Chapter 1912 – 1912. Dark Moon
I entered the tent with Clive.
Inside, besides Professor Hemmington, there were two more people. Neither of them looked like members of the expedition team. They had a rough atmosphere and were armed. They were probably mercenaries.
‘Did she hire two more mercenaries? This is an unexpected variable.’
I scanned the mercenaries’ levels. One was a gunner who handled firearms, and the other was a warrior who used a greatsword. Neither was superhuman.
“Welcome. Welcome to the Hemmington Expedition.”
Professor Hemmington approached me. She was a middle-aged woman with gray hair. She had a sturdy build for a woman. Her angular jaw exuded confidence and strength.
“I’m Eugene Meyer.”
“I’m Nora Hemmington. Come and sit down. I was just explaining tomorrow’s exploration to the other mercenaries. Ah, you should all introduce yourselves. You’ll be working together, even if temporarily.”
The first of the mercenaries to speak was the warrior in partial armor. He was a man with short, spiky hair and a scruffy beard on his lower face.
“I’m Jin Exterm. The magic user.”
“Ignorant. What about you?”
I looked at the gunner. The tall man in a leather coat, who had been sitting quietly, slowly opened his mouth.
“Josh Winter.”
“Eugene Meyer, a mage.”
The mercenaries’ reactions were lukewarm. But their eyes were sizing me up. Just like I was doing to them, they were probably gauging my level.
“Now that introductions are over, come and sit down.”
I took a seat. Nora Hemmington handed me a cup of coffee. I took a sip. As expected. It was trash. It didn’t seem like cheap beans, but it seemed like they had just brewed the coffee haphazardly.
“What you need to do is escort the expedition and eliminate monsters. Since the ancient ruins are old, some monsters have come to live there. A place where people don’t go. A place that monsters love.”
“That’s strange. Doesn’t the expedition have any combat personnel? How did you even get here?”
Jin asked Professor Hemmington. He seemed like an ignorant guy, but he was at least keeping the minimum level of courtesy to his employer.
“The people who were originally escorting the expedition left because their funding was cut off. The current expedition members can fight if they have to, but we came here to explore the ancient ruins, not to fight monsters.”
“Are you saying you’re continuing the exploration even though your funding was cut off?”
The tall gunner, Josh, asked as if he couldn’t understand.
“This is an ancient ruin that we discovered with great difficulty. Most of the funding was used to break the hidden seal. Besides, my expedition members and I have invested our personal assets. If we give up here, we’ll only be left with debt. We must get the treasure that’s down there.”
Nora said with a determined expression. She meant that since she had invested so much, she couldn’t back out until she got her money’s worth.
“…Will we get paid?”
Jin asked worriedly.
“When applying for the request, I needed proof of assets. Don’t worry, I have the money to pay the request fee. I’m a professor at Miskatonic University. Even though the expedition’s funding has been cut off, my status is still valid.”
“Phew. That’s a relief.”
The explanation continued after that.
• • •
After dinner, the mercenaries and I met separately. Jin had arranged this meeting. He puffed on a cigarette and opened his mouth.
“If you’ve worked in this field, you’d know. There’s something fishy about this place.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, just get to the point.”
“For a magic user, you’re awfully impatient. In short, I have a bad feeling. They’re so broke that they’re in debt, but they have money to hire mercenaries? It’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”
“It is weird. So? What are you going to do? If you don’t want to do it, quit.”
I said with a hint of disdain. I already knew that the Hemmington Expedition was strange. From my perspective, these mercenaries were more of a variable. It would be better if there were no mercenaries.
“Ugh, you’re just like a magic user. You’re so prickly. What I’m saying is, let’s stick together in case the worst happens. If we stick together, our chances of survival will increase. It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“The expedition is one thing, but can I trust you?”
“Don’t be like that. We’re in the same boat. There’s no harm in preparing.”
“…He’s right. There’s no harm in preparing. I have a bad feeling too.”
Josh, who had been quiet, spoke up. It was hard to argue with him since he was usually so quiet. I sighed and said,
“What are we going to do together? Are we going to stab the expedition in the back?”
“I’m not sure if the expedition will stab us in the back. I hope my gut feeling is wrong, but… let’s stick together when we’re sure. Then, depending on the situation, we can decide whether to stab the expedition in the back or run away. Got it?”
“Insurance.”
“Like the gunner said, it’s insurance for survival. What do you say?”
“Not bad. Insurance is just insurance.”
Josh said. I nodded as well. It was just insurance, as he said. I wasn’t going to keep working with these guys anyway. There was nothing to lose.
