Hwarba Ancient Ruins (Part 5)

“Come inside. We'll take the lead from here on out.”

“I leave it in your capable hands,” Dr. Felime replied, stepping across the threshold.

Since we were entering the deeper, more dangerous interior of the ruins, it only made sense for me to spearhead our advance. My Spatial Sense gave me an awareness of our surroundings that no one else could match. Minjae, Lee Shinhee, the doctor, and his assistant took up positions in the center, while Uncle and Yongyong brought up the rear. Yongyong had remarkably sharp instincts; anything that slipped past the perimeter of my Spatial Sense would almost certainly be picked up by the dragon first, as its sense of smell and presence detection reached farther than my current spatial range.

“The door isn’t closing behind us,” Minjae noted, glancing over his shoulder.

“Nothing we can do about that,” I said. Unfortunately, the stone gate we had forced open with Yongyong’s breath remained stubbornly parted. It would have been ideal if it had sealed shut behind us, but even if enemies caught up from the rear, it wouldn’t pose much of a problem. I could always block the corridor with my subspace. For now, since we were definitively the first to enter, our only immediate concern was the monsters ahead.

The moment we crossed the threshold, the ambient temperature spiked noticeably.

“Phew... it’s stifling,” Dr. Felime muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Are you holding up alright?”

“I can endure it.”

Uncle and I possessed innate Fire Resistance, while Minjae and Lee Shinhee carried Ice Stones, leaving the two of them comfortable enough. The doctor and his assistant, however, were ordinary scholars without such luxuries. The subterranean air was steadily heating up to match the sweltering climate before the gate’s transformation, so their exhaustion was entirely understandable.

With a low hum, I opened a pocket of my subspace and retrieved two Ice Stones, offering one to each of them. Their stamina was crucial to the expedition. There was no telling what lay deeper inside; we might stumble upon more critical lore regarding the Erosion of Mana, or encounter ancient mechanisms that required scholarly deciphering.

“What are these?” the doctor asked, staring at the translucent blue crystals in his palm.

“Ice Stones. Keep them close, and they’ll ward off the heat.”

“Were these crafted through enchantment? I can feel a distinct trace of mana within them. What a fascinating artifact... I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

“I received them from an acquaintance,” I deflected smoothly.

Dr. Felime looked at me with an odd, searching gaze. “Just who on earth are you? Carrying a living Red Dragon inside a bizarre dimensional fold, producing enchanted relics out of thin air...”

“I’m just an adventurer.”

“I will have to question Gerom thoroughly when we return,” the old scholar muttered. Then, his eyes widened slightly as a sudden thought struck him. He leaned closer, lowering his voice in awe. “Could you perhaps be... a polymorphed Dragon Lord?”

“...No.”

The doctor continued to stare at me with quiet suspicion.

“Seriously, no,” I insisted. “If I were a polymorphed dragon, why would I stuff my own kin into an extra-dimensional space? We’d just transform into humans and walk together.”

“A fair point,” he conceded, though the dubious glint in his eyes didn’t fade entirely. Is keeping a dragon in a subspace really that shocking? Then again, in almost every fantasy novel, dragons were treated as mythical apex predators of near-divine standing.

“Let's keep moving,” I said, ending the idle chatter and continuing down the path. The stone corridor sloped gently downward in a continuous descent.

“Are we heading into the heart of the dormant volcano?” the assistant asked timidly.

“Most likely,” Dr. Felime answered. “Hwarba was an Elemental King of Fire. It only stands to reason that his sanctuary would reside at the core of the volcano.”

True to their speculation, the heat thickened with every step we took. The walls flanking the passage were adorned with bizarre, ancient murals and runic script. One expansive fresco depicted dark, churning shadows engulfing Mount Hwarba while a colossal figure woven from blazing flame hurled columns of fire toward the heavens. It was as though the crimson inferno was actively burning away the encroaching dark miasma—the visual embodiment of the Erosion of Mana being consumed by primordial fire.

“...‘Hwarba set alight the mana itself with pure flame. Thus, this sanctuary endured the erosion longer than any other,’” Dr. Felime murmured, translating the archaic glyphs under his breath as we walked. It offered no immediate tactical advantage, but it fleshed out the historical tragedy hinted at by the murals outside.

“Halt,” I whispered, raising a hand.

Cracks ran along the sides of the path where ribbons of bright red magma lazily pooled, and from behind the stone walls came the muffled bubbling of a subterranean cauldron. As the ambient temperature surged even higher, spectral shapes materialized within the cavern passage up ahead. They were fire elementals.

