Chapter 218
Chapter 218
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: Death Knight
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sodmora's north gate.
Beyond the north gate stretched a path leading to a massively torn canyon.
It was such a hugely rent canyon that one might imagine it forming if a colossal giant dragged a pitchfork across the earth—vast and majestic.
I'd never been overseas, but I imagined the Grand Canyon, that place I'd always wanted to visit someday, must feel just like this.
"Wow—."
Standing atop the cliff, I gazed down at the scenery.
Between the endlessly plunging canyon walls lay an invisible darkness so profound that when I tossed a pebble down, not even the sound of it hitting bottom could be heard.
This was Manticore's Valley.
A demonic realm teeming with horrific monsters.
Demonic realm.
Yes, a demonic realm indeed.
A place uncharted by humanity, where even Silver Tier adventurers roamed in search of mysteries and the world's secrets—an unconquerable domain. And it lay just half a day's journey north of Sodmora, this massive canyon.
Imagining what monsters might swarm below sent a slight chill through me.
"Hassan, the view here's amazing!"
Luna, however, shouted as if this dank hell-pit were some stunning vista. Of course, she had a point; it was a magnificent landscape.
Paranoia even tilted her chin up, staring entranced into the depths like she'd been bewitched. One slip on that slick edge, and it'd be a straight trip to the afterlife.
"Paranoia, careful. Fall in, and we won't even recover the body."
"Huh, Manticore's Valley... It's beyond the rumors.... Indeed, thinking of fearsome lions and half-human siren beasts overflowing here... It's utterly terrifying.... No wonder a famed Death Knight might lurk in hiding...!"
Just as Paranoia said.
It truly felt like a named monster could have nested somewhere in these depths without surprise.
But we'd come on a whim, and with the canyon spanning several kilometers, I honestly had no clue where to even start searching.
"Hassan, let's eat lunch first and then get going!"
"Yeah, sounds good. Paranoia, pull out the mat and lunch."
"I'm always the one spreading the mat...!"
We had a meal of dry flatbread, decent chunks of meat, and something like yogurt from the leather pouch.
Once we'd finished eating, a lazy drowsiness settled in, leaving us fatigued.
Rumble rumble rumble—.
Suddenly, a massive earthquake roared from deep underground. Luna and I dropped flat; even Paranoia hit the dirt, and we could only wait it out.
An earthquake?
Living in Korea, I'd led a life mostly free of them.
But on Gaia Continent, they happened more often than I'd thought. At least once a month, it felt like.
Rumble rumble rumble—.
This one was intense, though. The ground shook so violently I worried the canyon might collapse.
Good thing we'd finished eating; if it'd hit mid-meal, chaos would've ensued.
After the quake subsided, we checked for damaged gear or injuries as we stood.
No major harm, fortunately.
"Indeed, Typhon's Valley.... His grudge still lurks deep underground, seeking to destroy the world...!!"
"Typhon's Valley? What's that?"
"Doesn't Master Hassan know of the great monster Typhon? The beast that once routed Jupiter. Father of monsters. Child of Earth and the Abyss, living cataclysm—."
"Wait, child of Earth and the Abyss?"
I'd heard 'child of Earth and the Abyss' before, from Gogrig's explanation of the infernal lords.
Gigantes.
Gigantes in plural.
Were these beings—grinding their teeth in the abyss's depths to upend the world's order—connected to this massive quake?
Paranoia continued.
"They say Manticore's Valley was torn open by Typhon's wingbeats.... His spilled blood became the monsters drifting over the world, and his writhing creates these earthly fissures, sowing chaos...!"
Wingbeats carving a canyon.
People in this world sure loved hyperbole.
Yet.
Given recent events I'd seen and endured, it felt eerie enough that I couldn't dismiss it as mere Paranoia delusion.
"Typhon still thrashes in the deep abyss, desperate to break free...!! The continent, the continent is in danger...!! It was the Pluto cult's role to watch the earth and underworld, ensuring they couldn't escape. But with the Pluto cult's power fallen to dust, no one monitors them now...!!"
Watching Paranoia overreact snapped me out of it, though. She really was delusional.
"Ahh—!!"
Right then, Luna—who'd been quietly listening—yelled loudly. Her eyes flew wide, and she bolted off somewhere.
"Hyoht!"
Luna even dove like a seasoned goalkeeper blocking a shot, hand outstretched to the ground.
Puff—.
Amid a puff of dust, petals swirled in the air, and what Luna lifted triumphantly was an utterly bizarre creature.
"Whoa, shhht—! Hassan, look! A snake! Snake! Caught a snake!"
In Luna's hand dangled a vividly patterned snake with striking black-and-white cow-like markings. Cow Snake, maybe, if I had to name it.
The real oddity was its head. The thing's head split freakishly into two.
Shhht.
A two-headed snake.
A twin-head serpent.
Pinched at the nape, it writhed, coiling its tail around Luna's wrist in escape attempts, but to no avail.
Shhht, shhht, shhheeht—!
"Shhht shhht! See? Just like it! Shhht!"
Luna seemed thrilled at catching it. I'd figured her new habit of 'shhht' sounds mimicked snakes. She liked spiders and snakes.
"Gonna use it for potions?"
"Nah, you don't use these snakes for potions. Time to let it go."
Shhheak—.
Luna tossed it back into the grass. Then why catch it? I'd thought I knew her after all this time.
I still didn't get parts of Luna's logic.
"These guys make finding paths easier!"
She'd caught it to guide us. How's a snake supposed to do that?
