Chapter 244: Call of the Underworld 4


    TL/Editor: Raei


    Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri


    Illustrations: Posted in discord.


    Join the discord! Here


    Defense-style side quests took up more time than expected.


    The device, mentioned by viewers as resembling something from another game''s sky fortress*[1], fired a bright redser beam, gouging the underground walls as if scooping pudding with a spoon.


    Various metals and gemstone ores scattered around the ces theser beam passed through, and stone dwarves hurriedly ran to collect them whenever the device took a break, repeating the process.


    This led to swarms of stone dwarves attracting aggro from subterranean insects, with as few as ten or as many as twenty creeping creatures gathering, a cycle that repeated.


    -Is there nothing but bugs?


    -Only slow-moving tanks, but Grace''s passive ignores defense LOL


    -It''s wave-based, so maybe mid-bosses or final bosses will appear?


    -It can''t just be bugs till the end, right? I trust our BB Games. They wouldn''t end it in such a super boring way.


    -Battles look easier at the higher levels.


    "Right, itcks tension, doesn''t it? Maybe because it''s a side quest, not the main quest? Honestly, we''re not doing anything grand, just making the first passage ever. It might as well be a tutorial."


    Grace saved her enchanted arrowheads, and Katie dashed out, wanting to take on the opponents herself, slicing them up.


    Deep underground, where they lived by crushing rocks with their strong jaws, and their shells, resembling dung beetles, were incredibly hard, making them the natural enemy of stone dwarves.


    But in the end, a rock shell was just a rock.


    If mere stones could block aura, who would respect the higher realms?


    Their heads were pierced by Grace''s critical hit/pration arrows, and their bodies were split in half by Katie''s aura, turning into mana stones.


    The harpies had failed to provide mana stones, but here, the creatures kepting and turning into mana stones as if topensate.


    "Don''t kill them all, prepare some for the guild and the magic tower, since they''re monsters we haven''t seen before."


    "Oh, right! We should tell the magic tower."


    "We haven''t told anyone yet, but if a real passageway to another floor is made, we need to report to the guild, the magic tower, and the temple. There''s no reason for us to monopolize interactions with the stone dwarves, is there?"


    Subterranean insects, unable to even crawl halfway from the other side of the passageway, turned into mana stones.


    The stone dwarves, who eat rocks just like these insects, cheered each time one of the bugs died, as they were watching nearby.


    With such an atmosphere, our party''s tension rxed quite a bit.


    It would be slightly dangerous if something strong suddenly appeared.


    In times like these, we had to trust in Grace''s detection ability, I guess.


    Chatting away, listening to the stone dwarves'' stories, and secretly peeking at Han Se-ah and the chat, the Vacuum Stone gradually lost its red glow, indicating it was time to rest.


    After all, a passageway connecting cities can''t be created in just a day.


    At least, BB Games had some conscience.


    With the Vacuum Stone turning off, the subterranean insects stoppeding up.


    After all, even gamers need to take a break from gaming; how could anyone proceed with a non-stop, sleepless defense game for 24 or 48 hours?


    "It would be great if a passageway to another city on a different floor really gets connected. Crossing the cloud bridge while being wary of harpies isn''t exactly a pleasant experience."


    "The mages who had retreated from the magic tower would probably return, too. With much more to research, they might be even happier."


    As we turned our backs to the Vacuum Stone and shared stories, the first day of the defense passed.


    It didn''t seem like it would end on the second day, and it would be nice if it finished within three.


    The first day as a tutorial, a mid-boss appearing on the second day, and a final boss on the third day would fit perfectly, wouldn''t it?


    For some reason, it felt like such things should end in a clean sequence like 1, 3, 5, 10.


    While entertaining such whimsical thoughts, a few stone dwarves approached us, arms full of ores, offering them as gifts.


    We gratefully epted a few raw gems and put them in our inventory.


    Hopefully, this defense wouldn''t drag on for more than three days; that would be too troublesome.


    ---


    Raei Trantions


    ---


    After spending another night at the inn, on the second day, perhaps because we helped with the Vacuum Stone defense, or maybe the innkeeper really appreciated the silver we paidst time, he did not charge us for the night.


    The next day, hundreds of stone dwarves gathered in front of the Vacuum Stone.