—They are minor and low-ranking spirits, Master. Chunbae’s voice whispered in my mind.

Perhaps because we were still navigating the outer perimeter of the inner sanctum, the foes blocking our way weren’t particularly formidable. I considered cutting them down from afar with Wind Cutter, but quickly dismissed the thought. Engaging spirits of this caliber in hand-to-hand combat was a safe, efficient way to temper and raise my Fire Resistance.

The low-tier flame spirits squeaked in alarm as we closed the distance, but the skirmish was over almost as soon as it began. Their heat felt barely warmer than a soothing bath. When a tongue of fire brushed against my sleeve, a simple flick of my wrist was enough to extinguish it.

“Let me have a turn as well,” Uncle chimed in, stepping forward with his spear. “It’s not every day you get to fight an elemental.”

“Count me in too!” Minjae added eagerly.

Even when intermediate-grade flame spirits emerged further down the corridor, they posed little threat. Minjae and Uncle joined the fray, easily dispatching the creatures. With no branching paths or confusing labyrinths to slow us down, our progress was smooth and rapid—until we reached the entrance to the next chamber.

Unlike the previous boundary, there was no physical barrier blocking the path, but the lintel above the entryway bore those stark, carved words. Beyond it opened a massive subterranean cavern.

Naturally, turning back was out of the question. Reading the doctor's translation, however, made me wonder about one small detail. Yongyong was a Red Dragon, wasn't it?

“Doesn't that mean Yongyong won't be attacked?” Minjae asked, echoing my thoughts.

“Shall we test it?” Uncle suggested with a grin.

“Tsk, let's not,” I said, shaking my head. “It could get hurt, and since it’s traveling with us, the spirits will probably treat it as hostile anyway.”

As we stepped into the cavern while chatting, the atmosphere shifted abruptly. At the center of the vast chamber lay a small, bubbling lake of molten lava, its thick, popping surface the only sound breaking the cavernous silence.

“Hmm.”

Just as everyone sensed the ominous change in the air, the cavern floor began to tremble violently.

Rumble—!

Tremors rippled outward from the lava pool, and an enormous mass of volcanic basalt crested above the molten surface.

“What is that...?”

Looking closer, it was no ordinary boulder. It was distinctly shaped into five massive, jagged stone fingers—a colossal hand rising from the depths. The instant I registered the silhouette, I snapped open a portal to my subspace directly above it, hoping to swallow whatever was emerging before it could manifest completely.

“Looks like a Magma Golem!”

Unfortunately, the preemptive strike did little good. The hand had already clawed its way into the open air, and molten rock surged up around it in a violent wave, solidifying into a massive torso in the blink of an eye. Maybe I should have opened the subspace the split second I heard the rumble?

The creature rose to an intimidating height of 2.5 meters. True to its nature as a golem, its body was a volatile fusion of blackened basalt plates and churning, glowing magma veins.

“Get back, both of you!”

I pushed Dr. Felime and his assistant toward the rear while my thoughts raced. We had no prior data on this creature's attack patterns.

“I'll take point. Minjae, provide support. Uncle, guard the backline!”

“On it!”

“Leave them to me.”

With battle erupting instantaneously, there was no room for casual experimentation; everyone snapped to attention and followed my commands. The Magma Golem locked its burning gaze onto our party. Despite the considerable distance between us, it reared back its arm and swung violently, hurling a shower of jagged basalt shards and molten magma straight at our vanguard.

On reflex, I expanded an opening to my subspace before us.

Wuuung—!

Clack-clack-clack-clang!

The barrage was swallowed whole into the dimensional void. Meanwhile, the golem's arm, which had shattered to launch the projectiles, was already knitting back together. The liquid rock coursing through its core cooled rapidly, hardening into fresh volcanic stone. So that's how its ranged attacks work. Having committed the sequence to memory, I dashed forward.

“I'm leaving the subspace open! Fall back if things get dangerous!”

Closing the gap in an instant, I swung the Wind Flow Sword with all my might, unleashing a razor-sharp crescent of Wind Cutter.

Thwack—!

The wind blade struck the Magma Golem's chest, but failed to bite deep. It merely chipped away the outermost layer of volcanic rock, sending a few loose pebbles scattering across the floor before fresh magma bubbled up and re-solidified over the scratch. It had done virtually no real damage.

Right then, a surge of golden divine power washed over me—Lee Shinhee’s buff took hold. Feeling an explosive swell of strength through my limbs, I used Leap, vanishing from the golem's front and reappearing behind it mid-air. The Wind Flow Sword plunged downward toward the monster's exposed spine.

