Chapter 99 – Time (1)

After one day passed, the party arrived at Stuttgart where underground city Eden was located.

Fortunately, they could avoid contaminated humans and beasts until arriving at the city.

All thanks to the <Kraken’s Core> Sun-woo had and Sun-woo’s sorcery.

Ordinary contaminated life forms tried not to approach the core, and contaminated ability users or strong beasts that overcame the <Kraken’s Core>’s intimidation were identified by Sun-woo in advance so they could avoid them.

Diane who heard the situation from Sun-woo’s party let out a helpless sigh, and the eyes inside the black knight’s helmet seemed to dim slightly.

Stuttgart that they saw again after several weeks looked very gloomy.

Burned and destroyed buildings were visible throughout the city, and destroyed carriages and furniture were abandoned on the main roads.

People moving awkwardly between them were visible, but their numbers didn’t seem many either.

“Many people in the city died for several days after the world became contaminated. If contamination had all happened simultaneously, fewer people would have died, but contamination occurred sequentially after the initial majority, and those contaminated first attacked uncontaminated people.”

Hayden opened his mouth with a depressed expression while looking at the city.

“The several days after that were hell. Burning buildings and dying people, we tried to save uncontaminated people and take them to the underground city but couldn’t save many. We had to fight contaminated ones along the way, and even those saved became contaminated along the way.”

Hayden’s words continued.

“Eventually, when all people remaining in the city became contaminated, the fighting ended. Only one-fourth of the city population remained, and the city seems to somehow run under contaminated ability users’ domination.”

After the city became completely contaminated, they couldn’t enter inside the city. That was because contaminated ones found uncontaminated ones well.

“Unfortunately, there’s no business entering the city.”

Anyway, the party just had to go to the underground city. There was no reason to enter the dangerous city.

Before the party, a large sewer below the city’s outer wall was revealing a black hole. This place was the sewer entrance the party first entered from this city.

***

Inside the sewer was very quiet. The sewer that used to flow in the center had its flow almost cut off to only show moisture.

The party continued advancing toward the passage connected to the underground city under Hayden’s guidance.

After walking for quite a while like that, Sun-woo stopped the party.

“Seems like there’s fighting ahead.”

Nan-seol also nodded at his words. Because sounds like fighting reached her ears enhanced with internal energy too.

At Sun-woo’s words, Hayden’s face hardened. Where the fight was happening was definitely toward the secret passage going to the underground city.

“Let’s hurry.”

At Hayden’s words, Nan-seol and Sun-woo flew their bodies first, and other party members also started running following behind.

“Isn’t it okay to just go slowly? Seeing them go first, looks like the two can handle everything.”

Michael grumbled heavily, but he didn’t stop running either.

Walking a bit through the passage going north from the water-vanished central plaza, there was a secret passage heading to underground city Eden.

The swarms of rats in the central plaza and surroundings weren’t visible anymore, but the glowing mosses still remained, dimly illuminating the surroundings.

But right now, lights making the mosses’ light pale were running everywhere.

Kwang!

Red flames flew to one side then burst blocked by a translucently glowing barrier, and blue electric current ran along walls and ground scorching stone-made humans.

This place had shouts and screams together.

“Stein, are you okay?”

“Kugh, I, I can still hold on!”

“Kyaak!”

Scavengers consisting of ability users and mutants were fighting with soldiers and ability users who looked like thugs.

Those fighting the scavengers were all dyed in murky color, so they all seemed to be contaminated ability users.

The entrance to the secret passage that was blocked by a wall before had a hole blown through, and scavengers were gathered before the hole blocking contaminated ability users.

But the scavenger side being pushed back was clearly felt. Ability users creating barriers had already used abilities to their limits and collapsed behind, and now stone human Stein was blocking enemy attacks with his body.

“Really holding out well. But well, not much time left now.”

Behind the fighting contaminated humans, one man wearing a robe was watching the fight. He was a contaminated summoner dispatched to this city instead of Erica who died several days ago.

“Really died well. Thanks to that I get to do such fun work. I struggled enduring after finally transforming. Just wait a little and a feast of hundreds and thousands is waiting.”

He who was licking his lips inside the robe’s shadow immediately frowned and showed annoyance.

Because suddenly an uneasy feeling assaulted him. Fighters didn’t seem to feel it as their movements showed no change, but he frowned and looked around.

“What are you looking for?”

“Something dangerous seems to be around! Didn’t you feel it?”

At the question heard from behind, the man wearing a robe reflexively answered then got startled. The only summoner who came here was himself.

Among those he brought, there was no one who would ask such a normal question like this!

Keok!

He urgently tried to turn his head, but unfortunately his neck no longer listened to him.

He captured in his pupils one female swordsman jumping among those he brought and wielding her sword as the last image before collapsing.

It seemed the Kraken’s core made even contaminated summoners feel discomfort.

Sun-woo who learned a bit more about the <Kraken’s Core>’s utility through the contaminated summoner jumped among enemies where Nan-seol jumped first.

