Chapter 64: The Wolf Cult (1)
Cough—!
I woke up with a sharp cough, my lungs protesting against the fine dust in the air. The first thing I did was check my body.
The lack of proper light made it hard to discern my surroundings, so I turned to the mana flowing within me to assess my condition.
Following the natural rhythm of the White Dragon Heart Technique, the cold-tinged mana coursed through my entire body, starting from my heart. It flowed to my limbs, swept over my core, and finally dispersed at my head.
Fragmented flashes of the moments before I lost consciousness resurfaced. I’d been struck by a heavy boulder amidst the collapsing mine, rendering me unconscious. Running my hand over my forehead, I felt the sticky sensation of congealed blood.
“Ugh...”
Aside from the head injury, I was relatively unharmed. While my body bore numerous scrapes and bruises, nothing hindered my movement. It was fortunate, all things considered.
Even in unconsciousness, my hands hadn’t let go of my blade. Rising to my feet, I swung the Mage Slayer Sword.
Kaang!
The collision of the dark blade against solid rock produced a shower of sparks, briefly illuminating my surroundings.
Though the light lasted mere seconds, it was enough to burn an image into my retina—a straight corridor stretching forward.
The architecture was nothing like a typical mine and reminded me of the dungeons I had seen in the Fairy Forest.
I couldn’t keep striking rocks all day to light my path. Instead, I honed my other senses, excluding sight, to scan the area.
I began with my sense of smell. Sharper than that of an average person, my nose soon detected Envy’s scent faintly lingering in the air.
Next, I relied on my hearing. As I followed the faint trail of her scent, I heard a soft, shallow breathing ahead.
No scent of blood accompanied it—she seemed to have avoided major injuries. It struck me that I might owe my own minimal injuries to her efforts.
“Envy.”
The darkness was absolute. Reaching out, I touched her face, finding her soft cheeks. I gently pinched and prodded them, calling her name repeatedly.
“Ugh... uh...”
“Wake up, Envy.”
“S-Saeorin? Is that you?”
As she stirred, Envy flailed her arms clumsily, her movements clear to me even in the darkness. I instinctively stepped back to avoid being struck.
“I can’t see anything! My eyes—they’re not working!”
“Calm down. It’s just the lack of light.”
Panicking, Envy felt her face, finding no pain or abnormalities. Realizing she was unharmed, she quickly cast a spell.
Fwoosh!
Mana gathered in her hands, coalescing into a small, radiant light. The spell banished the darkness, and the outlines of our surroundings became visible.
Magic truly is a convenient power—it can create light where none exists. As I marveled at the simplicity of its utility, I noticed Envy’s gaze lingering on my head.
“That... um...”
“It’s nothing. The bleeding’s stopped.”
I responded nonchalantly to her concerned expression. The wound wasn’t deep enough to leave a scar, and the blood had already clotted. I wiped away the dried blood as I surveyed the area.
“What about the werewolf?”
It wasn’t visible, nor did my heightened hearing pick up any unusual sounds. I sniffed the air.
The scent of blood, sweat, and ancient dust dominated, but within it, I caught a faint hint of animal musk.
The musty, feral smell mixed with blood emanated weakly from beneath a pile of collapsed rubble.
“It seems dead.”
My voice carried a trace of disappointment as I stared at the pile of rocks.
‘I wanted to take that sword it was wielding...’
The girl's gaze turned toward the pile of rubble. The remnants of the collapsed mine were stacked thickly, so much so that the end could not be seen.
There was no need to take unnecessary risks for uncertain rewards. I turned my body away. Behind me, Envy quickly followed.
"Uh… sorry…"
At Envy’s apology, I turned my head slightly. Her head was bowed in regret, unable to meet my gaze directly.
It seemed she had just realized her mistake—using an explosive spell in such a confined space.
"It's fine."
The situation had already unfolded. Scolding Envy now wouldn't change the past. Recognizing her mistake was enough.
It wasn't intentional; it was merely a slip-up. In her own way, she had done her best to help me.
