TAP! TAP!
The rhythmic sound of Astron and Carl’s footsteps echoed through the tunnel as they continued forward, the soft glow of the light in their hands casting eerie shadows on the walls.
As they walked, they noticed signs that the tunnel had once been frequented by others. There were remnants of old bearings, worn and weathered from years of use. Tools lay scattered along the ground, their handles covered in dust and rust from disuse.
Carl bent down to examine one of the abandoned tools, running his fingers along its surface with a thoughtful expression. “It seems like this tunnel was once actively used,” he remarked, his voice echoing softly in the confined space.
“That is right.” Astron nodded, already having reached that conclusion. “But it was way too long ago. This equipment wasn’t the ones that were shown to us.”
“I thought the same.” Carl agreed. Though he wasn’t an expert when it came to mining or technical things like these, he at least had the basic knowledge.
HOWL!
Just at that moment, the wind howled in the tunnel, alerting the two. An eerie feeling enveloped both of them as if there was an enemy in front of them.
Carl, being constantly in such a situation, was already accustomed to it. Instinctively, he tensed, his senses in high alert as he scanned the darkness ahead.
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, Carl caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Before he could react, Astron lunged at him with the pickaxe they had been given to mine. Carl’s reflexes kicked in, and he swiftly grabbed Astron’s weapon, twisting it out of his grasp with practiced ease.
With a quick motion, Carl delivered a powerful punch to Astron’s chest, sending him staggering backward. ‘Astron’ spat out a black substance, his features contorted in pain and rage.
Before the substance could dissipate, Carl heard a slicing sound as well as a flash. He turned to see Astron’s head roll to the ground, severed cleanly from his body. He saw Astron standing behind the impostor, a dagger in his hand.
But before they could catch their breath, another silhouette emerged from the darkness, wielding a massive hammer aimed at Astron’s neck.
“!”
In an instant, Carl’s body moved as he saw the hammer approaching.
CREAK!
From the ground, a pillar of earth instantly rose up, hitting the hand holding the hammer. It worked as a disruption of motion and slightly changed the trajectory of the attack.
SWOOSH!
And then he rushed to the assailant.
But to his surprise, as Carl charged toward the assailant behind Astron, he felt the ground beneath him begin to shift and tremble. It was as if the earth itself was rising up to impede his progress, disturbing his balance and slowing his movements.
Realization dawned on Carl as he recognized the sensation. It was one of the skills he had derived from his [Earthen Giant], the ability to manipulate the earth itself. But now, it seemed that his own skill was being turned against him by their assailant.
“Be careful!” Carl shouted, his voice filled with urgency. But when he glanced back to where Astron had been standing, he realized that he was no longer there.
CRASH!
The hammer flew past the spot where Astron had stood just moments before, its impact sending vibrations through the ground.
WOOSH!
But then suddenly, Carl’s eyes picked up a subtle movement. He saw Astron behind ‘himself,’ attacking from above.
‘He went to the ceiling?’
Note that the ceiling wasn’t low, and it was at least 8 meters high.
SLASH!
With a smooth movement, Astron’s dagger flashed in silver light, and then he cut the ‘Carl’ into pieces, making it fall to the ground.
“Kekekekekekeke…..”
As Astron’s dagger flashed in silver light, cutting the imposter into pieces, chilling laughter echoed through the tunnels once again, sending shivers down their spines. The laughter seemed to emanate from the depths of the darkness, its eerie tone filling the air with a sense of foreboding.
Then, cryptic words followed, spoken as if by someone driven mad by the depths of the tunnels.
“In shadows deep where echoes creep,
Abandoned by light, in darkness sealed,
I ask of you, can truth be revealed?”
Before they could even process the meaning behind the words, the tunnels began to tremble once more. A wave of earth, like an avalanche, poured down from the tunnel they had entered from, threatening to engulf them in its fury.
With no time to spare, Astron and Carl were forced to rush forward, their instincts guiding them through the darkness.
Carl utilized his [Earthen Giant] ability, creating a landslide to propel them forward as they slid through the darkness.
As Astron and Carl slid through the darkness, propelled by the force of the landslide, they eventually reached a cavern where many tunnels intersected, creating a vast underground expanse.
CRUSH! BOOM!
Then, the avalanche of rocks hit and crushed the tunnel, blocking the entrance.
Carl and Astron took cover for a second until everything finished.
“…..” Neither of the two spoke as they walked out of their cover, observing the place.
The cavern was eerily silent, with only the faint echoes of their movements reverberating through the stillness.
