Volume 8 Chapter 8 Reunion And Dispersal In The Underground World
When I casually used gravity magic to move the dirt, I discovered a staircase leading to the 101st underground floor.
"Oh, this is it. Everyone, over here!" I called out.
In response to my call, everyone who had been searching for a staircase to go down gathered around me. I took out a torch from my backpack and lit it by rubbing it against the wall.
We descended the stairs, relying on the light from the torch. Beyond this point, there would likely be many unfamiliar faces. Sandra, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, stood next to me and said,
"It's been a while since we went down this far."
"Yeah, the battle with Eiosnight was intense... but fun," I replied.
"Wade, you've been enjoying yourself ever since then. You should let yourself indulge in even more madness."
"Sandra really likes madness, huh?"
"Show us Wade's cuteness in even more dangerous situations. We haven't seen much of it lately. It's a shame."
"With this journey, you'll see plenty of it, so just wait quietl."
"I'll wait. I'm a loyal dog, woof woof."
"If I had to choose between a dog and a cat for Sandra, it would definitely be a cat."
"You caught me. Meow."
As we exchanged banter and continued forward, we could see the end of the staircase. When we reached the bottom, a bitterly cold wind blew.
"Wow! It's a strong wind! So cold... Wait, why is there wind...? In such a deep underground?"
"Toxy still doesn't understand the structure of the world," Sandra teased abruptly.
Toxy, annoyed by her comment, looked in the direction she was pointing and was left speechless.
"...A pure white sky...?"
"It has a slight bluish tint to it. It's a strange sight. It's as if the world has frozen."
Upon hearing Clay's words, I looked at Ice for some reason. She was staring at this underground world with a complex expression.
Niflheim. The realm of Norse mythology's underworld.
I moved to the edge of the floor and peered down. Ah, there were definitely clouds below. I realized that this pure white sky was indeed a real sky.
"Well... we rushed all the way here, but when will our backup arrive?"
"Wade-sama, as the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire."
"Huh?"
Sur pointed slightly downward at the ground. I activated my Ajna Chakra and squinted my eyes. "Whoa, it's coming at incredible speed!"
"Everyone, evacuate to the stairs! That guy didn't think about the danger of crashing into us at all!"
'!?'
Everyone's eyes widened at my command, but as a well-trained party, they quickly finished evacuating to the stairs.
Immediately after, it hit.
It felt like the impact of a cannonball launched from the surface of the earth. The ground trembled slightly, scraping against it and stopping its momentum, surrounded by a cloud of dust.
And there he was, brushing away the smoke with his strong arm, grinning smugly.
"Well, well, looks like you've gotten stronger while I wasn't looking, Wade. And Sandra, haha, a bunch of little monsters, aren't they?"
Appearing before us was a familiar face. A shady-looking guy, like a thug. But hanging from his chest was a platinum Torch Adventurer badge.
To me, he's my mentor. I couldn't help but curse at him while concealing my smile.
"Mudi, you're still the same. The rude remarks and suddenness."
"Wade, you're saying the same thing. You were the one who turned into a cute little doll recently."
"That was all your doing!"
In response to my tsukkomi, Mudi laughed heartily. A platinum Torch Adventurer. He was the mentor of me and Sandra in yoga. The cunning senior of the ruthless dungeon, Mudi, landed on the surface and stood there.
The excitement wasn't just confined to me.
"Long time no see, Mudi. I've been getting stronger too, little by little."
"Yeah, Sandra, it's been even longer for you than it has for Wade."
Sandra approached with a calm yet exhilarated expression. Meanwhile, a figure emerged from behind Mudi and called out to the other 2.
"Long time no see, Clay-kun and Toxy-chan~! Wow, the ancient dragons completely recognize you guys. How much have you been through? Kyahaha!"
In a small full-body armor, Clay and Toxy ran over with smiles on their faces.
"Philia-san, it's been a while. I've gained a lot of experience."
"Philia! It's been so long! Hehe, we've gotten stronger, right!"
Mudi and Philia. They're the 2 with crazy strong skills who were our first real teachers. The 2 members of platinum's torch party were standing right there.
...Well, actually, Mudi was carrying Philia, who was wearing a super heavy suit of armor. Did Mudi really jump all the way here with Philia on his back with his own jumping skills?
"Hey, you're heavy. Get off!"
"Whoa!"
Mudi drops Philia. Yeah, she really is heavy.
Mudi glances at all of us before snorting, "Hmph, you guys have all gotten stronger too."
Philia pats her own butt as she says, "That's rude," and opens her face armor with a flick. A little girl's face appears from inside. It's the same big difference as always.
I shrug and say to the 2 of them,
"Well, I thought you were going to join me. During the war against the Fist of the Dragon army, you didn't help us at all, but what's going on now?"
"What's up with that? We're the ones who are really strong here. We can kill countless enemies and our allies won't die. It's a simple world like that."
"In other words, since we're a torch adventurer, we'll take on torch-related quests, that's what I'm saying, Wade-chan."
