Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Subterraneans (2)
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"Are you coming to?"
At someone's question, the patroller Uk opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry with pain, and light streamed down from above. It was too bright for his eyes, accustomed to the dark.
This must be what the sun looks like on the surface—the outside world passed down only through legends among his kind.
Even torchlight felt blinding to him, nothing but agony.
"Too... bright..."
He muttered it, but the light didn't fade.
All he could feel was the sticky blood trickling from his leg.
His ears rang with constant pained groans and ragged breaths, and only after some time did Uk realize they were his own.
When he finally opened his eyes properly, the sight before him was disappointingly not his kin.
His kingdom's greatest enemies—the beasts with hair on their heads.
Amid those covered in metal and cloth stood one monster in dark blue armor.
Uk clearly remembered that monster striking his head.
"It can speak, it seems."
* * *
"It can speak, it seems."
He had clearly heard it mutter that it was too bright just moments ago.
The accent and tone were bizarre, but it was unmistakably the language of the surface.
Arsen had half-expected communication to be impossible, so he was surprised, but he didn't let it show.
An interrogator must always maintain a stoic expression.
"Good. Say more. What are you? Surely not human?"
The creature didn't answer Arsen's question. Instead, it looked around frantically, perhaps trying to figure out where it was or hoping for reinforcements.
Unfortunately for it, they had left the central passage and hidden in a nearby auxiliary tunnel.
They feared more of these unknowns might swarm in.
If hundreds or more came, they couldn't avoid casualties.
After glancing around and resigning itself, the creature's face fell as it replied.
"...Human? No. We... Ollmu. God's descendants."
Despite its face being so unlike a human's, Arsen could read the emotions there. A blatant sense of superiority.
He didn't bother asking why it acted so defiant when it was a prisoner.
Shaking the spear embedded in its leg lightly was enough.
"Kuooooh!"
"Got it, so quit laughing. Not like you've got a cute face anyway. Is 'Ollmu' your name? Or your race?"
"Race... it is. My name... Uk."
"Good. Let's keep cooperating like this. So, why did you attack us? How did you make that device?"
The creature rolled its eyes at Arsen's questions.
No doubt weighing whether to spill or hold out.
To help it decide, Arsen twisted the spear in its leg once more.
A horrific scream echoed.
"I'll talk... I'll talk!"
It seemed deeply moved by Arsen's assistance.
Torture was a half-baked interrogation technique more likely to yield what the torturer wanted to hear than the truth, but it was their only option now.
As Arsen placed his hand on the spear again, the creature panicked and spoke.
"You... you humans... invaders! Our kingdom!"
Its explanation, delivered in the typical halting speech of its kind, was hard to follow at times, but Arsen pieced it together.
These things had built something like a grand kingdom underground, complete with a king.
And humans like Arsen's group were one of the hostile forces threatening that kingdom.
"One of the hostile forces?"
"Yes. Two-legged monsters... slaves, useful. But... dangerous. Big humans... strong."
The meaning was clear. They enslaved humans for labor, and there were knights down here too.
Arsen nodded toward the arrow launcher.
"That was made by humans too?"
"Yes. You... good with hands."
Arsen glanced at Eloise.
She was examining the launcher that had threatened them in the central passage moments ago.
To do so, they had dismantled and hauled the massive device and its parts.
"Elly, what do you think?"
"The main firing mechanism is a pure mechanical device—no magic involved. The part that transports and produces the arrows is a relic. I don't know its original form, but it's incredibly precise. The mechanical side is the work of a master craftsman."
"A craftsman... Wait, produces arrows?"
"Yeah. It's enchanted to transform rock or soil into arrows. My guess... it's a relatively recent relic."
Who would have thought the endless barrage—like an infinite ammo clip in a computer game—was made that way.
Shooting arrows conjured straight from the earth meant holding position there for a thousand years would be pointless.
Counterattacking aggressively had been the right call.
"Can we use it ourselves?"
"Doubt it. They damaged key parts on purpose, and it was designed to be fixed in place from the start. Way too big. The metal's sturdy enough, but not some rare material..."
Eloise shook her head firmly in denial.
As she said, the launcher and its relic set were enormous.
Even with Arsen and a few knights helping, it had taken over ten people.
No carrying it around, no parts worth salvaging—conclusion reached.
"Then... if we can't have it, we smash it."
If it fell back into Ollmu hands and got repaired, it'd be a threat again.
At Arsen's signal, Bazkal and Rino hefted their hammers.
