Chapter 30
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Sleeping King of Storms
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Doing nothing didn't mean they were safe.
The sand worms lacked any real intelligence, but they possessed instincts honed for hunting.
Several faint vibrations rippled through the ground, and soon the sand split open as over a dozen juvenile sand worms emerged.
Though called juveniles, each one was still enormous.
Yeon Sung-hun and the raid members had no choice but to dodge as the creatures burst out haphazardly.
Following the vibrations from their movements, more sand worms erupted from the dunes.
"Ugh...!"
"Watch out!"
Sand worms sprang up one after another in rapid succession.
The raid members scrambled to evade them.
"Tch..."
They were dodging well for now, but this couldn't go on forever.
Yeon Sung-hun, weaving through the lunging sand worms, soon shouted.
"Choi Yeon-ah! Over here!"
Choi Yeon-ah, who had been dodging with relative ease and even counterattacking occasionally, hurled herself toward him at his call.
Dozens of sand worms surged after her in pursuit.
Yeon Sung-hun hurled a potion with all his might into the gaping, grotesque maw of one aiming to swallow her whole.
If he couldn't damage them from the outside, he'd make them burst from within.
Boom─
A short explosion ripped the sand worm apart.
Yeon Sung-hun repeated the process.
Realizing his plan, Choi Yeon-ah coordinated her movements perfectly.
At this rate, dealing with the dozens of sand worms seemed like only a matter of time.
Unfortunately, the situation couldn't last.
Yeon Sung-hun's potions weren't infinite.
He'd brought a decent number of explosion potions, but not nearly enough to wipe out every last one.
In the end, this was just a temporary measure, not a permanent solution.
And above all, an even greater threat lurked beyond these juveniles.
"...Choi Yeon-ah, dodge!"
A massive vibration unlike any before shook the ground.
The sand dunes trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
Even without his shout, Choi Yeon-ah sensed the anomaly and kicked off the ground with even greater force.
At that moment, a colossal earthworm burst through the sand, revealing its massive body.
Its terrifying size explained why the others were mere juveniles.
It loomed as large as a decent-sized building.
Its length alone seemed to stretch 30 to 40 meters easily.
'How many potions do I have left? Do I have enough firepower to take that down?'
Even with the fully mature adult sand worm's appearance, Yeon Sung-hun remained calm.
He had anticipated this and assessed the situation coolly.
'One or two explosion potions won't cut it.'
To deal meaningful damage to that behemoth, he'd need at least a dozen or more.
The problem was he didn't have that many left.
Tch─ As Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue, Choi Yeon-ah landed lightly beside him.
"Got any plan to take that thing down?"
"Afraid not. That's way outside the norm. At least A-Rank, I'd say."
Choi Yeon-ah let out a groan at his response.
She had no clever ideas either.
In her prime, maybe, but without access to her magic power now, even she would struggle against something that size.
If it were a humanoid monster, she might have had a way, but this type was out of the question.
In short, neither of them had a viable solution right now.
Rumble─ Feeling the intensifying tremors through the earth, Yeon Sung-hun spoke up.
"We need to retreat."
"...To where?"
Yeon Sung-hun pondered her question briefly.
Realistically, reaching the rift entrance was impossible.
It was quite a distance away, and he couldn't predict what might happen during the retreat.
In the worst case, total annihilation. At best, they'd lose at least one comrade.
After a short deliberation, Yeon Sung-hun opened his mouth.
"There was a nagar village nearby, right?"
"We spotted one we planned to take out slowly due to the numbers. Planning to dump it on them?"
"They'd target the larger group first over our smaller one, don't you think?"
Choi Yeon-ah nodded slowly at his words.
It was at least more feasible than fleeing all the way to the rift entrance.
Of course, the village wasn't close either, so it was still risky.
"I'll lure them as best I can. You all get as far away as possible."
"...Please do."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded matter-of-factly at her offer.
To maximize survival odds, they needed someone to buy time, even briefly. Among the raid members, no one was better suited than Choi Yeon-ah.
With her physical prowess, she wouldn't fall easily and could catch up quickly.
"It's nothing. Just what anyone would do."
She flashed a casual smile.
Yeon Sung-hun handed her a few potions.
"What's this?"
"Instant agility enhancement potion. Normally, you shouldn't mix it with body enhancement potion, but this is an exception... The rest are adjustable explosion potions. Don't use them on the worms—save them for luring."
