Chapter 115
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 115
The swinging tail whipped toward Oscar, poised to slice him in two. But in the next instant, he rolled clear, reversed his grip on his sword, and leaped onto the tail as it swept past. He landed weightlessly on the beast's back and drove his blade deep.
The entire exchange took place in the span of a few breaths.
He was in a league of his own, even among the Wolves.
Wrenching his sword from the demonic beast's back, Oscar stood upright.
He had been facing forward the entire time, but now he glanced back at those following him.
As she ran, her eyes fixed on him, Seo-ah felt their gazes lock. His black hair, tossed by the moonlight, fluttered in the wind. It was as if the world around him was in chaos, while he alone remained perfectly still.
A thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Could a raging typhoon at sea even touch a man like that?
Yes. A man like him could accomplish anything.
Oscar turned his gaze forward again. Adjusting his grip on his sword, he resumed running as if he had never stopped.
The Wolves' pace didn't slacken in the slightest.
Meanwhile, Abel and the Wolves escorting Seo-ah watched her with surprise. She ran with gritted teeth, pushing onward. They had been ready to carry her at a moment's notice, making her silent, steady pace all the more unexpected.
However, no one expected anything more from her. They thought she might know how to run, but she would surely collapse after a few steps. Everyone assumed she would soon be unable to take another step. It would be more efficient to let her run until she dropped, then carry her. That way, they could conserve their own energy. After all, they had to run at full speed until they cleared the Rock Forest.
"Abel!"
Just then, a creature lunged from the side. One of the backup agents intercepted it, shouting a warning to Abel. Abel pulled Seo-ah deeper into their formation and quickened his pace. Running at full tilt, he glanced at Seo-ah and yelled, "Speak up if you're hitting your limit!"
Hearing the shout, Simon glanced back. His blood-red eyes widened slightly in surprise. He’d expected her to be on someone's back by now, yet she was still running on her own two feet.
Simon turned forward again and slashed his sword horizontally.
Slash.
Green blood sprayed from the bisected demonic beast. He was just beginning to wonder how much longer this would go on when—
"I see the underground tunnel!"
At the shout from the Wolf scouting ahead, the Combat Team Leader bellowed, "Double file!"
The Wolves instantly closed the gap. Moving like a sleek warship, the pack glided forward shoulder to shoulder.
Paradoxically, the closer they got to the underground tunnel—the creatures' nest—the fewer monsters they encountered. The earthworms that had crawled to the surface seemed to be taking their one chance to lay eggs in the crevices of the mushroom-like rocks, too preoccupied to notice the intruders.
A moment later, a wide tunnel entrance, one of many scattered throughout the Rock Forest, appeared before them. Around the opening, the carcasses of earthworms crushed to death by their own kind lay scattered everywhere.
The Combat Team Wolves entered the tunnel first, with Oscar following right behind them. It was as desolate below as it had been above. Only the carcasses of the insects littered the tunnel floor.
"The Magic Dome won't be enough to deal with all of that. Pelfe is in deep trouble," one of the Wolves muttered in disgust, recalling the sight of earthworms clinging thickly to every protruding rock.
Oscar spoke to him sharply. "Stop wasting your breath and focus."
"My apologies, Your Excellency."
Oscar glanced back once more, seeing the woman enter the tunnel with Abel. It was surprising she was still on her own feet. The Backup Team regrouped inside the tunnel as the other Wolves lit their torches, the two actions happening almost simultaneously.
Turning his gaze forward, Oscar said, "We keep moving. No rest."
Pelfe would be in chaos by now, its people desperately trying to restart the Magic Dome. The moment it activated, the earthworms would retreat underground. They had to get out of these tunnels before that happened.
Fortunately, the earthworms hadn't dug these tunnels, so the Wolves had a map they'd brought just in case. A Wolf acting as navigator studied the map and led the way, the pack following without hesitation. They began to move again, with Abel bringing up the rear.
But Seo-ah, who he expected to keep running, had stopped dead. Abel looked back at her. With sweat-dampened baby hairs clinging to her forehead, her face was deathly pale.
"She held out for a long time," one of the Backup Team members muttered, nodding at Abel.
Abel nodded in agreement. She had certainly done more than her part.
