Chapter 73
Forget sentimentality and all that, I started running forward like crazy.
The bridge joint began to collapse with a thunderous noise.
“No, no!”
The sea must be teeming with marine monsters.
Ones that haven’t tasted humans in a while and are salivating.
No, maybe the reason the bridge is collapsing is that monsters are pounding at the bridge pillars from below.
I ran with all my might, trying to keep my balance on the shaking joints.
If I can run just a little more, I can reach the part of the bridge that hasn’t collapsed yet.
“After leaving so coolly, to die such a miserable death…”
Just as I was about to put one foot on the unbroken part of the bridge.
“…No way!”
At that moment, I was about to place my other foot on it, shouting with joy.
The joint part, unable to bear my weight, collapsed into the sea with a crash.
I hurriedly reached out my hand, but my fingertips just barely grazed the bridge.
The exposed rebar of the broken bridge sharply cut my fingers.
“Aaaaargh!”
I fell down below the bridge along with the debris of the joint.
Splash—!
My body sank, and the ice-cold seawater enveloped me, seeping into every part.
Didn’t they say the sea is a season behind the land?
The early summer seawater was chillingly cold.
But now there was a more pressing issue than the shock of suddenly falling into the sea.
‘Damn it! Monsters!’
The marine monsters would surely rush at me!
I frantically kicked my legs and looked around the underwater surroundings.
…But it’s strange?
I looked around in fear for a while, but the underwater was just quiet.
Seaweed swayed gently in the waves, and occasionally small fish swam by, swishing their tails.
‘…How can this be?’
My eyes, stinging from the salt water, had somewhat adjusted.
I blinked and examined the dark underwater.
Indeed, no matter how closely I looked, there wasn’t a single monster.
Quite a lot of blood was flowing from my fingers cut by the rebar.
With the smell of blood spreading like this, not a single one approaches?
‘This is… very strange.’
That’s when it happened.
[(Messenger) Unable to watch any longer, Indra consumes causality to give you advice.]
[He subtly suggests you use a magic stone to shine light.]
[Then he quickly disappears, saying he’s off to write a report for interfering with human fate.]
‘…Use a magic stone?’
As I’m still in an uncontracted state, I couldn’t use divine power unless it was for the special condition of saving humanity.
Moreover, I’m in the middle of running away, abandoning my companions to save myself.
‘But why…?’
My breath was getting shorter.
Without time to think deeper, I quickly took out a magic stone I had packed in my hip sack for emergencies.
Then, I stretched out my hand upwards and infused it with power.
A faint energy seemed to swirl in the transparent crystal, and then soon, an intense light burst forth, brightly illuminating the dark underwater.
‘…..!’
Bubbles of air burst from my surprised mouth.
What was revealed under that brilliant divine light was a huge underwater base located deep in the sea.
The neatly trimmed shape clearly looked artificial to anyone.
There was also a huge door shaped like carved stone.
‘Ugh…’
But I had reached my limit, holding my breath.
This won’t do. I need to go up first.
After examining the base, I quickly kicked my legs and rose rapidly to the surface.
“Puha…!”
The feeling of air entering my lungs was exhilarating.
For a while, I kept panting and catching my breath, floating on the water and falling into confused thoughts.
Why is there something like that underwater?
That wasn’t the only suspicious thing.
Why are there no monsters at all around here…
Suddenly, a chill colder than the freezing seawater crossed my heart.
It was the same at Hwacheon Prison.
Monsters didn’t approach near the camp because Bang Yohan had contracted with an evil god.
‘Yoo Hyun-min. That man is up to something again!’
The thought of just ignoring this and swimming away didn’t cross my mind.
Because Baek Yi-heon and the others were still on Ganghwa Island.
I had to confirm what this was, whether it was dangerous or not.
I took a deep breath, then put the still-glowing magic stone in my mouth.
Then I dove back underwater.
As I approached the massive stone door I had seen earlier, my eyes lit up.
‘As I thought. This must be an artificial structure made by Yoo Hyun-min’s group.’
Ominous-looking characters were scrawled around the door frame.
Similar to the writing I saw on the altars in the prison and under Onjeong City.
Probably the script used in the Asura Realm.
People no longer look into the sea, thinking it’s swarming with marine monsters.
They used that to secretly hide such a place in the waters off Ganghwa Island…!
‘I need to check inside…’
The problem is, how to open this massive stone door?
I was running out of breath.
I rummaged through my now thin hip sack.
I had left most of my magic stones behind, thinking they’d be useless to me going to the shelter, and for Choi Noisy to make items with.
I only had three magic stones left.
One of them was a fire stone, not very useful underwater.
‘The other is wind-based…? This is useless underwater too.’
There was only one option left.
I took out the magic stone that shone a brilliant green like a midsummer forest and infused it with power.
In the middle of the sea, suddenly a tree root grew wildly and began to wrap around the massive stone door.
‘Will this work?’
Moreover, this was a low-grade stone that couldn’t sustain power for long…
Just then, I saw cracks slowly forming on the heavy door.
As the thin tree roots wedged into those cracks.
Rumble.
The door before my eyes shattered into pieces as if it were a lie.
The seawater didn’t flow inside, as if blocked by a glass window.
There seemed to be a thin barrier in place.
‘It worked!’
Without hesitation, I immediately stepped inside.
My feet landed on the hard stone floor with a thud.
And at the sight of the base’s interior finally revealed, I forgot I had a magic stone in my mouth and gaped.
Roll roll roll roll—.
The light-emitting magic stone rolled away, illuminating the interior more brightly.
What was revealed in that light were giant rock golems lined up.
Quietly crouched as if sleeping.
Even in their crouched state, their height and bulk were overwhelming.
Feeling like I might scream, I hurriedly covered my mouth with one hand.
If I were to wake these, I wouldn’t even be able to handle them.
Especially now, without my companions or even magic stones.
‘What is this place?’
A dungeon?
No, if it were, the Messenger would have notified me with an alarm.
Like it did with the Mangsang Dungeon last time.
‘There’s no altar for sacrifices either.’
Then is this a place someone made to store these golems?
Then are these golems, perhaps… monsters created by someone?
I narrowed my eyes and carefully examined the giant golems.
Peculiarly, what seemed to be their foreheads were open like lids.
And embedded inside were large magic stones.
‘…Are they operated by the power of magic stones?’
If all these giant things were to open their eyes at once…
Shudder.
Just imagining it sent chills down my spine.
I had never read about anything like this in the original work.
“How on earth…”
Right at that moment.
Ring ring ring—.
A completely out-of-place phone ringing sound echoed inside the base.
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