Choi Yeon-ah nodded at his explanation.
With these, it didn't seem all that dangerous.
"I'll head out first, then."
"Yeah. No need to go too far—just create some distance and regroup."
"Got it."
With a quick nod, Choi Yeon-ah kicked off powerfully and dashed away.
Numerous vibrations chased after her.
Explosions from the potions she scattered revealed sand worms that appeared and vanished intermittently.
Yeon Sung-hun watched her back for a moment before rallying the raid members and moving out.
"We're heading to the nagars' village! Run at full speed!"
The raid members, who had glanced worriedly at Choi Yeon-ah, steeled themselves and bolted.
For now, they had to trust her.
The nagars' village was nestled in ruins that resembled some ancient site.
Many wondered how such civilization-like relics existed inside rifts, but for hunters just trying to survive by delving in, it was irrelevant.
Yeon Sung-hun found it mildly intriguing, but it wasn't a priority now.
After sprinting at full tilt for a while, the nagars' village came into view.
Judging by the numbers—dozens at least—they'd planned to tackle it slowly later.
Had the nagars spotted them racing toward their village?
A dozen or so nagars burst out from within.
Yeon Sung-hun glanced back briefly.
Fortunately, Choi Yeon-ah had rejoined them without issue.
Thanks to her astonishing mobility in luring the worms, they'd put considerable distance between them and the sand worms.
Still, the persistent pursuers refused to give up, prompting Yeon Sung-hun to speak.
"Straight into the village. Avoid combat as much as possible. Our goal is survival."
The raid members nodded in response instead of replying.
After sprinting full-out for no short time, everyone was exhausted.
Yeon Sung-hun was no exception.
If they kept going like this, the pursuing sand worms would encircle them again soon—utterly spent this time.
To prevent that, they squeezed out their last reserves and charged ahead.
Then the nagars blocked their path.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kieek!"
Yeon Sung-hun immediately lobbed a potion.
Boom!
One of his remaining explosion potions detonated, carving a large empty space in the middle of the blocking nagars.
Yeon Sung-hun and the raid members squeezed through the gap.
The nagars didn't let them pass unchallenged, but the arriving sand worms forced them to let the group slip away.
Colossal earthworms erupted from the sand, engulfing the nagar pack.
The sand dunes turned into chaos in an instant.
"Kieeeek!"
The commotion drew another nagar group from the village.
Yeon Sung-hun ignored them and kept running.
They plunged into the nagar village.
The nagars attacked, but the giant worms' assault soon diverted their attention.
They had a more pressing issue: their own survival against the invaders ravaging their home.
The nagars immediately engaged the sand worm horde in battle.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kieek!"
While the two monster groups clashed fiercely, the party had delved deep into the village.
For some reason, the nagars hadn't ventured into the ruins' depths; there were no signs of them there.
Only the stark desolation of long-abandoned ruins remained.
After running for a good while, with the battle sounds fading into the distance, the group finally halted their sprint.
Yeon Sung-hun glanced back and spoke.
"Seems safe for now."
Sighs of relief echoed from all around at his calm words.
Everyone collapsed on the spot.
Even Choi Yeon-ah flopped down carelessly.
Having run farther to lure the worms before returning, she was undoubtedly the most drained.
Instead of resting, Yeon Sung-hun approached her slowly and offered a potion.
"What's this one?"
"Stamina potion. More importantly, any injuries?"
She chuckled softly at his question.
"Just a bit stiff. No major issues. But those potions you gave me were impressive—felt two or three times faster than usual."
"They're potent, so they take a toll. Plus, you already took a body enhancement potion, so expect some serious muscle pain later."
"Ugh... Any potion for that?"
"I'll get you some later."
Choi Yeon-ah grinned at his words.
"As expected. Guild Master's potions have everything."
"I'd say they have everything imaginable."
"Even that famous elixir?"
"Not yet, unfortunately."
"...You're not saying you can't make it?"
"I don't lie. With enough materials, I can make anything. Besides, I need to reach that level to treat you."
"...You haven't forgotten."
"It was the deal."
Choi Yeon-ah nodded slowly at his steady tone.
After a brief silence, she smiled faintly.
"I'll trust you."
"I've got a solid plan, so don't worry. It just takes time."
"It's fine. I've endured over a year already—I can handle another."
"What if it takes longer?"
