Traces in the Sewers
“...What?”
Liora stopped in her tracks and glanced back over her shoulder. She glared at Hanbit for a moment before furrowing her brow slightly.
“You serious?”
“Don’t believe me? Go your own way. You could search all day and still come up empty.”
“......”
He shrugged, as if to say she could do whatever she wanted, and Liora fell deep into thought. She wanted nothing more than to find it on her own, but reality was a different story. The slums’ outskirts were just too vast.
And she knew cats better than anyone—that made it hit even harder.
“Argh, damn it!”
With no other options, Liora ruffled her hair wildly. Then, letting out a sigh, she walked over.
“Lead the way already. Ruby’s fast on her feet—she’ll bolt somewhere else in no time.”
“No rush. I saw her head into the underground waterway.”
“Waterway? Ruby went there?”
Liora’s eyes went wide with shock. The waterway snaked through Edlen’s underbelly. It wasn’t in use anymore, but the high water levels made it dangerous.
“Ugh, shit! Why didn’t you say so sooner?!”
Now desperate, Liora took off without hesitation. Hanbit started running too, and Juyeonu, trailing behind, called out from a distance.
“Hyung! The underground waterway for real?”
-Was there a cat down there?
-Nope, nothing.
-Just a useless map.
The underground waterway was a well-known spot among players. But the hassle of exploring it yielded nothing worthwhile. That was the brief entry in the guidebooks.
“You been there?”
“I have, but the map’s got zero value. The stench is so detailed, you don’t even wanna get close.”
Juyeonu grimaced in disgust. If the smell felt that real, no wonder people steered clear. But calling it worthless? That was dead wrong.
If anyone had grasped its importance, the攻略 would’ve been totally different.
Tak-!
Mid-conversation, they reached a sunken depression on the outskirts. Liora, who’d gone ahead, was already out of sight.
“Guess she went in?”
Juyeonu eyed the half-open iron grate. Hanbit scanned the area, then flung the gate wide.
“Let’s go.”
***
Tok- tok-
The dim underground waterway reeked of dank rot. The two pressed on by the faint glow of scattered candles.
“Hyung, how far we going? I’m telling you, no cat’s down here.”
Juyeonu, walking a bit behind with his nose pinched, called out. Hanbit wanted to let him experience the true stench firsthand, but it wasn’t time yet.
“You sound sure. You searched every inch?”
“Not me, but plenty of people have come here. If anyone found anything, word would’ve spread.”
“And it all boiled down to guidebook scraps, right?”
“That’s normal. The waterway’s just a tiny footnote in the corner of a page. Who but a lore nerd like you would bother checking it out?”
-Oof.
-Hitting with facts, huh.
-Fine, time to show the truth.
-Come on out, teachers.
[ExplainerDude donated 5,000 won.]
[Edlen’s Underground Waterway: 100 years ago, according to architect Irtelroger, who designed the waterway...]
-Yeah, we heard~
-Wall of text.
-He actually did it lol.
The chat’s take on the waterway was obvious. The more Hanbit explained, the worse off he’d be. Giving up, he picked up the pace.
“Haa.”
They twisted through the paths to a dead end. Liora stood there, hands on her hips.
“Find something?”
Hanbit stepped up beside her. Liora, glaring straight ahead, dropped her gaze.
“Ruby was here.”
In her hand: a bright red ribbon. The one tied to Ruby’s leg.
“We need more traces.”
Her face grim, Liora turned to backtrack. Hanbit moved first, blocking her.
“What?”
“Look up there.”
“Up?”
His finger pointed overhead, and her eyes followed. She squinted, then spotted it quick.
“Ah!”
A faint hole high on the wall. Dark and small, but big enough for a cat.
“She went in there! But the path ahead...”
Unlike a flexible cat, no human could fit. And Liora knew the waterway’s layout cold—no path came to mind.
“Hold on.”
Reading her thoughts, Hanbit knelt before the dead-end wall.
Just like I remember.
A crack stretched from the wall-floor seam. Below, it worsened.
“Come here a sec.”
He stood, grabbed her arm, and pulled her back.
“What? What’re you—”
Sensing something off, Liora asked. But Hanbit’s hand was already out, incantation flowing.
“Fire Burst.”
Fwoom-!
