The Cross of Memories #6
The Cross of Memories #6
"It really is pitch-black in here... and it smells like something's rotting."
After climbing down the ladder.
Kate and I began walking straight down the long underground passage stretching out ahead of us. The underground corridor was paved with bricks, with deep water channels carved into either side where murky water flowed. The stench rising from the filthy water had Kate pinching her nose in agony.
"Mongma-nim, are you really not bothered at all?"
"Of course it bothers me."
Even I, who've been in and out of the underground waterway more times than I can count, can't stand the stench here with my face uncovered. But I do have a few tricks for blocking it. I pulled a tin of cream from my backpack and handed it to Kate.
"Rub it under your nose. It'll block the stench."
Kate held the tin I gave her with a puzzled expression for a moment before dabbing the cream under her nose. The instant she did, she sniffed sharply and looked up at me in surprise.
"It smells overwhelmingly of cinnamon! What on earth is this cream?"
"It's made from ground Kruk Fruit. The scent's so intense it's perfect for blocking out sewer stench. An incredibly useful item for adventurers who explore the underground waterways."
Taking the tin back from Kate, I rubbed the cream under my own nose. As the sharp, cinnamon-like scent spread, my nose went completely dead to the sewer's foul odor. It was such a potent aroma that once applied, your nose wouldn't be free of it until the next day.
"I feel like I've been saved. Truly."
I gave a wry smile seeing Kate so pleased. If she realized she'd be stuck with this cinnamon smell until tomorrow, she wouldn't be grinning so brightly. Even scrubbing it off with water leaves the scent lingering for half a day. Everything you eat instantly tastes like cinnamon. 'No need to tell her about the side effects. Let her stay happy.'
With the stench issue resolved, Kate pulled out a map of the underground waterway. She held her lantern up with her other hand, tracing the route as she checked our path.
"They say the pagan totem is in a stone chamber on the south side of the waterway. Have you ever been there?"
"The southern stone chamber? Let me see that map."
I leaned in beside Kate to examine her map. On the meticulously drawn layout of the waterway, there was a section circled in bold. I recognized the spot immediately. I consider myself a bit of a veteran when it comes to these waterways, after all.
"Ah. They're talking about the hideout."
"Hideout?"
"It's a spot where adventurers on search quests sometimes stop to rest. It's a stone chamber with a perfectly concealed entrance, so there's no risk of getting ambushed by monsters."
The southern stone chamber Kate mentioned even had a stone bed you could lie down on. Naturally, it wasn't installed by Yoen-su for the welfare of adventurers. This underground waterway was originally a structure built by the Ancients. You could call it a remnant of the ancient civilization that once stood on the land above Yoen-su.
"How strange. A stone chamber, you say."
"What's strange about it?"
"Why would there be a stone chamber in an underground waterway? Isn't it just supposed to be for water flow? There doesn't seem to be any reason to build a separate room like that."
"Since it's a waterway dug by the inhabitants of the Ancient Kingdom, it probably doubled as a shelter during wartime."
"A shelter? Really?"
"There's even a secret passage leading outside from the deepest part of this waterway."
It wasn't my own wild theory—I'd heard it from veteran adventurers I used to work with down here. The reason for the side rooms and tangled, complex passages was precisely because this place once functioned as a shelter. That was also why you'd occasionally stumble across skeletons clad in Ancient Kingdom armor scattered throughout the waterway. Normally, bleached bones were nothing to fear, but this time, caution was warranted. They said the pagan totem could summon the undead, after all.
"Follow me. I'll guide you."
"Yep!"
I walked ahead with a deadpan expression, mechanically raising my lantern to illuminate the path forward. Every route in this underground waterway was burned into my memory. It was no exaggeration to say I could find my way with my eyes closed. Back in my newbie days, I once got stranded down here in the waterways for days. I genuinely thought I was going to die then. How the hell did I even survive that?
"I'll shine my lantern forward. You watch our rear."
"Yes."