Clang—!

A dull, jarring shock traveled up my arms into my wrists. It wasn't the satisfying bite of flesh, but the deadening reverberation of steel striking unyielding bedrock. I had sheared through a shallow vein of magma and cracked the outer shell, but it was far from a decisive blow.

The golem pivoted with startling agility ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for its massive frame. I immediately triggered Leap again, blinking backward to safety. After trading a few more rapid blows, one thing became abundantly clear: the Wind Flow Sword wasn't the right weapon for this fight.

If I keep hacking at this thing, the blade is going to chip.

Switching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the Sword of the Sky was equally impractical. A slashing weapon wouldn't fare any better against thick basalt, and we were deep underground—while the subterranean setting didn't apply a stat debuff, it certainly didn't grant the altitude-based bonuses of fighting under the open sky. Should I pull out a sledgehammer instead?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, a voice rang out.

“Hyung!”

Hearing Minjae's warning shout, I widened my distance. A volley of dense sand spears erupted from the ground, hurtling toward the Magma Golem.

Thud! Crack!

The spears that struck the solid basalt plates shattered harmlessly into fine grit, cascading down its frame. However—

“Half of them hit the mark!” Minjae yelled.

The spears that plunged into the exposed, flowing magma veins didn't break; instead, the fine sand was sucked directly into the molten sludge. The golem twisted in agony as the spears disintegrated, but the grit remained trapped inside. Wherever the sand mixed with the magma, the molten rock rapidly cooled and stiffened into brittle, chalky slag. When the golem tried to swing its arm again, its joints emitted a harsh, grinding screech, its movements noticeably bogged down.

“Hye! I'll knock it back with Soaring Dragon Strike! Can you sever its tether?” Uncle roared.

I understood his plan immediately.

“Let's do it!”

With my nod, Uncle spurred Yongyong forward, charging in an explosive burst of speed.

BOOM—!

Uncle's spear didn't punch clean through the golem's dense mass, but the sheer kinetic force behind the dragon-mounted thrust drove the monster backward several meters, its feet plowing deep furrows through the stone floor. And that was all we needed. The golem had been forcefully torn away from the central magma pool that fed its core.

In a flash, I unfurled my subspace across the entire surface of the lava pool, completely cutting off the connection.

“It can't regenerate anymore!”

From that point on, the battle was straightforward. Uncle battered the creature from one side to the other with repeated thrusts of his spear, keeping it entirely off balance. Meanwhile, I reached into my subspace and produced a massive sledgehammer—the very same weapon that had once shattered the lingering malice of the Evil God.

For five solid minutes, we relentlessly pulverized the construct until its basalt plating fractured into powder and the Magma Golem collapsed into a heap of dead, smoking slag.

Uncle shook out his wrist with a wince, grimacing at the lingering sting. “Ugh, that was rough.”

“Is your spear alright?” I asked.

“It held up fine, though I definitely pushed it to the limit.” He gestured toward my subspace portal with his chin. “If you hadn't capped that pool, we would've been in for a real nightmare. Even if its stamina had a limit, the damn thing would've kept putting itself back together forever.”

“If I'd reacted fast enough to seal it at the start, we wouldn't have had to fight it at all,” I admitted.

“Well, it caught us off guard rising up like that.”

“I think I need to start carrying dedicated blunt weapons for things like this,” I muttered, looking down at the hammer in my hands.

Uncle nodded in firm agreement. “You're not wrong. It's not like heavy, armored brutes are uncommon in high-tier gates. I should probably pick up a reinforced heavy lance myself.”

While the sledgehammer had gotten the job done, it was essentially a utility tool for smashing through dungeon architecture rather than a proper weapon scaled to our current level bracket. Having a high-grade blunt weapon in reserve seemed like a wise investment.

After advancing through several more winding passages, we arrived before a true, literal gate. It was an imposing double door wrought from an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unknown, luminously gleaming metal and dense black stone. Like the threshold before it, ancient characters were etched deep across the surface.

Dr. Felime recited the solemn warning, but after coming this far, not a single person entertained the thought of retreating.

“Stand back, just in case,” I instructed the group.

Planting my feet, I leaned into the massive doors and pushed with all my strength. Crafted from dense metal and solid rock, the heavy slabs resisted before groaning open with a deep, echoing scrape. As the aperture widened, our eyes were drawn to the figure waiting at the center of the subterranean hall.

Mounted atop a magnificent steed composed entirely of living, crackling fire was a knight.

