Chapter 151
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Sandwind Hill (5)
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The golem crafted directly by the ancient elves was far faster and more powerful than any they had encountered before.
Invisible threads of mana linked the seven constructs, making them move as one seamless entity. The slightest opening invited a chilling assault.
"No chance in hell!"
But the party's skills were no slouch either.
They were seasoned veterans of the fifth layer, and with Jun and Eleanor's support, their combat prowess had reached its peak.
In the end, the battle concluded with a clean victory for the group.
"Whew. Without you all, that would've been a real headache."
Jun nodded as Aiden sheathed his sword and approached.
"Yeah. I didn't expect to wrap it up this quickly myself. At this pace, we could finish the exploration in two or three days."
While the others took a breather, Jun closely examined the ancient elven golem.
'It operates differently from Tayya's Tear. Like the ones in the Black Forest, it's animated by spirits, but here the spirits' lingering will takes center stage. Impressive how thickly it still clings.'
No traps in sight, just these golems swarming in numbers if threatened. As Jun had predicted, the expedition was nearing its end by the third day.
"This seems to be the final gateway."
The scholars of the Issus Academy finally arrived at their ultimate destination.
They let out exclamations of awe upon spotting the massive stone door towering so high they had to crane their necks.
"Ooh... Look at this. Grooves carved for gems matching each color."
"A magitech device powerful enough to open a door this size?"
"I've seen contraptions of this caliber before, but never one so perfectly preserved!"
Unlike the scholars' excitement,
the adventurers and treasure hunters grew grim.
"What kind of size is that..."
"What's inside that they needed a door this huge?"
"This could get dangerous. Let's map an escape route just in case."
The stone chambers they'd seen so far were large, but nothing like this.
Which meant a correspondingly formidable foe might lurk within.
"I thought it was too easy with no traps so far."
"Could be overconfidence. If they've got something strong enough that traps aren't needed, it's plausible."
Jun, by contrast, remained calm compared to the others.
'All show on the outside. Nothing much inside.'
In the game, the chamber held only a shattered altar and the World Tree sapling curled in a round shape, as if embracing something.
Just those two things.
A short while later,
grrrrrumble...
the massive stone door ground open, revealing the interior.
"Ooh...! Relics preserved this flawlessly!"
"Incredible, truly incredible!"
"Look there! That brilliant blue glow! I can feel the immense mana from here!"
The curiosity-driven scholars rushed toward the altar first.
The rest of the party stayed back, ready for combat at a moment's notice...
"Senior?"
Jun's usually serene face twisted as if he'd been betrayed.
Aiden instinctively drew his sword at the sight.
He could now read the room just from Jun's expression.
Unlike the game's scene, the altar here was intact, and the World Tree sapling now cradled a massive, bluish gem it hadn't held before.
"Amazing... So this is it..."
"Step back!"
Jun's voice thundered, halting the scholars as they approached the sapling in wonder.
"W-What's wrong?"
"We haven't touched anything yet."
Thankfully, the scholars weren't reckless enough to touch it blindly.
They wore artifact monocles that detected mana, confirming the room was safe...
"It's already activated."
"Pardon?"
With his Demon God Body, Jun didn't just see mana—he sensed it on a broader scale.
Something had triggered the moment they entered.
And then...
grrrumble rumble rumble――
"Damn, too late."
Jun clicked his tongue at the faint vibrations.
"Mentrus! Grab the World Tree sapling now!"
"W-What's going on?!"
"A trap in the ruins has activated!"
The party sensed things turning dire.
The subtle tremors grew stronger, and dust rose from every direction.
They needed to escape immediately.
Acting on instinct, the treasure hunters bolted toward their pre-scouted exit.
"We'll light the way ahead—follow us!"
"Damn it! Meidan, snag the sapling!"
"What about that gem?!"
As someone reached greedily for the gem within the sapling,
Shield
Jun blocked the hand with Shield.
