Chapter 190

“Huff… huff… huff…”

“Haa… haa…”

A man and a woman were sprinting with all their might.

Their faces were flushed crimson, contorted with exhaustion, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

But they couldn’t stop to rest.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

The earth trembled with heavy footsteps.

The sound of ogres.

But it wasn’t the sound of just one or two.

It was a horde of ogres, at least ten strong.

They wielded massive clubs in their hands.

The ogres were chasing them with clear hostility.

It was all too obvious that if they were caught by that ogre horde, they wouldn’t even have a single bone left intact.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!

A breathtaking chase ensued.

The distance between them gradually closed.

At the critical moment,

“Huff… We’re almost there! Get in!”

The man shouted.

Even before he finished speaking, the woman had already leaped towards something.

A narrow gap between cliffs.

The man immediately followed behind her.

It was a space barely wide enough for a human to pass through.

A monster with a massive body like an ogre wouldn’t even be able to fit a single foot in.

As they expected, the ogre horde stopped.

They smacked the gap between the cliffs as if headbutting them, drooling and glaring with their large eyes.

Thump! Boom! Thump! Boom!

A deafening roar.

But the power of nature was greater than that of ogres.

The cliffs remained unyielding.

Finally, realizing there was no way in, the ogres turned around and moved on.

“Phew, I thought we were going to die this time.”

The woman sighed in relief.

“It’s a good thing it was ogres. If it had been cyclopes…”

The man trailed off.

Cyclopes were one of the most fearsome monsters in this place.

Ogres were scary, but cyclopes were on a whole different level of danger.

“Let’s hope we don’t run into them on our way back. Let’s go in for now.”

“Okay.”

The man and woman entered the space between the cliffs.

* * *

“Nothing again.”

“This is the worst. We’re already in a difficult situation.”

The faces of the man and woman darkened.

They were the few remaining residents of the 12th underground floor.

The man’s name was Norman.

He was an experienced and skilled mercenary who had been in the business for a long time, even earning the nickname “Lightning Bolt.”

However, he had been trapped in this place for five years now.

The woman’s name was Milia.

She was a former knight from the Henatus family, the most powerful martial family in the southern Empire, and was also quite skilled.

She used a unique chain sword as her weapon of choice, earning her the nickname “Chain Knight.”

She had also been trapped in this place for five years.

Five years.

In this hellish space, it was a long time, like an eternity.

And it truly felt like it.

They were the only residents who had survived for five years.

No one had even survived for four years.

The next longest survivor after them had only lasted for three years.

Without exaggeration, anyone who survived for even half a year in this place could be considered extremely lucky or possessing exceptional survival skills.

Why?

Because the monsters here were not ordinary.

It was a hellish land inhabited only by terrifying ‘large monsters’.

Norman and Milia were strong.

It was only natural, considering they were renowned figures even on the surface.

They were strong enough to take down a few ogres with their combined strength.

The problem was.

There weren’t just a few ogres.

No, it was a hellhole teeming with large monsters like trolls and cyclopes, as well as ogres.

Even they couldn’t do anything with brute force in such a place.

All they could do was run and hide.

The reason they ventured to this place despite the danger?

It was for one reason.

This was the passage where people who were dragged in from the outside world fell.

In this hellish land, humans were valuable assets and labor.

Therefore, every single person was precious.

However, the reality was that more people were dying than being replenished.

Hoping against hope that this time would be different, they were once again disappointed.

“There’s no choice… Let’s recover our strength with some rest and head back.”

Norman said, resigned.

“Okay, we can’t leave for too long.”

Milia replied.

They were practically the co-leaders of the resident group.

Because they were the strongest and longest-surviving residents.

This task couldn’t be done by anyone else.

It was impossible for anyone but them to safely guide newly arrived human residents back to the shelter.

They also played a leading role in gathering food.

In this place, every task that had to be done outside the shelter was life-threatening, so it couldn’t be helped.

It was just a shame that they only had two bodies.

“I’ll sleep first.”

Norman closed his eyes first.

It would be disastrous if they both slept at the same time and failed to wake up on time.

They were constantly exhausted due to the heavy responsibilities they carried.

Therefore, taking turns sleeping and resting had become a part of their daily routine.

“Okay, rest well.”

Milia sincerely hoped that he could have a peaceful sleep, forgetting everything, even if only for a short time.

* * *

30 minutes of sleep each.

An hour had passed.

It was time to go back.

The strongest among them couldn’t leave the shelter unattended for too long.

“It should be safe now.”

Norman, who had better eyesight and was skilled in reconnaissance, checked outside the cliff and said.

There were a few trolls wandering around, but that couldn’t be helped.

There was no way there would be a monster-free space in this land teeming with large monsters.

“Okay, then right away?”

“Yes, let’s run.”

Norman dashed out first, followed by Milia.

They were heading towards their hideout.

Thud!

They ran with all their might.

“Roar!”

The troll that spotted them roared and gave chase.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

But they had already spotted it, so they were able to easily shake off the troll.

Of course, the danger had only just begun.

They continued to encounter large monsters along the way and had to use their knowledge of the terrain to evade them.

They had covered about half the distance without any major problems when…

“Raaaaaar!”

Suddenly, monsters with a single eye and a body made of solid rock appeared.