Oblivious to my thoughts, Luna addressed the wriggling serpent on the ground.
"Shhht, shhht, shhheeht—."
My brain struggled to process.
What was happening?
Just then, Paranoia—who'd been packing the backpack—shuddered violently.
"Th-this is snake-tongue...! Lady Luna is wielding that unholy serpent's hiss—! To use Typhon's language, such blasphemy can't be allowed...! We must stop her...!"
"What're you on about."
"Paranoia, quiet! I'm talking right now—. Shhht—."
My head spun.
That very moment.
Sss, ssssus—. Shssus—.
The released snake circled us a few times, nodded toward us, then slithered off slowly somewhere.
"Hassan, follow it! It says it'll guide us!"
"Guide to what?"
"A huge place where a skeleton sleeps! The Death Knight we're looking for!"
"O—."
* * *
I'd heard of guide dogs for the blind.
But a guide snake? First time.
Luna tied a thin thread-like string around the snake's nape, then to her finger.
It made her look like an owner walking a leashed snake across the field—snake-master style.
Ssssusuk—.
The cow-patterned twin-head serpent glided fluidly through the grass, us trailing behind.
Truth be told, I doubted if this snake was really guiding us, or if Luna had truly spoken with it in some snake lingo.
"Th-this is surely a trap...! That two-headed snake is luring us into doom...!"
"Shut it. You're making me nervous too. Luna, we good just following?"
"Honestly, no idea. I only learned snake up to intermediate. Advanced is high-level herbalist territory; couldn't progress."
What.
Unease crept in.
Right then.
Srrk, srrruk—.
The little two-headed snake circled beneath a boulder. A massive one—at least a ton easy.
The serpent—which had led us fine till now—suddenly acted odd, leaving our group puzzled.
"Hassan, something's gotta be under here!"
"The maw of a horrific manticore...! Master Hassan, Lady Luna! Turn back now...!"
"Who said bring this guy?"
"You did, Hassan."
"...Right. Stay quiet, Paranoia."
"But why's it circling? Is this rock special or something?"
Thinking maybe some marker or sign around the boulder, we scanned the area.
Just ordinary grassland, distant cliffs, and a chill west wind.
Then trembling Paranoia piped up.
"Pluto priests sometimes sealed underground fissures with sturdy boulders.... This might be one...!"
So not the rock itself special, but something beneath? On a hunch, I shoved the boulder with all my might.
Groooar—.
A heavy, ominous rumble echoed around.
"Such foolish brute strength...! Lifting that massive boulder...?"
Paranoia gawked in shock.
But the rock didn't budge.
My strength fell short. Or rather, I had power enough, but felt my back might snap first.
So I used Luna's moai totems, burning Karma.
Ding, ding—.
『Name: Hasan Lv. 22 → 25
Strength: 12
Agility: 4
Stamina: 6 → 9
Karma: 255 → 55
Blessings: Chaos's Blessing | Shining Hand | Night's Armor』
Decent bonus stats popped, pushing Stamina to 9. Superhuman from 10, right?
Level 25 now—leagues beyond Bronze newbies, on the cusp of true Silver Tier veteran.
"Hoo—. Hold up—. You rock bastard, you're done."
I clapped my palms, jammed my club into rock crevices, leveraging to pry or roll it.
"Huuuup—!"
Groooar—.
The once-immovable boulder now vibrated massively, eerily.
"Hassan, I'll help!"
"I'll try something too...!"
Paranoia and Luna clung to it. Three of us heaving, the boulder finally yielded, tumbling its bulk aside.
Gooo—.
Beneath yawned a fairly deep burrow. Felt familiar—seen one recently.
Like Gogrig's tiny goblin kingdom. Linked to cliffside caves?
Unsure, but feathers showed inward airflow.
"Hassan, something's really down there! Thanks, shhht-shhht—!"
Srrk, ssusrub, shhheeht. Srr, sssus, shhht, shhht—.
Answering Luna's thanks? The snake's heads chattered. Curious, I asked; she said, "No idea!"
Luna was half-baked outside potions.
"Anyway, Hassan, let's head in. Feels like a real adventure—heart pounding!"
"Fearsome monsters might lurk...! Why else seal the entrance with such a boulder...!"
Luna thrilled, Paranoia cautious—both valid.
After mulling, I decided: send a bone mouse scout first.
As they debated caves, I slipped bone shards from my pocket, sprinkling them like sauce.
My fistful became a mouse-sized bone pile, forming a little bone mouse.
Too small for goblin, it made a bone mouse instead.
Bone mouse: my made-up name. Perfect sneaky scout.
I whispered to it.
"Go. Scout ahead—. If safe, return wagging tail."
Clack.
It vanished into a crevice.
"Hassan, what now? Mark it and call more folks?"
"Turning back sounds wise... Bad vibes...!"
They sought my call. But I awaited my sentry.
Staring awhile, clacking echoed from within.
Bone mouse returned.
Tail wagging wildly—no big threats.
"Let's go in."
We crawled into the narrow burrow.
"Master Hassan, the burrow's tightening...!! The earth, the earth closes in...!"
"This guy's at it again."
Noted: leave Paranoia next time. We entered the cramped tunnel.
"Spacious. Paranoia, got a torch? Light it up?"
Luna spoke; Paranoia rummaged her pack. Flint struck—crack crack—and flame bloomed.
We lost words at the sight ahead.
A vast cavern inside the cliff.
And within: something enormous.
Utterly enormous.
"Master Hassan, a dragon...! A dragon, there's a dragon...!"