Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Cursed Door
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Darkness had always been one of the greatest triggers of human fear since time immemorial.
Even the most valiant hero, fearless in the face of death, harbored a vague dread of what might lurk in the unseen void of the dark.
In this world, that fear of darkness was far more tangible than the abstract terror felt by Earthlings.
For the creatures that dwelled in the shadows preyed on the warm flesh and blood from the bright world outside.
Shrrr—
With a sound like metal scraping against metal, bugs the size of a man's forearm crawled up the walls toward them.
Illuminated dimly by magical light, their forms were grotesquely hideous.
One had jaws splayed wide like a stag beetle's, with a neck so long and flexible it whipped about freely.
Another's hundreds of legs rippled in waves, each joint sprouting a chomping maw.
Some even had mouths within mouths, lined with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth that hissed menacingly.
Dragging Earth's common sense into this world was laughable enough, but these twisted insects over a meter long were downright surreal.
Yet despite their varied appearances, the weak points of these insect-like magic beasts were generally similar.
"Eloise, fire!"
"Got it!"
At Arsen's command, Eloise stepped forward and cast her spell.
Light flashed once from her hands, unleashing a torrent of flames that dwarfed a flamethrower, engulfing the entire corridor.
With firepower no ordinary mage could even imitate.
The blaze licked the walls for a dozen seconds or so before the light faded from her hands, and the flames died out.
Nothing remained where the fire had raged. Only scorch marks on the walls attested to the insects' existence.
Of course, they hadn't all burned to ash in an instant—most had likely plummeted to the depths below.
A few charred husks, black as coal, littered the stairs, blocking the path.
"Clear them away."
It was the first real task for the soldiers, who had only guarded the laden packbirds since arriving.
The soldiers used their spear hafts to shove the debris down the stairs.
Watching them, Arsen addressed no one in particular.
"More magic beasts than expected, huh?"
"You're telling me. It wasn't like this when I came."
"If it was always this bad, no ordinary hunter would dare venture in."
Bazkal and Rino nodded in agreement.
They had already endured two major assaults and six minor ones while descending the spiral stairs.
For their group, nearly half of whom were mages, these foes posed no challenge. But a small band of five or six hunters would have been wiped out.
"Press on regardless. Sir Maroon, brighten the light below."
"Of course! Hey, make some light."
Arsen had to issue indirect orders to the Starburst mages through Maroon.
They had come as collaborators, not subordinates.
It was inconvenient but necessary.
If Arsen freely commanded Maroon's soldiers, it could be interpreted as Maroon exerting influence over Arsen's own troops in return.
"We're here!"
After an indeterminable span—minutes or perhaps tens of minutes—the bottom came into view.
One soldier whooped excitedly, drawing stares before clamping his mouth shut.
"Stay vigilant."
The base of the stairs was piled with the bug corpses they had swept down from above—half-burned ash piles that hadn't fully combusted.
Each crunch underfoot produced a sickening crackle that made their ears itch.
No fresh swarms lunged from the surroundings once they reached the bottom.
"I figured more bugs down here."
"Maybe they got scared of our bravery?"
Maroon's nonsense earned absent nods, while Arsen scanned the area.
Beyond a half-ruined door stretched a straight corridor.
They had already descended deep, yet this hallway seemed hundreds of meters long.
"Just head straight ahead. The side paths don't amount to much."
Following Bazkal's lead, the group ignored the branching passages and marched on.
No life stirred as they passed several doors, though sticky clumps resembling excrement occasionally caught their eye.
Leftovers from the bugs that had crawled up from below, no doubt.
"Ugh, the stench."
"Let's burn it all! Everyone, fireballs—"
"Hold."
Arsen stopped Maroon from incinerating the filth.
As Maroon shot him a puzzled look, Arsen explained slowly.
"Wide-open spaces like before are one thing, but the ceiling here's low. Smoke buildup would be trouble."
"My apologies. I overlooked that!"
The ceiling was only about four meters high—not impressive by any means.
A knight could leap and touch it effortlessly.
If that excrement released toxic fumes when burned, this spot would become their tomb.
At the corridor's end, they faced a strange door.
Unlike the weathered, decayed ones along the way, this was made of entirely different material.
Its texture felt almost alive, radiating a faint warmth.
"This is it. The cursed door."
The group formed a circle around it.
Arsen's gaze fell on the walls flanking the door.
They bore scars like pickaxe strikes, revealing smooth metal walls inside without a single crack.
Traces of someone who, frustrated by the unyielding door, had tried digging around it.
"Rooms like this usually have sealed walls on all sides to prevent bypassing."
Maroon spoke with evident glee, as if declaring their abilities hopeless against it.
Arsen had considered the same but kept his disappointment hidden.
Then Rino stepped forward.
"I'll try first, Captain."
"...Go ahead, Rino."
