Chapter 865: Terrible News (8)
Kaang! Kaang!
A clear, ringing sound echoes at regular intervals.
What kind of sound is that, you ask?
The answer is simple.
It’s the sound of a pickaxe made of lithium striking the wall.
Just like this—
Kaang! Kaang!
I’m swinging a tool I was never meant to use in my life. (Bjorn Yandel)
When I turn and look back, the tunnel I’ve dug stretches so far I can no longer see the end.
It’s already like a proper mine shaft.
Kaang! Kaang!
Oh, and I’m not alone, by the way.
GM is helping me.
When I crush rocks, GM uses a small magical golem to haul away the debris.
He even erects pillars with earth spells to keep the passage from collapsing, and summons light orbs to keep our sight clear.
‘This really feels like a mine now.’
Part of me feels oddly proud of this work, though another part wonders what the hell I’m doing.
Still, I can’t help it.
It’s already been a week of eating and sleeping here, living in full-on Barbarian Miner mode.
There’s only one reason for it—
This is the location GM told me about.
Beneath the city.
To be exact…
‘Under the Mage Tower.’
That’s where the coordinates Arta gave me point to.
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At first, I thought I could just start digging down from the first floor of the tower itself.
But……
"There’s no way that would be possible…!" (Urben Havelion)
GM strongly opposed it, saying there’s no chance the Mage Tower would stand by and let that happen.
And honestly, I wasn’t planning to cause a big disturbance either; secrecy was important.
Not that I didn’t try to push my way, though.
"I’ll dig a tunnel.
You’re helping." (Bjorn Yandel)
"Wh–what? Why would I…!" (Urben Havelion)
"Then I guess I’ll just start digging straight down from the first floor of the Mage Tower, and tell them you’re the one who said there’s treasure buried here." (Bjorn Yandel)
And that’s how I acquired a reliable accomplice named GM.
After that, with the Barbarian’s strength and the mage’s intellect combined, our tunnel project began.
The first plan was to go down into the underground sewers and start digging slowly toward the tower.
"Th–there are no sewers under the Mage Tower." (Urben Havelion)
"What?" (Bjorn Yandel)
Turned out the ground beneath the Mage Tower was just solid earth.
There were some drainage channels, yes, but they were shallow, made so that repairs could be done easily.
In other words, those pipes weren’t even large enough for people to walk through.
"Why would the Mage Tower build it that way?" (Bjorn Yandel)
"Isn’t it obvious? To construct something that massive, they must have dug deep into the ground.
They probably wanted no space below it, nothing that could undermine the structure." (Urben Havelion)
"Ah…" (Bjorn Yandel)
Now that he said it, it made sense.
They say ninety percent of construction is groundwork.
Even in ordinary construction sites, digging and laying the foundation takes the longest.
Once that’s done, the building goes up in no time.
For that reason, we broke through the wall of the nearest sewer and started tunneling toward the tower.
Kaang! Kaang!
Today marks the seventh day.
According to GM, we’ve reached about seventy percent of our goal.
‘So we’ve made ten percent progress each day… huh.’
In theory, just three more days of work and we’d be done.
But, honestly, I’m doubtful.
I’m the one doing the fieldwork, after all, and I can definitely feel it—
Kaang! Kaang! Kang!
The deeper we go, the harder the earth gets.
Even when I swing with the same strength, fewer and fewer fragments come loose.
‘Maybe I really should’ve recruited some of the warriors…’
You don’t appreciate how good Barbarians are at hard labor until they aren’t around.
If I had the whole tribe’s muscle, this would’ve been finished already.
But that wasn’t an option.
Barbarians and secrecy don’t mix.
Not because they’re liars or unfaithful or have loose tongues, but simply because they make way too many mistakes.
Kaang!
I slammed my pickaxe down with annoyance, then stopped for a meal break inside the tunnel.
"At this point, we’re practically in the same boat, aren’t we? Wouldn’t you tell me now? What exactly is it that’s down there?" (Urben Havelion)
"…" (Bjorn Yandel)
I gave GM no answer.
