Heroes Converge on Akham Basin
The man heralded as the hero of the martial world's debut kept his eyes fixed on the Akham Basin. And the Golden Leaf Investigator was heading there as well.
The Golden Leaf Investigator wielded authority equivalent to that of an elder from the moment of her appointment. She was also an envoy from Elvenwood at the same time, meaning she would be treated as an honored guest in any kingdom on the continent. That is, if she were human. She probably wouldn't have come to such a perilous wasteland alone. She would have sought cooperation from the nearby Grayrim Territory, and in the process, might even have joined forces with the hero Gunter. But Iris Selena was a fairy. Among fairies, she was an ascetic living in isolation like a lone island in the depths of the Great Forest. That was why she had come to the Akham Basin by herself.
If Zain and the Guard Captain had approached from the western boundary of the basin, Iris—starting from deep within the Great Forest—arrived at the eastern edge. The sun was setting. The sun in the sweltering Great Forest burned far redder than the one in the west. It was as if the sun itself was setting the sky and clouds ablaze. In real time, the shadows of everything beneath the earth stretched longer.
An elf's eyesight rivaled that of an eagle. Her eyes scanned the entire basin. That didn't mean she could immediately spot Pellelian's dungeon, of course. But Iris had experience. The light observed even from the World Tree. And the signal detected through the crystal orb. She had the approximate coordinates and bearing locked in her mind, derived from those clues. She also knew the kinds of places that old archmage favored for building his dungeons.
Without hesitation, Iris leaped from the cliff. A stark contrast to how the Guard Captain and Zain had carefully rappelled down.
Thud.
It was a height sufficient to cause certain death from a fall, yet it produced only the lightest landing sound. Iris gave her legs a quick stretch, then immediately broke into a run. Her movements were as light as a deer's. She searched the Akham Basin.
Even with her knowledge and experience, the basin was vast. She methodically checked the most suspicious areas first, one by one. Her process was as precise as clockwork.
At last, she found Pellelian's dungeon. A spark of life finally flickered in her eyes.
Pellelian's dungeons were so numerous that pinpointing their exact count was impossible. He had numbered them himself. Among the discovered ones, the most recently built—based on estimates—was numbered 623.
The floor tiles of the passage leading to the dungeon were rigged with traps. Iris breezed past them effortlessly.
"...An early dungeon."
She thought as much upon seeing the crude traps installed within. A stone door appeared.
"Cockatrice?"
There lay the fully decayed corpse of a cockatrice. The monster had made Pellelian's dungeon its lair. But it too had been hunted by someone, it seemed. The rotten flesh bore marks of being gnawed in places.
Iris felt disappointed. Pellelian didn't seem to be here. If he were, he wouldn't have let such a monster take root, and if he had slain it himself, not even ash would remain.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock—seven knocks. And the stone door opened.
Iris surveyed the dungeon interior. And she discovered something crucial.
"Someone has been here..."
Someone had already come and gone. Traces of habitation were unmistakably left behind.
Whether an earthquake had struck or not, Iris approached a half-twisted vault door. 'This is an early dungeon, but... this vault is on another level.'
It was an odd dungeon. The design style and shoddy traps were typical of Pellelian's early works. But this magic vault belonged in his later dungeons. Considering the centuries between early and late constructions, it was anomalous.
She could form a hypothesis. The dungeon had been built centuries ago, but Pellelian had stayed here sometime within the last hundred years. A century was an absurdly long time for humans, but not for elves.
"So close... I should have come sooner."
Iris muttered as much. If a snake species that considered fifteen years a ripe old age heard that, they'd find it absurd.
Iris began dismantling the vault. The door was warped enough for a gap, but not wide enough for a person to pass. Even at best, a fist wouldn't fit. All of Pellelian's clues had to be gathered. There might be valuables too.
Dismantling that vault was an incredibly arduous task. Iris spent a full two hours before finally breaking the exposed hinges.
Clang! The shattered door gave way. Iris entered the vault interior. Only then did she realize it was completely empty.
"..."
A few scattered books were all that remained. Fresh dust marks clearly revealed the thief's handiwork.
'How in the world...'
Iris began ransacking the dungeon. She found many things. First, an intercept golem draped in a helmet and cloak, now powered down.
"..."
A dream? The thought crossed her mind for a moment. She couldn't even imagine how it had been defeated in such a state.
And a shattered tank. Here, she realized Pellelian had been crafting a chimera. She even found the chimera's shed skin. The experiment must have failed, with the chimera escaping alive on its own.
"It must be eliminated."
'Eliminate the chimera and recover the specimen.' Iris set that as her course of action.
As she turned to leave the dungeon with regret, her foot stopped. A single portrait hanging on the wall had halted her.
True to his narcissistic nature, that old monster Pellelian had hung his own portrait. A wrinkled face unbecoming of an elf. A smug smile. Time had layered thick dust upon it. But whoever had stayed here had scribbled graffiti on the portrait. Likely finger-drawn by wiping away the dust from the painting.
