Chapter 177
Bafor and Remy Martin shook hands.
“With this, the humans and dwarves have made a blood pact,” Bafor said.
“Union will never forget Faber’s goodwill,” Remy replied.
He thought, The die has been cast. How will the other races react?
The Underground Confederation was established, its current members being humans and dwarves.
Since the Steel King said that he would negotiate with a few other races, we might gain more allied races soon.
As the greatest item suppliers of the Mirror World, the dwarves had significant influence throughout the Mirror World. Things might progress more easily than expected if the Steel King were to take action.
The issue is how the other races, who won’t take kindly to this alliance, will react, especially the superior races.
However, Remy believed they wouldn’t take immediate action because of the world quests, Lumber the World Tree and Kill Insectum, currently sending waves throughout the Mirror World.
“It appears Underground’s first partnership will begin at Forestis,” Bafor said with a wide smile as he stared at Remy.
Remy nodded and replied, “Union is evacuating human cities nearest to Forestis as we speak.”
“So, that’s why there have been more humans in the Capital lately.”
“Yes. The Capital and the other cities around it have been accepting evacuees, but... the Capital can accept the most people by far.”
Over a dozen human cities had already collapsed, and the casualties were estimated to be around three hundred thousand.
“I’ve heard the other races have lost just as much as we have. Now that a world quest has been generated, the elves will become a public enemy and be swept into war.”
Bafor shook his head and remarked, “That’s not a good thing. The elves cannot be taken lightly, especially if the war takes place in Forestis. I’m certain the war will become a long one.”
Remy agreed. Although elves were considered an intermediate race, they were the greatest among them. Especially, those known as high elves were of superior caliber. On top of that, the elves had Keter, the Fifth Lord.
“Despite that...” Remy mumbled.
“We must go to Forestis anyway.” Bafor finished Remy’s sentence as they smiled at each other. “There is as much to gain from war as one loses.”
“Item sales will skyrocket.”
“And I’ve heard that Insectum is also running wild there. Who knows? We might obtain the Entomancy Stone, the insectoids’ Race Stone.”
“It will act as the perfect stage to advertise Underground.”
“And recruit new allies in the process.”
“That would be great,” Remy replied.
He said inwardly, However the war ends, humans will profit from it.
He was sure of it because of the secret mission he had not told even to Bafor. The key figures of the mission were already taking action.
Cheon Seong-Hwi. Lee Kang-San. The destiny of Underground lies on your shoulders.
***
Seong-Hwi and the others turned their backs against one another, keeping watch over their surroundings.
“Who’s there?!”
“Come out!”
Are you... humans? Hah! Impressive. I can’t believe that weak race has already become so strong. I thought there was nothing special about your race besides Lee Kang-San...
The echoing voice was as hard and dry as rock.
“Who are you?” Seong-Hwi asked.
My name is Tellus.
“Tellus? Ah! Tellus, the Subterranean King?!” Enrique shouted.
Tellus, the Subterranean King, formerly thirty-fifth in the world ranking, became a Chaos for unknown reasons, triggering the Subterranean War. It was known that he had died at the hands of Bafor, his best friend.
“You’re Tellus?” Seong-Hwi asked.
Correct. How are you all here? Only Bafor should have access to the dungeon. Did something happen to him?
He knows Bafor and that he possesses the dungeon entrance. Does this voice truly belong to Tellus? Seong-Hwi wondered.
He was taken aback by the unexpected situation. Bafor had not told him about this. He couldn’t understand why the figure who had been forgotten by history was here.
“If you’re truly Tellus, show yourself,” Seong-Hwi said firmly.
I can’t sense him at all. Does he have a stealth skill? Or is it sensory distortion?
Show myself, huh? Unfortunately, that is impossible, Tellus answered.
“Why is that?”
I lack a body. No, to be more exact, it was taken from me.
A powerful earthquake shook the entire underground city.
“Urgh! W-what the hell?!”
“An earthquake?”
“Chaos Mana is... skyrocketing!”
The team members could feel the powerful Chaos Mana they had felt even before crossing the metal wall, enveloping the entire city. The earthquake began from deeper underground, and they were sure that the source of the earthquake possessed immense Chaos Mana. The pale-faced team members struggled to maintain their balance in the earthquake. The vibrations subsided after a few minutes.
