## Chapter 1914 – 1914. Dark Moon
“Wizard. You’ve been acting weird since yesterday… Do you know something?”
Jin asked, growling like a beast.
I didn’t think I’d reacted in any way that would make him suspicious. So, this guy really just trusted his gut and decided something was off.
“I just like the right side. I always choose the right in these situations. I have no intention of yielding.”
“Oh, is that so? That’s the same as me. I have no intention of yielding either.”
Jin grinned, gripping his greatsword. Fighting spirit emanated from his body.
“…I’ll follow the wizard.”
Josh interjected. I frowned.
“You’ll follow me?”
“I’m a total dud in this kind of thing… I’ll stick with the strongest one.”
“…Hey, gunslinger. Are you saying this guy is stronger than me?”
“That’s how it feels to me.”
“Damn it. Why are all these annoying bastards gathered here…”
Jin’s killing intent flared. I prepared to unleash my astral form, and Josh put his hand on his pistol.
“Enough.”
Professor Hemmington intervened.
“Your job isn’t to fight each other, but to protect each other. It seems everyone wants to go right… so be it.”
Jin, who had been the starting point, was the first to suppress his killing intent.
“…You’re saying something different than before.”
“The situation has changed. Fifteen of the explorers chose the left.”
“Huh?”
Jin looked around, dumbfounded. About fifteen people were gathered at the left entrance. On the other hand, there were only four at the right entrance.
“Why is it so extremely divided?”
Jin asked, bewildered.
“It’s like a jinx. When exploring ancient ruins, it’s common for paths to split. We don’t panic then, we explore each path one by one. That’s the safest and most reliable way. But most of the time, the left is the right answer. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but this has happened so often that it’s become a jinx for the explorers. There are far too few people on the right, so you guys need to come this way.”
“O-oh, I see.”
Jin glanced at the left path. Seeing so many people, he seemed to lean towards the left. But he couldn’t back down because of his pride.
It wasn’t hard to understand. That’s how people are. It’s instinct to follow the majority rather than the minority.
“If you want to go left, go left. No one’s stopping you.”
Jin, feeling stung, hesitated for a moment before saying,
“No, I’ve decided on the right. I’m right-handed, after all.”
Jin spouted nonsense, trying to save face.
“It’s settled, so that’s good. Time is gold. Let’s go.”
Nora Hemmington chose the right. Some of the explorers who had expected her to choose the left were taken aback, but the flow didn’t change. They chose the left, where there were more people.
Soon, we set off in our respective directions.
About ten minutes passed.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
“W-what is this?! S-save me!!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
Desperate screams echoed from the left path. Those who had chosen the right path all fell silent. In that heavy silence, their steps quickened, trying to escape the sin that was chasing them from behind.
Of course, I didn’t care about sin or anything else. Professor Hemmington probably felt the same. Right now, the only thing on her mind was the treasure to be found in the ancient ruins.
‘Well, I guess that’s the same for me.’
The difference was that I knew what that treasure was.
We came to a dead end.
Professor Hemmington and the explorers were flustered. There was no stele. Had they come all this way only to find a dead end? Should they turn back? But hadn’t the explorers who chose the left path died? While they were confused and trying to investigate the surroundings,
Wooooooom.
The floor trembled and slowly descended. It was a kind of elevator.
“We came the right way!”
“This seems to be based on rune magic. Rune magic was commonly used in ancient times.”
“We were right!”
The explorers tried to ignore the dead and rejoiced.
Regardless, the floor continued to descend.
Swoooooosh.
The sound of a cool waterfall could be heard. Everyone turned their heads towards the source of the sound. It was a vast space, completely different from the upper part, with a huge artificial waterfall. The waterfall, which never stopped falling, flowed underground.
The artificial waterfall hadn’t been able to withstand the passage of time, and there were damaged parts here and there. There was also a lot of moss. But it wasn’t dirty or ugly. Rather, it seemed like art had been added by time.
There were also decorations around it.
“Amazing. If we film this and submit it to the academic community… it’ll cause quite a stir.”
“That statue… it’s a statue of King Arthur of ancient Britain!”
King Arthur.
A legendary figure of Neo London, and the most respected figure by the citizens of Neo London.
Arthur was the one who was called the origin of the knight.
Everyone admired and examined the statue of King Arthur. It was a large statue. It was over 10 meters tall. Unfortunately, the face was not visible. It was covered in armor from head to toe. However, there were curves that could not be hidden even by the armor.
