Unearthing the Buried Secret
"I don't know yet. Whether he bought it because of the gold bar or for some other reason. I need more details to figure it out."
With a grrr, it replied as if saying everything would be clear once I dug up the ground.
Hanyaseong shook his head and headed to the stream to prepare the ostrich's two legs. He planned to roast one and make soup with the other.
Back at the shelter, he rubbed grape seed oil on the ostrich leg, skewered it on a spit, and set it up by the bonfire. It sizzled as the leg cooked, fat dripping steadily.
He split the remaining leg in half—one wrapped in plastic and buried underground, the other chopped into chunks and tossed into a soup pot. He ripped open two packets of instant ugoji hangover soup, added them to the pot along with chili powder and seasonings, and set it to simmer.
Hanyaseong, feeling exhausted, lay down on his bedding to rest. Digging every day left his body heavy and aching. Today, he thought, he should skip the digging and just relax.
After sharing the roasted ostrich and soup with Yadongi, his belly full, he took a stroll to the temple ruins. Seeing the massive pit—two meters deep and fifty meters wide—filled him with pride tinged with frustration. No telling when or what they'd find; it was just exhausting.
But he had to keep digging. There was nothing else to do. He had to uncover something.
Hanyaseong scrapped his plan to rest that day and climbed back into the pit, shovel in hand, scooping earth once more. Digging had become a habit; skipping a day left him uneasy.
Though it wore him out, Hanyaseong kept digging, day after day.
Three months passed like that. Finally, something appeared.
That morning, mid-dig, his shovel struck the ground with a deep thunk—followed by a sharp clang! of metal.
Something had hit the blade. The first time in five months of digging.
Hanyaseong's scruffy, bearded face twisted in disbelief.
"What the...?"
It felt like striking a chunk of metal. He couldn't hide his excitement. Five months of backbreaking labor... not even able to screw a woman, reduced to jerking off now and then.
He'd been dying to return to that other world but held back without any gains. How badly he'd wanted to fuck seniors Choi Yujin and Jang Euna, to taste their pussies—he'd suppressed it all, slaving away with the shovel. Now, finally, the reward. Tears welled up.
"N-no way..."
Hanyaseong tossed the shovel aside and clawed at the dirt with his bare hands. The past three months had deepened the pit to five meters—too steep without a ladder.
Like a dog, he scraped furiously. Something cold and hard pressed from below. He dug wildly until a black metallic mass emerged.
"Uwaa!"
Hanyaseong gasped in shock. Touching it confirmed: metal. Real metal. After five months, he'd found it.
It was enormous underground. No—the entire pit floor seemed made of it. Like a spaceship or submarine. Whatever it was, it wasn't ordinary.
Overjoyed, Hanyaseong leaped up with a cheer.
"Yes! I found it!"
Like striking oil during drilling. He bounced around, euphoric. Hard times over; happiness begins.
His shouts drew wild animals to watch. Yadongi yawned from the shelter, peering at the pit.
Hanyaseong gulped water, savoring the thrill, then climbed out via ladder. Staring down, he realized his mistake: he'd dug too wide. Should've focused one spot downward. Fifty meters across...
Who knew it'd be five meters deep? Lucky it wasn't ten or twenty—that could've taken years. Five months was a relief.
Elated, Hanyaseong lay on the ground to rest. Exhaustion hit; eyes drooped. Daily shoveling had worn him ragged. Relief and triumph washed over him. Smiling, he fell asleep right there.
He woke in the afternoon as dusk fell. Staring blankly at the metallic lump in the pit, his initial frenzy had calmed.
Now, excavate it—or find an entrance. Reveal what it was. The digging wasn't over. Its full size? Unknown. Maybe a massive ship buried beneath.
The real uncovering started now.
"Alright, let's do this."
First, dinner. He headed to the shelter. Yadongi curled up on the bedding, blissfully relaxed. That thorn in my side... While he slaved, the pet lounged. Envy boiled.
Yadongi's luck was unreal.
"Hey, something turned up. Is that a spaceship or what?"
Grrr—it demanded food first. Treating him like a maid. No choice; he cooked.
Couldn't act rashly with Yadongi knowing things. Thanks to it, he'd adapted here. Reina knew nothing without her pet. He had to keep Yadongi sweet, use it.
He stir-fried bibimbap in the pan, shared it, then pressed again.
"Is that a giant's thing? What were you to the giants?"
No grrr this time—just eating. What was it to the giants? It knew plenty, so it must've lived in their era. Maybe tens of thousands of years old.
If only it'd talk instead of just eating. Hanyaseong shook his head.
"Fine, I'll handle it alone."
With something found, he'd work through the night if needed. He finished bibimbap and returned to the pit. Darkness meant fire: he stacked wood for a roaring bonfire, then grabbed the shovel.
Clang, clang—it kept hitting the metal, slowing progress. Like archaeology, he chipped dirt gently, then dug by hand.
Gradually, a massive shape emerged. Submarine? Spaceship? Unclear. After two hours, ten meters of black metal showed. Just the top, yet huge. Maybe colossal.
Hands sore, weary, he stopped. Tomorrow.
He yearned to uncover its identity soon. That would unravel the gold bar's secret too.
Regretfully, he washed at the stream and slept.
The next day, excavation continued. Less grueling now—purposeful, revealing secrets. Blind digging was torture; this was smoother, enjoyable.
Whole day scooping, yet thrilled. Over two weeks, the outline clarified: a massive spaceship. Dug two more meters; no bottom. Still just the upper part. Aircraft carrier-sized? Bigger, maybe. Alien ship, larger than Earth's carriers. Sky-scraping height possible.
The surface wasn't mere metal or gold—something tougher. Space travel demanded superior alloys, he guessed.
Anyway, Hanyaseong kept at it. A month later, rations gone, five meters down—he found a massive door-like panel. Etched with bizarre, unknown shapes. Like those on the gold bar.