69. Underwater Exploration

69. Underwater Exploration

Fortunately, as we descended beyond the vertical tunnel, my tail didn’t become fish food or anything like that. The deeper we went underground, the more the fish fled.

Instead, pitch-black darkness enveloped us.

“I-I can’t see anything.”

“This is my first time descending this deep too….”

At some point, the vertical tunnel began to curve gently, and now it had become a tunnel that extended horizontally.

It was already dark, and with the path bending, even with a wolf’s superior eyesight, I couldn’t see anything.

“Let’s stop for now.”

“Okay….”

We finally had to stop midway, unable to dare to go any further.

“Hmm….”

Silence descended. Only the sound of breathing could be heard.

There was no sound of fish swimming, nor the sound of lake waves lapping in the wind. It was a space of absolute darkness, devoid of any life.

The thought of losing Seol-gu in this darkness made my body instinctively tremble with fear, and my tail tried to shrink.

You are my life jacket, Seol-gu. Don’t disappear. If you do, I’ll cry like a baby.

Uncle, who was gracefully swimming in place, opened his mouth.

“This magic, will it wear off after a while or something? If it wears off when we go deeper, it’ll be a bit of a problem.”

“It’ll be fine… I think? Seol-gu, it’s fine, right?”

Seol-gu cried “Kkang kkang” as if to say, ‘Don’t worry.’ Rather, he looked at me with a worried expression, as if concerned I might accidentally deactivate the stone by talking about being a wolf.

“Ugh, I’m not a fox, so I wouldn’t do something so foolish… Huk!!”

“Kkang!!”

The transparent stone immediately began to lose power. Seol-gu and I hurriedly cried “Kkang kkang” to soothe the stone.

Seriously, I don’t know why this stone gets upset so easily.

Based on my past experiences, this stone seems to distance itself from wolves and get closer to foxes. Does that mean I’m supposed to become a fox?

I don’t like it. I’m a wolf.

A strong and powerful wolf, just like Sister, Mom, and Dad.

I really don’t like it.

“Hmm.”

“It’s, it’s really okay. The magic won’t wear off.”

Uncle stared at me with eyes full of suspicion. I wiped imaginary sweat from my brow and avoided his gaze. Of course, being underwater, I wasn’t actually sweating, but that’s how it felt.

I opened my mouth to change the subject.

“L-let’s just go in! It’ll be a big problem if we miss the mechanical worm.”

“Just go in headfirst? Into that dark place?”

“No! Look closely… Shine!”

Of course, I didn’t suggest going deeper without any thought. As I shouted, the stone lit up, illuminating the tunnel. However, for some reason, the brightness was significantly lacking.

“Huh… Did I not say ‘Kkang’ enough?”

Even considering that we were underwater, the stone’s light was much weaker than when I used it during the polar night. For a moment, I thought it might be because the stone wasn’t fully charged. But no matter how much I cried “Kkang kkang,” the stone’s light showed no sign of strengthening.

As I struggled with the stone for a long time, Seol-gu, unable to bear it any longer, barked at me. Looking at where his paws were pointing, it seemed he was referring to the underwater breathing magic.

“Kkang kkang, kkang!”

“Could it be… there’s a limit to using magic?”

“Kkang!”

Seol-gu cried brightly, as if confirming I was correct.

It seems the stone has a fixed amount of magic it can use at once. I should have realized this when the magic weakened if I didn’t keep saying “Kkang kkang”!

Since the underwater breathing magic was already consuming a significant portion, the power of the light magic I used later weakened. It was only enough to dimly illuminate our immediate surroundings.

I swallowed hard.

“Huk….”

So what should I do?

Do I have to explore this dim tunnel, where I can barely distinguish up, down, left, and right, with this faint light?

I raised my head and looked into the tunnel.

Due to the tunnel’s structure, which gradually curves from vertical to horizontal, not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate further. Naturally, all I could see was blackness.

A place where I can’t predict when, how, or what will emerge from anywhere. The tunnel was suffocatingly quiet. It felt as if a large, long monster was opening its mouth and drawing us in.

I felt like I was being pulled inward even though I was standing still. I don’t know if my brain was playing tricks due to the immense size of the tunnel or if there was actually a current pulling us in.

With all sides blocked, and the possibility of escape being slim if something happened, my mind realized it. I realized how deeply I had descended.

Even though I’m underwater, my lips are starting to feel dry.

Simply put, I’m scared.

Is this what claustrophobia feels like? Unconsciously, I swallow. My tail shrinks.

“Sh-shall we just go back?”

“Kkang?”

“No! It’s not that I’m scared!”

Seol-gu looked at me with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Are you scared?’ Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I babbled out an excuse.

“There’s no way I’d be scared of a little darkness! I’m a very brave wolf… Ah, no. A fox! No!! I’m not a fox… a wolf… Ah, no….”

