Chapter 1091: The Tunnel Expedition [part 3]
Both of them stood before the final chamber. It was the last one, and Erik knew he needed to account for every single tunnel.
Map them down on the continental chart he had received, so he could precisely determine where each one led and how long it would take to leave the city’s confines for another destination.
But that ominous cry had completely thrown him off his game. He was having second thoughts now, thinking perhaps he could just roughly assess the final tunnel.
Yet he also knew how dangerous that would be. One mistake could cost not just him, but countless lives. It could be the very reason they failed—such negligence couldn’t be tolerated.
He’d been given a responsibility, and he had to see it through.
He exhaled deeply, stared ahead, then stepped forward.
Ellis followed close behind.
They continued walking in their usual silence, but while it had felt peaceful before, now it made everything more ominous. An unsettling weight pressed down on both of them, though neither was willing to admit it.
Their silence stretched and deepened as they ventured further into the tunnel, until the screech tore through the air again.
Erik nearly jumped out of his skin. He stumbled back, his voice trembling.
"D–did you hear that?"
Ellis’s expression darkened, though not at Erik.
"I’m not deaf. And I’m sure Night Terror heard it too."
Abyss Tyrant emerged slowly from the shadows behind Ellis, opening one hand to summon a black staff crowned with a crescent head.
He drove the weapon into the ground, and immediately black light rippled outward in expanding circles from the staff.
His gaze sharpened, though it was difficult to read his expression beneath the skull-like mask with its hollow, empty sockets.
Abyss Tyrant moved to the front with deliberate steps, finally positioning himself before Erik.
His stare pierced the endless tunnel ahead, and he remained eerily silent.
Erik staggered backward, muttering to Ellis.
"Hey... do you really trust this thing to protect us? I mean, it’s a monster."
Ellis sighed.
"He has protected me multiple times. In fact, I trust him to protect me more than I trust Northern. Northern is incredibly forgetful."
Erik stared ahead, uncertain yet marveling at Ellis’s unwavering confidence.
In these perilous moments, that confidence was the only thing helping him endure this nightmare.
Erik glanced at the staff planted behind them and whispered:
"And what is this supposed to do?"
Ellis threw a quick look at it.
"Honestly, I have no idea either. Night Terror has undergone a tremendous transformation since I last saw him—he doesn’t even look the same anymore. But he recognizes me, so he’s definitely the same... person."
Erik looked at Ellis with concern, prompting Ellis to frown.
"What?"
"Nothing..."
He hesitated.
"It’s just... it’s a monster, you know? You keep calling it a person. That woman the other day might have been rude, but she had a point."
Ellis’s frown deepened like storm clouds.
"When people failed to care for and protect me, it was a monster who stepped up. How is he not deserving of being called a person when he’s proven more human than actual humans?"
"But isn’t he strictly bound to his master’s commands? If you’d met him before he fell under Sir Northern’s control, wouldn’t he have tried to kill you instead?"
Ellis chuckled bitterly.
"You don’t understand. The first time Night Terror saved me, it was entirely his choice. He dealt with everyone bullying me in Lotheliwan that day—I’ll never forget it. This was before I even met him and his master..."
Erik sighed.
"Look, what I’m trying to say is—"
At that moment, the screech erupted again, more vicious than before, its echo racing through the tunnel like a living thing, bouncing off the walls in a maddening symphony.
Erik and Ellis visibly shuddered, Erik’s voice quaking as he spoke.
"Shouldn’t we... go back? I mean, it sounds like a very dangerous monster."
Ellis was in the same shaken state as the poor nerd, but he still stared forward with resolve and trust burning in his eyes.
Erik followed Ellis’s gaze and saw that he was watching Abyss Tyrant’s back. It left him fascinated and yearning to do the same thing—place his trust in the monster.
Abyss Tyrant turned and walked back to them. He looked at Erik, then at Ellis, lingering a moment longer.
Ellis met his gaze, and after a few seconds, grabbed Erik’s hand and spun around, running away at full speed.
"Huh?! Wh—what are you doing? We haven’t been able to map the last tunnel!"
"I don’t care about that! He told us to run!"
Erik gritted his teeth.
"You don’t understand—people are depending on me!"
Ellis released the boy’s hand and stopped, his face twisting with fury.
"Listen! If Abyss Tyrant is telling us to run, then it’s very bad and very dangerous! We should actually run! Do you want to become dead meat? I mean, if there’s something down there, the people depending on you will die too—isn’t that the same outcome?"
Ellis turned away.
"Bro, see you at the surface."
He bolted forward with every ounce of speed he could muster.
Erik stood frozen for a moment, wrestling with his thoughts. It was crucially important that he memorize the tunnel’s direction—he felt crushed by the weight of that responsibility.
Honestly, Ellis was right. He was useless, and perhaps he was just lashing out at Ellis from a place of deep insecurity.
He was grateful that Tharion Citadel had recruited him. When he’d learned it was on Northern’s recommendation, he’d felt even more indebted—like he owed Northern everything.
Which was exactly why he couldn’t just retreat. He was finally useful. He could finally contribute something meaningful. He desperately wanted to complete this mission... even if it cost him his life.
He would provide them with a route to easily access other nations. He hadn’t built the underground tunnels—and he thanked whoever had—but he had discovered them.
This was his responsibility.
Erik clenched his fists tightly and ran back into the darkness.