Kate and I each held our lanterns up, sweeping the light around to secure our field of vision. The water channels flowing on either side of us didn't need to be guarded closely. No aquatic monsters lived in this waterway. Occasionally, the underground passage would fork into branching paths, but I moved reflexively, guiding us down the correct route without hesitation. Kate watched me zip ahead through the complicated maze of tunnels, a bewildered look plastered across her face.
"Mongma-nim, are you a resident here?"
"I've been a resident."
"Excuse me?!"
"There were times I slept rough because I couldn't afford an inn. In the stone chamber of the waterway, to be exact."
"So you were a subterranean dweller!"
Kate stared at me, tongue-tied, as I spoke so nonchalantly. Choosing me as her quest companion, it seemed, had been a remarkably shrewd decision. Within this underground waterway, I was more competent than any Silver Tier adventurer. Like a native guide leading someone through a dense jungle, I had every confidence in my ability to escort Kate.
"Hold on."
"Wha-what is it?"
"Look ahead."
I lifted my lantern to illuminate the passage ahead. Where my light landed stood a massive stone statue, and around its base, small figures were poking their heads out. Shrouded in the statue's shadow, the creatures were visible only as vague silhouettes.
"Huh? There are children in the waterway."
Kate tilted her head, looking where I'd pointed. From a distance, the things hiding behind the statue did look exactly like children. Wrapped in rags like clothing, with tangled, bristly hair sticking out—it was an easy mistake to make. If you were an adventurer stepping into this waterway for the first time, that is.
I simply stared at the statue for a moment.
"They're not moving. Are they lying low, getting ready to ambush us?"
"Children attacking us? I've heard stories about orphans from the slums hiding out in the underground waterways, but..."
"Sometimes, ragged-looking kids do show up around here. But the things behind that statue aren't children. Look closely. You can see the tails sticking out behind them."
"T-tails?"
Kate just kept tilting her head.
"I don't see anything like that at all. What on earth are you seeing?"
It couldn't be helped if she couldn't see it. In the pitch-black of this waterway, the gap between Kate's detection ability and mine was simply astronomical. Purely a matter of experience. From a distance, I can tell whether it's a person or a monster just by the sound of its hair bristling. I've memorized every type of monster that appears in this underground waterway. Here, at least, I'm a genuine old-timer of an adventurer.
"They're monsters called Rattmen. Goblin-like bastards that live in the underground waterways. But unlike goblins, these jokers dress themselves up like humans. They wear clothes and grow out their head fur. They put on a human act to lure in adventurers who are scouting the waterways."
"Rattmen!"
"No need to go to them. They'll probably be coming our way soon enough."
"How could you possibly know they're coming?!"
"Because their red eyes are fixed on us. Can't you see them?"
"What on earth are you seeing...!"
My prediction, steeped in two years of experience, proved spot-on. The small creatures that had been lurking behind the statue finally stepped out onto the main underground passage. They weren't exactly the patient sort. As they crept closer, narrowing the distance, I raised my lantern high. I adjusted the angle just right, shining the beam straight into the spot where they stood.
Kshhhhhhhhhhh!! Kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak!! Kyaooooooooooooooong!!
The moment the bright light touched them, I could properly make out their forms. Bipedal giant rats. Bodies the size of small children, their shaggy fur hidden beneath ragged cloth. Between their legs, tails as thick as a forearm squirmed and writhed. Without a doubt, those were Rattmen. The goddamn sewer rats that drove me to the brink of death more than once back in my newbie days.
"Three of them... that's a bit much."
"Wh-what do we do?! Should we run?!"
Blindsided by the sudden burst of light, the Rattmen thrashed and convulsed on the spot for a moment. In that short window, I was able to make my decision. Flee, or initiate combat. A month ago, I definitely would have chosen to run. Taking on three Rattmen at once meant accepting the risk of serious injury. Even if I managed to kill them, the clinic would drain my wallet dry, leaving me a penniless wreck. But now, with magic under my belt, I was a different man.
"Stay still. I'll take care of them."
"Can you really handle them alone?"
"Affirmative."
I quietly set my lantern down on the ground. With Kate shining her own lantern from behind me, I had more than enough visibility. Thanks to her acting like a living ward totem, I figured I could handle a three-on-one fight.
Kshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Maybe their eyesight had finally recovered. The Rattmen that had been writhing on the ground suddenly charged at us. Shrieking ferociously, the Rattmen came barreling forward on all fours! Their movements were too quick for me to snipe them with a Mana Sphere. But I had a perfectly excellent weapon at my disposal: the Water Whip. And on top of that, I was getting a massive terrain bonus from the underground waterway.
"Liquid."
I didn't need any tedious prep work to cast Water Magic. All I had to do was yank a Water Whip straight out of the channels flowing on either side of us. In the blink of an eye, a thick Water Whip had formed in my hand. A polluted Water Whip reeking of rot and decay! To think I'd end up swinging a filthy weapon like this with my own hands. I was deeply grateful I'd had the foresight to put on my leather gloves before entering the waterway. I swore to myself I'd toss these gloves in the trash the second this quest was over.
"Die! You rat fuckers!"
I swung the Water Whip horizontally, and the charging Rattmen were swept aside in a single stroke. Two of them were sent flying, but one sharp-eyed bastard jumped the whip like it was a jump rope. Had that little shit actually earned a life lesson at my expense? Watching the lone survivor squeal and shriek, I felt a surge of raw fury. There was no time to reel the whip back. But then again, I didn't exactly need to.
"Liquid!"
In the span of a blink, a new Water Whip burst into existence in my left hand. The Rattman, who'd been charging in with abandon, shrieked out a cry that was more scream than squeal. But it was already too late. Unable to overcome its own momentum, the Rattman skidded forward, and I lashed my Water Whip down toward it again.
"Dual-whip style!!"
Kshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! The Rattman was sent flying with a shriek! The instant the whip connected, its hide split wide open. Spattering filthy blood everywhere, the Rattman collapsed onto its back, belly-up. The other two Rattmen that had taken the first hit were also sprawled on the ground, convulsing. In an instant, all three Rattmen had been rendered combat-incapacitated. Getting hit by a whip isn't the kind of thing you just shrug off, after all.
"A-amazing, Mongma-nim!"
Seeing me win a three-on-one fight single-handedly, Kate burst out in admiration.
"It's not time to let your guard down yet."
"Huh? But they're all down?"
"Rattmen sometimes play dead. Besides, they've got no body parts worth money aside from their tails. Better to be thorough and confirm the kills."
I swung my whip mercilessly down at the three Rattmen lying on the ground. Without a shred of respect for the dead, I desecrated their corpses. I had finished off two and was just about to personally deliver the final blow to the last one.
"W-wait a moment, Mongma-nim!"
"What?"
"Leave the last one to me!"
Kate shouted with fierce enthusiasm and lunged forward, brandishing her mace. Then she began pounding the dying Rattman without mercy. Watching Kate send that Rattman off to the next life, I couldn't help but be stunned. I'd never imagined that girl had such a violent streak in her.
"Hii-yaaaaaaaaaaaap!"
Kate wailed like a banshee as she administered her brutal clubbing treatment! Under the onslaught of her iron mace, the Rattman had no choice but to be tenderized into paste. Kate kept up the clubbing therapy until the tenderized Rattman was reduced to a literal blood pancake.
"Haa, haa."
Kate stood hunched over the Rattman corpse, panting heavily. After steadying her breath, she looked at me with a triumphant expression.
"Y-you saw that, right?! I contributed this time too! I didn't just freeload this quest!"
"Oh. Is that so."
A face practically begging for praise. She landed the last hit and she's acting like she pulled off some grand feat? Was that considered a big deal by nun standards? Maybe, in her own way, Kate had just made a staggering leap forward as an adventurer. The adventurer who once followed a vow of no-killing had finally bloodied her hands. Her healing-tool build now had the added utility of being able to land finishing blows.
"Amaziiiiiiing! You're the best, Kate!!"
The moment I fired off the praise she was fishing for.
"Fufu!"
A radiant smile bloomed across Kate's face. It was such a dazzlingly innocent smile that it completely shut me up.