Ch.61Grave Robbing and Theft (4)

Thinking rationally, Utis must have noticed the pursuit and fled, leaving behind the reinforced suit.

The pursuers who had followed Utis fell into two categories. First were the trackers under orders from Torres Magic Tower.

Torres Magic Tower wasn’t the kind of organization that would let a suspicious character like Utis disappear without consequences. Concerned that tower mages might detect something unusual if they conducted the search themselves, they had outsourced the tracking.

These outsourced trackers made a logical assessment of the situation: the unidentified suspect named Utis had escaped.

The second group consisted of fixers who were close to the site manager. Though the site manager had tried to dismiss the rumors, he couldn’t help but wonder if this might be some kind of omen.

He had discreetly informed only the hunters he trusted about Utis, who only signed contracts on paper—in other words, someone who “left absolutely no trace of magical energy.”

The fixers who heard the rumor had initially cheered at Utis’s miraculous speed, but when he turned away declaring that “beyond the door lies nothing but misfortune,” they were filled with unease.

And now. The fixers faced the reality of Utis vanishing, leaving behind only clothing like a shed skin.

One of them spoke up.

“Has anyone… seen the face behind the visor?”

No one had.

The fear gradually intensified.

As several circumstances converged, terror seeped into the second group of fixers. They cried out:

“The rumors! The rumors were true!”

The fixers who had been about to contact Torres Magic Tower questioned these strange reactions. Relief at finding someone to share their rising fear. Hushed whispers. The site manager’s story spread.

Among those using the alias Utis, there exists a special one.

The most ominous of all Utis. Accidents always follow wherever the traceless Utis appears.

Torres Magic Tower’s contractors shook their heads firmly. They shouldn’t be swayed by such uncertain rumors. Better to focus on the special compensation they’d receive for this additional request. One of them suddenly looked back.

“…How did we get in here?”

“We followed Utis, of course.”

“How do we get back out?”

“…”

They examined the passage through which they had followed Utis.

In truth, this passage was still an unexplored area. It was one of many places Utis had discovered while descending to the underground depths, and which had been left unattended due to lack of interest.

There was still some lingering anxiety about the unexplored region. But until now, every place Utis had set foot in had been a safe zone.

Trusting Utis’s intuition had allowed them to make the decision to follow him.

But now, that very Utis was nowhere to be found.

The fixers realized they needed to escape from this bizarrely twisted unexplored area.

In the silence and darkness that had persisted since ancient times, they were isolated.

***

I feel a bit sorry for the fixers who followed me. The structure there is slightly complex, so they’ll need some trial and error to find their way out.

From what I could see, there weren’t any lethal traps. The passage structure itself was just complicated and confusing. If they don’t overthink it, they should be able to get out in about 30 minutes.

‘I’d truly be sorry if they missed their meal distribution time.’

There’s nothing more disheartening than not being able to eat properly after a hard day’s work. I moved quickly while recalling the hardships of my days as a fixer.

My intuition that most of Torres Magic Tower’s mages on Crete Island had moved to the deep level wasn’t wrong.

There was hardly any personnel left on the surface. While it made sense that external fixers wouldn’t be visible at this hour—prime exploration time—it would have been normal to have a few supervisors to prevent escapes.

It seems even the mages who should be supervising have gathered in the deep level. I traced my memory and headed toward the assembly point for the mid-level exploration team.

‘In the morning, when they gathered by exploration location, the mid-level team assembled here separately.’

Finding the mid-level entrance from the assembly point wasn’t difficult. When many people move, they inevitably leave footprints. The traces left by hundreds of footsteps were clear on the ground.

The entrances to the surface and deep levels were in different locations, but the mid-level entrance was even more isolated.

“They said it was like the control tower of the ruins. For security reasons, perhaps?”

What’s the point of placing the entrance in a remote location and strictly screening personnel for security if people don’t do their jobs properly? This is how breaches happen.

I opened my eyes slightly. So slightly that anyone other than Carisia would ask, “How is that opening your eyes at all?”

Even that small change altered my perception. Though not enough to transform the entire landscape into text as when my eyes are fully open, it allowed imperceptible information to flow in.

For instance, ability fields—the spheres of influence occupied by individuals with abilities. I could see several ability fields wandering inside the mid-level.

The fields visible to my eyes were filled with magical energy. These were the magical energy fields unique to mages.

Perhaps because the mid-level was an important location, some mages had remained instead of going to the deep level. I navigated around the presence of these ability fields while exploring the mid-level.

The silver corridors, meticulously maintained by Torres Magic Tower, exuded a futuristic atmosphere unlike ancient ruins. Perhaps they had modernized it for long-term occupation.

‘Fortunately, they haven’t set up an extensive surveillance network. That would have been troublesome.’

I arrived at a door in the mid-level. Attempting to gaze beyond this door caused an unusually severe headache. A different reaction than when looking at ordinary matter.

It was the kind of headache I felt when trying to interpret beings with ability fields or highly complex structures like artifacts.

‘I don’t sense the magical energy field typical of mages. This must be an artifact storage room.’