“T-The Fire Knight...!” the doctor gasped.

The figure was clad in dark crimson armor, its face obscured by a fearsome visor, and in its gauntleted hand rested a colossal, glowing broadsword. Even from a distance, its presence radiated suffocating pressure.

“That one looks absurdly strong,” Uncle remarked, his expression hardening as he lowered his center of gravity and readied his spear.

At that moment, Chunbae’s voice echoed urgently in my mind.

—Master, proceed with utmost caution. That entity is an upper-tier spirit of flame.

‘An upper-tier spirit? How dangerous is it?’

—Affirmative. It is exceptionally formidable. The spirit wolf summoned by the foreign summoner we observed previously was merely a low-tier spirit.

‘Do we have a shot at winning?’

—Victory is attainable, but it will not be an easy contest. Your primary concern must be preventing casualties among your companions.

Hmm. It seemed the gate’s difficulty rating hadn’t jumped to Levels 30–45 without good reason. From what I knew, upper spirits were the exclusive domain of A-rank summoners belonging to international pioneer teams.

Should I seal the entrance behind me with my subspace and fight it alone inside?

As I weighed the tactical options, the Fire Knight remained motionless atop its Flame Steed, glaring at us across the threshold as if waiting for us to enter its domain. Suddenly, Yongyong whipped its head toward the corridor behind us, a low, threatening rumble vibrating in its throat.

“Grrrr...!”

From the shadows of the passage we had just traversed, the silhouettes of other hunters came rushing into view. The rival exploration team had caught up.

“Damn it, of all times...”

Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. The hunters approaching from behind were no pushovers either. Honestly, if it weren't for the flaming knight standing in front of us, encountering them wouldn't have been entirely unwelcome. They were skilled swordsmen, and I had been itching to test my progress against capable human opponents.

“Practical combat against a worthy opponent will hone your swordsmanship far better than any routine training. Sparring and real combat are entirely different beasts.” Sang-yeop’s recent advice resurfaced in my thoughts. But our current predicament was far from ideal. An upper-tier spirit blocked the front, and a hostile team of veteran hunters pushed in from behind.

“Dr. Felime! Halt where you are!” shouted the leading hunter from the corridor.

Should I block one side with my subspace and deal with the other?

Before I could decide, the Flame Steed snorted, sending twin jets of fire billowing from its nostrils as its blazing hooves scraped impatiently against the stone floor. It seemed the spirit interpreted the shouting and the aggressive approach of the hunters behind us as an impending assault directed at itself.

Snort—!

The fiery mount lowered its head, coiling its muscles to charge. In that split second, an audacious idea flashed through my mind.

“Everyone, forward! When the horse bolts, dive to the sides immediately! Uncle, grab the assistant and Minjae!”

There was no time for lengthy explanations. I grabbed Dr. Felime by the scruff of his collar and sprinted headlong into the chamber—straight toward the Fire Knight. At that exact moment, the knight spurred its mount, thundering directly toward our vanguard like an erupting volcano.

“NOW!”

Grabbing both Dr. Felime and Lee Shinhee, I threw myself hard to the left. Uncle mirrored my movement, hauling the others to the right. The blazing broadsword of the Fire Knight cleaved the air a mere hair's breadth above our heads, the scorching heat searing our skin as the Flame Steed galloped past with a deafening roar.

Just as I had gambled, the knight possessed too much momentum to pivot on a dime. Seeing the rival hunters rushing up through the entrance, the flaming avatar treated them as the primary threat and charged straight out of the chamber, hurtling down the corridor.

The moment the massive fiery silhouette cleared the threshold of the double doors, I acted.

Wuuung—!

I snapped my subspace open across the entire width of the doorway, sealing the entrance behind the charging knight with an impenetrable dimensional barrier.

Now, neither the Fire Knight nor the pursuing hunters could set foot inside.

“Huh?”

“What in the world...?”

The party turned toward me, completely dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.

“Well,” I said with a casual shrug, brushing soot from my sleeve, “if it didn't charge past us, my plan was to force a three-way brawl inside the chamber. Anything was better than getting pincered from both sides. Turns out we got lucky.”

“Holy crap,” Minjae breathed, his jaw dropping before a grin spread across his face. “That's insane. What a jackpot!”

I pointed a thumb toward the invisible dimensional boundary.

“Let's just sit back and watch. Whether the spirit wipes them out or the hunters bring it down, they'll settle it between themselves.”

From the other side of the subspace, the muffled, chaotic sounds of a desperate, bloody battle began to echo through the stone.