Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 242
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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“What the hell is that Hagumu crap… What are you even talking about?!”
“B-But… I heard it! I swear, that’s exactly what it said!”
Even Chiwu, who had been laid-back through everything up to now, showed interest at the name Hagumu.
“You’re serious? You actually heard that?”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Hmm… Looks like whoever’s behind this is more powerful than we thought.”
Kang Seol was thinking the same thing.
‘Hagumu resurrected him… Then…’
A dictionary only visible in his mind unfolded before him.
Hagumu had allies who aided his ambitions—humans and various other races.
‘No way…’
Among them, one figure flashed through Kang Seol’s mind.
“Argh! Who cares about that right now? We’re dead either way—what’s the difference?”
“Fair point…”
The miners vented their frustrations.
It wasn’t wrong.
Just moments ago, they’d been facing death by starvation or madness poisoning right here.
For people taking each desperate step, they could only see the ground right in front of them.
One of the miners looked at Kang Seol’s group and asked,
“Food! You got any food on you?”
“The golem crashed and lost its cargo hold…”
Kang Seol nodded.
‘So that’s why they were even more on edge?’
Starved for days and staring death in the face, they couldn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat with courtesy. Especially since he’d repaired their one hope—the golem—without a word beforehand.
“Kang Seol’s cooking is excellent, so just wait a bit.”
When Seolhong said this, everyone, Chiwu included, tilted their heads and asked,
“Cooking? You can cook in a situation like this?”
“What are you talking about…”
At that moment, an utterly surreal scene unfolded—one that made it impossible to believe they were stranded.
In the blink of an eye, a makeshift stove appeared with a blackened steel wok placed on it, oil poured in.
Sizzle…
The oil’s aroma alone was enough to assault the noses of the miners, who promptly shed their cumbersome protective suits.
Had Seolhong not stopped them, one might’ve even licked the scorching wok.
Sizzle…
Kang Seol stir-fried rice noodles with finely chopped vegetables.
Gulp…
He tilted them to one side, cracked in a heap of eggs.
Then transferred the solids atop the eggs.
“Heh heh… Live long enough, see it all.”
“Cooking in a mine…”
Sodong Mine rarely dealt with typical issues like coal dust explosions or rock dust.
The golem’s built-in air circulation for designated zones was so effective that, aside from the ghostly energy, they could’ve handled food, shelter, and everything else right here.
Anyway, Kang Seol distributed the food, and everyone dug in.
“Whoa… H-Hot…”
“Don’t eat so fast—it’s dangerous.”
Everyone buried their faces in their plates.
For the first time since meeting them, the miners fell silent.
Gulp…
“All done! Just a little really perks you up.”
“Perks you up? I’m sleepy now…”
“That’s why I said not to eat too much at once!”
Seolhong warned.
“Get some rest. While you sleep, we’ll discuss what’s next.”
The apparent leader among the miners waved his hands.
“How could we lie down and sleep in front of Lady Dragon Incarnate—that’d be rude!”
“Do I even look like the Dragon Incarnate now?”
“M-My apologies.”
Snicker…
“It’s fine to be even ruder. Your comrades already are.”
“…Huh?”
The miner turned to see everyone else had claimed a spot and sprawled out.
“Y-You bastards…”
“It’s okay. You recovering your strength is far more important for the future.”
“…Thank you.”
And so the miners slept.
Chiwu dove right in among them to nap as well.
Seolhong and Kang Seol exchanged exasperated glances at the wolf boy before talking.
“What do you think?”
“Not good at all.”
“I agree. We burned too much fuel getting here.”
“That, and we can’t afford to run two golems.”
“Checked that already. Not much to gain from both, and moving them together means we’ll run out of fuel before escaping underground.”
“So we’ll have to cram everyone into the Earth King No. 1 we came on.”
“Right. But without drastically cutting fuel use, even that’s no guarantee.”
Kang Seol looked at Seolhong and asked,
“Do you have some idea?”
“There’s one method worth trying. Leave it to me, but the real issue is whatever’s holding us back.”
“I think so too. Success or failure hinges on that.”
In this pitch-black mine shrouded in darkness, a massive threat lurked.
“What do you think it is?”
“…The power to collapse a mine this size, tied to this thick ghostly energy—only one comes to mind.”
“You too?”
“Yes.”
Seolhong’s eyes narrowed.
“This level of power… It has to be Eoduksini.”
“Same here.”
Eoduksini.
One of the three ghost generals who commanded Hagumu’s ghost soldiers.
Legend had it Eoduksini was sealed by the Dragon Emperor before Hagumu.
“But something doesn’t add up.”
“It wasn’t sealed here, right?”
“Yes. Supposed to be in Dusky Mountain, far from Tumaku.”
“The Dragon Emperor wouldn’t neglect Eoduksini’s seal. So either it’s not Eoduksini, or it broke free here on its own or with help.”
“Either way, it’s trouble. A monster this strong that isn’t Eoduksini is bad enough, and if the seal’s broken, that’s a whole other disaster.”
“It hasn’t been free long. Creatures awakening from long seals can’t even use half their power.”
“Even so, a monster from back then is still a monster…”
“Will it try to hold us back?”
“Seems like it already is, full force.”
“…Sigh. Saving lives is headache enough—why pile on this trial too?”