The interval has been getting shorter lately. Either Bafor’s seal is getting weaker, or he is getting stronger, Tellus said.
Seong-Hwi asked, “Bafor’s seal? And who are you talking about?”
Just then, the contents of the dungeon corruption quest, Freedom of Subterra, flashed in his mind. He quickly re-examined the Akasha Message.
[Freedom of Subterra (Dungeon Quest)
Rank: A+++
Description: Cause an outbreak and free the Chaos subterraneans from the dungeon.
Condition 1. Destroy Bafor’s Iron Vein Seal.
Condition 2. Free the Shell of Tellus that Bafor has sealed.]
Both conditions mention Bafor. Come to think of it... Seong-Hwi thought as he recalled his conversation with Bafor before entering the dungeon.
“Are you thinking of clearing Subterra?”
“Am I not allowed to?”
“That’s not it. Rather, I would love for you to, if he wishes it...”
He recalled Bafor’s conflicted expression, mixed between hope and regret.
Bafor knew about this underground city! What in the world happened here? Seong-Hwi wondered.
Since the one who could answer all of his questions was here, he asked respectfully, “Lord Tellus. Could we talk?”
Hm? Well... sure. I’m also curious about how you all managed to reach this place. And besides... It’s been a while since I’ve talked to someone.
Seong-Hwi could feel a slight sense of excitement in Tellus’s dry voice.
***
Seong-Hwi and the others sat down on a bench in a park in the underground city as Tellus began his story.
Every race is bound to long for their home dimension in one way or another. We subterraneans especially longed for our home dimension. Do you know why?
“I have no idea. Why?” Enrique asked as he shook his head.
The subterraneans see the world using vibrations.
“Vibrations?”
Our race evolved deep underground where the sun doesn’t shine. Hence, our eyes are atrophied.
Seong-Hwi recalled every Moleden he and his team had fought on their way down here. Their heads were egg-shaped, and their eyes were but tiny, barely visible holes.
Those of us who were Lost from Trophonius couldn’t help but feel out of place. The Mirror World is like... a dead world. As if it were man-made. It doesn’t make the vibrations of a living earth.
“Vibrations of a living earth?”
To the subterraneans, the earth is like our mother. We grew up hearing Trophonius’s warm and comforting vibrations, but that was taken from us overnight.
Ha-Eun nodded in understanding and said, “Is it similar to this, perhaps? A baby who grew up listening to their mother’s heartbeats starts crying once it’s born and doesn’t hear the sounds anymore.”
Hmm... It’s a little different, but you could think of it that way if it helps you understand. The subterraneans are born from the earth, so the earth’s vibrations are crucial to us.
The team members nodded.
“So, that’s why your homesickness was stronger than that of other races,” Seong-Hwi remarked.
Homesickness was not to be taken lightly in the Mirror World; some even died because of it.
That’s why the subterraneans came up with a plan, which we named Return to Home.
“Return to home... Returning to your home dimension, huh?” Seong-Hwi mumbled.
We focused our attention on the dungeons. In other words, we decided to start living in dungeons based in Trophonius.
“But that means...” Douglas trailed off, shaking his head at the finite nature of the plan.
Yes. Dungeons are worlds on the brink of collapse. We couldn’t live inside them forever. That is why we moved from dungeon to dungeon just before they were about to collapse.
Seong-Hwi couldn’t understand their desire to return to their home dimension because he did not particularly miss Earth. It was the place where his mother had abandoned him, where Mother Maria’s funeral had taken place, and where So-Eun and Dong-Hyun experienced a gut-wrenching tragedy. Earth was nothing but a place filled with agonizing memories to him.
But this was also a stopgap measure. As the leader of the subterraneans, I had to find another way. And one day, he came to me, claiming he would solve my problems.
“He? Who?”
That blasted Ajingya! Tellus shouted furiously.
The team members tilted their heads in confusion after hearing a name they had never heard of, but Seong-Hwi’s eyes widened in shock.
Ajingya?! Seong-Hwi shouted inwardly.
He was the Bachtasha-rank Chaos who had infiltrated Lilar’s body and tried to corrupt her from the inside. He had died in Seong-Hwi’s body with the Wings of Evolution absorbing his genes, earning him two hundred million Karma and an additional three hundred million from clearing a world hidden quest he had never heard of before.
He used Chaos Mana I had never seen before. It was like a starry night sky.