The contaminated ability users were completely smashed by the two absolute-level martial artists who suddenly jumped from behind. Even contaminated ability users’ enhanced reflexes couldn’t help but be insufficient to block absolute-level martial artists in ambush and chaotic battle situations.

“Focus on support! Be careful not to hit allies!”

Unexpectedly, the scavengers calmly supported Sun-woo and Nan-seol’s ambush. Thanks to that, they could annihilate all attacking enemies before other party members arrived.

“See! Didn’t need to run. Ugh, every time we come to this sewer, feels like running ourselves ragged.”

Michael who arrived late grumbled while panting, but Hayden’s joy at seeing a familiar face clearly showed.

“Welcome.”

Fire ability user Clara who now skillfully used abilities greeted Hayden warmly.

“Definitely something there. The kid is quick too.”

At their appearance, Michael who caught his breath stretched out mischievous words, but Hayden who had already gotten used to his tone ignored his words and began talking with her.

“Tsk, teasing is too much now.”

Leaving behind Michael’s tongue-clicking sound, people quickly began preparing to descend underground.

Supporting injured people and gathering equipment, the scavengers moved their steps together with Sun-woo’s party into the blown-through secret(?) passage.

“Should I block this hole?”

“No, that’s unnecessary.”

At the scavengers’ appearance of not caring about the pierced hole, Sun-woo spoke with a puzzled expression, but Clara stopped him as representative.

“This entrance is already exposed. This isn’t the first time this place was attacked.”

“But…”

“We guarded this place until now because of you all. This entrance will be closed now.”

As expected, that familiar-looking appearance earlier wasn’t wrongly seen. The new Seer definitely prophesied the party coming in advance.

While the party descended, several scavengers remained and began working on something attached to the wall.

“Don’t tell me, bombs?”

Seeing that appearance, Michael got startled.

“These are things recovered from where the soldiers you all blocked before were. Thanks to teaching us how to use them, we got to use them this time.”

“That’s, I taught you just in case… If you collapse here, connection with outside gets completely cut off. Is that okay?”

Michael asked with an expression like he taught unnecessarily, but Clara firmly shook her head.

“It’s fine. The Seer will give detailed explanations.”

At her words, the party’s questions stopped, and after the party descended for quite a while, the cave shook greatly with a large explosion sound from far behind.

The bomb blocked the passage.

The party’s doubts were resolved shortly after arriving at underground city Eden.

The city had changed much from before. Far more people were visible than before, and instead of rats, raising livestock they were seeing for the first time was visible. And in one wall of the city, a giant hole was pierced through with numerous people going in and out. All bringing out stones in heaps, it seemed construction was underway.

“That hole, isn’t it the waterway Sun-woo-ssi made before?”

Nan-seol’s words were correct. That giant hole was the waterway Sun-woo made by moving the earth’s crust last time, now pierced larger. Even now, water was flowing refreshingly below the hole.

“Ah, looks like they’re making a new exit that way. Blocking the existing sewer-side entrance.”

Well, a new waterway had formed, so there was no reason to risk lives on the dirty sewer-side path. Moreover, it was hard to keep fighting to guard a passage exposed to enemies…

“But it doesn’t seem finished yet.”

Like Daniel’s words, the hole side was still under construction.

“That’s why we were guarding the existing passage until you all came. Please come in.”

People who came out to greet the party that entered inside the city were there.

They were the ability users seen in the city before and a silver-haired woman, Sylvia who was formerly a psychic ability user and now the underground city’s new Seer.

Like the underground city changed, Sylvia’s atmosphere also changed tremendously. Her clear eyes now seemed to look somewhere far away, and her sharp expression now changed to a mysterious feeling giving an ambiguous atmosphere.

“You’ve worked hard. We’ve prepared lodgings. Just follow Clara.”

Certainly she seemed to know the party was coming in advance. Sylvia seemed to have properly awakened her ability as the former Seer prophesied.

“And Sun-woo-ssi, can we talk separately for a moment?”

The party was puzzled at Sylvia’s words, but Sun-woo seemed to know what she wanted.

“Understood.”

Sun-woo who sent the curious party and the dispirited black knight and gravity ability user to lodgings, and Seer Sylvia moved their steps along the waterway.

“Looks like you know why I called you separately.”

“Looking at the hole in the wall, seems like the same reason as the former Seer.”

At Sun-woo’s words, Sylvia gave a slightly sad smile. Because the former Seer she regarded like a parent came to mind.

“Since you know, I’ll ask. We broke rock walls and made tunnels with our full strength, but it was hard to touch the last water source where water comes in. We needed someone who knows well about waterways, rock, and earth.”

Ultimately, it meant Sun-woo was needed.

“I’ve received much help, so I’ll help as much as possible. Instead, please give me some information.”

Sun-woo was thinking of asking her about the Kraken’s core in his pocket. What role the core plays in contamination. Whether removing all cores solves contamination, and whether he can eat this, or use it by other methods.

For Sun-woo who nearly died swallowing the neidan last time, it was information he definitely wanted to know even by using Sylvia’s prophecy ability.