Despite the dim lighting, they could make out remnants of the past when this place was frequented by others. Tools lay abandoned, their surfaces worn and rusted from years of neglect. Small doors showed signs of corrosion, hinting at a time when they might have led to other chambers or passages.
However, what disturbed them the most were the scattered skeletons strewn about the cavern floor. The bones lay where they had fallen, seemingly forgotten by time, a grim reminder of lives lost in this desolate place. Some of the skeletons appeared to have been there for centuries, their remains weathered and decayed by the passage of time.
“This….” Even Carl was disturbed by the amounts of skeletons. It was as if a massacre had happened here.
Whatever had transpired in this forsaken place, it was clear that it held dark secrets buried within its depths.
“How many people died here?” Just as he asked, he saw Astron looking at the place around.
“No….They didn’t die here.” Astron mumbled, slightly crouching to look at the ground. “Their remains were brought to this place.”
After all, it didn’t make any sense for miners to die in such a huge cavern unless something extreme happened.
Hearing this, Carl sensed it as well. There were marks of earth being moved on the ground. Knowing how Earthen spells worked from his trait, Carl easily inferred the purpose of the spell used there.
Though Carl was unaware of it, Astron, with his eyes, could see the amounts of mana veins gathered right before the passage.
‘We are close.’
He knew they were about to find the source of everything. Of course, at this point, the theory in his mind was strengthened by what they were seeing.
All of them fit the thing he thought aside from one thing.
“Kekekekekeke….”
As the creepy laughter echoed once again, the dimmed lights in the cavern suddenly flickered to life, casting an eerie glow upon the scene. The earth beneath their feet began to quake once more, adding to the sense of foreboding that filled the air.
“Did you like the riddle?” the voice taunted playfully, its tone filled with mischief. “You will get it more, don’t worry.”
With a sense of urgency, Carl watched as the skeletons scattered around the cavern started to rise, one by one, their forms encased in earth as they transformed into undead creatures.
“Once lost below, now call my name,
In whispers soft, I’m still the same.
Though time has worn the stones to dust,
I linger on, in echoes thrust.
What am I, in this realm of gloom?
A spirit bound, denied a tomb.
Yet in these depths, my plea I cast,
To those who roam, in shadows vast.
Answer true, and find your way,
Through tunnels dim, where spirits stray.
For in the heart of darkness lies,
The key to break eternal ties.”
With each word, the skeletons became more and more profound, as if they were rising humans.
Carl threw a look at Astron and saw he was looking at him, too. “Can you deal with them?” Astron asked, without anything much.
Carl assessed the situation and saw it wasn’t hard to deal with. Though it would tire him out eventually, this situation wasn’t something that exceeded the combat prowess of such a high-
ranker.
“I can.”
“Then, I will leave this place to you,” Astron stated calmly, preparing to move.
Carl looked at Astron and felt a sense of assurance. Despite the chaos around them, he knew that Astron wouldn’t simply run away. He wasn’t foolish enough to abandon a person like Carl, as that would mean making an enemy out of him.
“Can you deal with the Earthen spirit?” Carl asked, seeking confirmation.
Astron nodded confidently. “Yes, I am sure I can handle it,” he replied.
Carl raised an eyebrow at Astron’s response, sensing that there was more to it than met the eye.
However, he chose not to press further. Astron had proven himself to be resourceful and insightful, and Carl trusted his judgment.
With a nod, Astron dashed through the cavern, disappearing into one of the tunnels. Carl watched him go, feeling a sense of responsibility settle over him as he prepared to face the undead creatures alone.
Turning his head to look at the enemies, he took a deep breath and then faced the huge numbers.
******
Inside the eastern sides of the tunnels, many of the students were not aware of what was happening on the other side.
They were walking around with their teams, mining for the stones.
“Lucas, we have finished our side.”
A young man approached Lucas, who was mining his own stones. His name was Kayn.
“Both of you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, we can move then.”
Lucas continued to chip away at the stone, carefully severing its connection to the Mana Veins. With a final strike, he dislodged the stone and dusted off his hands.
“Done,” he announced to Kayn, who nodded in approval.
As they walked through the dimly lit tunnels, Lucas couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that lingered in his mind. He had been investigating Astron Natusalune, but he couldn’t come up with clear clues as to why he had changed this much.
‘That guy bothers me…..I feel like I need to eliminate him.’
For him, who had already seen the future and found his resolve, things like these didn’t matter.
After a short while, they encountered another group of students up ahead. At the forefront of the group was someone he was having a hard time dealing with as well.
“Lucas.”
“Lilia.”
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