The door was sealed with complex security magic, but breaking through such stable magical structures was actually easier.

I didn’t need elaborate techniques like spell overwriting as when dealing with attack magic. I simply took out a magic engraving drive and activated it. It was a basic attack spell: a tiny flame.

The flame built up quite slowly, befitting its cheap quality. But that was exactly what I intended.

Its output was so low that it would take time to reach the threshold where the security magic would recognize it as an attack.

Gradually increasing magical density. The attack detection sensors began to activate.

I analyzed the structure of the circuits supplying magical energy to the sensors. Three active magical supply circuits, with one backup. Even if all three were cut, the spell would continue functioning through the backup circuit.

Three seconds until the magic engraving drive completed activation. Three seconds until the security magic would sound an alarm.

That was enough time to sever the circuits connected to the spell.

I cut all four magical energy supply circuits, including the backup, in one go.

Sometimes even after destroying the magical energy supply circuits like this, self-repairing magic circles would periodically restore themselves, so I couldn’t waste time. I quickly cut through the remaining physical locks with a high-frequency blade.

I opened the door with confidence.

The door opened silently to reveal…

Kikikikikikikik…

A mass of silver threads packed more densely than anything I’d ever seen before.

“Huh?”

***

The reason Ortes denied Arabel’s “Torres-Arguirion secret trade theory” was simple: timing.

It hadn’t even been ten days since the Elysion terror attack. There wasn’t enough time for Arguirion to convince Torres Magic Tower that they were viable trading partners and that they possessed merchandise attractive enough to risk a purge order from the Ten Towers.

That was correct.

If we assume Arguirion’s recruitment efforts began after the Elysion terror attack.

Ortes had told the priest of the vanished god he met in Elysion that “the Elysion terror attack was merely for show, and they had already spread silver thread hosts throughout the world.”

“Already.”

There was more than a month between the day I killed Sikton and rescued Kine and the Elysion award ceremony. Plenty of time for Arguirion to join hands with secretive friends.

At that time, Arguirion didn’t even have the image of “Elysion terrorists” yet. After the terror attack, Arguirion could even pressure their secret allies.

‘Do you think you would be safe if our dealings were exposed?’

That’s how the trade between Torres Magic Tower and Arguirion was maintained. The production of silver thread hosts in the mid-level of the ruins, accessible only to limited personnel. The manufactured silver thread hosts were mixed into Torres Magic Tower’s slave distribution network and spread throughout the world.

Arguirion kept one silver thread matrix in the Crete ruins to streamline production. It normally existed in a deactivated state, and even if accidentally activated, it was sealed with strict security magic, making the possibility of it going berserk extremely low.

“Haha, damn. This is bad.”

At that moment, Ortes appeared…

***

Warning alarms sounded throughout the mid-level. Arguirion’s agents frowned.

“Those Torres Magic Tower bastards. They rushed out saying they might lose the treasure in the deep level. Are they being hunted by that fixer instead?”

“It would be troublesome if this base disappeared. We might have to step in ourselves if necessary.”

Despite their words, Arguirion’s agents were quite relaxed as they gathered their equipment. Though not the elite agents who had participated in the Golden Desert operation, they were skilled enough to have joined Arguirion while evading Blasphemia’s surveillance network.

With their original skills enhanced by the blessing of the “Cause,” they were beings that ordinary mages couldn’t hope to match.

“Hmm? Wait.”

Being such exceptional mages, the two agents could sense that something was wrong. The massive presence they felt wasn’t coming from the deep level, but from right beside them.

“Damn, the silver thread worm?!”

“How did it escape?! If the seal was being broken, the security magic should have activated!”

“Did the silver thread worm eat through the magic?”

“No. A silver thread worm not under a mage’s control only has the primitive instinct to feed on nearby living beings! Even if it ate through the circuits, if the backup circuit was alive, the security magic would activate! Someone…”

A human shadow fell across their path as they rushed forward.

Despite the silver threads surging like an ebb tide behind him, the figure walked slowly as if out for a stroll.

The silver threads didn’t dare approach this being who walked without making a sound.

It’s him.

He released the silver thread worm and is driving it toward us.

Only one organization could figure out how to activate and control the silver thread worm so quickly. Former comrades, now traitors.

“Blasphemia! How did you find this place?!”

No answer came. The silver thread worm extended its threads, sharpened like awls, and shot them at its former masters. The two Arguirion mages instinctively prepared for battle.

***

What the hell are those guys doing?

I watched the mages engaged in battle with the mass of silver threads.

‘I was moving as quietly as possible since it seemed sensitive to vibrations and sound, but…’

That silver mass tried to stab me with its threads every time I said a word. Evidence that its sensory organs were concentrated on touch and hearing. When I slipped away using a walking technique that reduced vibrations, the silver mass seemed unable to detect me and extended its threads elsewhere where magical energy could be felt.

I was quietly following it, thinking it might lead me to artifacts as it absorbed magical energy to grow its body, but…

Why are those guys suddenly shouting and provoking it?

‘Well, it’s not entirely bad news.’

While those two fight the silver threads, I’ll loot the mid-level!