Vol 4: Chapter 40
Three days passed after Asha and I left on our journey. We aimed for the vicinity where the Holy City Kruvanyu would be located. We cut through a long forest, staying out of sight from the Underground city’s patrols, and came out to a plain.
However, like everything else in this world, it was a desolate land.
Since anyone can see us clearly from afar, Asha and I waited for nightfall.
「Why is this different from the “Front World”? The language is the same, but it feels to me that the world itself is different.」Asha said, while staring at the bonfire.
「I agree.」
I can only assume various changes occurred over long years.
But in the first place, why was the world divided into two?
Is there a god?
The questions are endless.
「Everything else just feels so different.」Asha said.
「Well, maybe we can see if there are other things that are the same today.」
「What do you mean?」
「I’ve seen the First Altar in the Holy City Kruvanyu in the Front World. So I was wondering if it exists in this world too…」
We started moving as the sun set. We proceeded through the desolate land under the moonlight. We had to move slowly as the foothold was bad, and we could also easily lose our direction while walking through the unchanging scenery.
According to my calculation, we should arrive at the location of the First Altar by dawn tomorrow. But the path ahead was filled with large boulders and dead trees, so my calculations might be slightly off.
「Hmm?」
Suddenly, I felt tremors on the sole of my foot.
「Asha, we’re going to run!」
I carried Asha up and dashed away instantly.
Something huge broke out of the ground underneath with explosive force.
I was thrown forward, but I used Wind Magic to stabilize myself in mid-air and succeeded in landing safely.
It was a giant earthworm-like tubular creature.
The thickness of its body was similar to the trunk of a several hundred years old oak tree
Its surface seemed to be soft, but there were a lot of closely packed warts. And only a mouth at its head.
The mouth, which was tightly lined with numerous thick rounded teeths, probably functions to grind everything it sucks in.
『Piiiiiiiii!』
Asha’s body stiffened and her eyes started to roll to the back of her head when she saw the giant creature shrieking with drool spilling from its mouth.
「Asha, this is a bad time to faint.」
She woke up as I tapped her back.
「I-I am sorry.」she said.
「Don’t worry. That is a normal reaction.」
If we were in a desert, it would be called a sandworm, but unfortunately the ground is hard.
It would be more appropriate to call it “Soil Worm”.
The soil worm has a good understanding of how to use its body. When it realized that I dodged the first blow, it swung its body sideways to slam into me.
「Wind Magic.」
Its speed, however, was too slow. Using the airflow around its giant body, I easily jumped up by boosting with【Wind Magic】.
「S-Should we run away!?」
「I would like to do that, but…」
Asha’s suggestion was correct. Since the soil worm has a fixed length, it should not be able to chase after us if we can outrun it. It is completely incomparable to Ouroboros.
However, it’s not that simple. There were signs of other soil worms in the ground.
「Asha! Hold on tightly!」
「Done!」
「Let’s go!」
Thus, there was no point in killing this one soil worm.
The soil worm once again swung its body towards me.
Asha clung to my neck as I supported her with my left hand, which freed my right hand.
While jumping again and avoiding a direct hit, I thrust my mithril dagger into the soil worm from above.
「Here we… go!」
「Kyaaaaaaa!?」
As we rode on the soil worm with a single dagger, it swung around at high speed with tremendous centrifugal force.
I pulled out the dagger right when it swung in the direction of our destination. Asha and I were thrown into the air.
「Kyaaaaaa—」
Fireballs appeared around Asha and exploded.
The fireballs lit the sky as we flew through the dark of the night.
We were approaching the ground fast. I used【Fire Magic】to reduce the impact of the fall, and at the same time, I used【Wind Magic】to propel my body forward.
Immediately after, a new soil worm jumped out from the ground right next to where I landed.
In combination with【Body Enhancement】,【Jumping Technique】, and【Strengthening Magic】, my jumps increased tremendously. But every time I landed, another soil worm popped out of the ground.
…It’s like a minefield.
「Ah, ah, ah, ah…」
That was all that came out of Asha’s mouth everytime I jumped and landed.
However, there is an end to this minefield.
「This is the last one!」
The last jump was a big jump.
There was no more bare ground beyond that point.
Though heavily cracked, I landed onto a stone pavement.
It was not visible from a distance due to the clouds of dust in the surrounding area, but this was a well-established road. Though, it does not seem that way due to weathering.
This was a city that was abandoned long ago.
However,
「…Who are you people?」
There were about 10 people in front of us when we landed.
In this world, there are dragonewts, underground humans, and–.
「Are you…the dark elves?」
This was our first contact with them.