Ah, I see. Wars are indeed the territory of sword adventurers. It's not about being strong or weak, but if you don't take on your own job, you'll get kicked out. That's professionalism, I suppose.
"By the way, were you hiding beforehand? You just showed up from below."
"Hah, no way, jerk."
Mudi laughs through his nose. What's with this guy, always so full of himself?...No, he's always been like that.
When I look at Philia, I nod in understanding and say, "Oh, I see, you didn't know." Then Philia says,
"The underground is connected to the surface, just like the underworld. So, I received a quest in Karditsa and moved here on foot."
"Whoa! It's connected! Wow!"
This world is interesting! I wonder if we can infiltrate other countries through Hell. Or connect to Heaven? I'm not sure if Heaven exists, though. The possibilities are endless...
I'm impressed by how boundless Silvashearl is. As I was thinking that, Sur came forward.
"Greetings, platinum torch adventurer 'Handless,' and gold torch adventurer 'Iron Cage.' I'm Sur, and I've been appointed by His Majesty to be your guide in Nilfheim."
"Oh. ...Wow, how interesting. We don't meet many people like you. Well, let's work together as long as we're headed in the same direction."
"It's an honor, 'Handless.'."
"You can call me Mudi. This is Philia."
"Nice to meet you~"
"So, Mudi-sama and Philia-sama, right?"
Sur greeted them politely, and Mudi seemed to like something about him. It's unusual for Mudi to be in a bad mood, then Clay asked.
"So, we're going to descend one floor at a time for now, right? We can talk about things as we go."
"What? Like we have time for that?"
"Huh?"
Mudi reprimanded Clay, leaving him astonished. Not just Clay, but everyone else was confused.
"Mudi? What are yo—!?"
That's when I noticed it too. An intense killing intent. Someone was glaring at us. As we all realized the threat one by one, Mudi smirked and said,
"Hah. You're all so easy to scare. You're so inexperienced."
"Mudi, carry me again."
"What? I don't want to."
Mudi put Philia back on his back. We followed the killing intent and saw a shadow approaching us at high speed.
"Mudi, what is that?"
"I don't know. But it can attack from the air. Probably a high-level demon or devil. Maybe even the lord of this place."
Right after Mudi's words, it hit. It shattered the ground with a force and intensity surpassing Mudi's power. We were amazed by the feeling of shaking beneath our feet.
Blood and Flesh splattered. We checked to see if anyone was hit, but we were all safe. I was puzzled. What had been fired at us just now?
"Whoa, are you trying to smash the whole tower of the big dungeon? And the bullets are so tasteless. Well, it'll probably be fixed in a few days since it's a dungeon, but it's a pain... At the very least, I'll do what I can as a master."
Mudi called out to us.
"As you can see, we're under a super high-powered bombardment right now. The ground is shattered, the wind is blowing fiercely, and we'll probably be scattered. So, I'll teach you how to prepare."
Even as Mudi spoke, 'mystery' shells continued to hit one after another, destroying the ground and scattering blood and flesh.
The moment I tried to activate Ajna Chakra, Ice's footing collapsed, so I instinctively embraced Ice and helped her.
"T-Thanks, Wade."
"Watch out, Mudi! Now's not the time!"
"You guys won't die even if you fall, so don't panic, Wade. This level of destruction is everyday life in hell, you know?"
"What!? Ugh!"
The floor below us collapsed all at once, and we fell several meters to the ground. In the midst of our shock, Mudi remained calm and said this.
"You lot, this is the daily life of hell, even further down the big dungeon. From now on, you'll enter a world where human common sense doesn't apply. Remember that. In hell, only power is justice. Nothing else matters."
The ground clearly tilted from further bombardment. Sandra clung to Toxy, saying "Oh no, Toxy is fainting," and Clay took Sur's hand, saying "Sur-san, hold on."
"Abandon common sense. But more than that, abandon good sense. Abandon the heart that cares for others. Abandon mercy. Either kill the person in front of you or make them a sl*ve. Abandon all goodwill. Become a villain."
I didn't understand Mudi's words. We were already in dire straits. I embraced Ice and clung to the ground, which was tilting more than 45 degrees with gravity magic.
"Afterward, at the very least, put on a replica of horns and pretend to be a demon. As long as you do that, it won't become a big problem. Anyway..."
Even as the ground tilted and we began to fall, Mudi stood upright, perpendicular to the ground. It was truly impressive how calm he remained.
With the piercing bombardment, the ground we stood on finally crumbled completely. I held onto Ice tightly and chanted, "Brahma = Atman!" as I invoked gravity magic.
Just as I thought that, a fierce freezing gust of wind disrupted us. Ice and I were thrown into the air, spinning multiple times, losing all sense of up and down.
But even in such a critical situation, Mudi spoke with an unwavering tone, confidently proclaiming over the sound of the wind.
"A realm filled with screams, shouts, and laughter. Welcome to hell, you fools."
Ice and I were thrown into a pure white world, all alone. I held onto Ice tightly as we were carried away by the wind, going wherever it took us.
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