TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 153
World Erosion Beings.
They are outsiders who have arrived in this world for various reasons.
Each of them once had their own world, where they undoubtedly found happiness.
However, worlds are always finite and fleeting.
Ebelasque Benapoch.
The world she lived in was no exception.
The world she inhabited was called Dairox.
By the time she was born, Dairox was already a dying world.
Acid rain constantly poured from the sky, and the soil of the land could nurture no life.
Thus, living creatures became ruthless in their struggle to survive.
Beneath the ground, where the acid rain could not reach,
countless people established their own cities.
Ebelasque was a drifter in such a city.
A life of barely scraping by, day by day.
Her dream was always to see the outside world.
It was because she had never once seen the surface world since the day she was born.
So, she saved every bit of money she could from her meager meals and bought books from the antique shop.
Those books contained various stories and illustrations of the surface from long ago.
Gazing at them was her only joy in life.
Then, one day.
She discovered a particular book at the antique shop.
Necromancy.
Fascinated by the book, which described a long-lost discipline, she began to read it with great curiosity.
And soon, she realized one thing.
She had a remarkable talent for necromancy.
So much so that, in just one day, she managed to create a skeleton monster using the remaining bones of a rat she had eaten recently.
Watching the skeletal corpse move according to her will was incredibly captivating.
From that day on, she began studying necromancy daily.
To the extent that she collected every book she could find on the subject.
While secretly researching necromancy day by day,
[Ebelasque!]
A girl’s shout echoed as she burst into the shack Ebelasque lived in, as if to break down the door.
Startled, Ebelasque, who had been engrossed in her research as usual, hastily hid her materials.
[Ah, Aimi, you scared me. What’s the matter?]
Pretending to know nothing, she greeted the intruder with feigned composure.
Standing there was a girl with braided brown hair.
Cheerful and lively in appearance, she had been Ebelasque’s close companion since childhood.
During their childhood, even when it was hard to earn enough to eat for a single day, she had been Ebelasque’s most precious and only friend.
[Why are you so startled? Were you looking at something naughty again?]
[W-When have I ever looked at something like that!]
Ebelasque shouted, her face turning bright red.
It was because, one day, she had realized that a book she had bought was actually an erotic novel, and she had been caught reading it intently.
Ever since, Aimi would always tease her like that.
Laughing mischievously, Aimi soon made a fuss as she stepped inside.
[Ebelasque, do you remember the recent rumors?]
[Rumors?]
[Yeah, the ones saying the surface has become safe!]
Ebelasque blinked in surprise.
Of course, she had heard the rumors that the surface had become safe.
But she hadn’t taken much interest in them.
The world was in such a state that it was hard to believe such hopeful rumors.
After all, even the underground cities now had little time left.
It was imminent.
By estimation, only three years remained.
All the resources of the underground would run out, the shelters maintaining them would fail, acid rain would seep in, and the ground would collapse.
That was the bleak future of this world.
Yet, Aimi was always bright and never lost hope.
[No, Ebelasque, this time it’s real. They’re recruiting people from each city under the name of the Dairox Salvation Unit to venture out to the surface.]
Ebelasque’s face showed surprise.
If the cities themselves were organizing it, that changed things.
[Isn’t it just a regular investigation unit or something?]
[This time it’s different. The recently returned investigation unit reportedly found clear signs that the surface is becoming safe. The city is even gathering its top figures for this.]
Aimi’s eyes sparkled fiercely.
She worked as a nuker, someone who fought against criminal groups and distorted monsters scattered across the underground.
And among nukers, she was one of the most skilled.
Her eyes, filled with ambition and pride in her profession, shone brilliantly.
[They’re planning to build a teleportation magic circle at the site where those signs were found.]
[A-Aimi, you’re not planning to join them, are you?]
[Yeah, I am.]
Aimi’s eyes were deadly serious.
Seeing that expression, Ebelasque was taken aback.
Even though signs of safety had been discovered, it was still just the word of the investigation unit.
No one knew what the reality would be.
In truth, this was essentially a gamble by the city, with only three years left of underground life.
A gamble that could mean death even before those three years were up.
Against such a fate, Aimi was struggling to fight back.
[Aimi, it’s too dangerous.]
Ebelasque spoke with concern in her voice.
According to Aimi, many others were planning to join as well.
So Ebelasque wanted to say that Aimi didn’t need to participate.
[I’ve been appointed as the vice commander of the nukers this time. The previous vice commander recently died from a punctured lung.]
The underground cities lacked proper sanitation and medicine.
Thus, the people of the underground were vulnerable to disease, and nukers were the most at risk.
Since they engaged in direct combat, infections were common during battles.
And yet, nukers existed.
They were the only ones capable of protecting the cities.
[It would be disgraceful for the vice commander to back out.]
Ebelasque realized why Aimi had come today.
She had come to tell her that she was leaving.
[Aimi.]
[Trust me. Your friend is a well-known powerhouse in the city, isn’t she?]