"The mana in that gem is beyond what any human can withstand. Touch it, and your body will explode!"
"...!"
Tss, tss-tss!
Dust from the ceiling evaporated on contact with the gem.
The adventurer swiftly abandoned his greed.
"Got the sapling!"
"Good, let's escape—move!"
As the adventurers fled, the White Whale Mercenary Corps escorted the slower Issus Academy scholars.
"B-But how long do we keep running?! If the ruins collapse right now, we won't survive either!"
"Better than standing still doing nothing!"
Sure enough, the ceiling of the chamber they'd just vacated caved in.
Was it a trap triggered by an unauthorized intruder opening the door?
The adventurers had no time for such questions.
All that mattered was the ruins collapsing.
But Jun's expression grew even graver.
'What if even this collapse is just a prelude to something worse?'
He instinctively recalled the gem cradled by the World Tree sapling.
That familiar gem was something he'd seen in the game.
And the monster powered by it...
"Scholars."
"Y-Yes, what is it?"
Even mid-sprint, they answered Jun's question.
"Do you know anything about the field boss of Sandwind Hill?"
There was only one famous field boss on the fifth layer.
Unlike prior layers, it demanded a full subjugation force.
But.
"The 'Windthorn Scorpion,' right? Huff... huff!"
No.
The Windthorn Scorpion was the desert's sole monster, but not the field boss.
Jun's suspicions solidified.
By then, he shouted to the treasure hunter leader far ahead.
"Maxwell! Not that way!"
"What're you saying, mage?!"
"Too late to reach the entrance! Head this way!"
"Where?!"
"That passage with the massive pillar!"
"Got it!"
The treasure hunters veered toward the giant pillar beneath the ceiling.
"Damn, the passages are already collapsing. Why here? We barely have time to move!"
Jun pointed at the pillar in response.
"We've wandered chambers for four days. No way out straight ahead."
"Then?"
"Lord Beden. Over here, please."
A scholar with the artifact monocle approached at Jun's call.
Jun brushed dust from a depression in the pillar and pointed.
"What is it?"
"Look closely—there's a mana circuit here."
"...! H-How? Mana circuits in an object?"
Mana circuits dwelled in living bodies, not stone pillars.
"Not important now. We need to activate it."
"You know what it does?"
"Last time, I traced it—the circuit leads topside. And the pillar's hollow inside."
Jun suspected it was an ancient elven elevator.
"Ah, that device!"
"Found in the seventh layer too!"
"No time. This could collapse anytime. Activate it first. Lord Beden, link the broken circuits with my mana."
Not lulled by game knowledge alone, Jun had scouted for opportunities.
Scholar Beden nodded, and Jun infused mana into the pillar's circuits.
'Good, it accepts the mana.'
The crack-like circuits glowed blue as scholars assisted with their expertise.
Soon after,
"It's working!"
"Opening!"
With a grind, the pillar's center parted like doors.
One treasure hunter muttered,
"What if it collapses mid-ascent?"
"We're dead. But running won't get us out anyway."
"True..."
No fifth-level body could sprint 24 hours straight.
Everyone piled in, and with odd noises, they ascended to the surface.
"It's collapsing!"
"Out, now!"
By the skin of their teeth.
Just before the pillar crumbled, they burst out of the ruins.
Landing in the sand below, they finally glanced back.
"It's... caving in from the inside..."
"And picking up speed."
"Without that pillar..."
As horrific imaginings surfaced,
"What's the nearest layer outpost from here?"
The scholars tilted their heads but answered.
"About a fortnight away. Why?"
"...We need to sprint there full tilt."
"Why? The ruins are collapsing, but no immediate threat—"
Kiiiiiing――!!!
Before the scholar finished,
a mechanical whir emanated from the collapsing ruins. Jun cut in,
"The ancient elves' guardian—the Colossus Soldier—has awakened."
It would later become Sandwind Hill's new field boss.
Living as the Mage of the Hero Party Chapter 152