They seemed to be twice the size of large monsters like ogres and trolls.

“Tsk, cyclopes!”

Norman’s expression contorted.

“Damn it, let’s retreat!”

Milia shouted urgently.

They had to go back the way they came, but there was no other choice.

Those monsters were simply beyond their ability to handle.

Even if there was only one, it would be nearly impossible to evade and break through a group of them.

So they had no choice but to retreat.

“Okay, got it!”

They ran back with all their might.

Their top priority was to shake off the pursuing cyclopes.

But how long had they been running?

Suddenly, an ogre horde appeared in front of them, at the worst possible time.

“Damn it!”

“Tsk, are those the same ones from before?”

Norman and Milia’s expressions hardened.

Cyclopes behind them, ogres in front of them.

They had no choice.

“We break through!”

“Good luck!”

Norman and Milia charged into the ogre horde without hesitation.

* * *

“…I’m sorry, I think this is it.”

Norman’s voice.

He didn’t look good.

Red blood was trickling from his mouth as he spoke.

He had suffered internal injuries.

He had been hit by an ogre’s club during their breakthrough attempt.

He had managed to avoid a direct hit, but even a glancing blow had broken several ribs and caused internal injuries.

“Damn it, don’t give up! Don’t you dare give up!”

Milia shouted as if spitting blood.

“I can’t lose you! I can’t lose you too!”

Her voice was choked with sobs.

Her body trembled as intense emotions surged within her.

“I’m sorry, I have nothing to say. But… you have to survive. You must.”

Norman also seemed to be suppressing his rising emotions.

But his expression remained calm.

He looked as if he had already accepted his fate.

“No! I told you I can’t lose you!”

“Survive! Go now!”

At Milia’s cry, Norman shouted with his last bit of strength.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!

“There’s no time! Hurry!”

“Ugh!”

Milia’s expression wavered.

She knew.

For the sake of the remaining residents, they couldn’t both die here.

“Damn iiiit!”

Just as Milia was about to turn and run, screaming in anguish…

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the air.

‘What’s that?’ Milia and Norman thought simultaneously.

Boom!

A large hole appeared in the chest of the ogre leading the charge.

Its heart was completely gone.

Thud!

The instantly killed ogre crashed forward with a loud thud.

“Wh-Wh-What… is th-this?!”

Milia’s eyes widened in shock.

“Wh-Who did that?!”

Norman, who had given up on life, also shouted in astonishment.

But that was just the beginning.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Something pierced the air repeatedly.

They couldn’t have imagined that those somethings were actually giant arrows.

Boom!

Crash!

Boom!

Every time those somethings hit, an ogre’s head flew off, its neck exploded, or its heart vanished.

They even pierced through the sturdy clubs the ogres instinctively raised to protect themselves, ending their lives like they were made of paper.

Thud!

Thump!

Thud!

The ogres collapsed lifelessly, like rotten trees.

Who could believe this unbelievable sight?

Norman and Milia stood frozen, their mouths agape.

They seemed unable to grasp whether this was a dream or reality.

Thud!

Finally, with the last ogre dead, a space free of monsters appeared in this hellish land for the first time in a long time.

Except for their hideout, Norman and Milia had never seen such a clean and peaceful place.

It was something they had never even imagined.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

They snapped out of their daze at the sound of someone approaching.

They instinctively went on guard, but one fact eased their vigilance.

“Are you alright?”

A human voice.

The only beings they could trust in this land.

Their tension involuntarily dissipated.

“Oh my, your condition… I’ll heal you right away.”

“Wh-Who are you?”

It was Max who answered Norman’s question.

“We came from above.”

Max pointed upwards with his finger.

“Above… Could it be?”

“That’s right. We came from the 11th underground floor.”

“I thought there might be someone there… but to actually see it…”

Norman’s eyes wavered.

“You seem to be in bad shape, so just get treated. I’ll explain everything later.”

Max turned his gaze to Milia.

“Fortunately, you seem to be fine, Chain Knight.”

“Y-You know me?”

“I’m from the Empire too. My name is Max Celtrine.”

“Max Celtrine? Ah, from the Celtrine family?”

“That’s right. The eldest son.”

“The eldest son of the Celtrine family, then you’re that Scoundrel…”

Milia stopped herself from blurting out “Scoundrel of the Celtrine.”

She couldn’t curse at the person who had saved her life.

“Ah, that’s my old nickname. Now it’s Beauty Hun… No, it’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself.”

“Yes…?”

“It’s not important. More importantly…”

Max stopped speaking.

Because someone was shouting excitedly.

It was Ran.

“Everyone, pick up the arrows! Those are all masterpieces containing my blood, sweat, and tears!”

“It seems like we wouldn’t be able to survive here without them anyway, Miss Ran.”

“Yeah, what kind of place is this?”

“Haa, if it weren’t for our benefactor, we would have been completely screwed this time.”

“I agree, I agree. Master Max is truly a savior sent from heaven.”

“Yes, yes, so let’s pick them up diligently! They’re our lifeline, which Big Brother Max had the foresight to request!”

Ran concluded.

Max chuckled at the sight and spoke again.

“I’ve come to save this place.”

At that moment, Milia saw a dazzling halo behind Max, as if in a vision.