Aimi smiled as she looked at Ebelasque.
Seeing that smile, Ebelasque gripped her hand tightly.
[Be careful out there.]
[Sure. If I find any books while I’m out, I’ll bring them all back. Especially erotic novels, right?]
[Stop saying that already!]
Laughing at Ebelasque’s outburst, Aimi left.
And so, the Salvation Unit was dispatched with everyone’s hopes riding on it.
A year passed.
In the end, the Salvation Unit never returned.
Of course, Aimi, who was part of the group, also did not return.
[Aimi, you promised…]
Upon hearing the news of her disappearance, Ebelasque was left stunned.
After all, it wouldn’t be wrong to say they had grown up together their entire lives.
Aimi, who sometimes felt like an older sister and other times like a younger one.
Her disappearance shook a deep part of Ebelasque’s heart.
On top of that, recently, the city’s public safety had begun to deteriorate even further.
With skilled Nukers deployed en masse to the Salvation Unit, there were fewer hands to manage security.
As a result, it became easier for criminal groups to infiltrate.
The city’s lifespan was rapidly dwindling.
The end was knocking right at the door.
People were engulfed by anxiety and despair.
Some even praised the apocalypse, proclaiming that salvation could only come through death, while setting fire to multiple homes.
It was during this time, as the city began to gradually accept its destruction—
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door of her house, where she had been living in a daze every day since hearing of Aimi’s disappearance.
She opened the door with a sluggish body.
Standing there was a middle-aged man who had once been famous as “Wireman” but had since retired.
Glancing briefly at her, who was nearly broken, he spoke.
[Ebelasque, I heard you’ve been researching Necromancy.]
Upon hearing this question, Ebelasque flinched.
It was only natural.
Necromancy was a lost field of study but was also forbidden within the city.
This was because dealing with corpses could lead to numerous problems.
Naturally, Ebelasque assumed he had come to punish her for violating the city’s rules.
[W-What? No way! I would never study something like that!]
[I need your help.]
Ebelasque froze in place.
As she looked at him with puzzled eyes, Wireman stared back at her with a serious expression.
[Do you remember the people who left for the Salvation Unit a year ago?]
Of course, she remembered.
Among them was her dearest friend, Aimi.
[Not long ago, a signal came through the Communication Magic Device. The magic field on the surface is too strong to decipher its meaning, but it was undoubtedly a survival signal.]
[W-What?! Really?!]
Ebelasque cried out in shock.
[Yes. If you want, I can confirm it for you directly. We’ve also concluded that they’ve reached a safe location and, for some reason, are unable to activate the Space Magic Circle and are instead sending signals.]
Ebelasque’s eyes widened.
[For the past year since they left, we assumed the storm of acid rain and the intensifying magic field had prevented their return. But today, when the signal was detected, the storm and magic field began to weaken.]
It was an observation filled with hope.
Yet, upon hearing those words, Ebelasque’s heart began to race.
Aimi is alive.
That fact alone filled her body with newfound energy.
[The city plans to dispatch a second Salvation Unit. Of course, this time, they’re much better prepared.]
[C-Can I be of any help?]
[The storm of acid rain and the magic field have completely altered the paths. We need to reassess whether they are navigable for humans.]
It was then that Ebelasque understood.
She was a Necromancer, one who dealt with corpses.
By sending corpses ahead to test the paths, they could secure them more safely.
Determination filled Ebelasque’s eyes.
[Alright. I’ll join.]
If it meant finding her friend, Aimi.
She was fully intent on participating in this Salvation Unit.
Seeing her firm resolve, Wireman nodded.
[The departure is in two days. Be prepared.]
Leaving those words behind, Wireman departed.
And two days later.
Ebelasque joined the Salvation Unit.
The total number of participants in this Salvation Unit was four.
Led by Wireman and Ebelasque—
A male mage who specialized in Subspace Magic.
And a one-armed female swordsman who was the most notable among the remaining Nukers.
These four made up the small team of the second Salvation Unit.
Compared to the first, it was undoubtedly a much smaller scale.
However, the city had reached its limits and could no longer spare more people.
This was because all the best had essentially been part of the first Salvation Unit.
[Let’s move out.]
At Wireman’s words, Ebelasque began to ascend the stairs leading to the surface.
Her heart pounded wildly.
The surface, which she had never seen before.
It was only natural, as she was finally about to see the surface she had long been curious about.
[Hey, Captain, the name of the first Salvation Unit was Avalos, right? What’s ours?]
Avalos means “wing” in Dairoxian.
When the one-armed swordsman, Ruzlang, asked, Wireman replied curtly.
[Benapoch.]
[Huh? What’s that?]
Ruzlang tilted her head, saying she’d never heard of it, while the male mage, Muzkang, chuckled.
[It means “hope” in ancient tongue.]
[Hah, how sentimental.]
[Well, we are the city’s last hope, after all. The city is at its end.]
