Chapter 390
The carriage that I was in stopped in front of the guard post. The access road to the canyon was obstructed by a stone wall, which had hardened Graf’s bodily fluids in its crevices. Additionally, artificial Mana had been directed to flow on the ground.
The flow was definitely made to prevent Grafs from digging under the barrier. The flow appeared to have been deliberately designed to mimic Odin’s Wrath Mana flow, possibly to electrocute any Grafs that attempted to enter the bas.e.m.e.nt. It was wide and powerful.
The streams of mana were coming out of a gigantic tower-like water. The expansive network of barbed wire underground was established on this premise.
The giant tower, where the magic power was concentrated, wasn’t only used when confronting Grafs. Since I was aware that they could be used in wartime, I wasn’t really fond of them.
After some time, I found myself fully engrossed in the world of Mana once again. However, the sensation of my sweat-soaked robe clinging to my back was becoming more prominent than the vibrations that were being transmitted to my hip, causing me to lose focus. I started to hear some noise from outside as well.
“As far as I can remember, Mayer[1] Vivatus’s reign was the last suppression.”
“That’s what the chief of the office said. This is so weird. There is not even a single Graf. No one can describe this situation without the Blessing of Lord Lacryma…”
Despite my attempts to refocus, my concentration remained entirely disrupted. At the moment, I relaxed my Sense, and a stinging sensation began from my head and shook my entire body with severe pain. It was because I had maintained my Sense to its maximum for too long.
I opened the curtain that was covering the window, and sunlight came into the carriage. The red-toned wasteland unfolded. When I looked outside by peeking my head out through the window, not only the dried-up old riverside but also the cliffs that seemed to have been carved were gone. This was a moment that the tension felt by everyone as they pa.s.sed through the canyon became meaningless.
However, the canyon was only the entrance to the full-fledged habitat of the Grafs, so the formation of the expedition team remained the same in case of unexpected battles.
Einh.e.l.l, the Supreme Priest Manolia, Cereville, and Basman were people who required protection, so they were walking close to the carriage. Einh.e.l.l stopped talking to Basman and looked at me. Basman was speaking to the priest as he was afraid that the priest would pick a quarrel with me.
Einh.e.l.l asked, “Do you need anything?”
I simply responded, “I’m hungry.”
“It’s the first time you’ve asked for a meal. Please wait a little longer. We are almost there.”
Some of the explorers had experience in this area, but not Einh.e.l.l.
The team had established their headquarters in an area that they had used before, but there were indications that it had been abandoned for several years. Finger bones and skulls protruded out of the old tombs, and many pits that seemed to have been dug out by the Grafs remained. Most of these pits were still blocked.
While everyone was helping to set up the main camp, I was ready to get out of the carriage. My presence had not left a favorable impression on others, as I seemed to only appear when I needed to use the washroom. Furthermore, the priest had taken an immediate dislike to me upon our first meeting.
There was no need to grab more attention by showing them the color of my hair and eyes. There was no one here who had the ability to take my hood off, so it was unnecessary to dye my hair or wear colored contacts. The hood had proved to be an effective form of camouflage, prompting me to pull it further down over my face.
A meal had been prepared on the outside. I was at the table even when the team members were scattered to different directions with the literature collections held by the priests in their hands.
Einh.e.l.l and Basman were whispering s.h.i.+t about me, then Basman trudged along and sat down in front of me. He had drooping eyes and was easily liked by people. Those eyes, which appeared to carry a perpetual smile even when at rest, fixed upon me.
“Always keep an eye on me, and run to me as soon as you feel a vibration on the ground. I won’t be far from you either. And about Manolia…you already know that she doesn’t really trust you.”
Basman s.h.i.+fted his gaze toward the priest and watched her move. She was praying on the side, expressing her grat.i.tude to Lord Lacryma for letting us go through the canyon without a single attack.
Considering that she had instantly felt an instinctual dislike toward me, it seemed that those who wors.h.i.+ped the Old One had something like an antenna that detected the Old One’s enemies. However, she apparently didn"t know that her fate after the exploration was already determined. She would have no choice but to bring me to the Queen of Elsland.
“Your faith is not that deep, so it’s better not to converse with her as much as possible. I have high expectations for this exploration. If it ends successfully, then I will have a great reputation. I just wanted to let you know that I will do my best.”
A large portion of the ridiculously inflated bill was for this guy. He was in a higher status than the wizard, probably because he had been immersed in the flow of Mana.
Before I knew it, he was looking inside me. His mana was constantly moving, with four ellipsoids interlocked at one point. The large shape itself didn’t deviate from its resemblance to a four-leaf clover, but it showed great variability as if a large stone was thrown into the river.
