Chapter 105 - Don't mess with moles (1)

When Goethe saw the suddenly formed hole, he let out a hollow voice.

"What's happening…"

I really didn't expect this.

I never expected an apparently ordinary mole to create something like this.

The idea of ​​luring it with barley was good, and Vlad's judgment to run like lightning and catch the mole was also good.

However, I could never have imagined that as soon as Vlad grabbed the mole, the ground would collapse instantly.

"…Shouldn't we have caught it?"

Vlad was dragged into darkness as if he had been snatched away.

Thus, Vlad disappeared right before Goethe's eyes, leaving behind only a shout.

"Captain! Are you okay!"

Goethe, who had finally regained his senses, shouted loudly towards the well where Vlad was sucked in, but all he could hear was the empty sound of the wind.

Left behind with Noir under the dark night, Goethe didn't know what to do.

***

"Ugh…"

As soon as the seemingly endless fall ended, Vlad drew his sword and looked around.

"What is this?"

Since the floor collapsed and I was dragged in, I know this is underground.

"Where the hell am I, bastard?"

Kwieek!

Vlad grabbed the mole and shook it as if to vent his anger, but there was no way the thing wriggling in his hand could respond in human language.

He is clearly the culprit who created this situation, but the reason we can't act rashly is probably because it still shines even in the darkness.

"If only it wasn't a damn spirit."

Vlad grumbled under his breath, but he acted cunningly, activating his aura and trying to assimilate his eyes in total darkness.

My experience in Soara, where I worked at night instead of during the day, was helpful in this case.

Kwieek?

"Shut up."

The mole, sensing Vlad's aura, made a noise as if surprised, but all it got was a cold response.

However, contrary to Vlad's cold response, the mole felt quite relieved.

This was because, as the Aura flowed, I felt the blessings of the spirits of the armor and the amber.

"Nothing in this world is easy."

The first thing Vlad did after gaining some visibility through his Aura was to check the hole he had fallen into, but no matter how much he looked, it seemed impossible to climb back up there.

'Mmm'

The next thing I did was to explore where I am now.

Although his vision was not perfect, Vlad, who had used all his senses from the tips of his hands and feet, realized that he was now standing on what looked like a hallway.

A hallway large enough for a human to stand with just a slight bend.

It was strangely large for having been created by moles with small bodies.

"I guess I'll have to get out first."

In any case, the guy who is currently fighting in my hand came out and stole the barley, so there must be an exit.

Vlad put saliva on the tip of his finger and checked if there was any airflow.

"There is."

There was a weak but palpable wind.

It was evidence that there was definitely a hole leading to the outside, no matter how big or small it was.

"If I don't get out of here today, you'll be tomorrow's breakfast."

Kwieek

Vlad, who had threatened the mole just in case, began to move in the direction he had found.

Vlad's blue eyes, which shone even in the darkness, began to find their way.

***

"What should I do with this?"

Goethe, shouting at the hole at the top of his lungs, realized he could no longer solve the problem alone.

Whether you dig the hole in front of you or find another way, you'll need more people.

Neigh-

"Eh?"

While quickly grabbing the reins and about to head down to the village, Goethe noticed Noir's movements were pulling him.

"Where are you going? Hey?"

Noir, who was quietly looking at the hole where Vlad fell, began to walk towards the dark forest, not towards the village, with steps that seemed to indicate that direction.

It was as if he knew where Vlad was.

"…I'm going crazy."

Goethe felt embarrassed as Noir didn't move as he wanted, but at least he knew this guy wasn't like that for no reason.

He knew well that he was a being even the barbarians considered sacred, and sometimes seemed more intelligent than people.

"Alright. Let's go."

Voice wasn't the only thing that touched Vlad's world.

Since Noir is also a being that has shared the world across the border, he could notice Vlad's movements underground.

Sometimes animals react more abruptly than humans.

"…But they said there was a strange sound."

As Goethe entered the dark forest, he suddenly remembered a story the villagers had told him.

The day the girl disappeared, several village residents said they heard strange screams coming from the forest.

He said that although it was the first time he heard a sound that was neither human nor animal, it was a sensation that sent shivers down his spine.

***

"…This seems like a tree."

Vlad, walking in darkness while holding the shiny mole in his hand, realized that the ground he was walking on was not soil.

Since you were obviously swallowed by the ground, what you're stepping on must be earthen floor.

However, what now filled the ground seemed to be hard tree roots instead of soft soil.

It's like dry tree roots.

"I'll figure it out when I get out."

Although he was alone in a narrow and dark tunnel, Vlad didn't lose his composure.

Part of it was due to his bold nature, but also because the current situation was better than when he was fighting in Soara.

And the fact that the wind was approaching was enough to give Vlad a glimmer of hope.

Kwiik Kyuik.

As the wind approached and the air became cooler, a smile appeared on Vlad's face, but the struggles of the shiny mole he held onto were becoming more severe.

"What the hell are you complaining about?"

Kwieek!

It extended its arms and seemed to be trying to say something, but being born of different species, there was no way they could communicate.

Perhaps if it had a voice now, wouldn't it have provided at least some insight?

"Let's get out and see for now."

Problems must be solved step by step.

Regardless of whether the mole struggles or not, the first problem to solve is to get out of here.

Unless you want to spend your whole life wandering through a tunnel.

'Mmm?'