Muzkang glanced down the seemingly endless stairs.
He looked at the underground city, now left with nothing but death, with a heavy heart.
[We’re almost there.]
Wireman spoke, as if to urge them to stay focused.
That’s when Ebelasque saw the entrance leading to the surface.
The entrance was sealed with layers of steel and other materials.
Upon reaching it, Wireman grasped the circular door handle with both hands and turned it with force.
Creak, screeeeeeeech!
After much effort, the door slammed open.
At that moment, the incoming light caused Ebelasque to squeeze her eyes shut.
It was only natural, as she had lived her entire life underground and was sensitive to light.
And as she gradually opened her eyes—
What greeted her was cracked earth and sand.
And the brightly shining sun.
Her eyes widened as she looked upon the sun for the very first time.
The warmth of the sun seeped into her body.
This is the outside.
This was the outside world.
[To see the sun—must be our lucky day.]
Wireman spoke as he looked up at the sky.
[And it’s about to get unlucky soon.]
At the same time, his eyes turned toward the distance.
Far away, with a thunderous crash, black clouds were rolling in.
The black clouds, saturated with acid rain, seemed intent on turning this land into hell once more.
And the pouring rain would be fierce enough to create rivers.
[Let’s move quickly.]
Thus began the journey of the four.
* * *
And, as expected, the journey was arduous.
[It-it’s collapsing!]
Due to the daily acid rain, the weakened ground crumbled with every step, threatening to swallow them whole into the underground.
[There are so many of them. Captain, hold that side well! Ebelasque, help from this end!]
[I-I told you, it’s not Ebelasque! It’s Eberasque!]
[They’re coming again!]
[Enough chatter, everyone. Focus.]
Even in this acid rain, monsters roaming the surface, crazed by the sight of prey, swarmed in groups.
Thanks to this, the four of them grew more and more haggard as time passed.
Blocking the acid rain was already hard work, but the ground kept collapsing, monsters kept popping out from nowhere, and even storms of magic fields appeared now and then.
If there was a hell, it must be here.
But perhaps because of that—
The four of them began to engage in more frequent conversations.
[In times like these, if we stop talking, we’ll lose trust in each other and stop relying on one another. And that’s when mistakes happen.]
That was the philosophy of Wireman, the captain of the Second Salvation Unit.
At first, the other three simply went along with it.
But as time passed, their conversations grew even more frequent.
They began to sense it vaguely.
That the moment their dialogue ceased would mark their end as well.
[I was born from a mother who was raped by criminals. As soon as she gave birth to me, she committed suicide. Thanks to that, I was sold in an underhanded deal and grew up as a slave. My master was a madman with a fetish for hands. When I turned eight, he said that was when my hands looked the most beautiful—and cut them off. That bastard.]
The one-armed female swordsman, Ruzlang, shared the hardships of her past.
[Haha, I don’t have any dark stories like that. Oh, but there was this one thing. My master, afraid I might take their place because of my exceptional talent, tried to kill me.]
Pretending to be cheerful, the mage Muzkang revealed his own troubled history.
He later disclosed that this master of his was none other than his father.
[When I retired, during the time I was bedridden with illness, my daughter participated in the First Salvation Unit. That was the price for the cure.]
Wireman explained the reason he had joined this Salvation Unit.
More than anyone, he wanted to find the First Salvation Unit.
Because his daughter would be there.
Later, they learned that his daughter’s name was Benapoch.
[Haha, then why don’t we make the Second Salvation Unit into our own family? The Benapoch family. What do you think? Those so-called nobles in the city always do that kind of thing. Those selfish bastards.]
[A family? Wouldn’t that mean I’d be in the same family as Ruzlang? I find that quite unpleasant.]
[Stop liking me so much.]
[…Who said I like you?]
Ruzlang and Muzkang often bickered.
Despite seeming to have a poor relationship, in dangerous moments, they prioritized each other above all else.
[Ugh, you’re so clumsy…]
[Ugh, shut up. You’re the rough one.]
Ebelasque pretended not to hear the sounds that came from the camp during the night.
[Your friend and my daughter were said to be friends.]
Then, Wireman shared an unexpected story.
Aimi and Wireman’s daughter, Benapoch, were said to have been friends.
He felt guilty about bringing Ebelasque along.
It was because she was not much older than his daughter, and though he prioritized his daughter, she had been on his mind constantly.
[It’s fine. I’m on my way to find my friends, after all.]
Wireman turned to her, seemingly surprised.
Ebelasque looked slightly embarrassed.
[Ahem, well, a friend of a friend is a friend, right? So Benapoch is my friend too.]
Wireman, who had been quietly listening, smiled for the first time.
[…I see. My daughter would like that.]
That smile became a memory that would remain in Ebelasque’s mind forever.
And the journey continued.
At times, they lost their way.
The paths had shifted so much over the years that it was not easy to navigate.
Still, the four followed the signals diligently.
And eventually, the first casualty occurred.