Chapter 72
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Harvest
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It was the sixth day since we set up our base camp.
Our group was packing up.
More precisely, we were swapping out the things we'd brought with the things we'd gained.
"Toss this one. That too."
"No, we should at least take the pot..."
"Shut up. It's just heavy."
Kain booted it with a thud, sending it flying into a corner of the forest.
A clear metallic clang rang out, and we bid farewell to the soup wrapper we'd grown fond of over the past few days.
We weren't exactly rich enough to discard household goods without a care...
But there was no real need to cling to them either.
Right now, far more important—and heavier—things were piled up in front of us.
Far more valuable things.
"......That's a lot."
Magic beast parts were strewn all over the ground.
First, the right front hooves from fifteen Hardboars.
Compared to the left hooves or the rear ones, these were exceptionally large and sharp—the proof of our commission's completion.
Without them, our reward would be for nothing, so they were essential.
Then there were four gleaming magic stones. Some came from the Hardboars we'd butchered, others from the Deadwoods we'd beaten down after unlucky encounters.
But those were small in volume.
The real haul, making up most of what we had, was something else.
"......How much is all this worth?"
"Even after processing fees and commissions, we'll get at least fifty gold."
These were the toughest, best-preserved sections from the Hardboars' back hides, carefully cut out.
Three to four kilograms per beast—putting us close to fifty kilograms total. An enormous quantity.
They were stacked neatly, like overlapping school bags.
"Fifty gold..."
That was side income alone, excluding the commission fee and magic stone prices.
It felt like fair pay for all our hard work.
With stakes like that, who cared about a bulky, cheap pot?
And so, we ruthlessly ditched the cheaper, heavier items from our original load.
No bed? Sleep on the ground. No blanket? Use hides.
Right now, this stinking pile of hides looked warmer and cozier than the finest goose-down quilt.
"We leave at dawn tomorrow."
Kain muttered as he finished sorting the luggage.
"When we take down the tent... grab the cloth. Leave the frame."
"Got it."
After sorting for a while, we were left with only true survival essentials, dumping the rest in a forest corner.
No sorting bins or waste stickers here. It was wilderness in an uncivilized world anyway.
We filled the empty space with the valuable hides until our backpacks looked ready to burst.
They felt even heavier than when we'd arrived.
"Hngh...... Urk!"
I tried gauging the backpack's weight, but straining my groin made me yelp in pain.
"......Fuck."
I awkwardly pressed my legs together, breaking out in cold sweat.
Baekrin had stomped me so viciously yesterday that the throbbing hadn't faded.
She'd claimed to hold back, but it felt like a hydraulic press to me.
Baekrin, standing nearby, smirked at the sight.
"Such a baby."
"......Shut it."
I shot her a glare and tightened the backpack straps.
Damn bitch. Just you wait. I'd pay her back someday.
Anyway, packing was done.
One last good rest here tonight, then move at first light tomorrow.
Our destination: Red Rock, the meetup spot with the merchant caravan leader.
If all went smoothly, we'd arrive by evening.
That'd leave us with about half a day before the promised noon eight days from start.
"Better a loose schedule than a tight one."
Who knew what the world might throw at you?
We had a long trek ahead. Rain could pour, or we might run into another beast horde if unlucky.
No harm in moving early.
Arriving ahead and waiting was less stressful.
"Alright... time to deal with this."
I rummaged in my pocket and pulled something out.
The Roen-whatever epaulet.
Without hesitation, I tossed it into the crackling campfire.
Whoosh.
The cloth caught fire instantly, the ornate decorations charring black and melting in the heat.
I didn't know whose family crest it was, but who cared?
It was trash from the sea anyway.
Whatever pride or honor it held for someone turned to ash and scrap before my eyes.
I watched impassively.
"Bye now. Whoever you were."
Evidence destroyed. Clean as could be.
One thing left.
"This... better bury it somewhere away from camp."
The epaulet could burn, but this metal wouldn't melt in a puny fire like this.
Just dumping it on the forest floor felt risky.
If someone found it and realized, "Hey, isn't this Imperial Army gear?" and reported it... headache.
Burial was safest.
"Yeah, do that."
Kain nodded, jerking his chin at Baekrin, who was blankly staring into the fire.
"Take her with you."
"......Where?"
"To bury it. Somewhere away from here."
