Level Up Machine 086: Forgotten Ones' Tomb (4)
-Thud! Thud! Thud!
With every step of the colossal something approaching, the ground trembled violently.
"Yeong-sik, this is..."
"Shh."
As Tiriya tried to say something, Yeong-sik placed a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to stay quiet.
-Thud! Thud!
It's getting closer.
Yeong-sik frowned at the growing sound.
'Scan.'
-Tsssh.
Transmitting surrounding terrain information as visual data.
-Whirr.
A faint noise hummed in his mind as the surrounding information flooded in. A 3D graphic of the terrain and the guardians approaching them materialized in his head.
Three of them... A total of three guardians heading this way.
It was hard to gauge their full power from the scan alone, but he didn't feel the overwhelming pressure of something utterly unbeatable.
The problem is, if we start fighting them, the others might come running...
From the scan, these were massive guardians nearly five meters tall. Fighting them silently was impossible—pure nonsense to even hope for. With only two of them here, if the other guardians heard the noise and swarmed, they were done for.
Tiriya and he possessed power far beyond ordinary summoners. If Yeong-sik suited up, the two of them could handle monsters like Rekras with ease. But even with that strength, they couldn't sweep through hordes of enemies alone. Sure, against 20- or 30-level mobs, maybe. But these guardians closing in were elite monsters, at least level 90. Even a slight numerical disadvantage would leave them no way out.
And Tiriya's the real issue.
Yeong-sik's expression hardened as he glanced at Tiriya, who was holding her breath, tense.
Right now, she wielded far greater power than him. Without his suit, she'd crush him unilaterally. But unlike his mechanical body, which felt fatigue minimally, she was a normal human. She tired much faster. No matter how strong—no matter if she could shatter mountains—that was why even a single powerhouse couldn't handle masses of foes.
Humans got exhausted. It wasn't just humans, either. No creature, not even lifeless golems, could move infinitely. That was why numbers mattered most in war. Even one pair of hands had limits.
-Thud. Thud.
The footsteps were now right in front of them. He could sense the guardians moving beyond the crudely laser-cut wall.
Tension etched across Yeong-sik's face.
-Thud.
It stopped.
Right in front of where Yeong-sik and Tiriya hid, the guardian's footsteps halted. Using scan, Yeong-sik checked its movements. The guardian in the passage had turned its head toward their hiding spot, staring intently.
Damn it!
Thinking they'd been spotted, Yeong-sik grimaced fiercely. He crouched slightly, ready to charge forward at any moment. No choice now but to take out all three as fast as possible and find a new hiding spot.
An eternal silence descended.
Yeong-sik and Tiriya held their breaths completely, not even daring to exhale, staring fixedly toward the guardian.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Tiriya's forehead.
-Thud. Thud. Thud.
The footsteps resumed—but this time, receding into the distance.
Yeong-sik and Tiriya maintained silence until the sounds fully faded. After about ten minutes, no more footsteps echoed.
"Phew."
"We're lucky."
Yeong-sik let out a relieved sigh and nodded.
"Thought we'd get caught in this shoddy hideout, but we pulled it off."
"Can we stay hidden like this?"
At her words, Yeong-sik let out a low hum.
Luck had saved them this time, but he couldn't guarantee safety here.
It did stop right in front, after all.
The guardian had definitely peered suspiciously through the thin wall. Staying put was too risky.
"Let's dig deeper in. This spot feels dicey."
"Yes. Let's do that."
Tiriya nodded at Yeong-sik's words.
Dungeon guardians typically patrolled fixed routes repeatedly. Staying here meant it'd pass right by over and over.
"I'll handle the digging, then." Tiriya raised a hand to chant, white light gathering at her fingertips. She could carve out a massive tunnel if she wanted.
"No. I'll do it."
"You, Yeong-sik?"
"Yeah. Better that way."
Yeong-sik activated his scan function as he spoke. With it, he could avoid digging toward other dungeon walls even through the earth.
As long as I don't hit the dungeon walls, we should be safe.
Preventing the mishap of breaking into the main dungeon again would let them hide without monster attacks.
"Stay back a bit."
"Yes, Yeong-sik."
Tiriya reluctantly pulled away from where she'd been practically pressed against him, a fleeting look of disappointment crossing her face.
