Vol 5 Chapter 55

Superior didn't seem to have expected a response, as he didn't press further despite Kapros's lack of reply. Instead, he only made one comment after they had gone a bit further.

[ We seem to have reached a point where it wouldn't be strange for something to appear soon, so stay sharp. ]

Kapros had felt it too without being told, but if Superior was giving a direct warning, they must really be close. As he was considering how to respond to this, the passage he was running through suddenly widened. What at first seemed just a bit wider soon became a cavern so vast that the end was not visible.

Although he could tell that the atmosphere of his location had changed, the thick darkness limited visibility, forcing him to feel his way along the wall as he advanced. He had expected to feel soil, but surprisingly, what touched his palm felt like metal - hard and even somewhat smooth. As he traced the bumps that occasionally felt like layered rocks, he suddenly felt a strange vibration in his hand.

Thud.

'Hm?'

Startled, he pulled his hand away and brought the Fireball closer to the wall, but all he could see was a black, solid stone wall.

'I must have felt wrong.'

Chiding himself for being needlessly startled, he placed his hand on the wall again. Surprisingly, at that moment, the wall he was touching began to shake as if it would burst.

Boom!

A great earthquake occurred, and the floor shook so violently that Kapros tumbled and rolled. A gloomy, groaning vibration echoed throughout the cave. The sound that felt like it would tear his eardrums made his head hurt.

He couldn't understand what was happening, but fearing falling rocks might injure him, he covered his head and opened his mouth to cast a shield spell when-

"Magic Shie-!"

『 Has. a. life. form. entered. this. place? 』

A strange voice resonating ominously from deep underground stopped Kapros mid-spell.

"Who are you?"

As Kapros instinctively backed away and shouted, the earthquake gradually subsided, and the voice spoke again.

『 A. human. Is. it. finally. the. promised. time... 』

'What on earth... is this?'

As Kapros was bewildered, unable to even stand up due to the overwhelming presence, the Superior stick at his waist emitted a bright light.

[ Kor...! It's Kor, isn't it? ]

"What?"

As Kapros wondered what this sudden outburst meant, Superior muttered lowly.

[ Why is that guy here? ]

"Speak so I can understand."

Shouldn't he provide some information that could help even a little in this situation? However, Superior's awaited answer didn't come, and only the unwanted one continued to spout its unpleasant, stiff intonation.

『 Human, I. sense. his. power. from. you. 』

Kapros tried staying silent, but it seemed to be expecting an answer. After glancing once at the still-silent Superior stick, he opened his mouth.

"Who are you talking about?"

Although he had a feeling it was referring to Superior, he asked just in case it wasn't.

『 The. one. who. brought. me. here. A. human. and. also. a. 9th. circle. master. 』

Hmm. It seems it is indeed referring to Superior.

"Can't we talk face to face? It's too dark here."

Having become convinced that this being didn't seem likely to harm him, Kapros regained his composure and spoke quietly. The other party asked as if puzzled.

『 What. are. you. saying? You. are. already. looking. at. me. 』

"I can't see you, what do you mean?"

『 ...I. see. Humans. were. small. I. understand. Wait. 』

After that, the being said nothing for a long time. Taking advantage of this, Kapros tapped the Superior stick several times and tried to speak to it, but Superior maintained his silence.

'What's the point of becoming useless at a time like this?'

Not being able to see due to darkness is equivalent to losing more than half of one's means of attack. In such a situation, even a single piece of information from Superior, who seemed to know something, could lay the groundwork for turning things into a much better situation. Yet, knowing this, he wasn't saying a word.

He should at least say if he doesn't know. Instead of rambling on his own and then frustratingly clamming up. While inwardly suppressing his anger, Kapros momentarily lowered his guard against the darkness-filled surroundings. Because of this, he couldn't help but be very surprised when he saw a red-haired young man suddenly walk in front of the Fireball without any warning.

"Who..."

"Pleased to meet you. You should be able to converse more comfortably with me, right?"

The friendly face illuminated by the firelight was handsome, but his smile seemed somewhat awkward.

"It's been about 500 or 600 years since I last breathed the world's air, so it's been a long time. By the way, what's your name?"

"Kapros."

"Ah, Mr. Kapros. I see. As Kor mentioned earlier, I really do sense his energy from you..."

"And who might you be?"

When Kapros interrupted the man's rambling and asked, the man blinked his clear eyes a few times and suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" while slapping his forehead.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm sorry. I thought you already knew everything."

"I don't know anything."

"I see. Hahaha."

The unidentified man laughed heartily and finally began his self-introduction.

"I am one of Kor's mental bodies. I came out based on Kor's judgment that it would be better to converse with a human-like mental body rather than the main body. So, I don't have a name yet."

"Kor...?"

It didn't take long for Kapros to remember that this name, repeated twice, was the same as what Superior had shouted earlier.

"Who exactly are you people?"

"Ah, right. You said it was too dark here, didn't you? It should be fine if I brighten your eyes. Here, look this way."

Ignoring Kapros's words completely and speaking in his own pace, the man snapped his fingers with a click as soon as Kapros inadvertently met his eyes. A flash of light erupted before Kapros's eyes. Startled, he covered his eyes and stepped back, assuming a defensive posture, which made the man laugh out loud again.