Chapter 357: An Easy Elf, An Easy Elena (4)
It was certainly one of the Elune Knights who was dragging the kiln.
It was so messy that his shape couldn’t even be recognized anymore because of his falling shock, but my Mind’s Eyes kept telling me that he was the elf who had been with us.
‘Did he fall from where he originally was?’
I simply couldn’t figure out what had happened.
What was certain was that there had been an accident that I didn’t know about, and the expedition could not respond. Other than that, everything was unclear.
It happened so quickly, and as I was stuck in the wagon, I had no way of knowing what had been going on outside.
‘Who was in the backline?’
Most of the Blue Guilds were in the front line.
The ones who were close to the kiln were Ahn Ki-mo, capable of close combat while at the same time being a back liner, and the elves who dragged the kiln.
Seeing that this poor guy also looked like this, it would be reasonable to assume that the accident took place from behind.
‘Is Ahn Ki-mo safe?’
If he didn’t fall here together, I knew he’d be okay, but it was possible that he had gotten caught in the middle.
Of course, there was a possibility that other guild members had also fallen.
‘Has the ground collapsed?’
All kinds of imagination had entered my name, but there was no clear answer.
One thing was certain, however. This was not a very good situation.
In any case, if I were to get isolated inside the dungeon, I should consider the worst, especially since this was a legendary-grade dungeon.
There was no front-liner to protect me, and our supplies were limited.
It was not unreasonable for me to frown. This was because I had realized that my current situation vastly differed from the norm.
It was only natural for me to check my belongings. I knew I had to check what I had.
I had a portable alchemy kit.
‘This is something I always carry…’
I had food and drinking water that would normally be sufficient for about five days.
‘If I save it, I can eat it for 20 days.’
I had a Dialugia catalyst.
‘I brought this generously.’
I was also carrying legendary-grade health potions, as well as other catalysts and materials.
‘It’s not enough…’
These weren’t bad items to hold onto, but none of them were sufficient enough to protect my body.
I missed Juliana, who had been left behind back in Lindel.
After she woke up once, she didn’t have a chance to participate in the battle directly, and having left her alone was a mistake.
‘I’ll have to carry it with me when I return.’
I had to admit that I had gotten quite soft.
Being surrounded by monsters, it was true that I had indeed neglected to develop myself. I didn’t have the time to be playing in the field, but I couldn’t deny that I had indeed been idle recently.
Of course, nothing would change if I were to regret it now.
After shaking my head once, I immediately rummaged the arms of the elves. I had to find out if there was anything useful.
I searched quite carefully, but the only thing I could save was a dagger that had been sheathed around the waist. In fact, I didn’t know how to use one, but it was still better than nothing.
‘It’s so light.’
“L-Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
I heard a voice when I looked around slowly again. It seemed that Elena had become anxious because I did not come back.
“Are you there? Honorary Cardinal?”
“Yes, Elena. You don’t have to worry. I’m going there now.”
Once again, I returned to the carriage, and I saw Elena, looking up at me from inside.
Seeing her ears trembling, it seemed that she was terrified. She was relieved to see me, but she didn’t seem comfortable. She had on the same expression as those I had been with back in the tutorial dungeon.
Although I had already expected it, it seemed that she had not much experience in real life compared to her stats.
In a way, she had become an annoying baggage for me.
“H-How is it outside?”
“It doesn’t look good. We don’t know where we are now, and we don’t see anything around… It would be nice to wait for the expedition until the wagon’s protective magic fades. If they are okay, they will come down here.”
“Yes. Honorary Cardinal is right. They will come to find us soon. Yes. Definitely.”
‘I hope things go well so easily, too.’
“Honorary Cardinal?”
“Yes.”
“I’m telling you this just in case… In case no one comes…”
“It won’t happen. I don’t know how long it will take, but they will definitely come.”
There was no way they would not come.
I didn’t know what had happened, but I highly doubted that this event had managed to kill them. I hated to think of the opposite, and I highly doubted that Kim Hyunsung would just go down in this manner.
The same went for Jung Hayan.
I may just hate to think that way, but I couldn’t imagine Kim Hyunsung retiring in a place like this, no matter what I were to think.
The same went for Jung Hayan.
If those two were alive, it was clear that they would choose to find me rather than attack the dungeon. They probably knew where Elena and I fell, so they would be heading right here after the expedition would get overhauled.
‘It will take some time to learn.’
When I thought about Jung Hayan’s crying, blowing, and raging, I thought it was fortunate that I wasn’t there right now.
Probably everyone is sweating out to stop her.
‘It’s weird that the Anemone’s eyes are not visible…’
Because it is too far, the cast itself may be impossible.
Because Jung Hayan’s stalking camera doesn’t have a long-range.
“The question is, how long can we endure this..? I guess. We’re safe right now, but you don’t know when the monsters will attack. It would be nice if the protection magic hanging in the kiln would continue, but it will probably be a day long. There is not enough food.”
“How much…?”
“If we save it, it will run out in about ten days.”
