Chapter 458: Choice. The Great Hero? Or Magna Carta?
Chapter 458: Choice. The Great Hero? Or Magna Carta?
“Eeeek! I-I’m never going to use it! The Sword of Oaths? Don’t make me laugh! I’m absolutely never using this! No, that’s not right. Just you wait. Huh? When the miracle returns, I’m going to reset everything back to the beginning, so you just watch!”
“C-Calm down, Ahn Sol. You’re a savior, after all. A display like this is…”
“Savior, my ass! Hey, let go of me! I said, let go! Why is everyone so desperate to grab my arms? Huh?”
“U-Ugh.”
Ahn Sol’s resistance was fierce. Her words and actions were so rough and violent that even the unflappable Heo Junyoung was forced to take a few steps back.
Finally shaking her arms free, Ahn Sol huffed and puffed as she began to frantically pat her waist.
Watching the fuming girl, I tilted my head in confusion. I was the one who should have been flustered, so I couldn’t understand why she was the one throwing a fit.
However, the moment I heard her next words, a chill ran down my spine.
“It was Orabeoni’s kiss! And his first kiss, at that! Do you think I raised my Luck for nothing?! Huh?! I had hundreds of plans to be the first one to steal it!”
What? First kiss? No, wait. Hundreds of plans?
The moment I heard that, I immediately recalled our annual event.
That one day of the year when Ahn Sol and I would clash, frequently and with unusual intensity.
The situations had always been so perfectly timed that I’d never said anything about it, but… a thought suddenly struck me. What if all of it had been part of an intentional plan? Considering Ahn Sol’s Luck stat, it all made sense.
But lost in her extreme fury, seemingly unaware of what she had just blurted out, Ahn Sol violently drew the Sword of Oaths she had vowed to cherish. Then, with her small, dainty hands, she began to beat it relentlessly.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
“Bad! Bad!”
Still, seeing her teary eyes and hearing her choked-up voice, it was clear she was genuinely upset.
I reflexively glanced at the others who had already shared several kisses with me.
Daeun and Hanna. The two women shot Ahn Sol an incredibly guilty look before turning their backs in unison and starting to whistle. Hanbyul immediately eyed them with deep suspicion.
The situation had changed in an instant. As the surrounding commotion gave me a throbbing headache, I took out a cigarette, intending to clear my head.
It was then that Shin Jaeryong walked over with a bitter smile.
“I see Miss Ahn Sol is still herself. I was truly worried when she first came to the fortress, but it seems I don’t have to worry anymore.”
“I suppose so. But why do you look so bitter?”
“Your expression isn’t much better, Clan Lord. Hahaha.”
“…I suppose it’s proof that we’re thinking the same thing.”
Right. This is the Ahn Sol I know.
The flavor filling my mouth was incredibly bitter, and I quickly exhaled the smoke. I gestured with my eyes, offering him one, but Shin Jaeryong calmly shook his head.
“I’m fine. Ah, Clan Lord. Allow me to congratulate you first. With this, we’ve rescued Hyun and the clients, and we’ve also conquered the Sleeping Dragon Mountains. The Northern Continent will be shocked when we return.”
I nodded. Personally, I thought it was still a bit early, but the clan members who didn’t know the full story would assume it was mostly over.
“Hmm. What’s the condition of the rescued Users? They didn’t seem to show any signs of waking up.”
“That’s because they’ve been unconscious for a long time. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but for now, their physical condition is excellent. Still, just in case, I’ve collected a small sample of that unknown substance. If any of them fail to wake up, I plan to research it and create a cure.”
“As thorough as ever. Well done.”
“It’s my duty, of course. Haha…”
Watching Shin Jaeryong’s awkward laugh, I let out a faint sigh. Then why can’t she do something so obvious?
I seriously wanted to ask, but I managed to swallow the words.
After clearing his throat once or twice, Shin Jaeryong spoke in a calm voice.
“By the way… Clan Lord. What are your plans now?”
At his question, I carefully scanned the ochre-colored walls surrounding the clearing. At the same time, I recalled the man’s words.
‘Once you have finished your business on the first basement floor, there is a path to the second basement floor.’
The man hadn’t specified where it was. That meant there was a high probability that the passage to the second basement floor was in this very location.
As I continued to look around, I began to organize my thoughts one by one.
The second basement floor is where the dragon was sealed. The dragon broke through the ground from the second basement floor. That means the place must be located further below the hole we entered through.
When my thoughts reached that point, I raised my gaze upward.
The spot where we had been standing just before levitating down. As I traced a line straight down from there, I could see it clearly. I flicked away the half-smoked cigarette.
“Clan Lord?”
“User Shin Jaeryong. Please gather the clan members.”
I replied lightly to his curious question and walked forward without delay.
As I got closer to the wall, it was much more distinct than when I’d seen it from a distance. I pressed my hand against it and rubbed. Just as I thought.
Though faint, I could feel the distinct texture of a raised, rectangular shape on the wall. It seemed to have been a sliding door, but it must have sealed shut over the years.
I forced my fingers into a crack I barely found. The gap was so tight my fingertips could hardly fit, but I managed to get a hold. I then pushed sideways with all my strength, and a cracking sound, pa-deu-deuk, echoed.