As he grew more confident that he was going to get out, there was a strange sound in Vlad's ears.

Thump! Thump!

A sound like something hard being struck.

Vlad listened to an unidentifiable sound and silently assessed the direction and distance.

Judging by the echo sensation, it seemed like the sound was coming from outside, not from the tunnel he was currently in.

"Be quiet."

Kyu-

The shiny mole calmed down before Vlad even spoke a word.

Vlad quickly tucked the mole into the pocket of his armor and began to move cautiously, holding his sword with both hands.

Thump! Thump!

As they advanced, the sound grew louder, and now they could even feel the vibration through the tree roots on the ground.

Even the pile of dirt on the ceiling was breaking and falling, so I don't know, but it felt like something was being struck with tremendous force.

'I see.'

Vlad, who had been wandering between unknown sounds and vibrations, finally found a small ray of moonlight in the middle of the passage.

As he approached the spot, there was a hole in the ceiling large enough for a person to enter and exit, and today's moon was shining through it.

'Alright.'

Since you've found a clear path, there's no reason to hesitate.

Vlad sheathed his sword and began to ascend towards the moonlight, taking careful leaps.

The shiny mole was simply curled up in Vlad's arms, as if it was clearly aware of the situation at that moment.

Thump!

Vlad, who was climbing with his fingers dug into the collapsed dirt pile on the ceiling, held his breath as the light grew clearer as he ascended.

I don't know what it was, but it felt like some kind of resolve was needed to get out of this place.

'Nothing is easy. There's no such thing.'

But even if I regret it, there's nothing I can do about it now.

Even if I had known this would happen, I would have sought out the mole.

Vlad made a decision, took a deep breath, and put strength into the tips of his fingers.

'Sigh!'

With such strong determination, his head points outward.

Vlad, with his head poking out, looked like a mole that had emerged.

But even though the appearance was amusing, the judgment itself was good.

'…What the hell is that?'

The sight under the moonlight was quite beautiful.

A bunch of moss spread out like grass on a green plain.

And in the middle of the group, there was a tree lifting its head.

It was an oak tree that seemed unusual at first glance, like the tree in Hainal Hill, or the maple seen in Alicia's Amber Stone.

Thump!

Ahhh!

And a being wielding an axe with fierce force in front of an oak tree.

A monster that stood on two feet but was too large to be considered human screamed incessantly and struck an oak tree with the axe it held.

The shiny mole wasn't quietly peeking out.

It was trembling in Vlad's arms.

Because it knew the unknown monster it was seeing was here.

'Dammit…'

Vlad, who realized the situation, quickly ducked his head and began to think about what to do.

The most important thing will be identifying the enemy.

I don't know why an unknown monster is hitting the tree, but if it's not related to you, there's no need to deal with it.

"…"

Vlad peeked his head out again, this time closing his left eye and looking through the world to the trees and the monster.

There he saw a screaming oak tree and a monster that seemed to be shrouded in a dark shadow.

'It's yellow.'

And the remnants of the voice left in Vlad's world showed that the tree now screaming was yellow.

It was a light the same color as a mole suspected to be a spirit.

"They kicked you out of here."

Vlad let out a small sigh as he felt the mole tremble in his arms.

He didn't know the exact reason, but he thought that crazy monster had kicked it out of its home.

"…I guess I should do it."

Kye?

There was an accident, but somehow the spirit's home was found.

Although there seemed to be some haste on the attacker's side, Vlad was also a rather hasty person, so it would be fine to yield first.

"Whoo."

The key to the fatal blow lies in its unpredictability.

If you have swift feet, you might achieve surprise in the form of a sneak attack.

Vlad slowly begins to recall his world by taking deep breaths.

Through the strong rising Aura, Ramund's strength increased, and the remnants of his voice merged into the sword.

And his world, which still had no color, was imprinted on his eyes.

Teueuung-!

Ahhh!

'Now!'

The moment the monster knocked down the tree and raised the axe with a shout.

A white beam began to leap from the small hole with a charge akin to an explosion.

Kye?

Kwiiiuu-

The monster comes from an unexpected angle, and the shiny mole moves at an unexpected speed.

"Huaap!"

Vlad's strike, which completed the unexpected with his sharpness that took by surprise, quickly approached the monster.

Crunch!

Vlad's sword, tinged with white, was beheading a monster that couldn't even turn its eyes.

It was a sword that contained the full force of a knight who could now stand alone.

Neck rolling down.

A collapsing body.

And an oak tree stopped screaming in pain and looked at Vlad in surprise.

There was a scene under the moonlight where everything was silent under Vlad's sword.

"What the hell…"

However, Vlad, who had created the silence, quickly raised his sword again.

Vlad's world, whose color had not yet been decided, began to sharply extend towards the sword.

I cut it, but I couldn't cut it.

Because the severed head actually meant nothing.

"Are you back again?"

With Vlad's gruff voice, the shattered body of the monster began to rise again.

As if the fallen neck had nothing to do with it.

A huge body, a section cut but already smoothly closed.

Because it wasn't a monster active in the north, Vlad didn't know it, but in the central region, this monster was called a troll that brought fear and respect.

¡Kuaaa!

A loud roar began to resonate from the neck rolling on the ground.

It was a horrible cry that the villagers heard.

____

Join the discord! 

https://dsc.gg/indra

____