Ch.58Deep Dive (2)

Gulp.

From a distance, I heard the sound of someone swallowing beside me while watching the Minotaur. The source of that sound was none other than Kitsune.

Kitsune turned to look at me with a rather tense expression. She seemed somewhat frightened.

Certainly, it wasn’t unreasonable to be scared, considering the axe the beast wielded was surrounded by powerful energy. It was even more intimidating than the Lesser Dragon, as this was mature-stage energy.

“Do we have to defeat that thing…?”

“To get straight to the point, that’s not what we need to defeat.”

The reason we came this far was for Nectar. While the byproducts from killing that beast could be considered high-quality, they weren’t related to Nectar.

If we had the luxury, we might have tried to hunt it, but we who were already struggling to operate in the deep layer didn’t have such luxury.

‘With Lilly’s help it would be possible, but that would be too wasteful.’

Realistically speaking, in my current state, I might be able to survive in the magic realm but hunting would be pushing it.

The fact that I made it down to the deep layer wasn’t due to strength but because I used the safest routes based on my knowledge.

So for now, our limit was to stick to the path, collect what we needed, and head back up.

“I have no intention of engaging that creature or any of the other Ancient Demonic Beasts here. The reason is the same as why we’re not hunting that one.

Without Lilly’s help, there are too many challenges for us to defeat Ancient Demonic Beasts in our current state.”

“If not an Ancient Demonic Beast, then what do we have to face…? I’m worried about what terrifying thing it might be.”

“That’s~”

Just as I was about to answer Kitsune’s worried question, I suddenly felt mischievous. I could always explain right before we had to fight.

“Let’s keep it a secret for now, shall we? I’m afraid if I tell you, a scared Kitsune might run away~”

“That won’t happen! But… is it really that threatening…? Even more than an Ancient Demonic Beast…?”

Having already descended to the deep layer, Kitsune declared she wouldn’t run away no matter how scared she might get.

However, contrary to her words, I could see her body trembling with worry about what could possibly be so threatening that I would say such things.

Seeing her like that stimulated my sadistic side, and my mischievous nature enjoyed teasing her even more.

“Hehe, you’ll see when you witness it with your own eyes~ I wonder if you might wet yourself?”

“Stop that and give me at least a hint…!”

Leaving Kitsune in an almost pleading state, I confirmed that the Minotaur had finished its meal and was heading back.

The Minotaur gradually disappeared from view, but I continued to watch the path it had taken even after it vanished, holding my breath.

‘With its energy sensing, it would notice us from quite a distance in one go.’

Having filled its stomach, it probably wouldn’t charge at us recklessly even if it noticed us, but that didn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful.

Once I felt we had enough distance, I stood up from my crouched position and was about to take the lead again.

That is, if others who had been hiding from the Minotaur just like us hadn’t moved first.

“Hnnngh.”

“That Minotaur is still as brutal as ever.”

“At least unlike other types of demonic beasts, it doesn’t have the habit of hunting persistently, so that’s good.”

“What good is that! Even a graze from its axe would be fatal!”

Those who had been hiding like us and now revealed themselves were a group of about ten dwarf miners.

From their conversation, they seemed to have considerable knowledge and experience.

‘So a team was already down here.’

While I call this place a magic realm, its main purpose was still a mine. And mines naturally had miners.

However, due to the location, the duration of stay and number of personnel varied by layer.

‘If the upper layer is for day trips or stays of a few days, the deep layer is for stays of weeks to months.’

After debating whether to reveal myself, I finally decided to do so.

For easier travel, we needed information, and I didn’t think they had any reason to harm us.

I approached the dwarves without concealing my presence. I didn’t want to create any misunderstandings by partially hiding my presence.

“Hello.”

“Hmm…? The next team shouldn’t be coming in for a while yet… Adventurers…? Well, this is surprising.”

The dwarves who noticed my approach seemed to have mistaken me for a miner from another team at first. But upon seeing my attire and appearance, they looked surprised.

After a moment, one dwarf who appeared to be the leader stepped forward and welcomed us.

“An adventurer coming down to the deep layer, it’s been ages! The last time I heard of adventurers entering the deep layer was about 10 years ago.

Impressive, truly impressive! Those who overcome hardships deserve praise. I happen to have some good liquor, would you like a drink?”

“I’ll politely decline the alcohol. We plan to move on without resting. Dwarf liquor is quite strong, and I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep my wits about me if I drank.”

The dwarves before me knew the dangers of this magic realm better than anyone through their long experience.

So they were offering their own form of praise to us who had made it this far despite those dangers.

“Hah! Our liquor is indeed strong! Well then, I’ll put the drink away. Is there anything else you need?”

“May I ask for one favor?”

“A favor? Well, as long as it’s reasonable, I might be able to help.”

“We’re planning to explore the deep layer, but we’re having trouble locating the Ancient Demonic Beasts. If you know their positions, could you share that information?”

“Their positions, you say…”

The dwarf leader seemed to fall into contemplation after hearing my request.

Since we weren’t asking about ordinary monsters but catastrophe-level Ancient Demonic Beasts, it was understandable that he would hesitate.

‘If I received this information and maliciously lured those beasts, the miners could be wiped out in an instant…’

While I would appreciate the information, I couldn’t force him, so I quietly waited for the dwarf leader’s decision.

As time passed, the dwarf finally made his decision. Fortunately for us, it was a favorable one.

“Hmm… Alright! For those who’ve overcome such hardships, I can at least share their last known positions.”

“I didn’t expect you to be so cool about it. I thought you’d at least attach some conditions.”

Surprised by the dwarf’s generous decision, I looked at him with an astonished expression. In response to my reaction, he laughed it off and continued.

“Each of those beasts moves in its own way. No matter how careful you are, there’s always risk. If this helps you, then that’s good enough.

If I have one request, it’s that if we meet again, I’d like you to share any information you’ve gathered about their positions as well.”

“That’s definitely possible. After all, we’re the ones receiving help here.”

After receiving the necessary information from him, I prepared to leave.

Just as I was about to depart, the dwarf suddenly remembered something and hurriedly stopped me.

“Come to think of it, I was so pleased that I forgot to ask the name of the one who made it this far. I’m Henor.”

“Ah, I’m Frey.”

* * *

The deep layer was fundamentally vast.

While there were some smaller paths, most of the paths in the deep layer were large enough for massive monsters to roam freely.

And these paths were certainly not formed naturally. In a place with such strong gravity, such open spaces should have collapsed.

“The reason such massive paths had to be created is the target we have to fight.”

“Is there a being that can artificially create such paths in this underground…?”

While dwarves did create their own tunnels here, they were small in scale. They couldn’t create tunnels over 10 meters in size.

But the implication that whoever made these paths could do so seemed to shock Kitsune once again.

Regardless, I continued my explanation while walking along an appropriate path to avoid encountering Ancient Demonic Beasts.

Since we were about to reach our destination, there was no need to keep it secret anymore, and it seemed like an explanation was due.

“Artificial isn’t quite right… ‘divine’ might be the better term. These were created by Vulcan, the god of the dwarves.

He made them to facilitate the movement of his Titans.”

What we would soon have to fight was the Titan, a weapon of war personally created by Vulcan.