“Then…”
“First, I think it would be better to hold on while saving as much as possible. Maybe you also have separate luggage…”
“A-All my luggage is managed by Ludwig… I’m sorry.”
“No. You never thought this would happen. More importantly…”
It was then that I felt that the ground was moving suddenly.
“…”
Elena suddenly held her breath. She was frightened, as it seemed like the earth beneath us had begun to move. Naturally, I went out of the carriage to check – and it appeared that this was indeed a true occurrence.
“Wait…”
“I-It is dangerous, Lee Kiyoung-nim.”
“Doesn’t it… seem to be moving?”
“What?”
“It seems that the whole ground is moving. Yes. Definitely.”
No. it was not just about moving. After a while, I started to feel that it was moving in earnest with a roar.
‘Fuck. Is this?’
Naturally, I hurried to the place where the elf body was. I had noticed something strange.
The corpse, whose lower body had gotten completely blown away, looked no different from the previous one, but the cross-section was indeed very worrisome. I was, by no means, an expert, but I at least knew this much.
It looked like it was bitten by a huge stapler. It had a rough surface as well as strange saliva.
[Salit’s Saliva (Semi-Mythic)]
[It is a material that cannot be used as a catalyst for alchemy.]
‘Shit…’
I began to look around continuously with the Mind’s Eyes.
I wanted to turn my circuit of happiness at least a little, but the sight I had witnessed using my Mind’s Eyes again betrayed my expectations.
[Salit’s Stomach (Semi-Mythic)]
‘Fuck.’
[Salit’s Stomach (Semi-Mythic)]
No matter where I looked, it all seemed the same.
‘We were eaten.’
The place where Elena and I fell right now was the stomach of an unknown, giant monster.
His teeth must have ripped that elf, and only the upper body had managed to come in. The kiln that Elena and I were riding on fell to this side, fortunately.
‘We have to get out.’
Even Park Deokgu would know that we would eventually get digested after being here. If we were to stay here and wait around, we would get digested faster than we would get caught.
“Elena, come out. I think we should move right now.”
“What?”
“It seems that we are in the belly of a monster. For now, I think it would be better to get out of where we are.”
“What are you t-talking about…?”
“I’ll give you an explanation on the move.”
As soon as the elf came out with a bewildered expression, she frowned. This was a natural reaction, given that she now understood the situation we were in.
“Where are we going?”
‘That’s what I want to ask you.’
Of course, this monster’s organs were completely different from humans. It was no wonder that I couldn’t get a sense of what was going on.
‘Can I think that it is similar to Dialugia’s?’
It was no wonder that it was more comfortable to start with something rather than start with nothing.
Of course, there were substantial differences in size, but I couldn’t help but think that Dialugia’s body tour might be helpful on unexpected occasions. After all, Dialugia’s organs broke down everything it ingested into magical power, and delivered it to the body.
I was not sure about this, but I was sure of the possibility of it being able to move its body with a similar mechanism.
This was a semi-mythic-grade monster, after all.
Naturally, I began to look at our surroundings in a much more hurried manner.
I thought there must be an organ that would transfer the broken down energy to the body, especially the heart. I looked around right away, but the problem was that it had gotten so wide that I couldn’t even look closely.
However, there were certainly places where magic power flowed through.
“Elena, please check if there is any place where you can hear a sound. Even the smallest sound is fine.”
“…”
“Elena-nim?”
“…”
“Elena-nim!”
“Ah… Yes, yes! Lee Kiyoung. What did you say?”
‘Ah… It looks like this one let her fear get the best of her.’
This was not an unreasonable reaction.
If one were to suddenly hear the news that they had entered the stomach of a monster, anyone would surely react that way.
Rather, it was good that she was not screaming and going crazy. I thought about abandoning her for a moment, but it was unconditionally helpful that one priest knew how to do at least something in the current situation.
Slowly grabbing her hand, I could see a face looking up at me whilst flinching.
Her ears were trembling, and, as expected, her expression was one of fear.
I quickly decided that it would be better to soothe her rather than get angry. Slowly stroking her head and then opening my mouth, I could see her looking at me.
“You don’t have to worry, Elena.”
“Ah… Yes… Yes.”
“No matter what happens, I’ll be sure to protect you.”
“…”
I was sure that I had gotten used to saying these cringing things. Of course, I was only lying. If a crisis were to fall upon us, chances were I would have to abandon her.
Seeing that this was not enough, I went to hold her hand. Her eyes were still horrified, but I could see her biting her lips and nodding as if she had decided something.
“No. I-I… No matter what happens, Lee Kiyoung must be. Must…”
‘Okay. I like that attitude.’
“We will be able to get out of here. The two of us.”
“Yes. The two of us.”
“Er… Honorary Cardinal.”
“Yes.”
“Unless it’s something special, I think it’s helpful to keep holding hands. You might have seizures again in case.”
“Yes. I think it would be better to do that.”
‘She is really too easy.’
Her strangely red face was definitely not an illusion.
As I turned her hand, which I normally held, and interlocked our fingers, I saw her head down quickly, as if she felt a little nervous.