Chapter 368 ...Tomb?

There are four types of supernatural structures in this world.

Dungeons. A place where one or more types of monster communities reside, all under a colony leader and a dungeon ruler.

They are the most loved structures of any adventurer party or guild.

They occur naturally and the monsters inside this structure steadily and quickly regenerates, making it a good place to collect, gather, and research materials of a different kind.

After that comes Labyrinths. A complicated maze-like structure that could have multiple strong creatures on the level of dungeon rulers as well as countless weaker creatures.

The area coverage of this kind of natural structure is mostly very large and could be as big as the coverage of a few cities.

The climates inside these labyrinths could be very different, and they are divided into different areas.

Explorers explore these kinds of places because of the great and rare materials that could only grow in those special environments.

From herbs, plants, and ores, to some special monster materials and by-products.

The third kind is the most famous, graveyards. A place where the dead, undead and lost ones reside.

Different from normal cemeteries, here, the only places with high dead Mana density and the presence of roaming undead are called graveyards. They also have the greatest aura of death around them.

Undead creatures wander these places freely, and mostly just live in the premise of these places.

These places produce some very rare and important materials for alchemy and medicine. There are great chances of finding rare old artifacts and wonderful wealth from the graves of these undead beings, so adventurer parties and guilds, mainly those with members with light attribute affinity, go there to cleanse these places.

Unlike dungeons and labyrinths, graveyards don't produce monsters after the existing ones are cleansed.

Similar to these graveyards are the Tombs, the fourth and most sought-after structure of old times.

Containing great artifacts of the past, rarely even containing ancient artifacts, these structures are only rarely found and, though have grave difficulty, they attract attention from adventurers, explorers, archeologists, scientists, and high mages.

Tombs. A place of rest for important figures of the past.

They are the final resting palaces made by the people for the final rest of the ones they cherished.

The graves that they build in a certain part of the tomb were mostly protected by countless traps, while the outer parts mostly got infested with monster colonies, making it somewhat like a dungeon.

That's why most of the tomb discoveries throughout history are accidental. And when the adventurers, strong people or maybe even normal folks in some cases, stumbled upon these unknown places filled with great wealth, danger, and accounts of history, their names become engraved in present history itself.

Well, that is, if they can survive that place and go back to the higher-ups and report their findings.

Wealth wouldn't be the only thing they get from these findings. The rights of the findings, the things inside, and all the things would 'partially' belong to them.

Well, that's that but, I should have thought that when we were talking about an evil spirit, there is a high chance of the person in the tombs turning into an evil spirit after some hundred years.

Rein and her grandma found this boundary and came here, the place that was just before this weird place they all thought was a dungeon.

It was common to confuse a dungeon and a tome in most cases, so not even the most skilled people could differentiate between a dungeon, labyrinth, and tomb.

All three of them are very old structures and people many times find century-old artifacts in normal dungeons. Things that can't be produced with current known technology.

Same with tombs. They are considered one of the greatest sources of the past.

And right now, the structure we were standing before was a tomb.

I can tell from the still somewhat remaining sharp edges of the gate of this dungeon.

There were also some very faint inscriptions beside the gate, on the rock wall of this cliff, and even I could only see them because of my eyes.

The base function of my [Three eyes], is the ability to see faraway things 'clearly'.

I can practically use my eyes as a microscope or telescope by adjusting my eye lens, without activating the skill itself.

Even Rein's eyes couldn't see the inscriptions that might have existed on that rock a long time ago.

Strictly speaking...

"Around four hundred years ago."

I can faintly see the inscriptions on the wall and even after the time's corrosions, from what I could tell...

"These inscriptions look very much like a famous traditional language that existed around the extreme east end forest and belonged to the indigenous people there.

These people were famous for their medical techniques, which were believed to be the most famous at that time.

Their civilization actually perished around six hundred years ago because of the destruction of that entire area from what I know, so this tomb here, in the middle of nowhere, can only be explained as a strange occurrence.

They were land people, and this island was far away from the mainland. And from the old text, it is believed that that part of the continent was destroyed by the legendary creature [Kraken].

Well, finding the traces of that civilization here sure is quite something, but... now what? You still want to go in despite knowing it might be even more dangerous than we originally thought?"

Tombs were places that inevitably had many defense systems and guards to contend against intruders.

The monster in the early parts was mostly just the inhabitants of the island that gathered inside this place because of some kind of attraction or from the fear of something else.

Well, it wouldn't be possible for them to be systematic if it were from fear or some other being.

Maybe the evil spirit was much stronger than we thought that can actually control the other monsters? That was very much possible.

This was outside the zone of my predictions, so now... I was definitely against going into this thing.

But... well... it wasn't up to me from the start.

It was her desire to eliminate that being. I was here to look after this foolish one.

She looked at me with complicated eyes. The situation was far more difficult than she had thought.

She knew about tombs. And she also knew just how dangerous they can be. And now that we knew there was an evil spirit with high intact intelligence, and maybe overall strength reaching close to even a high grade (Indigo) ranked creature, it was difficult to decide…

I would have been in a complicated situation but, as a pure knight and an 'old' person, she kept her cool.