On the other hand, I remembered that Onir’s movement was slow and quiet. This was the difference between a person who had been steadily practicing the traditional swordsmans.h.i.+p and another one who had been refining his own sword since he accidentally entered the path of Mana.
In other words, the more organized the mana flow was, the better skill the individual had. That was the world of warriors.
Hwak-!
I sensed a penetrating sensation within my intense headache. I came to the sudden realization that my ability to read the flow of Mana had improved significantly. All the effort I had invested in linking the rotational power of the skill to the insignia had not been in vain. The time that I had spent not drinking and eating for a few days was meaningful.
Progress was being made.
***
Neither Einh.e.l.l nor Basman disturbed me that night.
[* Xi w.a.n.gmu"s Ten Thousand-Year-Old Spider Egg]
[Time remaining until opening: 3 minutes]
[Warning: Xi w.a.n.gmu"s Ten Thousand-Year-Old Spider Egg will be opening soon.]
The wiggling sensation was unique. When I opened my eyes, messages were on the window, waiting for me. The campsite outside the window had yet to be attacked by the Grafs, but it was still filled with palpable tension. After the expedition team departed, the number of guards had increased by more than double due to the vacant positions.
Also, the large shadows were shaken by the light of the torch as huge weapons that would be used to kill Grafs were set up in the wall.
I knew how big the Spider Egg would be, so I needed to move to a s.p.a.cious vacant lot where there was no one.
After pa.s.sing by Basman and Priest Manolia, who were engaged in s.e.xual activity in the darkness, I wandered off to a distant area from the main camp. My purpose was to find a region where there was no deadlock with the scattered exploration team.
The moonlight was mostly covered by the clouds, so I couldn’t distinguish anything without Night Eye. The egg, which was about to reveal itself, came out of the air. I put it down on the ground and distanced myself from it.
Ten Thousand-Year-Old Spider Egg…
The spider monster with sixteen red eyes woke up with a terrific roar. The rocks that used to fill up the s.p.a.ce inside the egg turned into dust. The giant spinneret had already begun to shoot out sticky threads like streams of urine.
At that time, the red eyes of the spider s.h.i.+fted their focus in all directions, then fixed on me. When it stood straight with eight legs, I also had to raise my head to look at its eyes.
Since the clouds were covering the entire sky, the red eyes glaring down at me resembled crimson starlight. The ma.s.sive legs that filled my vision appeared like pillars of a temple that bridged the gap between heaven and earth.
The Ten Thousand-Year-Old Spider moved. It dug through the earth and stirred up dust, appearing as if it was intoxicated by the joy of waking up in this world.
If there was a cliff to climb nearby, then I would have tested the Common Power concentrated in me there, but the canyon was far away.
The spider dug a cave the size of its body under the ground and disappeared. The outside of the pit was being crushed by the soil sucked into the cave. The spider’s movements from one patch of ground to another were quite expansive.
Although I wasn’t sure what was occurring underground, when the spider reemerged and revealed itself, a red light could be observed emanating from its lower abdomen. Every time the spider breathed and inflated its belly, the red light became vivid like that of the skeletal dragon just before it vomited breath.
I stretched my hand to the spider at that point to make it calm down. Sixteen red eyes looked down at me silently for a while, then…
[Xi w.a.n.gmu"s Ten Thousand Year Old Spider has recognized you as its master.]
[* Absolute Master: No time limit has been applied.]
At that moment, the spider’s raised legs, engorged abdomen, and menacingly bared venomous fangs all abruptly receded as if it was swearing obedience to me.
The skeletal dragon had a strict time limit. If I deviated beyond that limited time, then I lost control of it. However, if such restrictions were removed, I could use it independently, similar to how Yeon-Hee handled the Kciphos King.
The spider lowered its posture, and I grasped the meaning of its action when it put its head on the ground. Starting from the moment I climbed onto the spider, it began to dig underground as it was immersed with the joy it showed before.
The spider was as skilled at digging as the adult Grafs, and I had already known how talented it was at burrowing caves when the Eight Evil was its owner in the past.
It had already created several underground tunnels. It appeared to have wanted to show off its ability. Another message appeared in the huge s.p.a.ce of the cave.
[* Absolute Master: You may instruct it to use a unique skill ‘Breeding.’]
The spider’s venomous fangs clattered before me, and it began to forcefully extrude thread from its a.n.u.s. I realized now that the Eight Evil didn’t take full advantage of owning this spider in the past.
[* Absolute Master: The level of the item has significantly increased.]
This was an item that was capable of growing further.
1. not a typo, looks like a t.i.tle ☜