Chapter 135: The Well of Chaos (6)
Chapter 135: The Well of Chaos (6)
Breaking through the floor time and again, I finally reached my destination.
The sewers, where murky wastewater flowed sluggishly.
The place where I had been staying recently.
Thud.
Landing on the walkway, I reverted the drill I had used to burrow through the ground back into a hammer and scanned my surroundings.
So, after all that wandering, this is where I end up again.
If Old Man Li had just told me sooner, I wouldn't have wasted so much time. Or would I? Did Kim Tae-jun run away because I went there?
Hmm. I’m short on information.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a smirk played on my lips.
What does it matter?
I don't need any more information than this.
Since Old Man Li said so, Kim Tae-jun will be here. And I’m just here to take care of him.
I vented my surging emotions into the rod and let the corners of my mouth curl upward.
I wonder what exactly is even here...
Just as I was about to track Kim Tae-jun’s scent to pinpoint his exact location—
Slosh.
A bizarre sight entered my field of vision.
"...What is this?"
The viscous wastewater that had filled the sewer—sludge so thick it usually sat stagnant in the central channel—was moving.
For some reason, it was flowing rapidly.
Swiftly and naturally, like water in a river.
And Kim Tae-jun’s scent was drifting from the direction the wastewater was flowing.
"...."
I don't get it.
What the hell is going on?
I’ve experienced all sorts of anomalies, but it’s been a while since I’ve encountered a situation this incomprehensible.
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived here like it was my home for about a week. It felt like my familiar daily life had been filthily desecrated.
Well, it doesn't matter.
An intellectual-type Hero like the Librarian might stop to contemplate this phenomenon, but I’m a physical-type Hero.
I simply crush The Enemy in front of me.
With that thought, I kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The ceiling collapsed, bricks raining down, and the pipes they struck buckled and warped.
Wastewater began to pour out like a waterfall, but since it was falling behind me, it didn't affect me directly.
I continued to sprint forward, destroying everything in my path.
Through the pitch-black sewers, devoid of even a sliver of light.
Following the faint scent amidst the stench.
Following the flow beneath my feet.
Toward the place where the culprit behind all of this waited.
I simply ran.
* * *
How many minutes had I been running?
Light began to appear in my vision.
A grotesque light that shifted between red and blue, seeping into the walls of the black sewer.
Am I here?
I tried to push forward, but I was forced to come to a halt.
The floor had vanished at the end of the sewer, the very terminus of the tunnel I had been sprinting through.
A dizzying precipice loomed before me.
What is this hole?
I leaned over and looked down, but I couldn't see the bottom.
It was a deep, deep chasm that couldn't possibly be considered a normal place.
To grasp the nature of this void, I looked around.
Normally, being underground, it should have been so dark that nothing was visible, but this place defied such common sense.
Red and blue lights were crawling up the walls, making them glow.
However, that light could hardly be called normal.
Is there such a thing as a light that doesn't illuminate its surroundings?
The light climbing the walls dyed them in its own colors like the evening twilight, allowing me to clearly see the shape of the walls stained in red or blue.
But the center of the chasm was different.
As if unaffected by the light on the walls, it was a darkness stained pitch-black.
If there is light, it should illuminate the dark, yet this darkness rejected providence and sat in the center like a pillar.
I channeled mana into my eyes to pierce the gloom, but nothing came back.
Left with no choice, I turned my head to examine the walls of the chasm.
Countless exits.
Wastewater pouring from those exits.
Waterfalls made of filth.
An endlessly plunging void, as if all the sins of Nanjido were converging at the bottom.
I sniffed the air, wondering if he had gone upward, but the only scent present was the stench of wastewater.
"...Nothing for it, then."
Thump.
I kicked off the edge and hurled myself into the darkness.
I felt the sensation of an endless fall.
There wasn't even any air resistance; my clothes didn't flutter, and there was no chill brushing against my skin.
There was only endless acceleration.
During the continued fall, I organized my thoughts, preparing for the final battle.
Distorted light.
Non-existent air resistance.
The viscosity of the wastewater that had suddenly vanished.
Distortion of physical laws.
I searched my memories, but I didn't recall hearing the voice of Otherworld Erosion.
In that case...
It’s either an Otherworld or the inside of a Hole.
"Sigh."
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
I came here to find one guy, Kim Tae-jun, and now I’m on an Otherworld tour. What a mess.
To be precise, it doesn't seem like an Otherworld just yet.
The physical laws are still more intact than I expected.
At the very least, I’m falling downward, and my senses feel normal.
That means the basic physical laws are following our side.
If so, it’s best to assume I’m either close to a Hole or already inside one.
"I never felt like there was a Hole here, though..."
In my experience, if this place were near a Hole, there would be a whirlwind of physical malice.
A special case? Or is it not a Hole?
Regardless, it’s certain that something equivalent to one is here.
"I should have brought Un-ho."
Given the atmosphere, I could see an O-Rank Monster popping out and I’d just go, "Ah! I see!" and accept it.
If that happens, I’ll have to release all my limiters...
But what’s the use of regretting it now?
I’ll just have to make do with what I have.
Presumed to be inside a Hole.
There’s a time limit on top of that.
And Un-ho isn't here.
"Haha. This is a real headache. Haha."
My dry laughter echoed through the silent chasm.
Listening to the reflection of my own laugh, I continued to fall.
* * *
How long had I been falling?
I’m almost there.
Ground where red and blue lights overlapped alternately came into view.
I was about to collide with the surface.
I summoned my hammer to prepare.