"Let's put some muscle into it!"
"Hah!"
Bazkal swung, and with a boom, one of the launcher's central axles crumpled.
That started it. The two gleefully hammered away, smashing it to bits.
They pulverized every delicate component, leaving no chance for salvage—thorough destruction.
"D-don't destroy it! Precious!"
Uk cried out in horror at the sight.
Arsen could sense its shock: *What kind of barbaric idiots are these?*
Ignoring it, Arsen asked more.
"So, how big is your kingdom? How many Ollmu are there?"
"Numbers... hard. Very many. Size... huge. Kingdom end... other end... takes hundreds of feedings."
Even with light torture to prod this primitive answer, it yielded nothing satisfying.
With no day-night cycle underground, they lacked time units.
No knowing how often they fed, so "hundreds of feedings" meant nothing.
"Do you know where the humans are?"
"Slaves... kingdom heart. Wild humans... don't know. They... hide from us."
Slave humans were in the kingdom's capital, apparently. Non-slave humans hid from Ollmu, locations unknown.
After dozens of minutes and various methods, Arsen got decent results.
As he finished and stepped back, Uk asked urgently.
"My comrade... alive?"
The question startled Arsen despite himself. *These monsters have camaraderie?*
"...Yeah. Still breathing."
He'd hit its head too hard—it couldn't even stand or talk properly—but alive, yes.
* * *
Leaving Rino to guard it, Arsen called a strategy meeting.
Time to share the intel and decide next steps.
"Seems these Ollmu control this underground passage network. Exact numbers unclear, but hundreds to thousands."
"That many..."
Faces darkened. Though only Arsen had truly fought them, everyone knew the arrow barrage's terror firsthand.
Dozens of knights, soldiers, and mages had been pinned down by three Ollmu manning one launcher.
Arsen offered some positivity.
"That launcher doesn't seem common. And places to install them are limited."
Faces brightened.
Without launchers, just oversized magic beasts—hundreds might be manageable, they thought.
Arsen doused that hope.
Better to dampen morale than underestimate and die.
"But their physical abilities are no joke. Regular soldiers can't take one one-on-one. Knights risk it against five or six. Ten or more, and even knights die for sure."
He added flatly.
"Even I'd die against hundreds swarming at once. Stamina's got limits."
"Urgh..."
"Even you, Sir Arsen?"
Knowing his overwhelming power, hearing even he couldn't survive sheer numbers left them grim.
Sure, solo guerrilla hits might whittle them down eventually, but if the main force got ambushed, he'd have to fight nonstop too.
Not exactly safe.
Silence fell.
Heavy silence. Arsen got to the point.
"We have two options. One: push through or sneak past their kingdom. Two..."
He looked up. Lattis caught on.
"Return to the surface and bypass the Southern Kingdom."
"Yes. At least they're confined to estates or fortresses. More familiar terrain for us too."
Neither was clearly better.
They'd chosen underground to avoid giants on the surface spotting and attacking.
But similar dangers below made the detour pointless.
Dodging tiger, meeting bear.
"Let's think it over. For now..."
Then, a call from afar.
"Sir Arsen!"
Maroon approached.
He was watching the central passage for enemy reinforcements.
"What is it?"
"Humans! Humans appeared!"
* * *
Arsen took Bazkal and Anun, racing for the passage.
Three knights at full speed moved like a gale.
"Not sure we can navigate this mess!"
Anun shouted mid-run.
Fair point—they'd switched auxiliary tunnels three times to evade pursuit, burrowing deeper.
Twisted paths, similar looks: easy to get lost.
"It's fine! I memorized them all!"
By then, the auxiliary tunnel ended.
The three knights hugged the wall, peering cautiously at the Ollmu camp.
*They look tough.*
Better equipped than expected.
Shabby magic beast hides, but two knights, and the other ten trained warriors.
Knights had spears or swords; others big crossbows and belt daggers.
Seemed winnable with current force, so Arsen opted for direct confrontation.
"Let's go."
He urged Black Lion forward slowly.
Sensing him, the two knights raised weapons first, warriors aiming crossbows.
They gawked at Arsen.
"No way..."
Never seeing sun: pale skin. Poor nutrition: gaunt faces.
Eyes wide: eerie overall.
"What are you...? Ollmu slaves?"
Their accent echoed the Ollmu's. At least no choppy speech—small mercy.
Maybe Ollmu learned language from humans. Or vice versa.