Unyielding Echo: The Resonance of Spirits

Telepathy, being a form of magic, consumed mental energy. Particularly, the method of exchanging information in real-time through a mental channel continuously gnawed at one's psyche, much like a firewall that burned away at one's consciousness.

As the mental channel closed, Amy turned to face forward. With her hearing restored, the wailing echoes of the railway filled her eardrums.

The mine cart vanished into the darkness of the cave.

The place they arrived at was an underground city.

Though it lacked artistic grandeur, the tunnels split like an ant colony, and the expanded plazas at every junction were testaments to an astonishing achievement—coexistence with nature.

Amy reverted to a tourist's mindset and took in her surroundings. The excitement lasted only a moment before her pupils wavered with unease.

The lives of the Kergo people were starkly disconnected from the grandeur of their city. Everyone was gaunt, malnourished, and frail. She had expected some level of hostility toward outsiders, but the sheer desperation was beyond her expectations.

Elderly refugees walked along the tunnels, their frames reduced to skin and bone. Those too weak to move leaned against the earthen walls, holding the children entrusted to them, eyes closed as if asleep.

The silent cries of despair resonated through the air. This place was an ant colony, and its people were the ants.

Bent-backed grandmothers wove baskets from tree bark in the corners while elderly men burdened with impossible loads trudged forward, each step defying reality.

"Is this really the Kergo Autonomous Zone?"

No one answered Amy's question. The assumption that the Kergos were a wealthy tribe owning expensive real estate in these ruins had crumbled.

Canis felt an inexplicable anger and gripped Arin's shoulder. Her body was trembling as well. She was remembering—remembering the life she had once endured in Radum, the so-called City of Hell.

Both of them understood that starvation was the most excruciating agony in the world.

And so... these people were suffering the worst fate imaginable.

"Hey, this way."

The native who had driven the mine cart beckoned them forward, his expression making it clear he did not want outsiders witnessing this misery.

After navigating a series of winding paths, they arrived at a blocked-off tunnel. A single torch mounted on the wall cast flickering light over the surroundings.

Amy glanced back at the path they had taken. They had circled around such a great distance that any commotion here would likely go unnoticed from outside.

The native led them before a man.

With arms crossed and lips tightly pressed together, he looked every bit like the image Amy had in mind of a true Kergo warrior.

His upper body was more muscular than Rian's, and dark tattoos covered his face. Hanging from both ears were earrings made from the fangs of a wild beast.

When Jis spoke, the man introduced himself as Mahatu.

Amy recalled hearing the term 'warrior's descendant' before and realized that the pronunciation contained the name Mahatu.

A warrior named Mahatu. And indeed, he was a warrior in every sense of the word.

"Uh, so, this guy's name is Mahatu," Jis explained. "He raises 'Loops' and delivers them to the temple."

Amy speculated that the black tattoos marked those who managed the Loops. If white signified those who performed the rituals, then black must indicate those who prepared them.

Since Arin made no attempt at telepathy, Amy and the others had to wait for Jis to translate.

Tess considered this a wise choice. Judging by Mahatu's disposition, he was no ordinary warrior. If he possessed Schema's sensory abilities, telepathy could be detected.

Just as they were all thinking the same thing, Mahatu's words suddenly became clear to them.

Amy turned, finding Arin smiling at her.

"So, you went ahead and tried it anyway?" Amy teased. "That guy looks pretty strong. You've got guts, huh?"

"No, I didn't use telepathy on Mahatu."

"Huh? Then how are we understanding him?"

Arin discreetly pointed to Jis.

Amy finally realized what had happened—Arin had cast telepathy on Jis while he was speaking with Mahatu.

If one only intended to eavesdrop on the surface-level thoughts of a person, there was no need to connect with the actual speaker. This was yet another advantage of Arin's abilities.

"Falcoa is dead?"

"Yeah. The Freeman Organization isn't going to buy Loops anymore. They're planning to leave the island soon."

Jis spoke honestly. There was no point in hiding the truth from the person in charge.

As expected, Mahatu's expression darkened. He scowled at Amy's group, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Then what about them?" he demanded.

"Oh, they're not here to buy Loops. They have business in this place."

"Business? Do you not know that outsiders are forbidden entry unless it involves Loop transactions?"

"Of course we know, but we still had to notify you about the canceled trade. Plus, we have a permit—oh, crap!"

Mahatu shoved Jis aside and strode forward, his jaw clenched and his eyes burning with fury.

He scanned the group and settled his gaze on Amy. Not because he thought she was the leader, but because she was the only one meeting his glare with equal defiance.

"The Freeman Organization sent you?" Mahatu sneered. "Then you're one of their members?"

Jis rushed back to translate. His dedication to the job was impressive, even in this tense situation.

Of course, Amy had already understood through Arin's telepathy, but she pretended to process the words and answered with a slight delay.

"No. But we have strong ties with Freeman."

"How strong? Would you stake your life on it?"

"Of course. In fact, I already have."

The lie rolled off her tongue effortlessly. After all, she had fought with her life on the line, so it wasn't entirely untrue.

"Then you should have no problem covering his outstanding balance."

"Outstanding balance? What outstanding balance?"

"Falcoa only paid the deposit and took 8 kilograms of Loops. The rest of the payment is still due."

Amy scoffed, recalling Falcoa's arrogant bravado. All that swagger, yet he had been running up a tab?

Still, the mention of unpaid debts piqued her curiosity.

"I don't mind risking my life, but I don't lend money that easily. How much does he owe?"

"Ten thousand gold."

"…What?"

Amy's eyes widened. Even Jis looked uncertain, as if he had misheard the amount.

But Amy, through Arin's telepathy, knew exactly what had been said—ten thousand gold.

For what? Just eight kilograms of tree roots? And that was after the down payment?

A question suddenly occurred to her.

Falcoa had been buying Loops for years, spending a fortune on them. So how was it that the Kergos were still living in such extreme poverty?

Selling just 8 kilograms of Loops could have fed the people in the plaza for an entire year. Logically, something didn't add up.

Before she could voice her suspicions, a sudden, piercing sound rang through the tunnels.

A deep, resonant horn.

Mahatu's face twisted in shock.

"The War Horn of Jin'Gok…?" he muttered.

Then, without hesitation, he bolted toward the source of the sound.