Having never touched the "cursed door" before, Rino looked nervous but swallowed hard and placed his hand on it.
The instant Rino touched it, the door hummed and emitted a bizarre voice.
[Takbyulrohulmumenandalasuktora-]
The distorted sound, like a broken radio, was mere noise.
Just jumbled static to the ears.
Arsen whipped his head around to check the others.
No one showed any sign of comprehension.
"Anyone know what that means?"
"...No idea."
"Sir Maroon?"
"Not me."
"No one understands it... Rino, pull back."
"Got it!"
Arsen struggled to mask his agitation.
He had clearly grasped what the door said moments ago.
He hadn't recognized the language itself, but the meaning had seeped directly into his mind.
Similar to conversing with Eloise via earring, yet far more alien—like telepathy.
-Warning: You are an unauthorized species. Cease access attempts. Self-defense measures will activate in 30 seconds. Warning: You are an unauthorized—
"'Unauthorized species'?"
Naturally, Rino had no long ears, wasn't a dwarf, and bore no scales.
He'd never even heard of elves, dwarves, or other fantasy races in this world.
So why was he deemed "unauthorized"?
"Bazkal, this was before you awakened as a knight, right?"
"Yeah, Captain. About ten years ago."
"Touch the door."
Bazkal complied without protest.
The same "unauthorized species" message flooded Arsen's mind.
"Stop. Sir Maroon, care to try?"
"Me? Sure..."
Maroon got the identical response, as did a regular mage.
Commoner, knight, mage—even a rare magic knight. All four types failed; the door refused "unauthorized species."
Finally, after dismounting Jin, Arsen placed his hand on it.
[Mullapdaeraeildonramsallaksud-]
The garbled voice was the same, but distinct from prior iterations.
The meaning in Arsen's head differed too.
-Access granted. Welcome, Master.-
The door slid open smoothly like an automatic one.
A mystical space that had repelled intruders for centuries, perhaps millennia, now lay revealed.
"...It really opened."
"No way."
To enter a forbidden door denied to all others—a tale from myth itself.
Amid the gasps and awe, Arsen stepped inside first.
The first difference was the air.
Gone was the stuffy, dusty underground staleness; cool, dry air like from an air conditioner filled his lungs.
Vibrant decorations in every color adorned the walls.
"Ooh, amazingly well-preserved! Places like this are rare!"
Ignoring Maroon's excitement, Arsen surveyed the room.
Ornaments, pens, desks, chairs... Plenty of items, but he wasn't here to collect artifacts for some collector's profit.
"Captain, check this out!"
Rino's call led him to an adjacent room, where two soldiers struggled with a door.
It wouldn't budge, locked by some mechanism—or perhaps barred from behind, judging by the rattling.
Not magically sealed like the cursed door; their pounding, pulling, and prodding yielded nothing until Bazkal intervened.
"Outta the way, you lot!"
He shoved the soldiers aside, gripped the handle with both hands, and yanked hard.
His face reddened with effort—then a snap echoed from beyond.
Something broke, and the door swung open.
"Whew, stubborn bastard. Got it, Captain!"
"Good work. Magic would've been easier."
"Oh."
Leaving Bazkal standing there blankly, Arsen entered.
"This is..."
"An armory?"
Eloise's suggestion, trailing in behind, earned Arsen's nod of agreement.
One side held well-forged one-handed swords; the other, shields large enough to cover the upper body.
"The real deal."
Their ancient relic quality shone through.
Not quite on par with Arsen's black star-iron gear, but leagues beyond the crude magic beast byproduct weapons of Narvik's soldiers.
Even compared to Belluan's regular troops or squires, these were superior.
"Guard issue, looks like! That shield pattern's artistic..."
Over thirty swords and shields in total.
Per agreement, half went to Maroon, the rest to Arsen.
He immediately armed his soldiers with them.
Clad in shabby magic beast leather and wielding fancy new gear, they looked every bit the bandits clutching stolen loot—Arsen couldn't help chuckling.
Deeper in lay more curiosities.
A helmet, a shield, and two staves.
If the prior swords and shields were mass-produced, these exuded obvious rarity.
Eloise signaled discreetly via earring.
[Sen, those are on another level from the earlier relics. Way stronger enchantments.]
"We'll divvy these up outside. Need to test functions to gauge value."
"Understood! How'll we carry them?"
"I'll handle it."
Stowing the relics in his magic backpack, Arsen searched further but found little else.
No other potent enchanted items among the non-weapon gear—maybe a self-inking quill at best.
Once everyone gathered at the exit, Arsen touched the door again.
-Access granted. Farewell, Master.-
It slid open smoothly once more.
As they moved to leave, Arsen's face hardened.
"Everyone halt—back up!"
The door's perfect soundproofing had masked it before, but outside was now overrun with eerie noises.
Endless chomping, scraping, squeezing.
Recognizing it as countless magic bug beasts was easy.