It was harder than I expected. Then again, thousands of years had passed; it wouldn’t be easy to open with ordinary strength.
With that in mind, I immediately summoned my magic and channeled it into my right arm. Then, with my enhanced strength, I shoved the door with everything I had.
CRACK! CR-A-A-ACK!
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!
The wall began to crack and burst along its frame, and then, with a harsh roar, it started to slide to the right. Riding the momentum, I pushed the door completely open, revealing a pitch-black space and a staircase leading down.
By then, the commotion in the clearing had died down. Shin Jaeryong must have faithfully carried out my order, as I could hear the breathing of the clan members behind me.
I was briefly concerned about the rescued Users, but they were all asleep anyway. Deciding I could be back quickly, I opened my mouth and spoke quietly.
“It seems there’s still a place left to explore. We’ll leave the rescued Users here for a moment. Let’s head inside.”
After speaking, I took the first step forward.
*
The path down to the second basement floor was deeper than I’d thought. About thirty minutes had passed since I first stepped onto the stairs, yet we were still descending.
Of course, we were moving slowly to watch for traps and other potential dangers.
But was it finally coming to an end? At some point, the sphere of Light floating ahead of us stopped as if it had been blocked by something.
I paused. Focusing my vision, I stared at where the light shone and saw a color of pitch-black, steeped in darkness.
Moving closer to inspect it, I saw a large iron door covered in severe rust and etched with all sorts of geometric patterns. I used Third Eye to check if it was a magic trap, but the information that appeared showed nothing unusual.
I quietly raised my hand and bent my four fingers forward, leaving my thumb out. It was the signal to prepare for any contingency, as I was about to open the door and enter.
Thankfully, this iron door had a round handle. I counted silently in my head as I gripped the metallic ring. On the count of three, I took a couple of steps back and pulled the door open in one motion.
GRIIIND! GRROOAN!
It offered considerable resistance, but eventually, the door creaked open with a heavy, metallic groan.
At that same moment, the interior of the second basement floor—the place where Magna Carta was sealed—was finally revealed.
The inside was brighter than I’d expected. Looking up, I could see a massive, gaping hole and the blue sky beyond it. As I’d predicted, this was where Magna Carta had broken through.
Lowering my gaze again, an interior nearly the size of the clearing above came into view. Magna Carta must have caused quite a ruckus, as the ceiling was completely destroyed, but the surrounding gray brick walls made it feel like I was looking at a great assembly hall.
And the magic circle drawn on the floor was enormous.
Seven circles, overlapping like the Olympic rings, filled the entire hall. Countless other patterns were inscribed within them, but they were, of course, symbols I didn’t recognize.
Daeun scanned the interior with slightly narrowed eyes and spoke in a cool voice.
“It feels… just like the Summoning Room.”
She was right. The seven stone monuments arranged in a circle around the hall and the grand magic circle drawn around them were different, but the high platform in the center resembled an altar where an angel might sit.
Another strange thing was the two orbs floating silently above the altar, one emitting black light and the other white.
I observed the hall for a moment before slowly walking toward the altar.
“Kim Soohyun. Be careful.”
“It’s fine. Just stay on standby.”
I responded to Heo Junyoung’s warning with an order to wait.
One of the reasons I held an unshakable position in the Mercenary Clan was that I always took the lead whenever a dangerous task like this arose.
In reality, I was checking everything with Third Eye before acting, but the clan members who didn’t know the full story might see it differently.
When I finally reached my destination, I couldn’t help but tilt my head. The intense chill that washed over me as I got closer was one thing, but the altar was so high it almost reached my chest.
No. Is this not an altar?
Looking closely at the side facing me, I saw a long line, as if drawn by a sharp blade. It looked as if it had a lid, and if I lifted it, it seemed like something would be inside.
That wasn’t all. The top of the altar was also strange.
There were small indentations where the two orbs floated, and in the center of the top surface were seven neatly arranged spheres. The fist-sized spheres glowed with a faint green light, radiating an unusual energy.
I had a feeling that touching them carelessly would lead to trouble.
Finally, there were two concave sections on the lower-central face. Their shapes resembled human hands, forming fan-like imprints pointing in different directions. Each pointed toward the spot where the black and white orbs were floating.
I quietly stared at the handprint-like shapes on the altar.
Then, I calmly raised my hands and fitted them into the indentations. I waited for a reaction.
…
But the reaction I expected didn’t happen.
I fell into thought for a moment before summoning a large amount of magic. After sending it through the circuits in my body and into both arms, I projected it into the wall, just as I had before.
And just as I had been steadily pouring magic into it for about ten seconds…
A change finally began to occur.
Wooooong!
FWOOOOSH!
For a second, my palms grew as hot as if they’d been burned, and then a brilliant light erupted from the shapes I was touching, flooding my vision with white.
I reflexively tried to pull my hands away, but I quickly changed my mind and calmly closed my eyes.
A moment later.
When I felt the light that had been pounding against my eyelids begin to fade, I cautiously opened my eyes.
And in that instant, I saw it.
The world before my eyes had completely changed.