Yeong-sik, missing it, turned around.
"Screw."
He rolled up his sleeve to avoid tearing his clothes and extended his right arm, activating only the 'Screw' effect from his enhancement skill.
Normally used for Rocket Punch's rapid spin-launch, it could be applied like this to rotate the arm while attached.
-Whiiirrr!
His right arm spun at high speed. Fingers straight like a blade, Yeong-sik pressed his hand into the dirt wall.
Chunks of soil scattered everywhere on contact.
Ignoring the dirt splattering his face, he advanced slowly.
Tiriya stared in slight awe at Yeong-sik's right arm, which defied human limits. Living so normally together, she'd forgotten how different his body was from a regular human's.
-Whirr.
Yeong-sik fired eye lasers too, pushing forward quickly. He wanted to full-charge an Energy Blast and blast through, but that would collapse the ceiling for sure.
"...This should do it?"
He murmured, scanning around. They'd gone twenty meters from the original spot, far from any walls.
Feels like being an ant.
Yeong-sik thought as he surveyed the spacious area he'd hollowed out for three days' stay. They looked just like ants building a nest in the dirt.
"Yes. We're safe this deep."
Tiriya illuminated the space with her power and agreed. She brushed dirt off her clothes and sat.
"One sec."
Yeong-sik still had work; he opened his inventory.
"Manufacture."
Pulling metal materials, he crafted supports to prevent collapse. Installing them all, he checked his inventory.
Full of dirt now.
It was saturated with soil from the tunnel. Turning to Tiriya, he said,
"Tiriya, can you store some dirt in your inventory? Mine's almost full."
"Ah, sure. Got it, Yeong-sik."
Locals here could use inventories like summoners, so no issue. After stowing the rest, Tiriya leaned against the wall, slightly fatigued.
"Alright. We wait for the others like this."
"Yes, Yeong-sik. Oh, I'll let them know we're safely hidden."
Tiriya described their spot via the communication crystal orb. Hearing it, the guild members let out hollow laughs.
-If you two get up to anything weird alone in that tight space, Guild Master, I won't let it slide later.
A-ra's furious voice crackled through the orb. Yeong-sik chuckled wryly and nodded.
"Don't worry, come on over. How's it there? No issues?"
-Guardians attacked a few times, but we handled them fine.
"Check in every hour."
Yeong-sik ended the call.
"Let's eat something."
"Yeah, I'm getting hungry."
They pulled jerky and water from inventory. Yeong-sik finished a finger-sized piece with a sip, but Tiriya, ravenous, downed three and a full bottle.
"Whew..."
Post-meal, Tiriya looked revived, leaning against the dirt wall. An odd silence settled between Yeong-sik and her.
As it lingered, Tiriya shivered slightly and spoke.
"Y-Yeong-sik."
"Yeah?"
"Um..."
Her voice was pitiful, on the verge of tears, as she glanced around.
Yeong-sik tilted his head at her suspicious behavior.
"What's up?"
"W-Well..."
Tiriya trailed off, legs squeezed together. Realizing, Yeong-sik let out a short "Ah."
"Don't tell me you need to..."
"Kyaaah! D-Don't say it!"
Tiriya bowed her head in shame. Yeong-sik smirked.
He barely excreted, so no issue, but her human body differed.
"Go use the front tunnel."
"N-No way! You'd hear everything!"
"Then what? We're stuck here three days."
"Ughhh..."
Tiriya glared at Yeong-sik, face beet-red. White light gathered menacingly in her hand.
"...What're you planning?"
"Hehe, hehehe... Don't worry, Yeong-sik. It won't hurt. Just pass out for a bit. A tiny bit."
Reason lost to desperation and embarrassment, she advanced on him.
"W-Wait, what the hell are you..."
Yeong-sik urgently tried to stop her, but she wasn't listening.
"H-Ho, hoot... It's okay, Yeong-sik. It might sting at first, but it'll feel good soon."
"What nonsense is this?"
Yeong-sik, uncharacteristically flustered, reached to block her.
"Hehe. Your resistance is so pitiful, Yeong-sik."
"The pitiful one's your head right now."
Yeong-sik stared incredulously at her panting form.
"Give up already, Yeong-sik!"
Tiriya charged at him in a bizarre, legs-clenched stance.