"What's written on the wall?"

She asked while still in deep thought whiteout even looking at me and I replied in a calm tone. One of us had to stay calm in this situation. Actually, calm like me, not the chaotic calm like her.

"The great master. Doctor. Wife. Sleeps here. I can only make out this much from what I can see."

She nodded and thought even more seriously about this one.

Now, this wasn't just about revenge against a creature that cursed her grandma, it was also an opportunity for her and her family.

A permanent boundary in their territory, near their main estate, leading to a tomb that belongs to a prominent figure from an ancient tribe that specialized in medicine and doctor's practices.

They can actually monopolize the whole thing, and no one could even question them.

She was maybe the only one who can defeat that evil spirit too.

She can clearly understand that a being that can curse her grandmother, a strong (tier-8) mage, could very well kill most of the people from her house.

The only reason she didn't get cursed the last time they made it so far inside this tomb was because of her special mental and physical physique.

I can undoubtedly say that her mental defense was second only to mine, so she can actually resist the mental course from that time.

So, maybe only she or her grandfather had any chance to fight against this being.

But then again, she was better in this case. It was a great learning opportunity, the place to show off her power, and test the results of her great training from the past few days.

I wouldn't fight against an enemy that I didn't know anything about, even if it was an evil spirit that I knew a lot about.

Intelligent beings are fundamentally different from normal energy beasts, and even after putting their strength into the same category as the beasts, I knew they were just too different.

I wouldn't want to fight against a being like this, but... she was different.

She would get even more excited at the thought of fighting a strong opponent. But still, she was thinking deeply about this situation.

'She definitely learned a thing or two in this time we were together... cute girl.'

"What are the chances that we will defeat the boss?"

"Nice question."

Even I was curious about this one. Not that I had any data to judge the current scenario.

Thankfully, I had Lucy and today's question...

'Lucy.'

[[ *Yes master.* ]]

'Question. What are the chances that we will deal with all the monsters inside this tomb, be safe from all the traps, defeat the evil spirit and all the bosses, and safely get out?'

It was something I learned from using the question of ability these past few days.

I can just connect the questions and make them a single question.

Lucy can answer it as long as there aren't too many things linked, and the question isn't too complicated.

[[ *You also know I would suggest you rather not go in without just that many preparations, right?

The answer to your question is 48%. But those are just chances. No one knows what might happen inside and what unthinkable things you might encounter.

It is difficult to understand, but I know you will still go with Reinelle. I'm worried...* ]]

She had even started understanding emotions. She definitely was… something else.

A skill with a will of her own... my dear Lucy.

'Don't worry about me, dear. Don't I have you? I know you will always be with me and protect me~.'

[[ *...that I definitely will, master.* ]]

Her answer was almost shy, and it made me chuckle.

She was surprised by this sudden laugh, but I just shook my head at her.

"I think it's more than 45% but definitely not as high as 50%. Difficult, but there's a chance for survival and safe return as well as the defeat of all the bosses and the evil spirit."

My answer was confident, and she knew she could trust these answers.

Neglecting my sudden chuckle from a moment ago, she nodded with an excited and serious look.

"We will go in. Let's defeat the dead bastard that dared to harm my dear family."

She was nothing like the cute girl she usually was at this moment. The distinct dignity and her natural air were just too different from what I had seen during our training and throughout our time together.

'The true appearance and air of an experienced explorer. One that has fought against countless unexpected variables, strong beings, and harsh trails of nature.'

This was the person that had survived countless dangerous situations for tens or more like hundreds of years.

This was a fascinating change, but it sure was charming.

I liked this change, this confidence, her excitement, and the deep anger in those clear fiery pink eyes.

A smile appeared on my face and I nodded at her.

She understood this pleased smile and just shook her head with a smile of her own.

We walked into this normal-looking cave with a square gate, and... as soon as we were inside, we heard a chilly voice in our minds... a variable that occurred from the very start.

[< You!? You aren't dead yet?! How dare you walk here again after disturbing our slumber! You witch! And... hmm? Y-you brought someone who can use that disgusting light?!! You damned girl! Did you think someone with the power of light is enough to defeat me?

Kukukuku! You both will have the same end as that old hag!

Kukuku! Kuku!

This time will be different!

If the curse isn't enough, then I will just separate you from this pretty face! I bet the loss of such charms will be enough to weaken that strong mind!

Kukukukukukukukukukukukukuku! >]

After that voice, well, I fell...

And as I fell... I saw the door of the tomb close, Rein's shocked eyes, and in the last moments that our eyes were still connected, I reassured her...

'Emergency scenario 3. Calm down and quickly reach the tomb room. See you there~.'

There was a smile on my face. She was tense and worried, but... she knew what she had to do now.

This was a tomb, and there were many paths to start, we both knew that, but all those paths ended at the same place, the room with the body of the owner of the tomb, aka the boss' room.

We might have been separated, but we didn't have anything to worry about until we reach the boss's room.

So... now was the race to see who reaches that place first.

'But one thing is for sure. The winner will get a coin~. Hehe...'

Maybe this was a more fun scenario than the normal fights.