Baekrin looked annoyed but stood without complaint.
"Don't go too deep. Find a spot with thick trees and bushes, cover it well."
"Don't worry. I'll hide it so no one finds it."
We left Kain and Noy at camp and headed deeper into the darkening forest.
I was still waddling like a penguin, of course.
.....
Rustle, rustle.
About thirty minutes into the woods.
"......This should do."
I stopped and looked around.
A gloomy, secluded spot surrounded by dense shrubs and vines.
There'd been plenty of deserted areas on the way, but caution upon caution never hurt.
"No lunatic would dig here."
I picked a suitable spot mentally and drew my dagger from its sheath.
Crouching, I gripped it backward like a hoe and started digging.
Thud, thud.
The sharpened blade sliced into the soil easily.
A high-end weapon made for carving people, now playing in the dirt.
The blacksmith who'd forged it would weep, but not my problem.
It was getting buried and bye-bye anyway.
Baekrin kept watch around us.
I sweated buckets, digging until it felt deep enough.
About forearm depth.
Clang!
"......?"
Not the dull sound of dirt, but a clear, sharp metallic ring echoed through the forest.
What the fuck? A rock?
I frowned and stabbed down again.
Clang! Clang!
"......"
Too smooth for a buried rock. The echo was different too.
Like tapping a stone slab or solid lid...
"......Hey."
Baekrin, who'd been watching with arms crossed, spoke lowly.
"Move."
"Why, what is it?"
"The sound's off."
She nudged my shoulder, crouched, and pressed her ear to the ground, tapping the soil with her finger.
Then she looked up at me with a strange expression.
"It's hollow underneath."
"......?"
"Empty space."
......What?
I stared blankly at the hole I'd dug.
Empty space? In the middle of this forest, under the ground?
"A tunnel or something?"
"Dunno. But it's not solid dirt."
Baekrin sounded certain.
She had killer instincts, so probably right.
I swallowed and carefully brushed away more soil by hand.
A dark, flat something emerged through the dust.
Looked like a man-made stone slab.
"......No way."
Under here...
"Someone hid treasure?"
"......!"
That lit the fuse.
Forget beasts.
We scrambled like possessed, flipping earth everywhere.
Two money-grubbers with gleaming eyes.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I'd become a human excavator.
Groin pain? Deleted from my brain ages ago.
Financial therapy was miraculous. Pre-deposit painkiller effects.
"......Here! Different sound!"
"Fuck off!"
Baekrin pressed her ear down, tapping frantically.
Two beasts smelling gold, kicking up dirt in the woods like mad.
About twenty minutes of frenzied digging.
"......Found it."
A clear outline under my fingers.
Not a treasure chest full of gold and jewels, sadly.
"......A door?"
A flat stone slab about a meter square.
Rusty iron ring handle crudely attached in the center.
"......"
"......"
We stared at each other.
Reason flickered back for a split second.
"What now?"
I broke the silence.
"Get the old man?"
By the book, yes.
Unknown space meant putting Kain, the veteran, out front was safest.
Our party's pilot, after all.
But.
"......Let's check first."
Baekrin licked her lips.
"Nothing there, we leave. Something is... call then."
"......Yeah."
I nodded too.
Not skimping on the old man's share. Just curious.
Come this far and not peek inside? With our dicks hard from excitement? No way.
"......No idea what's in there."
Money? Thanks. Sketchy? Bail.
"Open it?"
"Do it."
I gripped the ring with both hands, braced, and pulled.
"Hngh, cha......!"
Rumble.
Long-sealed, it grated heavily as the slab lifted.
Ptoo.
I spat dust and peered down.
"......"
Dim, but a deep tunnel gaped, big enough for a person.
A musty, damp underground stench wafted up.
"Let's go in."
I grabbed a dry branch without hesitation.
Tore a strip from my clothes to wrap it, drizzled Baekrin's oil, lit it.
Whoosh.
Improvised torch lit the dark.
"You first."
"......No ladies first?"
"Move it."
Baekrin shoved my back.
I grumbled but stepped into the pitch-black hole.
.....
The underground passage was longer and wetter than expected.
Floors slick with moss, walls dripping water droplets.
Man-carved yet eroded into a natural cave over time. Eerie.
Crackle, crackle.