“Good. Let’s share anything suspicious we find right away.”
• • •
The expedition headed to the ancient ruins early in the morning.
Professor Hemmington, as the expedition leader, directed us.
“Jin, I’d like you to scout ahead. We’ve already explored halfway, so we know there are no traps.”
“You said you only explored halfway? What about the traps after that?”
“We’ll have to be careful when we go down there. Check carefully for monsters. Josh, I’d like you to cover the rear. Some monsters like to attack from behind. There’s a saying that you shouldn’t show your back to a beast. That applies to monsters too. Of course, you, as a mercenary, probably know that better than I do.”
“……”
“Eugene Meyer, I’d like you to continuously use your search magic. If there are any monsters or anything unusual, let me know right away. Oh, and when we go down, please charge the batteries. As an electric-type mage, that shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Understood.”
I answered casually.
Professor Hemmington’s intentions were obvious. She was trying to exhaust the mercenaries’ stamina and mana from the start. It was also the mercenaries’ job, so the other mercenaries didn’t seem to realize it.
We went down into the ancient ruins. I looked around in admiration. Hemmington, who was near me, smiled at my reaction.
“It seems you can feel the mana lingering in the ancient ruins. You’re a mage, after all.”
“I knew theoretically that ancient ruins naturally accumulate mana over time and transform like dungeons, but it’s amazing to see it in person.”
“Everyone’s like that at first. When I first explored ancient ruins, I walked while examining every single stone. It was full of amazing things.”
“It doesn’t seem like you do that now.”
“I wish I could. But time isn’t infinite. The expedition doesn’t move alone… We have to use our time as efficiently as possible.”
If she had checked every single stone, she might have discovered something new. Like the golden bracelet I found yesterday, or the golden gift.
Soon, we arrived at the middle area. It was a kind of open space, and a huge monument blocked our path. In the center of the monument, ancient words were written.
I didn’t know the ancient language. But I knew what it meant. In the original game, it was kindly shown with subtitles. It was a question for those who wanted to move forward.
-Are you prepared to sacrifice your life?
Professor Hemmington, of course, interpreted the ancient words written on the monument. As a professor, her skills were genuine.
She walked forward as the expedition members watched her.
“We are fully prepared. Please open the path forward.”
The ancient words on the monument shone for a moment.
Rrrrrrr!
The monument split in half and opened like an automatic door. In front of it, a dark path appeared.
“As expected of Professor Hemmington.”
“It’s a shame that this is the last exploration of the Hemmington Expedition.”
“Professor! What was written on the monument?”
“It was nothing much. It was asking about our resolve.”
Professor Hemmington said with a smile.
“Ah, I see. It really was nothing much.”
The expedition members also said with a smile. Jin, who was walking ahead, flinched. He felt a moment of awkwardness.
The expedition was all in on it. They knew that these ancient ruins needed a sacrifice. They also knew that it was an ancient ruin that demanded human sacrifice. By the way, the more unusual the sacrifice, the better. That was why they hired mercenaries, not ordinary people.
‘But the expedition doesn’t know what’s inside the ancient ruins. They couldn’t have experienced it beforehand.’
But I was different.
I had experienced these ancient ruins through the game. Not only that, but I also knew three different ways to攻略 it.
Soon, we arrived at the first gate. The ancient words written on the monument were glowing faintly.
“Step aside. I’ll interpret the ancient words first.”
Professor Hemmington stepped forward. She interpreted the ancient words with a serious expression. I saw the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.
“Professor, what do the ancient words mean?”
“…Hmm. It’s a slightly twisted ancient language. It will take some time to interpret. You guys should investigate if there’s anything unusual here.”
Professor Hemmington’s instructions were given. The expedition members took out their tools and began their investigation. Some were searching with magic, others were examining every nook and cranny with special tools, and some were lying on the floor with their ears to the ground.
I charged the batteries while watching Professor Hemmington.
Professor Hemmington must have interpreted the ancient words as soon as she saw them. And the meaning was…
-Offer a woman.
There were a total of 24 people here. Among them, there were only four women, including Professor Hemmington. From the start, the professor’s plan was starting to go wrong.
Professor Hemmington was now wondering who to sacrifice and how.
Soon, she called the deputy leader, Cliff. It seemed like she had made a decision on what to do.
“Clara, can you come here?”
Cliff called Clara, the youngest and only female member of the expedition.
“Yes!”
They had decided on a sacrifice in three minutes. I glanced back. The door leading out was still open.