Trying to be mindful of the stone, I couldn’t speak properly. Moreover, the fear that was subtly pressing down on me made my tongue twist.

At the moment I felt like crying from helplessness, I felt the stone’s light intensify slightly.

“Uh….”

I don’t know why. Perhaps something I said while rambling pleased the stone.

Could it be that my slip of the tongue about being a fox made it happy?

But what’s certain is that the stone’s power has significantly increased now. It seems stronger than when I was just saying “Kkang kkang.”

However, it’s still not enough.

With the current brightness, it can’t sufficiently illuminate this long tunnel. As I hesitated, Seol-gu cried out, urging me to hurry.

“Kkang kkang, kkang.”

“B-but… think about it! I can’t use magic beyond this point! So, if we encounter the mechanical worm in this state, what can we possibly do!”

“Kkang!”

“Even Uncle Polar Bear’s help won’t be enough, you idiot!”

I don’t know how much magic is needed to catch a mechanical worm. It’s impossible to fight in a weakened state when even a full-power fight might not be enough. Uncle Polar Bear also doesn’t seem to be able to land a critical blow on the mechanical worm.

A wise wolf knows when to retreat. It’s right to retreat here, regroup, and then fight. But this foolish fox doesn’t seem to know this obvious fact!

“Uncle!! Please stop Seol-gu!”

“Kkang kkang, kkyareung…!”

“Hey, stop fighting and calm down, calm down.”

Finally, our argument was stopped by Uncle’s mediation. I dangled from Uncle’s arm, grumbling and tattling on Seol-gu’s foolishness to Uncle.

“Uncle, I’m right, aren’t I?! How can we catch the worm in this state!! Foxes are all idiots! If Seol-gu were a wolf, he would have retreated long ago to regroup, catch the worm, dig up some Ice fruit, and go home!!”

“Seol-ah, Seol-gu has already calmed down, so why are you still angry?”

“Huh?”

I looked to the side, and Seol-gu had already calmed down and was waiting for me to stop being angry. As I looked at him with a bewildered expression, Uncle spoke.

“Seol-gu is more mature than Seol-ah.”

“N-no!! I’m more mature than Seol-gu!”

“Then, if you’re more mature than Seol-gu, you should calm down and resolve this through conversation, right?”

“Ugh….”

It was the truth.

Actually, thinking about it, there’s no need to fight this much, but I felt like I had gotten overly heated. Despite appearances, I’m a reincarnator with an adult mind, but it seems my physical age is affecting my mental state too much.

Still, my anger hadn’t completely subsided, so I looked at Seol-gu, shaking my tail with a sulky expression.

“First, we have to go back. We need to fight in a place where the situation is better.”

“Kkang kkang.”

“It’s okay to be a little late! Instead of arguing and wasting time here, it’s better to go back quickly and get help from the tribe members. We need to do this properly!”

“Kkang!”

Seol-gu was resolute. But I couldn’t back down either.

I’m scared of dark places!

“Think about it, Seol-gu! We don’t even know how far this tunnel extends, are we just going to swim all day? And let’s say we’re lucky enough to meet the mechanical worm. Then! With my stone only able to emit this much light, how are we going to stop a super giant mechanical worm that shoots super laser beams!”

“Seol-ah, speak calmly.”

“… Anyway, no, Seol-gu. We have to go back. Please!”

I grabbed Seol-gu’s tail tightly and pleaded. With such earnestness, even the resolute Seol-gu’s expression softened a bit. It looked like he would give in if I begged a little more.

“And, Seol-gu. You know this worm tunnel is incredibly dangerous, right? I’m an expert at digging tunnels. From what I can see, this tunnel is really, really unstable. If we go in and the tunnel collapses and we get trapped, it’ll be a disaster. Right?”

“Kkang….”

“Yes! It’ll collapse!”

I am a wolf who is good at digging tunnels. Based on my excellent tunnel-digging skills, this tunnel was unstable and could collapse with a single wrong move, just like the worm tunnel we went into during the polar night! There was no need to mention how dangerous it would be to go deeper into this tunnel.

“Kkang kkang….”

At my desperate plea, Seol-gu finally changed his mind. I showered Seol-gu’s face with kisses, expressing my gratitude.

“Thank you!! Let’s go back quickly!”

Oh my, Seol-gu has never looked so lovable. I’m so happy! I quickly changed direction and pulled Seol-gu towards the outside of the tunnel.

Clinging to Seol-gu, I began swimming towards the outside of the tunnel. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as the entrance doesn’t collapse on the way!

“Uh….”

I think I just thought of something I shouldn’t have.

A bad premonition brushed past my tail. Seol-gu also seemed to sense it, as he stopped abruptly in his tracks. And then, a powerful vibration echoed.

-Rumble!

“Kkang!!”

“Uwaaang!!”

We fled from the collapsing entrance at full speed.

Into the… inside of the tunnel.