Normally, I wouldn't need it, but...
ROAARRR!
Flames blasted from The Hammer toward the ground, and my descent began to slow.
Under normal physical laws, there would be a Terminal Velocity, and I’m confident I could withstand a fall from anywhere, but under these current laws, there’s no guarantee my body would hold up.
So, I used The Hammer to briefly hover in the air, then spun it once and landed lightly on the ground.
"Up we go."
Once on the ground, I checked my body as I walked toward the center.
I rotated my shoulders.
Shoulders: no issues.
I tilted my head until it cracked.
Head: no issues.
I gripped one wrist and shook the other.
Wrists: no issues.
Before stepping firmly, I shook my legs.
Legs: no issues.
There were no problem areas.
Well then. Shall we?
Boom!
I kicked off the earth and sprinted toward the center of the chasm.
The place where the darkness spewed from.
The place where all the filth gathered.
Toward the spot where a man was standing.
And then, he turned to look at me.
The moment I saw his face, one thought came to mind.
...Is this really the same person?
He looked so different from the man in my memory.
The neat, composed Man in a Suit was nowhere to be found; instead, I saw a man who was completely broken.
His hair was riddled with holes as if he had developed alopecia areata.
His jaw was misaligned.
His eye sockets were sunken.
His cheekbones protruded from his gaunt, withered face.
The frame of a decent-looking man remained, but everything else was ruined.
"Y-y-you're here!"
He opened his mouth.
I could see inside.
Missing teeth and shattered teeth.
That must be why his jaw was such a mess.
"Because of you, Black Marauder... do you know how happy I’ve been?"
I could feel genuine happiness in his voice. A bizarre emotional manipulation that even made me feel a faint sense of happiness.
He’s insane.
"That happiness destroyed me! Thank you! Thanks to that, I met Him! He even gave me candy! Because He felt sorry for me!"
Even as I drew closer, he spread his arms as if performing in a play and spewed grand nonsense.
Candy...
Does he mean a Black Seed?
He’s fallen.
That settles it.
There’s no need to hold back anymore.
Since he’s corrupted, he should be able to stay alive even after a beating from my hammer.
I straightened my body from its low-to-the-ground charge and adjusted my grip on The Hammer.
To end this before he could do anything. Putting all my strength into it.
Thud.
In a single step, I reached Kim Tae-jun.
Facing him, a nauseating stench wafted into my nose.
A smell that even I, accustomed to the stench of Nanjido, could hardly bear.
The stench of a corpse that shouldn't come from a living human body.
To erase the source, I swung my hammer.
Hard, since my limiters were already significantly released.
Infused with my rage.
A massive shockwave erupted as a precursor, shaking Kim Tae-jun’s body, yet his smile didn't fade.
He held both arms up as if praising the heavens, simply continuing to laugh.
Even as the shockwave struck and rattled his body, he kept laughing as if it didn't matter.
If that’s your choice.
He’ll probably stay alive even if I blow away his lower half.
Vroooom.
The Hammer made contact with Kim Tae-jun’s skin.
A solid sensation.
I definitely dealt damage—
Whirr.
A string hummed.
Kim Tae-jun vanished.
Damn it.
The moment I realized he was gone, I threw The Hammer aside and summoned a gauntlet to protect my neck.
Boom!
The discarded hammer shook the earth.
Clang!
Amidst the massive roar, a delicate metallic sound rang in my ears.
A twisted Sword-breaker.
The moment I identified it, I immediately kicked my leg backward.
Whirr.
The string hummed, and he vanished.
"...What are you doing?"
I threw the question into the darkness.
"......"
No answer came back.
Whirr.
What returned was the sound of the string and—
Skreeeeeeek!
A black dagger swung at incredible speed.
I immediately re-summoned my hammer to parry most of the attacks, but...
I couldn't stop the stinging pain from spreading across my body.
A thinly sliced elbow.
A severed fingertip.
A linear gash carved into my forehead.
They weren't fatal, but they were certainly threatening injuries.
As I continued to endure them all, the rain of attacks ceased, and the lull I had been waiting for finally arrived.
...Is it over?
First, the bleeding.
To stop the pouring blood, I activated the special function in my clothes while simultaneously speaking.
"Quilp. What are you doing?"
I spoke toward the rat Mutant standing far off.
With red eyes and a staggering gait, he was panting heavily. As if this single attack had exhausted him.
...Something’s wrong.
Quilp is catching his breath?
The guy who prides himself on overwhelming speed?
Sensing the anomaly, I stared intently at him, and Quilp lifted his head.
Shedding tears of blood and foaming at the mouth, he raised his hand as if to attack.
Tch.
I had no choice but to raise my hammer to block, but—
Clatter.
The Sword-breaker fell from Quilp’s hand.
As if enduring something, he slowly reached into his shirt.
"Cough."
Vomiting blood, he pulled out a green rod.
...Wasn't that a recovery item? What on earth is happening?
Not understanding the situation, I waited for a moment.
Crunch.
Quilp stabbed the rod into his heart.
"Cough. Gack. Haa... haa..."
As if he too were in pain, Quilp continued to vomit blood while looking at me.
"...What is it, Quilp?"
"R... Cough."
Blood gushed out.
"Run... away. Master Lee Ha-ram... They are..."
Boom!
Before Quilp could finish his sentence, another sound rang out.
An explosion, as if something had detonated.
Splash. Splash.
The sound of something falling into a pool of water.
【FIШ乥રચફે૮વ】
Everything was dyed in darkness.