The fireball exploded, and the floor crumbled with a roar. The blocked wall’s base turned into an unstable passage.
“You nuts?!”
Liora gaped at the simple, brutal fix. This was still public Edlen property—plenty of ways to punish damage.
“We stay quiet, no problem. Let’s find Ruby quick.”
“But...”
Hanbit stepped in casually. Crouching through, he looked back.
“You coming?”
“...Who said I wasn’t?”
Irked by his nonchalance, Liora scratched her head and followed, bending low.
Crackle-!
A sharp spark flew from her bag.
“Eek!”
Startled, she flung it to the ground. Something rolled out through the gap.
Thud-
A ring with a red gem. Gold band etched with what looked like a family crest.
Fwoosh-!
Light flared from the gem. Liora’s face mixed confusion and fear.
“Ugh...”
Whoosh-!
Wind gathered like a shield around her frozen form. Then the alarm.
Ding-
[The wind spirit Sylph expresses anger.]
-Huh?
-Wasn’t she playing with Plona?
-Why’s she pissed?
-Who did it?
Viewers questioned Sylph’s arrival. She’d been with Plona, and spirits worked that way everywhere.
Spirit’s wrath...
Usually childlike, their anger was no joke. It could reshape the world. Spirits were that great—and terrifying.
“...Wind?”
Liora murmured, feeling the cozy wrap. But only for a moment. She snatched the ring and bag, eyeing the dark path.
After a pause, she told Hanbit:
“Bad vibe.”
“Vibe? From that ring?”
“...Dunno. But inside’s dangerous.”
She warned without stepping foot in—pure instinct, no lie.
Her senses have to be sharp.
Detecting danger from scraps. A kid with that talent? Constant life-or-death exposure. Like a rebel clan survivor in hiding.
Whoosh-
Mid-talk, spirit wind spread like it enveloped the space.
“I’ll go first?”
“No, wait...!”
As Hanbit stepped forward, Liora grabbed his sleeve. A bit embarrassed, she looked away.
“Don’t. If you die, unnie and Plona’ll be sad.”
-Aww.
-Affinity way up ㄷㄷ
-God Atsbel.
Liora knew every detail of Atsbel’s mom’s release from pain. She’d watched it unfold, so her view of Hanbit had shifted early. Her sister’s savior was hers too. No way she’d let him die—especially after Plona.
“I’m good. Won’t die.”
“...People who say that always do.”
“Nah, look.”
Hanbit pointed down the path. A small silhouette approached from the dark.
Meow~
“Ruby?”
Liora blinked at the casual cry. This cat always hid deeper when found.
Whoosh-
Sylph’s lingering wind stirred faintly. No one’d guess she’d lured the cat.
“Why’d you run so far?”
Liora scooped up Ruby with a relieved sigh. Trouble maker, sure, but never left the slums.
“Huh?”
Up close, she spotted something. Bringing Ruby close, she slowly pulled a white cloth scrap from its mouth.
“...Holy Nation?”
Unique fabric she’d never seen in Edlen. Edged with the Holy Nation’s flag.
Liora’s face darkened instantly.
-Holy Nation?
-Why’s a Holy Nation clue here?
-This tying into main story?
-Gotta wait for sub-quest wrap-up.
-Yeah, tons of side stuff ends up meaningless.
Holy Nation sparked viewer debates. Sub-quests fleshed out the main story, impacts varying by path and outcome.
“Lemme see.”
Hanbit took the cloth. Alarm and message popped.
Ding-
[Completed Sub-Quest #2.]
[Sub-Quest #3 unlocked.]
[Sub-Quest #3]
Ruby, found in the underground waterway, carried something odd. Why’s cloth with the Holy Nation flag here? Need intel.
Goal: Report the trace to the guild master.
Reward: Sub-quest settlement.
-Guild master already?
-New route opening?
-First in years lol
-Not that easy.
-Yeah, Cown’s tough.
Edlen’s key figure: guild master. And at Holy Nation clue timing? Both tied straight to main quest. Viewers buzzed with hype and doubt over a new story route.
“Liora, take Ruby to Plona.”
“...And you?”
“Gonna see the guild master. Holy Nation stuff here’s suspicious.”
“......”
Liora clamped her mouth shut at his answer. After a moment’s thought, she said quietly:
“Got it. Heading to Plona first.”