"Get on my back."
"Something's wrong..." Seo-ah muttered just as Abel turned to offer her his back.
The Backup Team exchanged anxious glances. The Wolves at the front were already pulling away.
"Hurry, get on," Abel urged her again, but Seo-ah was scanning her surroundings.
"Is there no other way but this?"
"What, you want to go back out there with that swarm?" one of the backup agents snapped, nudging her forward.
"We don't have time for this," Abel added, pressing her.
Seo-ah glanced back. The Wolf was right; she had no idea if she could make it through that swarm. It was one thing to say this place felt ominous based on a mere gut feeling, but even if she did, who would listen?
Ultimately, Seo-ah forced her heavy feet to move.
Declining Abel's offer, she insisted on walking. With every step, the ominous feeling clung to her like a shadow.
The underground tunnel was made of countless rocks, just like the forest above. It was so dry that not even a speck of moss grew on the walls, meaning there was no risk of slipping. At first, the cold, dry underground air pricked her lungs, but as the tunnel deepened, even the wind died down.
As the darkness thickened, the chilling sensation grew more intense.
The chill she'd felt since entering the tunnel was too sharp to be imaginary, grating on her nerves.
Her eyes were open, but she wasn't looking ahead. The light from their few torches was better than nothing, but it was useless for seeing what truly mattered.
This was a place where mana flowed like a river. Perhaps the complete lack of moisture was because the power flowing through here was too strong. Just as stones submerged in water absorb moisture, the interior of the tunnel was saturated with mana.
Winding paths, passages where the wind whispered, pillars hiding other pillars, walls concealing other paths.
Seo-ah sensed an invisible path running parallel to the right of their own. Beyond a wall that wasn't very thick, another path definitely existed.
Another path.
And on that other path… were other things.
"...!"
Abel glanced back in surprise as Seo-ah suddenly wrenched her hand from his. Her sudden move broke the formation of the Backup Team surrounding her. The agents, who had been running at full speed, skidded to a halt. Carried by their own momentum, they stopped a few paces ahead of her and looked back.
If she had collapsed, they wouldn't have batted an eye. It was a miracle she had lasted this long.
Yet, the expressions of the Wolves—men who remained unfazed even at the sight of human corpses—all took on a subtly strange cast.
"...What is she doing?" one of the backup agents muttered blankly.
The woman, who by all rights should have been collapsed on the ground, was pressing one cheek flat against the wall.
The halt at the rear rippled forward, causing some of the Wolves ahead to stop as well.
The first to stop was Oscar.
When Oscar stopped and looked back, Simon, who was running beside him, had no choice but to stop as well. Looking back, Simon's face twisted in irritation.
Every second counts. What in the world is going on back there?
"Abel!"
At Simon's sharp bark, Abel pulled Seo-ah from the wall. She came away easily, and Simon turned back to Oscar.
"We only have a little further to go, Your Excellency. We must not slow down."
Oscar, who had been watching the scene with dark eyes, gave a curt nod. His face expressionless, he turned and began to run again.
The pack of Wolves, which had unexpectedly halted, began to pick up speed once more.
Abel gripped her hand tightly and looked at her. She had been running so well, looking straight ahead, but now she seemed completely lost.
"We're almost there. Stay focused. If you can't, just say the word. I'll carry you."
"...There's something there."
"Something? It's probably just a few earthworms that got left behind."
"...No."
It wasn't that.
It wasn't anything like an earthworm.
"...We shouldn't go."
Seo-ah tugged on Abel's arm, but the Wolves had no patience for this. They saw her incomprehensible behavior as nothing more than a panic attack.
"Hey, just carry her," the Backup Team Leader said, taking Abel's gear from him.
Abel scooped Seo-ah up into his arms mid-stride. Lifting her as easily as an adult holding a child, he showed not the slightest hint of fatigue.
The woman, who they expected to protest that she could walk on her own, remained surprisingly still.
But Seo-ah was not merely staying still.
Thud, thud.
The footfalls of the Wolves were a heavy, regular rhythm, the sound of dozens of men moving as one.
Everyone ran, looking only ahead. Even as they ran toward the dense darkness, they seemed to have no doubt that it was the right path.
When she had pressed her cheek to the wall…