“Wait! Chaos Mana? Then was this Ajingya guy a Chaos?”
“How could you?!”
The team members shouted in shock, but Seong-Hwi remained silent.
His Chaos Mana was pitch black with diamond dust-like shining particles inside, resembling the Milky Way. I’m sure of it. It’s the same Ajingya whom I absorbed.
Seong-Hwi’s eyes sank deeply.
I would appreciate it if you didn’t condemn me. I was far too desperate at the time. Desperate enough to join forces with the Chaos if it meant preventing my fellow subterraneans from dying over time due to homesickness.
“But it didn’t go as you had hoped,” Seong-Hwi remarked, having a vague idea of what had happened to Tellus.
Yes. Ajingya claimed his Chaos Mana could keep the dungeon from collapsing permanently. Hence, I accepted him into my body.
“You chose to be corrupted?”
I must seem foolish to you... And I was. I underestimated him, confident in my power. I... I thought I could overcome his Chaos Mana and secure a stable future for my people. After all, I possessed the Earthquake Stone, the subterraneans’ Race Stone, Tellus said remorsefully.
“The Race Stone?!” Chaya and Ha-Eun shouted as they gasped.
The Race Stone was a treasure among treasures that everyone coveted. The secret history behind the Subterranean War was much larger-scale than they could have imagined.
So, he trusted the power of the Earthquake Stone and willingly let Ajingya corrupt him. The result is obvious.
Seong-Hwi had witnessed the rough lump of metal embedded in Lilar’s heart when he was attempting to treat her. The lump of metal emitted Mineral Force far purer than anything he had seen, resisting Ajingya. He had never blurted it outright since it was a highly sensitive topic, but he guessed that it was the Mineral Stone, the dwarves’ Race Stone. However, even Lilar couldn’t resist Ajingya despite borrowing the power of the Mineral Stone, and Tellus likely shared the same fate.
I’m sure you know the rest of the story. My foolishness turned the subterraneans into Chaos, leading to the Subterranean War.
“Everyone in the Mirror World also believes that Steel King Bafor killed you a year later, but... How are you still alive?” Seong-Hwi asked.
Tellus remained silent momentarily.
Bafor is... a good friend. I undoubtedly died that day.
“Pardon? Then what about you, whom we’re talking to right now?” Enrique asked.
I prepared my final struggle before Ajingya completely corrupted me. Most of the Earthquake Stone was corrupted by Chaos Mana, but there are still some clean areas remaining. I used all of my Seismic Force to partition the Earthquake Stone.
“You partitioned the Earthquake Stone?”
I created a border that Chaos Mana couldn’t cross so that it couldn’t corrupt the Race Stone further. Then, I filled the pure portion of the stone with the consciousness of myself and my people.
“What do you...” Seong-Hwi trailed off, unable to understand what Tellus was talking about.
He wondered, Partitioning the Earthquake Stone? Filled it with consciousness?
I’m sure it’s difficult for a human to understand. Subterraneans are born from the earth. It’s a simple task to push our consciousness inside the Earthquake Stone, abundant in the power of the earth.
“What do you get out of doing that?” Ha-Eun asked like a granddaughter listening to her grandfather’s old stories.
You’ve seen the subterranean Invasive Chaos, correct?
“Yes, if you’re referring to the Moledens.”
Yes... Moledens. Didn’t you notice something off about them? I’m sure they seemed different from regular Chaos.
The team members glanced at one another, having an idea of what Tellus meant.
Seong-Hwi replied, “The Moledens believed themselves to still be subterraneans, not the Chaos.”
It is the result of filling the pure portion of the Earthquake Stone with the consciousness of the subterraneans. Although they have physically become Chaos, their consciousness from back when they were still subterraneans is intact.
Tellus sighed in remorse, taking a moment.
At the time, I wanted to at least stop our race’s complete transformation into Chaos. However, thinking back on it now... it was all pointless. After all, the subterraneans were already done for.
Tellus’s sorrowful voice filled the city.
It is... all my fault for being stupid. Because of my stupid attachment, my fellow people are roaming throughout Subterra, unable to rest. All I wish for now... is to give them eternal rest.
***
If you dare to embark on a premature adventure, you are bound to pay a hefty price.
F. Scott Fitzgerald[1]
1. This is another quote I couldn’t find the English version of. ☜