23. The Massive Cave
[If any of the bidders require an apple due to reasons akin to an illness, please prioritize them for sale.]
That was it.
Thanks to that single treaty, she was a lower priority in the bidding competition, yet boldly seized the buyer’s qualification and acquired the apple imbued with the energy of the World Tree.
In truth, as a Han, she had no reason to hesitate.
After all, regardless of the apple’s value, once sold, it would undoubtedly fetch a considerable sum. And if so, no matter the amount, it would be more than enough to live comfortably alone.
So, without much thought, she had saved a person with a single condition.
Of course, it wasn’t intentional.
‘Still, since the apple had such effects, it was a condition added just in case.’
Thanks to this, she had saved a life, and as a Han, she didn’t feel bad about it.
From Noble mtl dot com
In her letter, Jin Hwaryun had asked to visit their guild at a later time, but there was no particular interest in entertaining that thought.
Money would have been deposited, and there was no reason to pay further attention.
***
“Ahahahaha!”
“Keung!”
Three young wolf cubs vigorously chased after the fleeing girl.
“Oops!”
Of course, Yumina fell not long after.
Due to her elven nature, her physical abilities were lacking.
But perhaps due to the tall grass providing a soft landing, Yumina remained unharmed.
Instead, she lay there, laughing heartily.
“Ahahahaha, it tickles!”
The ones playfully licking Yumina were three young direwolf cubs.
“Keung Keung!”
“Keeing-!”
Yumina squirmed as if ticklish.
The cubs, encouraged by her reaction, romped around with even more vigor.
For a usually reserved and timid girl like Yumina, her reactions were surprisingly lively.
Of course, despite the cubs giving their all in play, Yumina was hardly exerting any effort.
The names of the young direwolf cubs were Noah, Lua, and Mia.
Through the combined effort of Yumina and the elves, clear names were given, instead of just being referred to as young direwolf cubs. Each cub had their name above their head.
Perhaps the names displayed in the status window tended to change gradually like this.
It was a peaceful moment.
Today, Yumina’s reactions seemed unusually lively.
Perhaps those young Diablo wolves might turn out to be a good opportunity.
Perhaps frolicking with the young ones could gradually improve Yumina’s weak body, making her healthier like other elves.
It was a time to watch over that sight proudly.
Kugugugu-.
Suddenly, out of the blue, the ground began to shake.
“What’s happening?”
Truly an abrupt vibration.
Startled by it, the young siblings, Irina, and even the young Diablo wolves instinctively perked up their ears, looking around.
“S-So, could it be an earthquake?”
Han was equally taken aback.
“If not that, then something else?”
Instinctively narrowing down his gaze to check the surroundings.
But nowhere could the source of the sound be identified.
The vibration started to intensify.
Later on, to the point where even the pebbles on the ground were visibly trembling.
Beep-!
In front of Han, amidst the loud warning sound, a message window from the system popped up.
[Warning! Dangerous elements detected in the surrounding environment! Please check immediately!]
“W-Where?! Where is it?!”
Indeed, some danger had arisen.
The appearance of the message was evidence of that.
Alarmed, Han quickly scanned around for the danger but found nothing visible.
What initially felt like a minor vibration, soon escalated.
In no time, the entire city began to shake violently, as if on the verge of collapse.
Not just an ordinary earthquake, it felt more like a severe tremor.
Irina was already up on the watchtower, scanning the surroundings with her bow at the ready.
The other two elves, with a sense of unease in their ears, covered their long ears and sat down.
In their arms, the young Diablo wolves trembled with fear as if clutching onto them for safety.
Kwaaang-!
It happened right after that.
In an instant, something emerged from the other side of the city.
With a massive roar.
Something ‘very massive’ sprang forth.
“Ma… jestic….”
Han let out a sigh.
Looking down at the city from above.
At the end of the vibration, he could finally discern the identity of the creature that had appeared.
[aaah-!!!]
It burst forth from the city’s ground, roaring from the depths below.
…That was.
It was truly a massive life form.
Its diameter was comparable to that of a substantial building.
Countless teeth, enough to make hundreds or thousands visible, were seen in the gaping mouth of the creature.
It was like a huge shredder that seemed capable of devouring everything in this world.
“A monster… it is.”
A sound that felt like a sigh of despair.
The gigantic, snake-like or worm-like creature disappeared into the ground, crossing the city and vanishing underground.
“….”
Han couldn’t utter a word.
He just blankly stared beyond the giant burrow where the creature had vanished.
