Chapter 31 – Treasure Hunt

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The walls along the staircase were covered in strange hieroglyphs, with blue moss growing over them. It was a sign that no one had set foot here for a long time.

The hieroglyphs depicted flying birds, clouds, lightning, wind, and what seemed to be human figures. I couldn’t decipher their exact meaning, but they likely told a story related to the weather.

“Hmm.”

As I tried to make sense of the hieroglyphs, Gladi, who was walking ahead, raised her hand to stop us.

“Gladi?”

“Wait a moment.”

It seemed she had noticed something unusual. In the darkness, her eyes glowed with a faint blue light.

“What do you see?”

“Yeah, I see something. The green light suggests it’s not too threatening.”

“Green light?”

“It’s a Ranger-exclusive skill called ‘Sharpeye.’ It alerts me to potential threats, like hidden monsters or traps. For example, it can warn me about traps set in places like this staircase.”

“Oh…”

“There’s a trap here on these stairs. If you step here…”

Tap-tap-

Gladi tapped the stairs with her foot, but nothing happened.

“Huh?”

She tilted her head in confusion and gradually put more weight on the stairs. Even after fully stepping on them, there was no sign of any mechanism activating.

“Hmm. It seems safe for now.”

Was the skill wrong? Or was Gladi just being overly cautious? Either way, the trap not activating was good news.

Isolin and I jumped over the stairs marked as dangerous.

Gladi’s caution continued as we descended. Don’t step on certain stairs, don’t touch the protruding bricks, don’t pick up the fallen torches.

Humans tend to want to do what they’re told not to. But that only applies when their lives aren’t at stake.

This wasn’t a game—it was reality. I didn’t want to die, so I trusted Gladi completely.

“Hmm.”

“This is…”

The seemingly endless staircase finally came to an end. What awaited us was a pitch-black corridor where we couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

Gulp-

I swallowed hard and raised my portable lantern to illuminate the corridor. But nothing was visible.

At this moment, Gladi was the only one who could ensure the party’s safety.

Isolin and I held hands, staring blankly at Gladi’s back.

“Are there traps here too?”

Gladi tilted her head and carefully examined the walls and floor. Her leather pants, clinging tightly to her thighs, shimmered under the lantern’s light.

“Not for now. But I’ll keep checking, so I’ll take the lead.”

No one objected to her leading. Isolin and I nodded.

Step-step-

We moved forward through the dark corridor, relying on the faint light. Gladi didn’t signal any traps as we progressed.

She would stop occasionally to survey the surroundings, then move forward again after about five minutes.

We reached the end of the corridor after roughly 30 minutes.

“Hmm…”

At the end of the corridor stood a massive, tightly shut door.

It was much taller than the combined height of Isolin, Gladi, and me.

The hieroglyphs on the corridor walls were also carved onto the door. I carefully traced them with my finger.

Burning land, a tree soaring into the sky, birds flying above, and humans running on the ground. At a glance, it seemed to depict humans facing a natural disaster.

Before opening the door, I needed one last confirmation. I turned to Gladi and asked.

“There aren’t any traps on the door, right?”

“No. There’s no signal, so it seems there aren’t any traps nearby.”

Gladi answered and approached the door. She placed her hands on it and pushed with all her might.

“Ugh!”

Her cute, soft face contorted with effort. But despite her best attempts, the massive door didn’t budge.

It seemed we needed more strength to open it. Isolin and I rolled up our sleeves and joined in pushing the door.

“Hyah!”

“Eeeek!”

“Ha-yah!”

As our weak battle cries echoed, the door creaked and slowly began to move.

“It’s opening!”

“Push harder!”

Dust billowed from the cracks, indicating the door hadn’t been opened in a long time.

“Ugh!”

We gave it our all. We pushed so hard that our eyes turned bloodshot. We even used all our buffs to boost our stats.

But despite our efforts, we couldn’t fully open the door.

All we managed was a small gap, just enough for small girls like Isolin and me to squeeze through.

“It doesn’t seem like it’ll open any further…”

“Hmm.”

I tested the gap by squeezing through.

My body felt crushed, but with some twisting and turning, I could make it to the other side.

As I squeezed through, I looked up. Would the door close and crush me into jerky?

Gladi had said there were no traps, but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy. As I hesitated, Isolin approached and asked.

“How is it? Can we get through?”

“Yeah, it seems possible, but…”

The problem was what lay beyond the door. I frowned as I stared into the darkness. I was scared, but we couldn’t turn back after coming this far.

I exhaled deeply, making my body as thin as possible, and squeezed through the gap.

As my skin scraped against the door, I felt a sharp pain. Then, with a pop!, my body shot through.

The moment I passed through the door, I drew my mace and surveyed the surroundings. The light from my portable lantern slowly revealed the area.

The first thing I noticed was the weathered bones scattered on the floor. White bone fragments and powder were strewn everywhere.

I couldn’t tell if they were human or monster remains.

Frowning, I examined the bones as Gladi and Isolin popped through the gap and tumbled onto the floor.

“Eeeek!”

“Bleh-bleh!”

Isolin spat out bone powder that had gotten into her mouth, while Gladi drew her dagger and began scanning the area.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any immediate threats.

I lowered my mace and looked around.

The long corridor was filled with mysterious tree roots protruding from the walls. Even water droplets fell from the ceiling.

The place reeked of water. A massive waterfall must be flowing above the corridor. I swallowed hard, recalling the vast river we had passed earlier.

“There don’t seem to be any monsters…”

Gladi sighed in relief, her tension easing. As she said, there were no monsters here. In fact, it was doubtful if any living beings existed here besides the three of us.

This place had been abandoned for so long that only bones remained. It was hard to imagine any life surviving here.

“Hmm! There are three paths here!”

The shortest party leader, Isolin, jumped up and shouted.

As she said, the path ahead split into three. Each was covered in green moss, with puddles scattered throughout.

“Which way should we go first?”

Isolin was the party leader. Deciding the direction was her responsibility. I stood beside her and watched.

“Hmm…!”

Isolin’s method of choosing a path was simple. She planted her staff on the ground and let go. The direction it fell would be our path.

Thud-roll…

“This way!”

The chosen path was the left corridor.

It wasn’t the most satisfying method, but there was no better option in this situation.

I sighed and pulled out a multi-purpose rope from my inventory.

“W-why are you taking that out?”

Isolin flinched as I pulled out the rope. I tilted my head in confusion.

“Why?”

“You’re not going to tie me up, are you…?”

Tie her up? Why would I do that? I chuckled and shook my head.

“No, that’s not it. We might get lost on the way back. This is to prevent that.”

“Ah…!”

Isolin nodded, finally understanding. What had she been imagining?

I shook my head and tied the rope to a nearby rock. This rope would serve as our guidepost.

“Alright. Ready.”

I was glad I had bought plenty of multi-purpose rope. I tied it around my waist and nodded.

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