
Buffalo-like horns jutted from their heads, and it was hard to spot anything resembling eyes beneath them.
If they lacked eyesight but had other senses honed instead, they’d make perfect hunters in this total darkness.
At least twenty of the things were charging in, slobbering at the sight of fresh prey.
Preparations to meet them were already done.
Thanks to Arsen’s orders, the knights and soldiers advanced to the front, while the mages fell back for support.
And first up, the magic attacks began.
“Everyone! Lightning spells!”
“Close your eyes and cover your ears!”
No matter how vast the interior, it was underground—fire spells were too risky.
Unless it was pouring rain outside, lightning was the best choice.
As the mages thrust out their hands in unison, everyone else shut their eyes and plugged their ears.
“Fire!”
With the signal, a storm of enormous lightning waves poured from their hands.
Deafening roars and a white-hot blaze of light assaulted everyone’s sight and hearing.
Those who followed orders were fine, but the careless ones—or mages too busy casting—froze like they’d been flashbanged.
Once the thunder passed, Vascal let out a low whistle.
“Whoa...”
He’d seen it before on the surface dealing with magic beasts, but dozens of mages unleashing spells at once was always intimidating. Majestic, too.
Amid the heat haze rising from the scorch marks of immense temperatures, quite a few magic beasts were still charging.
“They’re tough, huh?”
These guys apparently had solid magic resistance; not many dropped from the lightning barrage.
But most of the survivors were convulsing and staggering, clearly taking hits.
With their charge already losing steam, it wouldn’t be hard to finish them.
“Charge!”
Knights and soldiers surged forward at Arsen’s command.
Riding Jin and their mounts, their momentum overwhelmed the beasts already softened by the lightning wave.
Arsen led from the front on his black lion, swinging his axe at every foe in his path.
Blood and flesh sprayed as brutal close combat erupted.
* * *
“Confirmation kills on that side done?”
“Done, sir!”
“Hey, don’t get too close to the ones without severed heads! They might spring back up!”
The fight ended anticlimactically.
Maybe because the biggest one—likely the leader—got bisected by Arsen’s strike right off the bat, but their morale was weaker than expected.
Most convulsed from lightning aftereffects, dying to knights’ blows or getting wounded by soldiers’ attacks. The last couple even fled back into the dark.
Fortunately, none survived the mages’ onslaught to revive.
Now, they were butchering the corpses.
“Think it’s edible?”
“No poison... Taste is up to the cooks, I guess.”
Eloise sliced off chunks of beast meat, analyzed it with a spell, and gave the all-clear.
Of course, the main force had packed plenty of rations and water, but down here, who knew what could happen? More food sources were always better.
Arsen called Rino over and gave orders.
“Pick the ones in good shape, drain the blood, butcher them. Get other mages to help if needed.”
“Got it.”
As Rino headed off, Marun appeared swinging his unstrung bow like a toy. Before Arsen could say a word, Marun yelled in a flippant tone.
“Sir Arsen! That magic just now was insane, right? With power like that, we could take on anyone!”
His childlike enthusiasm radiated pride. And it wasn’t just Marun.
The others didn’t show it as much, but you could see their spirits soaring, intoxicated by their own and their comrades’ strength.
Feeling the need to curb that vibe, Arsen deliberately raised his voice in a scolding tone.
“Better not get cocky. We still don’t know what’s in here. Who’s to say the Desert King won’t pop up deeper in?”
“Ugh.”
Marun’s face fell a bit, the image of that colossal beast flashing in his mind.
Once the buoyant mood settled, Arsen sought out Latis.
“We should stock more food before pushing on. This direction still right?”
“Yeah. Compass works fine here. Just keep heading south.”
Latis held out a round orb-like artifact, similar to a compass.
Difference was it always pointed west, but it worked fine for directions anyway.
“Didn’t expect magic beasts this soon or in such numbers, honestly.”
“Same here. Though given the size of this passage, maybe it’s no surprise.”
Latis didn’t know the exact origins or purpose of the passage, but he had a rough idea of its insane scale.
A tunnel linking to the southern kingdom of the Giant King—from the surface, it’d take months of travel, passing ten estates.
That big, and it wouldn’t be odd if holes along the way let magic beasts slip in.
“Guess we stay extra vigilant. This was no big deal, but who knows what’s next...”
Mid-conversation, Rino approached with a report.
“Captain, butchering’s done.”
“How much meat we get?”
Rino rubbed his chin thoughtfully at Arsen’s question, then answered.
“Figure for our group, about two days’ worth.”
“Only two days?”
Realizing how absurdly low that was from dozens of bear-sized beasts, Rino nodded calmly by way of excuse.
“Lightning charred a lot of it. Plus, they were so muscled, not much usable meat.”
“I see...”
Arsen made a mental note.
Rock moles, move in packs, not that strong, good magic resistance, barely edible.
Then he turned to Latis.
“Better push on. We made a racket here, and the blood smell’ll spread.”
“Understood.”
Latis bowed politely, then shouted to the mages.
“Alright, break’s over! Everyone up!”
* * *
A few hours into the march, a soldier was first to notice something off.
He sniffed a few times, took a deep breath, pondered a while, then reported to Arsen.
“Uh, Captain.”
“What’s up?”
“Thought it was my imagination at first, but... the miasma seems to be thinning the deeper we go.”
“Miasma?”
Arsen’s brow twitched briefly, then he closed his eyes and focused on his sense of smell.
But detecting the difference wasn’t easy. Smell fatigues quickest, and they’d spent weeks in miasma-choked exteriors. Even a knight’s senses weren’t much help here.
After gauging it himself and finding it tough to judge, Arsen halted the march and ordered everyone to sniff around. Soon, reports poured in that the miasma felt weaker.
Lots from Byul Burmi’s mages—frail elders and kids seemed more sensitive to it.
Vascal and Anun chatted in surprise.
“Why’s the miasma fading all of a sudden? Estate up top or something?”
“You’re right. Never thought if miasma seeped above estates, but below...”
Arsen quietly touched his helmet, lost in thought.
‘Thinning miasma isn’t natural...’
Normal estate or fortress purification barriers blocked it completely—no foul miasma stench inside, thick outside.
Here, though, it was gradually lessening.
Hard to chalk it up to surface barriers.
[Bakran, any idea?]
[None. Maybe some anti-pneumoconiosis spell from construction days is still hanging on...]
Bakran trailed off, clearly not too sure himself.
Either way, less miasma wasn’t bad news for Arsen.
Magic beasts wouldn’t weaken, but it helped knights, mages, and soldiers manage condition better.
Still, Arsen brooded.
Less miasma meant more than just easier breathing.
A bit later, mid-march, Vascal shouted loud.
“Magic beast!”
Everyone instantly gripped weapons and went on alert.
Brief silence.
Nothing appeared, so Arsen asked.
“What passed by?”
“Couldn’t see clear, but walked on two legs, human-sized. Had something sword-like in its hand...”
Anun blurted in disbelief at the description.
“Then that was just a person, wasn’t it?”