The vast trace of the tunnel, reaching tens of meters in diameter like a deep abyss, indicated that the creature had once existed there.
On that day,
Han once again keenly felt that this world was not just an easy place.
…This is an Apocalypse.
***
In the modern era, there are only about dozens of confirmed species known as Worms.
There is no clearly defined individual among them.
Some appropriately represent the name “Worm” as a stage of larvae for certain insects, while others simply refer to the fully grown Worm itself.
Depending on the environment, some have adapted to the extreme cold of the poles while others thrive in the hot, humid jungles.
But generally, their characteristics are mostly similar.
As hunters know well, they mainly dig tunnels deep underground, hunt prey through vibrations, and share a commonality in appearance with long-bodied worms.
This is also a common denominator of the Worm species.
One might wonder why there are so many types of mere monsters.
But the reason is simple.
In fact, even in just one insect called a crow, there are countless varieties like the king crow, orchid mantis, or shield mantis.
Similarly, the monsters called Worms are subdivided into countless diverse categories under the name Worm.
…Well, anyway.
Even now, new species are occasionally discovered beyond the already identified species.
In fact, a new goblin was discovered two months ago.
Named the ‘Golden Goblin’ due to its shimmering golden skin, it was a previously undiscovered new species said to open dimensional portals and traverse spacetime.
Thus, there are still unknown new species beyond those found by hunters on Earth, emerging every month and being documented.
“Ha.”
Click.
Han, who had been staring at the monitor screen, let out a sigh.
The screen was filled with pictures of grotesque, giant worm-like monsters.
Each of them had different species, names, and ecological characteristics.
Their natures were also completely different.
“…And these are spread all over the Frey planet.”
However, the entity Han encountered was even larger and more overwhelming than any of the Worms shown on those screens.
[Depending on the species, there are many differences and characteristics among worm entities, but the one witnessed by Han is a long-lived individual surviving from the early days of the Great War on the Frey planet. Such colossal entities are extremely rare, and even if they were to encounter a similar species again, the chances of finding one of the same size are very low.]
The words of the system, though nominally comforting, carried a sense of reassurance.
The likelihood of encountering such a creature again was indeed rare.
However, Han found no comfort in its words.
And for good reason…
“Anyway, those creatures I just saw. Are there more of them? There are hardly any individuals as old as them.”
[That is correct.]
Ugh.
In the system’s firm and unwavering response, Han let out a long sigh once again.
This world where Han lives, known as the Frey planet.
Truly, it is an immensely harsh world.
If, in the next encounter, Han were to face such beings as foes, how should he handle it?
No, is there even room for handling it?
This time, luckily, the creature was unaware of their presence and moved away, but there was no way to hope for such luck again.
An expression of anguish flickered in Han’s eyes.
If he is indeed a racial deity of the Elves… Is there really a way to deal with such a being?
…I don’t know.
***
Thud.
Irrena landed deep into the cavern.
“…..”
She gazed at the ends of the long tunnel on both sides.
Whoosh-.
The tunnel extended endlessly, gaping like a common abyss.
Irrena swallowed nervously.
From above, her brother Zion leaned forward.
He expressed concern.
“Be careful, sister.”
“I got it. Thanks, Zion.”
Irrena replied with a forced smile.
But that alone couldn’t conceal her tension.
Soon, she turned her head and gazed at the deep, endless tunnel.
Beyond the cave was as dark as pitch.
The torch in her hand barely illuminated the darkness, merely a handful of light.
It only lit up the ground she stood on and the ceiling above.
The endlessly extending tunnel.
The traces left by the gigantic monster, the Giga Worm, passing through in the past.
The sheer size of the creature had created this massive cavern just by passing through.
To look up at the ceiling above, she had to crane her neck for quite a while.
How many meters in diameter is this cave?
Perhaps unknowingly, it easily surpassed ten, maybe even twenty meters.
[Exactly 32.23 meters.]
T-Thirty meters? Seriously?
That means it’s like hundreds of meters in length, right?
[Doubtful as it may seem, it is an undeniable fact. Considering the uncovered part of the object measured on the ground at that time, the upper length was about 100 meters, so it is entirely possible when thinking about the undisclosed portion. It is estimated to be around 200 to 300 meters.]
…Good heavens.
Though momentarily taken aback by the system’s response, it was as staggering as that.
The traces left behind by that creature crossing this old town were truly colossal.
Like a long scar that seemed to have been etched straight down the city, traversing the entire expanse of this massive ruin.