Chapter 84: The Trap
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: The Trap
[My Savior. It seems they are departing now. Twenty from the Saint Knights Order Guild, ten from the Sky Dragon Guild, and twenty from other small and medium-sized clans. Five of them are 3rd-class summoners or higher.]
[Good work. What is their location?]
[It matches your current position, Savior. I heard they are heading for the Forest Worm’s burrow. The party consists of five priests, five magicians, five archers, and the rest are all melee warriors.]
Time passed. When the tunnel we had dug was just before the Forest Worm’s burrow, we widened the space slightly and set up a base. Thanks to this, we had time to recover our stamina and could wait for them at our leisure.
As Mev and Hakajin had predicted, our current position was at the very edge of the burrow. It was the optimal condition to enter with them and strike from behind.
For the time being, I focused on recovering our strength. Ragia began distributing her poison to a few of the assassins, while Hakajin and some dexterous goblins transferred the poison into used potion bottles. The plan was to place them on the walls or along the enemy’s path after we entered the Forest Worm’s burrow. We spent our time like that, and two days later, another message came from Baek Ahyeon.
[They are entering.]
[You’ve done well. Continue to report on the situation.]
[Yes!]
They, too, had begun to enter the burrow. As soon as I heard Baek Ahyeon’s voice, I spoke to my warriors.
“We’re going in.”
After my low voice echoed, they once again picked up their shovels and pickaxes, and the Orc warriors began to strike the remaining thin wall.
“Uwoooooooh!”
“Uwoooooooh!”
“Battle! It’s battle!”
They began to swing their shovels and pickaxes with even more vigor than when they first started digging. Naturally, the wall began to crumble, bit by bit.
There was no treasure inside, yet I couldn’t understand why my heart was pounding like this. Of course, I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Everyone was staring at the wall with anticipation.
Soon, with a crack, the final wall of the tunnel we had dug began to collapse completely. What came into view was an even larger, gloomier cavern. It was a maze of intertwined tunnels with no end in sight.
“Let’s go.”
“Victory! For victory alone!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
I took the lead and quickly began to enter the cavern. The first thing that hit me was a piercing stench. Even though a good amount of time had passed since the Forest Worm had disappeared from this place, the foul smell of its bodily fluids still lingered.
Despite being a burrow dug without any tools, it was far more intricate than the tunnel we had made. It was dark and grim. Truly the entrance to a maze. It was a more than adequate battlefield for us.
First, since we had the advantage of position, we needed to fully map out the burrow. Inside were the Murderer Clan and the Saint Knights Order. It was to our advantage to finish all preparations before they clashed. Because of this, the assassins and archers pushed forward even faster. Among them, the one showing the most enthusiasm was none other than Mev. Thanks to her, the hands of the goblin tasked with drawing the map also began to move busily.
I opened my mouth to speak to Mev as she dashed off.
“Mev.”
“Yeah.”
“If you sense any trace of other humans, report immediately.”
“Okay! It’s fine for now. I don’t see anything. I’ll be back, then.”
It was to be expected, as we were likely at the far end. Assuming the Murderer Clan and the Saint Knights Order were located in the southern part of the burrow, we were in the north. We couldn’t predict where they would clash, but it would almost certainly be somewhere in the middle. I had no intention of fighting the Murderer Clan before taking on the Saint Knights Order, so we had to move with extreme caution.
“It matches. Kkireuk!”
“It matches! Kkireuk!”
The assassins, who had already memorized the map drawn by Hakajin and Mev, were running ahead and confirming its accuracy. Surprisingly, it was almost a perfect match. Thanks to this, the clan was able to pick up the pace, setting traps at each point and hiding Jung Hayeon’s roots.
It was then.
I began to feel the burrow trembling slightly.
“Kkireuk, kkireuk?”
It definitely wasn’t my imagination. The other goblins also seemed to feel the vibration, anxiously looking up at the ceiling. The burrow was unmistakably shaking, little by little.
“Wh-what is…”
It was natural to have a bad feeling. The clan, which had been running quickly, began to slow to a halt. Just as the goblins were looking around with confused expressions…
“BOOOOOM!”
With the sound of something exploding, I suddenly felt the burrow collapsing. The roar was so loud it made my ears ache. It wasn’t our side that was collapsing. From the south, where Baek Ahyeon and the Saint Knights Order had entered, the collapse was rapidly spreading this way. It felt like the very ground was caving in. The ring began to flash. At the same time, Baek Ahyeon’s voice came through.
[My… My Savior! A trap! It’s a tra— Aaaaaaaah!]
‘A trap.’
“Dammit! Jung Hayeon! Jung Hayeon!! Prepare your magic, now!”
“Y-Yes!”
At my shout, she came into view, hastily chanting a spell. She was casting a spell for roots that could create supports, preparing for the ground to give way. Figuring out what exactly happened could wait. The priority was to save my clan members.
“Gather around the plants! Gather around the plants!”