Because I have no idea myself.
Maybe there’s nothing at all beyond those coordinates.
If so, I’ll have been duped by a random NPC and ended up tunneling under a city for nothing.
But still…
"Judging by how hard you’re pushing, there must be something incredible hidden down there." (Urben Havelion)
"…" (Bjorn Yandel)
"Honestly, after digging this long, I looked into a few things, and I’m convinced—if there is something buried here, it’s not ordinary." (Urben Havelion)
GM, who had been skeptical about this tunnel plan at first, now seemed genuinely excited.
His chest, once heavy from unpaid labor, now filled with curiosity and purpose.
"For something to be buried there, the structure must predate the Mage Tower. That means it’s at least several thousand years old…" (Urben Havelion)
"…" (Bjorn Yandel)
"And when I looked at the blueprints of the sewer and the drainage layout, I realized something. It feels deliberate—like they went out of their way to ensure that nothing existed underneath the Mage Tower. Honestly, it’s the perfect spot to hide something." (Urben Havelion)
"Is that so?" (Bjorn Yandel)
I gave a nonchalant response to his excitement.
I mean, enthusiasm is nice and all, but flags like that usually mean disappointment later.
The more he talks like that, the more I feel there’ll be nothing there—or something completely underwhelming.
"Alright, meal’s over. Back to work." (Bjorn Yandel)
"Yes, sir." (Urben Havelion)
And so, another day passed.
Then two, then three, four—
Kaang!!
On the sixth day after that—
*** After twelve days total of brutal labor, it finally ended.
And then…
"It really was here." (Bjorn Yandel)
At the coordinates Arta had given, something was indeed hidden.
What it was exactly—I didn’t know yet.
Kaang!
Even when I struck the wall, not a single scratch appeared.
According to GM, some kind of magical barrier was embedded in it.
But it didn’t seem particularly advanced since, after about three hours of tinkering, he finally made progress.
"Since it used ancient magic—my specialty—I was able to undo it… but please be careful. I removed it, but I still don’t know what kind of spell it was." (Urben Havelion)
"What do you mean you don’t know? You’re the one who dispelled it." (Bjorn Yandel)
"It didn’t seem like a simple shock-absorption spell… Try hitting it again. If it’s not some hidden magic that evaded even my detection, it should break this time." (Urben Havelion)
"Alright." (Bjorn Yandel)
There was no point standing around.
As soon as GM gave the go-ahead, I pulled out my usual weapon—a hammer—and swung with all my strength.
Kwaaaang!
The wall that hadn’t even cracked before now shattered magnificently, revealing an empty space beyond.
A cube of rock—no entrance, no exit, just a sealed chamber.
Shuaaa…
Following the light orbs GM summoned, we entered and examined the place.
Nothing.
The walls were bare stone; there was no hidden mechanism.
Only one thing stood in the center—a single box.
"It’s just sitting here in plain sight. Suspicious, don’t you think?" (Bjorn Yandel)
It was as if whoever put it here didn’t even bother to hide it.
Still, GM’s eyes went wide the moment he saw it.
"…By the heavens." (Urben Havelion)
"Huh?" (Bjorn Yandel)
"That box… it’s made from the World Tree." (Urben Havelion)
"What?" (Bjorn Yandel)
The World Tree—its material is the highest-grade of all.
The leather of dragons, the metal of Ark—world-class stuff.
And yet, someone used that to make… a box?
"What in the world could be inside…" (Urben Havelion)
"Is the box safe? Any trap spells?" (Bjorn Yandel)
"None. Absolutely none that I can detect." (Urben Havelion)
"Alright then." (Bjorn Yandel)
Without hesitation, I opened it.
And then—
Fwooooom—!
The moment I lifted the lid, a strange pulse swept through the air.
Like something sealed inside had just escaped into the world.
Still, rather than worry about that, I focused on what was inside.
"This is…" (Bjorn Yandel)
Inside the box was a diamond-shaped gem.
I picked it up, examining it closely.
What even is this thing?
Before I could make sense of it, GM suddenly gasped.
