Chapter 101
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Into the Red Hole
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Abel opened his eyes and immediately sat up, gazing toward the source of the noise.
There, he saw several dark gray Gigants marching in one direction.
Each one bore a fresh emblem on its shoulder, and their armaments were all uniformly standardized.
“It looks like a knight order out on patrol.”
As he stared blankly at the sight, a familiar voice soon reached him.
It was Jackal.
Abel swept a hand over his face and spoke.
“Our paths must have overlapped.”
“Yes. We did set our rest point along the knight order’s patrol route, after all.”
Abel nodded at Jackal’s words.
He was right. He had already anticipated running into the knight order once or twice while scouting Red Hole.
It had just come sooner than expected—and right in that hazy half-asleep state—so it had startled him.
“But if they’re headed that way, we’ll need to tweak our route a little.”
“Yes. Otherwise, we’ll be staring at Gigadeus Fragment remnants all day.”
No matter how one sliced it, hunting remained the top priority until they reached the vicinity of Red Hole.
Trailing the knight order would be safe enough, but hunting would obviously be off the table.
“Then let’s eat while we replan the route.”
It was a bit earlier than their usual wake-up time, but Abel got fully out of his seat.
It was that awkward hour where falling back asleep felt pointless.
With that, Abel held a quick meeting over a simple meal before setting off once more.
‘Here’s hoping a strong one shows up today.’
Lowest-grade or low-grade packs weren’t bad for profits, but they left something to be desired.
For one, in terms of combat experience, Abel definitely craved fights against stronger specimens.
And the biggest letdown was “abilities.”
‘I didn’t snag a single one in yesterday’s battles.’
Even during field training—or any other hunt—he’d pick up at least one eventually. But not the day before.
‘If this were a game, it’d mean weaklings just don’t drop abilities anymore.’
Of course, reality and games were worlds apart, but he couldn’t think of any other explanation.
That was why Abel yearned to cross paths with a mid-grade fragment.
-I’ll scout with everything I’ve got.
When he bundled that sentiment and relayed it to the others, they all responded with spirited voices.
As they pressed on, signs of a knight order battle came into view.
Likely a mix of lowest-grade and low-grade, judging by the traces—which drew an involuntary sigh of admiration.
-Most went down in a single blow.
Jackal’s voice held the same note of awe and surprise.
The prowess of proper Gigant riders like the knights was no joke.
Abel nodded several times before speaking.
-Take the left path here, as planned.
-Yes!
At Abel’s command, they resumed their march.
For a good while after, no Gigadeus Fragments appeared.
The knights’ battle noise had probably drawn every aggressive one in range—and sent the cowards fleeing—so it was only natural.
They finally encountered one nearly two hours after setting out.
-Lowest-grade pack. Clear them fast and move on.
These were the same fragments they’d routinely bumped into upon entering Red Hole.
Abel drew his sword and charged as he issued the order, while the others accelerated to follow.
Thirteen enemies in total.
But they didn’t hold out even five minutes.
A Midget latched onto the corpses to harvest the valuable parts, and they were off again.
* * *
Day three.
Abel and the mercenaries had finally arrived in the vicinity of Red Hole.
They’d fought plenty of battles getting here, but no serious damage yet.
Even when they’d run into a mid-grade fragment midway.
‘No casualties is great, but...’
Abel’s expression was complicated.
‘No real gains to show for it.’
And understandably so—they hadn’t acquired a single ability the whole way.
Not even after he’d personally lopped off that mid-grade’s head.
He knew it didn’t trigger every time, but the disappointment lingered.
Still, brooding over the past wouldn’t change a thing.
Abel quickly shook off the regret and turned his gaze to the distance.
‘So that’s Red Hole.’
There sat the pit that had given the area its name.
Its surroundings carried an especially reddish tinge, matching the moniker perfectly.
-Entry preparations are complete.
Just then, Jackal returned with the report.
They’d arrived near Red Hole about an hour ago and immediately set up a temporary camp for final checks.
It was only natural—no rest once they went inside.
With his eyes fixed ahead, Abel said,
-Red Hole scouting is limited to eight hours, as per the contract. And we can abort anytime if we spot a life-threatening situation.
-Yes.
-We stick together only up to the entrance.
That had been a precondition from the original contract.
Deeper in, the mana grew denser.
They’d brought mana barriers, but Titos couldn’t withstand the depths.
But that was merely the surface-level excuse.
The real reason was different.
‘Better to head to the Gigadeus remains alone.’
Having a crowd offered no advantages there.
Once inside Red Hole proper, the intense mana aside, there wasn’t much else to worry about.
The knight order managed it rigorously, so Gigadeus Fragments hardly nested within.
-Then let’s head in.
-Yes! Hey! Time to move out!