“Kkireuk! Kkireuk!”
The Hobgoblins who had gone a little farther ahead began to return quickly. But the burrow continued to collapse. Of course, given its immense size, it wasn’t caving in completely, but it was a large enough area to bury our clan or the Saint Knights Order. The southern section, in particular, had likely collapsed entirely. I quickly began to assess my clan members. Gark, Hark, Hakajin, and Ragia, who had no reason to be at the front in the first place, were all next to Jung Hayeon.
The ones out of sight were a few goblin assassins and the dexterous one who was drawing the map.
‘Shit…’
What was most alarming was that Mev was also nowhere to be seen.
Just as I swallowed hard, a voice reached me. Looking straight ahead, I saw Mev running toward us from a distance. Chunks of earth began to fall behind her, like a scene from a disaster movie.
“Ch-Chieftain!”
She must have gone quite far. I couldn’t just stand by and watch her die such a ridiculous death, so my heart raced as I ran toward her.
“Bl-Blood Dagger!”
I could hear the startled cries of my clan members, but I was sure I could save her.
“Jung Hayeon, prepare the magic to support the ground. The rest of you, stand by. Gark, that goes for you too.”
“For… Blood Dagger.”
I stopped Gark, who was about to charge out, and ran, gradually closing the distance to Mev.
“Chieftain!”
Behind Mev, the ground continued to cave in.
‘There’s no time.’
At this rate, we would both be swept away. Mev reflexively reached out her hand, and I reached for hers in return. The moment our hands, which seemed like they would never touch, finally met, I clenched my teeth and threw Mev backward.
“Chieftain!”
“Jung Hayeon!”
Jung Hayeon’s voice erupted at the same time.
“……………………!”
Giant roots instantly wrapped around the clan members and Jung Hayeon. Thanks to the force of my throw, Mev tumbled a bit but landed safely within the clan’s perimeter.
“Reach! Reach!”
Jung Hayeon, having activated the spell, screamed as she tried to send the roots toward me, but there was no time. I would definitely be swept away. I stopped running in the opposite direction and raised the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword. I poured all my magic into the Ancient Flame, melting the hardened fluid of the Forest Worm once more. It was an attempt to secure as much space as possible in case I was trapped.
‘Dammit…’
It might be a meaningless struggle, but I had to try something. However, as if to betray my hopes, the burrow began to collapse rapidly, and soon, my clan members started to disappear from my sight.
“Chieftain!!”
“Uwooooh, Blood Dagger!”
The voices of Mev, Gark, and Hark. With their cries as the last thing I heard, I lost consciousness.
*
“Krrrrk.”
I slowly opened my eyes. It seemed I was still alive. For a moment, I had the absurd thought that I might have regressed once again, but thankfully, I was alive. My last-ditch struggle must have had some effect, as there was a small space for me to move.
I didn’t know who had set off the explosion, but they must not have been able to destroy the burrow completely, as I could see a space large enough for my small body to move. The problems were that I seemed to be quite far from my clan, and my left arm wasn’t moving properly.
‘Is it broken?’
It was an injury that made any strenuous movement a huge burden.
I sat down and began to assess the situation. Before Baek Ahyeon’s first message, I had considered the possibility of her betrayal, but if she had truly betrayed me, she wouldn’t have used such an uncertain method.
More importantly, the explosion had started from the south, not from our side. The Saint Knights Order was likely caught up in it as well. The damage was probably beyond imagination. If they were hit head-on, it would be incomparable to our situation. There might be very few survivors.
The ones who planned this were, of course, the Murderer Clan. They must have vaguely suspected the presence of the Saint Knights Order and set a proper trap.
From our clan’s perspective, we were just caught in the crossfire. Thinking about how things could get so twisted, I swallowed nervously. My clan members were surely alive. Even if they were isolated, they had brought enough food and water, so they should be able to dig their way toward me. I was worried about the few goblins who hadn’t been seen at the end, but they were quick-witted, so I believed they had somehow survived.
The problem was Baek Ahyeon, who was caught in the direct path of the explosion.
She was too valuable a piece to lose here. I quickly tried to establish communication.
[Baek Ahyeon. My young believer.]
[My… My Savior… My… My Savior! My Savior…!]
Her voice was extremely urgent. I could hear her on the verge of tears. She must have been incredibly worried since we hadn’t been in contact. I, too, felt a bit of relief; I had almost gotten Baek Ahyeon killed in such a ridiculous way. It was my fault for proceeding without properly assessing the Murderer Clan’s movements. I spoke to her quietly.
[I am glad you are alive, my young believer. What is the situation on your end?]
[Sob… sob… Yes… M-most of them seem to have been swept away. I can’t see the other believers either. The sudden explosion killed most of the Saint Knights Order. Some of the ranged classes in the back survived, but they seem to have been swept away by the collapsing ground, and I am also trapped. My Savior…]
[Is anyone with you?]
[Jeong Ji-young… I’m with that bastard. My Savior…]