Yet the script was utterly unrecognizable to Iris's knowledge.
'What is this writing? No, a drawing?'
What kind of script was this?
"...Rune script?"
Iris's knowledge of magic was relatively lacking. Given it was Pellelian's dungeon, it might be some magical marking. In any case, for some reason, it felt oddly familiar.
Iris met the eyes of Pellelian in the painting. Her mood soured. With a flick, she drew her broadsword.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh! A single swing produced a barrage of air-ripping sounds. Soon, the portrait of Pellelian shattered into pieces and fell.
Iris turned away with a cold expression. The fairy investigator would hunt the chimera.
Whoooosh.
The wind was a bit rowdy today. I felt a surge of manly spirit welling up within me. Then I recalled the knight who suddenly kissed my ring, souring my mood. Madman, kissing a clear-cut man like me.
A leaf fluttered over and slapped against my face. I shook it off and looked back at the sky. Clear, piercing weather. A blue sky meant this was a good spot for hunting the chimera. The damn thing crawled underground anyway but always popped up in open clearings like this. That was why I'd encountered it near the cliffs.
I hadn't understood at first, but now I had a hunch. It dug tunnels. And the massive trees of the Great Forest extended deep roots underground. Naturally, it would dig around those roots.
Proof that I'd fully grasped its habits. The chimera wasn't highly intelligent. It fell for traps every time. Or maybe its overconfidence made it think it could win anyway?
Today, I'd finish it off. Truth be told, I'd licked the blood it shed last time and sucked the flesh from its severed leg, but the evolution tree didn't update. I guess I need to gulp it down properly to meet the conditions. Catching the chimera won't fail to trigger it, right? Anyway, time to give it my all.
To lure it out, I'd naturally prepared bait. The ground was soaked in monster blood, and atop it sat a wild boar-shaped clay model. Yes, a real clay model, not an actual monster. One I'd made with my freshly leveled Beginner Elemental Magic: Earth at level 4.
The thing underground would swallow the boar model none the wiser. And freak out at the taste of dirt. But I hadn't gone through this hassle just to prank it with flavor. It had taken a full day to craft.
Rumble-rumble. Yeah, come on out. I'd finished my preparations.
Rumble-rumble-rumble. It burst through the earth. Man, doesn't it ever get tired? It always tries to swallow in one bite without chewing. That gluttony was helping me this time.
It crunched and swallowed the clay doll. A chimera that shrugged off neurotoxin-laced wild boar. But this time was different.
"Queeeeeek!"
The chimera let out a scream of agony. Blood sprayed from its mouth like a fountain. How? I'd packed the clay doll with swords, arrows, spears—like a porcupine—and covered it with dirt. Coated in neurotoxin, of course.
"Queeek!"
It spat blood continuously, thrashing wildly. But no signs of instant death.
[Enraged], [Berserk], [Poisoned], [Murderous Intent], [Post-Molt], [Vulnerable]
It had evolved its 'Carapace' skill to 'Iron Shell' a few days ago. But post-molt, that tough shell softens—a weakness. Two full days since then. Its shell still looked soft.
"Saaaaah!"
I roared and charged. It hadn't regained its senses yet. Now was the chance. Time to test the technique I'd honed over another full day.
I accelerated in close. And gripped in my tail—not anything else—was a shortsword.
Elven Broadsword. That strangely light blade. Now I could even hold it while running. My body structure made proper swings impossible, of course. But I had skill assistance.
Borrowing Horn lv4: Slash lv1
A skill borrowed from the chimera last time. An advanced form of Cut. And after experiments, I'd learned: with a proper blade, Slash's effect doubles.
I succeeded in slithering between its legs.
Slash lv1
The swing's force was probably weaker than a child's. Yet the skill-empowered blade fulfilled its purpose.
Schwick—
The sword precisely severed the leg joint. Spurt— Blood fountained from the stump. I dodged past it.
Once more, Tai Chi Sword Form!
Thwack! This time, it didn't cut the joint cleanly. But still, one leg was severed midway.
It recoiled in shock, trying to grab me. Like tap-dancing on its remaining legs. Funny from the side, maybe, but not for me, the target.
Bam, bam—one stamp from those legs and I'd be done. But a swordsman's senses sharpen in crisis. My mind finally reached the realm of Heart Drop Listening.
Ugh! Nearly died for real. Just one more, one more time.
Slash lv1
This skill guzzles mana. But my blade finally severed another leg. It tilted sideways.
Schwick—Boom!
Three of eight legs gone—it had to fall.
"Queeeeeek!"
Still full of fight, huh? Come at me. I'll handle you, Sword Snake of the martial world's debut.
Ting! Oh no. The broadsword flew off after hitting its leg. Tail grip's too weak. Well, whatever—swords aren't my specialty anyway. I never dreamed I'd sever three legs.
Now the real cooking begins.