"Even I'd be a little disappointed then."
"Guess I'll have to step it up so you won't be."
Yeon Sung-hun and Choi Yeon-ah shared a smile.
As they conversed, Kim Jun-su, who had been scouting the surroundings, spoke up.
"Hey, there's some writing here."
A bizarre stone tablet stood against one wall of the ruins.
Such things turned up occasionally in rifts, so it wasn't surprising.
Some scholars speculated these ruins hinted at other civilizations within rifts, but most hunters ignored it.
Yeon Sung-hun, mildly curious about this, quietly joined Kim Jun-su to examine the tablet.
The other raid members naturally gathered around as he moved.
"Hmm. No clue what it says."
"Stuff like this makes you think the rifts really are another world or dimension."
"Wouldn't be shocked if intelligent beings popped out of one tomorrow."
The raid members murmured their thoughts on the inscriptions.
Unlike them, Yeon Sung-hun remained silent to the end.
No, it wasn't silence.
He was quietly stunned.
He usually stayed composed, but this time he couldn't.
The writing on the tablet was in a language he knew—not as Yeon Sung-hun, but as Faust.
'...Ancient tongue?'
A language from an ancient kingdom, long before his empire in his past life.
Faust had encountered related artifacts a few times and knew it somewhat.
"...King of Storms. Slumbering here."
The raid members, whose interest had been waning, turned to him at the murmured translation.
"Bro, you can read it?"
"How? Got a related skill?"
"...Give me a sec. Let me read a bit more."
Brushing off their curiosity, Yeon Sung-hun continued deciphering.
After translating silently for a while, he spoke.
"Looks like a king's tomb. The inscription's just a standard warning against tomb robbers."
"Impressive, Guild Master. You can even read this? No one's had that ability before, right?"
Choi Yeon-ah murmured in quiet admiration.
If word got out, Yeon Sung-hun's value would skyrocket again.
Along with the Golden Guild he led.
It wasn't bad for her guild's value to rise, so she smiled faintly.
Unfortunately for her, Yeon Sung-hun had no intention of publicizing it.
His alchemy alone was enough fame.
He had no desire to deal with overzealous rift researchers.
Still.
'Why are relics like this here? Just what are rifts?'
Why did things from his past life manifest on Earth as rifts?
He'd had questions before, but this discovery amplified them.
'Not something to worry about now.'
Yeon Sung-hun shook his head after a moment's thought.
He could ponder it later; it wasn't urgent.
While he set aside interest in the ruins, the raid members who'd heard his explanation felt differently.
Especially about it being a king's tomb.
They seemed a bit excited.
A king's tomb meant buried treasures.
And items from rifts were invariably superior equipment, unlike mass-produced gear.
What might come from a king's tomb?
Even Choi Yeon-ah looked expectant, along with the others.
Truth be told, Yeon Sung-hun felt the same.
Risk aside, who wouldn't covet gear from there?
"Hm."
Yeon Sung-hun pondered quietly.
He knew the ancient kingdom's tech level from studying its artifacts.
The relics he'd seen were far from poor.
If these matched that quality, they'd greatly aid his and the raid's growth.
The issue was that such valuable relics came with formidable defenses.
'Something like "Only agonizing death for greedy scoundrels," right?'
He stroked his chin, recalling the warning.
High risk, high reward.
'Back in the empire, we went in unprepared and got burned.'
No deaths, but enough injured knights that he'd lost a bundle of potions to a whining friend.
The memory was still fresh.
'Exploring's fine, but we need proper prep.'
Though risky, Yeon Sung-hun viewed this ruin dive positively.
The potential rewards were substantial.
Of course, he wouldn't charge in blindly, greed-addled.
Exhausted and low on potions as they were, entering now would be suicide.
They needed to retreat, regroup outside, and rearm.
Especially considering the sand worms—it was essential anyway.
Having decided, Yeon Sung-hun informed the raid members.
They wouldn't go now, but they cheered at the promise of exploring later.
"Let's head out to the exit first."
The nagar village still echoed with commotion, the battle unresolved.
The sand worms had numbers and rank, but the nagars' intelligence and tool use, plus home advantage, made it no easy win.
Slipping away while the monsters remained locked in combat, Yeon Sung-hun and the raid members quietly withdrew.
They encountered a few monsters en route but reached the exit without major incident.
Emerging safely from the rift, they breathed sighs of relief.