"Heavens…" (Urben Havelion)
"Oh? You recognize this too?" (Bjorn Yandel)
"Ah, n–no, it’s just…" (Urben Havelion)
For some reason, he started stammering and sweating.
Obviously suspicious.
It was clear that he knew something but didn’t know how to explain it.
That’s how people act when they’re hiding something.
If there was nothing to hide, he’d have started lecturing already.
"Can I… see it for a moment?" (Urben Havelion)
Yeah, right.
Normally I might’ve let him, but with that greedy look in his eyes? Not a chance.
Sensing danger, I decided to play it safe and tried storing the gem in my pocket dimension.
Zing—!
"Huh? What the hell? It won’t go in." (Bjorn Yandel)
"Ahhh!!" (Urben Havelion)
And GM suddenly shrieked like he’d seen a ghost.
I had no idea what was happening, but I didn’t have time to think.
Beeeeep! Beeeeeeeep!
A shrill alarm blared through the chamber, urgent and sharp.
It wasn’t coming from the chamber itself…
Beeeeeep—!
I perked my ears and realized it came from inside GM’s clothes.
He hastily pulled out something like a pager.
"W–why is this…?" (Urben Havelion)
"What’s that supposed to be?" (Bjorn Yandel)
"This is a communication device issued only to the masters of each school. For security, it doesn’t use words—only encrypted signals." (Urben Havelion)
Like Morse code?
"So what does this one mean?" (Bjorn Yandel)
"It means… uh…" (Urben Havelion)
"Quickly." (Bjorn Yandel)
Pressed for an answer, he finally blurted it out.
"It means an emergency has broken out at the Mage Tower. All personnel are to stop what they’re doing and gather immediately." (Urben Havelion)
"Oh…" (Bjorn Yandel)
"Given the timing, I have a feeling it’s because of us. We should get out of here." (Urben Havelion)
Good idea.
That’s exactly what I was thinking.
Some treasure hidden under the Mage Tower, and the moment I touch it, alarms go off?
No coincidence there.
"Move!" (Bjorn Yandel)
Time to run.
*** We bolted through the tunnel we’d spent ten long days digging.
Faster than ever before.
And not just because of the alarm—
Kwoooom! Thoom! Boom!
Just as I was about to grab GM and throw him over my shoulder, the ground started collapsing.
Maybe it was because of the gem I’d taken, maybe not—but the timing was too perfect.
Either way, I didn’t have time to analyze it.
Even with our magical supports, this handmade tunnel could only hold out so long.
Tadadada—!
I dashed like a madman to escape being buried alive, and after a tense chase with the collapsing earth, we barely made it back to the sewer.
‘Even if we’d gotten trapped, we wouldn’t have died… probably.’
It just would’ve taken a long time to dig ourselves out—or wait for someone to find us under the debris.
(New) Shield Barbarians don’t die easily.
GM, of course, was not included in that assurance.
"Huoooh…!" (Urben Havelion)
He was gasping, drenched in sweat, as if he’d just escaped death—which, technically, he had.
But there was no time to rest.
If we really were the cause of the emergency, we needed to make an alibi, fast.
Tadadada!
So we sprinted again.
The ceilings here were too low to activate [Giant Form], so I ran light-footed, like an agility-type player.
Soon, the exit came into view.
Once outside, we split up.
"Go to the Holy Land first! I’ll come find you as soon as things settle!" (Urben Havelion)
GM turned toward the Mage Tower, while I headed quietly back to the Holy Land and got some rest.
Then—
"You finally came." (Bjorn Yandel)
Early the next morning, GM arrived, and I could finally satisfy my burning curiosity from last night.
"So, what the hell is this gem?" (Bjorn Yandel)
He’d sorted out his thoughts during the night, and now explained smoothly—though, in typical mage fashion, his explanation was long-winded and full of technical jargon.
Still, if I summed it up into one sentence…
"In short, that gem can create and control an alternate spiritual world—the one known as the ‘Assembly of Evil Spirits.’" (Urben Havelion)
In other words, it gives the power to become the God of the Ghost Busters.