Only my footsteps and torch sounds broke the silence.
How far did we go?
"......?"
Sudden presence in the open darkness ahead.
"Who goes there!"
A shout, and a black shadow lunged from the dark.
Rusty axe aimed at my skull.
"......Fuck, you scared me!"
I jumped back.
Never expected people in this dank tunnel. Punching first?
But before the axe hit,
Thunk.
A blade buried in his forehead. Baekrin's kunai.
Crash.
He crumpled without a scream, dead instantly.
"......"
It happened in a flash. I gaped at the corpse.
"Keep the light steady."
Baekrin's indifferent voice from behind.
She stepped over the body, yanked the kunai free, flicked blood off, and pressed on.
Ah... so hold the view clear upfront.
"......Reliable mistress."
I calmed my pounding heart, torch in left, dagger gripped tight in right.
Stepped carefully, breath held.
Moments later.
The narrow passage widened into a vast cavern.
Old lamps studded walls, lit bright—no torch needed.
Straight ahead: a massive stone door, bigger than the one outside.
We froze instinctively, hugging the wall.
"Now what?"
I whispered low.
"Killed one already... might be more beyond."
"......Hmm."
"Better backtrack, get the old man?"
Baekrin hesitated too.
She pondered, then nodded in agreement—
Screeech!
—the stone door opened. Three armed men burst out.
"Intruders! Grab 'em!"
So quiet like mice, yet spotted.
"Fuck this!"
No time to think.
Tossed the torch, reversed my dagger grip, kicked off the ground.
The first swung a heavy sword.
Clang! Claaang!
Heavy block.
Not amateur street thug—proper power, trajectory.
Whoever he was, trained.
"Ngh!"
I deflected and twisted away.
Claaang!
Wrist stung.
His was a hefty longsword; mine a forearm-length dagger.
Reach disadvantaged, weight mismatch inevitable.
'Fuck, blocking'll snap it.'
Thin blade screamed each heavy chop, but
Clang! Claaang!
"......?"
It bent dangerously but held. Amazing craftsmanship.
"You little rat......!"
He grew furious at my blocks and the tiny blade's resilience, swinging wilder.
Reach gap forced me back.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Sword winds grazed my nose, cold sweat pouring.
This way, I'd be cornered and diced.
Keep retreating? Dead.
To break this shit situation...
One answer.
'Get in close to live.'
I eyed his big overhead wind-up. One opening.
"Die!"
As his sword descended to split my skull,
I didn't dodge—charged into his guard.
Bam!
"Guhk?!"
My forehead smashed his nose.
Crack—nasty snap, head snapped back.
I seized the collar, slammed him down.
Thud!
Straddling him,
Stab! Thud! Thud!
"Kheh...... Urk!"
First thrust missed into dirt—no matter.
Second, third. Frenzied stabs at his neck.
Hot blood sprayed my face like a fountain.
"Die! Die, you fucker!"
Until his eyes rolled back, limp.
I didn't stop slashing. Breath ragged.
Then, blue flash nearby.
Slash!
Baekrin spun, curved sword cloaked in blue aura.
The other two raised weapons to block, but
Clang turned to meat-slicing sounds.
Their swords and axes snapped; bodies diagonally cleaved to the waist.
Plop.
Upper halves tumbled.
Overkill, slicing gear and all.
"Aura user!!"
Shout from inside.
Five more armed men poured through the door.
Behind them, a gaunt man in black robes emerged slowly.
Pale as a drowned ghost, bald, Voldemort-ugly.
"......Hmm."
He glanced indifferently at the corpses,
raised his bizarre staff high.
"......■■■ ■■■■■...!"
Lips moved in unknown chant,
Boom!
Staff struck ground; transparent wave rippled through the cave.
Hummm!
Ears buzzed like flies inside—nauseating.
"Now...... your auras are......"
Baldy smirked triumphantly, voice scratchy like throat issues.
Slash. Thud.
My fuckbuddy, first-wife candidate, mistress...
Slash. Slash slash slash. Thud.
"......unusable......?"
She'd sliced all the charging men—except the monster-faced baldy.
Finally, she dismissed the blue aura on her sword,
"Hoo......"
exhaled held breath,
"......Aura, so?"
tilted her head at baldy.
"......Huh?"
Baldy's dumb voice echoed emptily in the cave.