At Jackal’s shout, everyone powered up their Gigants and gathered nearby.
Only Abel and three mercenaries headed for Red Hole.
The rest would hold at the temporary camp.
Hauling byproducts would just hinder them, and even with mana barriers, Midgets couldn’t handle Red Hole’s mana.
Leaving two Titos behind should cover any stray fragments that wandered too close.
Thud-!
Abel took point, descending the slope.
Red Hole rushed toward them.
The mercenaries trailed right behind, mana barriers deployed.
-Hmm. The mana density’s pretty thick.
As they drew quite near, Lupus suddenly spoke up.
Abel asked him,
“You can feel that?”
-Feel it? Absolutely. If I had a body, it’d be hard to even breathe.
“Fascinating.”
Abel’s Gigant came equipped with a powerful mana shield.
So he sensed nothing from inside.
-A normal human approaching bare-skinned wouldn’t last a full day around here.
“That intense?”
-Yeah.
Mana granted humans great power, but it wasn’t harmless.
Past a certain concentration, it turned toxic.
Otherwise, nobles and the wealthy would’ve trained under insane mana densities.
Abel kept walking—and conversing with Lupus—until they reached the pit.
Peering down, he could make out the bottom.
Not insanely deep, but too far to simply jump.
Abel turned to Jackal.
-Set up the ropes.
-Yes.
Jackal promptly hurled the coil from his shoulder toward the pit.
Meanwhile, the other mercenaries placed their prepared stakes on the ground around it.
Bang! Bang-!
Together, they drove stakes thicker than a Gigant’s forearm deep into the earth.
Once the stakes were set, Jackal securely fastened the rope to them.
Made for Gigant use, they could easily hold a Miles-class’s weight.
-I’ll go first.
Jackal took the lead, gripping the rope and descending into Red Hole.
He rappelled down with practiced ease, soon reaching the bottom and waving to signal all clear.
Next came Abel.
He grabbed the rope and eased himself into the pit, accompanied by a creak.
The sound from the rope.
‘Knowing it won’t snap doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking.’
Abel descended as carefully as he could.
Thud-!
His feet hit solid ground, and relief washed over him.
The deputy captain followed down the rope.
The last one stayed topside to guard it.
The interior scouting team: Abel, Jackal, and the deputy captain. Three in total.
-Which way?
At Jackal’s question, Abel scanned their surroundings.
Red Hole’s interior felt cavernously huge by human standards, but aboard their massive Gigants, it was just like any ordinary cave.
Two passages branched off from their landing spot, and Abel pointed left.
-This way.
-Yes!
-Got it.
This time, the deputy captain took point among the three.
His Gigant was the most suited for recon.
Abel followed behind him, while Jackal brought up the rear, watching their backs.
‘Feels like that field training.’
Abel gripped his weapon tight, a past moment flashing in his mind.
Wandering ruins with May.
The only similarity was navigating tight passages, but the tension felt just as keen.
-Clean in here.
Then Lupus spoke up again.
He rarely chatted outside combat, but Red Hole seemed to pique his interest.
Abel replied aloud.
“The knight order cleaned it out recently. We planned the schedule around that.”
-Hmm, too bad. Battles in a place like this would be pretty fun.
At Lupus’s ominous remark, Abel fell silent a moment before responding.
“You’ll get your fill of fights before we head back, so don’t worry.”
-Kuku. Music to my ears.
Lupus’s ego was sharpening by the day.
For now, he seemed content with his host body and Abel’s growth—but he could turn in an instant.
The moment he grew dissatisfied, Lupus would try to devour Abel.
That risk had been part of the deal from the start.
-Another fork ahead.
After some walking, they hit another split.
Abel unhesitatingly pointed left again.
-Stick to left turns at forks for the time being.
-Got it.
Red Hole wasn’t some uncharted mystery.
The knight order came down periodically to hunt and maintain it.
They probably even had interior maps.
Yet no one had ever found the Gigadeus remains.
That was why, though explorers once swarmed here seeking them, recent years saw hardly any visitors.
They’d combed every nook without result.
‘Normal methods just won’t cut it, naturally.’
The Gigadeus remains were a hidden piece, if anything.
No casual playthrough ever led to them before the ending.
Of course, that didn’t apply to Abel.
Luck played a role, so he didn’t snag them every time—but he’d claimed them dozens of times at least.
-Won’t we just loop forever like this?
After repeated lefts at forks, Lupus asked in a curious tone.
Abel gave a simple reply.
“Yeah. We’ll be back at the entrance soon.”
-You’re doing this on purpose?
“Obviously.”
The first way to reach the Gigadeus remains: endlessly circling Red Hole’s interior.
-Until when?
“Until when?”
Abel smirked as he answered.
“Until the path shows up.”
They’d been inside Red Hole for one hour now. Seven remained.