    Considering the size of the city, I initially thought there were only a few stone dwarves, but realizing this vast city meant to ept visiting species from all over, I nodded in understanding.


    Since the stone dwarves, who never step outside the underground, take care of metal smelting and gem crafting, various species from that world inevitably gather in this city.


    It''s like if you remove the floating poption from a certain area in Seoul, some neighborhoods wouldck a residential poption.


    "In fact, listening to your stories, we found it strange too. It''s unlikely that only five squishies woulde to our city."


    "Right! Normally, as many squishies as the gravel on that mountain shoulde and fill our inn to the brim. We even bought plenty of grass to feed the tall ones."


    The fresh vegetables we received at the inn were intended for the elves'' meals.


    As if it were indeed a defense game, the subterranean insects, called ''wigglers'' in the stone dwarves'' terminology, swarmed out, but as they melted away in front of the alchemical arrows created by Han Se-ah and shot by Grace, the stone dwarves started chatting with us.


    When Han Se-ah was taken away by Irene for nursing and couldn''t explore the city, she rented an empty alchemy workshop to replenish the arrows.


    Because of this, a stone dwarf we had never met before started a friendly conversation.


    Han Se-ah''s friendly nature helped with this.


    The innkeeper dwarf and another who managed the alchemy workshop started sharing various stories with Han Se-ah.


    "Actually, I thought it was strange that we were the only ones left in this city. Ever since my grandfather''s grandfather ignited the alchemical circuit, I''ve never seen a city without squishies!"


    "Me too. The tall ones, unlike the squishies, never lie, but this time they didn''t keep their time promise, did they? It''s impossible for the tall ones, who are good at archery, to be defeated by mere ppers and not show up... Maybe, as these squishies said, the Demon King did something."


    It took a moment to trante the stone dwarves''nguage, but their message was clear.


    The dwarf managing the alchemy workshop was always selling war alchemical catalysts to humans, and the innkeeper dwarf mentioned that the elves who had made reservations didn''t show up even after the appointed time had passed.


    In short, their story was that their city had be isted from the outside world as it merged into the tower.


    They started to believe our words because not only the guests who were supposed toe from the outside but also those who should have been in the city had all disappeared.


    Like Manaashi, who turned ck and had blurry memories just before dying, the stone dwarves who flew into the city did not remember why the city was empty.


    Suddenly the city was deserted, their memories were blurry, but they were willing to trust us, the strange squishies who brought the Vacuum Stone.


    "Whoa, it''s the King Wiggler!"


    "Wow, King Wiggler, heh- pfft-!"


    -Sounds like it would be very chewy.


    -Is there a monster that tastes like c in the front and soda in the back?


    -How could a boss name be King Wiggler LOL


    -Really curious how this would be named in the West


    -To find out, we''ll have to wait until the Yankee streamers reach the 41st floor haha


    Interrupting the chatter of the two dwarves, who were narrating some backstory, was a shout from a dwarf.


    As the red manaser beam stopped, Han Se-ah, unable to contain herughter, immediately sent the camera drone to capture the scene, where indeed there was a King Wiggler.


    A typical subterranean insect that looked like arge mole cricket with the carnivorous jaws of a beetle, moving about encased in a shell of ash-gray rock the size of a small car.


    However, the King Wiggler, true to its name, was muchrger than the typical subterranean insect.


    It was a well-fed creature, or perhaps like a superior monster, containing mana within its shimmering shell.


    Its body, not of ash-gray rock but closer to a ck metallic shell, was the size of arge truck.


    "Definitely, it''s worthy of being called a king."


    "The shell looks much harder, I wonder if arrows will prate?"


    Even a creature the size of a small vehicle would be difficult for the stone dwarves to confront.


    A dump truck-sized insect eating rocks and advancing would be like a tank.


    How could elementary school-sized beings made of rock stop construction equipment?


    "I''ll take it down. I''m curious about something."


    To do that, one would need to be an expert who has reached the superior realm of emitting mana outward.


    ---


    *[1] any ideas? No idea what sky fortress they''re talking about here.Toggle New Ads


    1/5 Enjoy the chappy!


    Please give the book a rating and a review on NovelUpdates.


    It helps the website and helps people find this novel!


    If you''d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 15 chapters or more (depending on the novel) ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi.


    Click here!