Kang Seol stayed silent.
‘Wish Jamad or Ur were here right now.’
Of course, the two experts in sorcery and magic were absent when this happened. They’d have to improvise.
“By the way, what’s that fuel-saving method you mentioned?”
“Well…”
Whirr…
Crackle…
Static…
The protective umbrella hadn’t deactivated for days. To breathe without fuel drain meant burning the golem’s batteries to maintain the safe zone.
And that would hit its limit eventually.
A miner watched Seolhong work on Earth King No. 1, crafting something nonstop, and asked the mechanic,
“What’s she doing?”
“Just watching quietly. We’re learning from her up close.”
“…What? For real?”
Not just the mechanic—the miners had grown closer to the Dragon Incarnate Seolhong. And with Kang Seol personally cooking for them, that went without saying.
“Ah… So boring.”
Chiwu felt drowsy in this mundane routine.
It had been fun at first, expecting chaos and excitement, but ever since arriving deep underground, nothing had happened.
Eat at set times, Seolhong worked at set times, sleep at set times.
Chiwu stared at Seolhong’s back.
Her face smeared with grease.
In a few more days, she’d be blacker than the miners.
He wondered why she pushed so hard.
Then he looked around.
Not just him—everyone stared blankly at Seolhong.
Chiwu’s mother, Chaeyeon, a descendant of the Lang tribe, had said this before dying.
- Chiwu, you carry the Lang tribe’s blood. Noble and resilient. And you’ve gained the great lineage of dragons too.
- Mom…
- Unlike other Lang… you can choose your path in life.
The beastkin’s status in the Khan wasn’t high.
The Lang tribe in particular had its foundations shaken by endless conflicts, so Chaeyeon always worried about their future.
Facing her own death, she naturally had to pass her dark burdens to her child. That was proper.
But she didn’t.
- Be happy, Chiwu. Live your own life…
- ……
Chaeyeon passed, severing his last tie to the Lang tribe.
Chiwu was alone, unsure how to live.
After her death, his brothers were the only influence left.
- The people? Everyone under the Dragon Emperor owes him their lives. Dragon Incarnates have the right to trample the dirt-pile lives of those ants!
Chiwu bore noble blood and resilient blood.
Yet he hated those words, despite sharing their status.
So he beat them senseless.
With his martial arts, his specialty.
- Aaaah! Y-You little shit…
- I’m stronger than you. So you’re under me.
- What?
- I’ll do whatever I want with you from now on!
Chiwu tormented Dragon Incarnates he disliked, using training as an excuse. He broke them eventually.
- You’re right… Stop…
Somehow, it lost its fun, so he never bothered them again.
How was he supposed to live, exactly?
Chaeyeon gave him the choice but no guidance.
He could break others’ wills with violence.
No, often fear alone sufficed without violence.
The world grew boring.
All pretentious rookies, especially those trapped in Dragon Incarnate shells.
That’s what he thought, until meeting Seolhong.
“Amazing…”
What drove her to such desperation?
For herself? Or the miners?
Then, one miner spoke up.
“Why don’t… we just give up?”
“What?”
“I mean, if we conserve fuel, we can last a few more weeks here, and then they’ll come looking for us…”
“Shut up with that nonsense! Those sounds we keep hearing—they’re getting closer! Anything could happen anytime.”
Lately, ghostly voices haunted their sleep.
- You fear me.
- Feel the terror. Close your eyes and sob.
Too uniform for nightmares—everyone dreamed the same. Something outside was doing this.
“Like Seolhong said, this is our only shot to escape now!”
“B-But…”
Clank…
“It’s done. Everyone, gather round.”
Seolhong had welded steel plates into a massive box. Well, technically repurposed from another golem’s cargo hold.
“What’s that?”
“A coffin?”
“A box?”
Seolhong explained step by step.
“See that connection point?”
A closer look revealed a hose plugged into a hole.
“Yes.”
“Fuel goes in there to activate the barrier.”
“So the whole box gets wrapped in a barrier?”
“Exactly. Think of it as a giant protective suit.”
“And oxygen…?”
“Purification unit keeps it circulating.”
Visually crude enough to call a coffin.
“You plan to stuff us in there?”
“…Yes.”
The miners murmured coldly.
“Do you realize what you’re saying?”
“I do.”
A sealed box on all sides.
If loaded for escape, they’d spend days blind to the outside.
One mechanic asked,
“Why this method…?”
“No choice. Fuel’s scarce. Batteries for the umbrella are dying soon. We conserve everything to reach the surface.”
“No way…”
“I know—it’s scary. But if you trust me…”
That’s when it happened.
“How can we trust you?! You’re a Dragon Incarnate!”
“Watch your mouth!”
“Have you all lost your minds? Forgot what that so-called Dragon Incarnate did to us?”
“……”
“That bastard banned mining over some ruins—my dad lost his job overnight! Ended up on the streets! He took his own life because of it!”
“……”
“That’s the Dragon Incarnates I know! Hypocrites who don’t care if they trample people underfoot!”
Seolhong asked,
“Remember his name?”
“…Jegaak. Yeah, Jegaak.”
“……”
Disappointment etched onto Seolhong’s face.
The bad rumors about Jegaak all had basis in truth.