The King Arthur of this world was a woman. Various pieces of evidence suggested that Arthur was a woman.
Cliff looked at the statue with an undisguised smile.
“This is amazing! Professor, this is absolutely amazing! If we can just take this statue to Neo London, we won’t have to worry about money for the rest of our lives!”
Neo London was greatly influenced by the legend of King Arthur. Even the highest institution in Neo London was called the Neo Round Table Council. To discover a statue of King Arthur of this magnitude? It was enough to become a hero of Neo London.
“Cliff, calm down. The elevator is still going down. That statue is just a part of these ruins. The real treasure hasn’t even appeared yet.”
Professor Hemmington’s face was also flushed as she said that. She was definitely happier than anyone else here.
Thump!
The elevator reached the bottom.
A cool feeling washed over us. The temperature had dropped due to the waterfall falling from above.
“Oooooh!”
The explorers exclaimed in admiration as they looked straight ahead.
There was a large door.
A 10-meter-tall door, similar to the statue. What was unique was that there was a small door below it. Like a matryoshka doll. There were a total of five doors. Roughly, the doors within doors were 2 meters apart.
“O-oh, oh! It’s magnificent!”
“With this large statue and all, could King Arthur’s tomb be inside the door?”
“If it’s really King Arthur’s tomb, its value…”
The explorers didn’t hide their greed.
‘King Arthur’s tomb, huh…’
In this world, King Arthur’s tomb was special. It was also called Avalon, because there was a legend that King Arthur would be resurrected in Avalon. In an era where gods and magic existed, most of the citizens of Neo London believed in that legend.
You wouldn’t be able to find King Arthur’s tomb even if you searched the entire world.
Avalon existed in the spirit realm, and a very deep part of it at that.
‘I don’t even know if King Arthur will really be resurrected. It was only mentioned in the original game.’
There was no stele here. Instead, ancient words were written on the door.
-Offer a sacrifice. One door will open for each sacrifice.
There were five doors.
To open the doors, a total of five sacrifices were needed.
In the original story, Hemmington tried to sacrifice all five people except herself. But there were eight people gathered here now.
“Well, let’s start by investigating the surroundings. I’ll start by deciphering the ancient words. Cliff, help me.”
Professor Hemmington then looked at me.
“And you, come here too. I’d like to hear the wizard’s opinion.”
Now she wants the wizard’s opinion? I swallowed a hollow laugh and approached Professor Hemmington.
Professor Hemmington fiddled with her bracelet. I felt a barrier forming. It wasn’t magic, but a mana manipulator. It seemed they wanted to have a private conversation.
“I heard you’re the strongest of the mercenaries.”
“That’s just Josh’s opinion.”
“That man Josh is right. You’re a 5th-grade wizard, and those two are 4th-grade.”
“Combat power isn’t divided by grades. There are many variables.”
“I know. But if we’re just talking about strength, aren’t you stronger?”
“That’s true.”
I nodded. It was true that I was the strongest here.
“I’ve deciphered the ancient words on the door. It says to offer a sacrifice to open the door. There are five doors, so a total of five sacrifices are needed.”
“…Are you saying we should use the people over there as sacrifices?”
“That’s right. The three of us will share the treasure. We’ll have the fame as explorers… but I’ll share the wealth with you. I swear on my name that the wealth will be divided into three equal parts.”
Nora Hemmington said with a serious look. Of course, I didn’t believe her.
“Do you have a good way to deal with them? If they’re sacrifices, shouldn’t they be offered alive?”
“The process doesn’t matter. What matters is the result. The result that five sacrifices died here.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Cliff, did you bring it?”
“Of course, Professor.”
Cliff looked around and opened his bag, showing something inside. A fist-sized sphere. It had an appearance that combined machinery and magic circles.
I already knew about the bomb, but I pretended to be surprised.
“…A magic bomb. And a pretty expensive one at that.”
“Haha. You’re indeed a 5th-grade Sun Cold. You recognized it right away.”
“We’ll gather the explorers and mercenaries in one place and detonate this to kill them all at once. The problem is the mercenary Josh. That guy has been watching from the rear since earlier. He doesn’t seem like he’ll come close.”
“So, you’re saying I should deal with Josh?”
“And you also need to put a barrier on us. This has quite a bit of explosive power.”
“Barriers take casting time depending on the level.”
“A 3rd-grade level is enough.”
“If it’s that level…”
I decided to join their plan.
Of course, after this plan was over, I was going to kill these bastards too. Maybe these bastards were thinking the same thing as me.