If I were to harbor resentment, it would have to wait until after we escaped this place. I had no desire to alienate the only ally I had in this unknown location. I sheathed the Mage Slayer sword.
Shing—Click.
The sword's enchantment, which reduced its weight, took effect as it entered the scabbard. The ambient mana that had been draining from me ceased, making it easier to breathe. The oppressive pressure weighing down the surroundings also dissipated.
The Mage Slayer.
It was a peculiar sword made of an unidentified metal. It absorbed the user’s mana endlessly, to the point where it was jokingly called a cursed sword among mages.
I rested my hand on the hilt, ready to respond at any moment.
"Envy, is there any way to escape this place using magic?"
"Um… not with my skills. To use spatial magic, I'd need to be at least at the Mystic rank."
That meant we would have to clear this dungeon itself. Dungeons usually had an exit somewhere.
My eyes glanced at my empty waist. Ever since the promotion test, I had always carried the White Dragon Sword.
But after throwing it earlier, I hadn’t been able to retrieve it before the mine collapsed. The White Dragon Sword was now lost.
"Then there's no choice…"
Eventually, Envy and I moved toward the corridor.
The atmosphere of the dungeon felt strange. There were no traps meant to block intruders. It wasn’t long before we realized this wasn’t a dungeon at all.
Occasionally, we came across rooms that seemed to serve as living quarters. There were even maps engraved on the walls, outlining the structure of the building.
It wasn’t a dungeon. It was undoubtedly an ancient ruin built for another purpose.
As we walked down the corridor, we came to a halt in front of a massive wall.
"This is…"
"Do you recognize these characters?"
My gaze scanned the wall. It was covered in unfamiliar symbols. Even I, who had absorbed countless memories through the sword, couldn’t read them.
"These are no longer in use…"
It was Envy who reacted. She brightened the light from her spell and approached the wall, carefully brushing her fingers against it.
"Can you read them?"
"Not all of them. Just a few words here and there…"
Envy’s eyes darted as she sifted through her memories. Finally, a faint voice escaped her lips.
"Moon… wolf… wind…"
She skipped over the unreadable characters, deciphering only a few scattered words.
While the exact meaning of the text on the wall remained a mystery, it became clear that this place was not a dungeon.
"Ritual…? But I'm not certain."
Rather than focusing on the characters, I examined the illustrations on the wall, trying to deduce the purpose of this place.
The images depicted people bowing toward the moon in prayer. It closely resembled the White Frost Tribe's ritual of worshiping the wolf deity.
"A space for religious purposes…?"
It was too early to jump to conclusions. More information was needed. Envy and I examined the map on the wall and identified our current location.
"We seem to be near the end of the third floor."
"Where do you want to go, Saeorin? Up or down?"
I extended my finger and pointed to the very top. This place was where we ended up after the mine collapsed. To return to where we had been, heading upward was the logical choice.
Dust-covered corridors stretched ahead as we climbed the stairs. Despite my heightened vigilance, the inside of the structure was eerily empty.
Finally, we reached the topmost floor. Together with Envy, I approached a large door. The entire floor consisted of a single spacious chamber, blocked off by a massive stone door.
I pressed myself against the door. For an ordinary girl, it would have been impossible to move such a heavy structure, but I was no ordinary girl.
Mana surged within me, coursing through my body and compensating for my lack of physical strength.
As my muscles swelled, the enormous stone door creaked open.
Grrrrrk—
"Ughhh!"
"Wow…"
A vast space unfolded before us. The first thing to catch my eye was a large six-pointed star ritual circle, filled with skeletons. Dozens of them lay there, all in the same position, as if they had died mid-prayer.
"This really must have been a building for some religious order."
Sniff—
I used my senses of smell and hearing to scan for potential threats. However, I detected nothing out of the ordinary. Envy and I cautiously entered the chamber.
"They must have been devout followers… It’s best not to disturb them."
I agreed with her. Disturbing the rest of the deceased was out of the question. Carefully, I made my way past the skeletal remains and toward the large altar.
On the dust-laden altar lay a large bowl and a sword.
A sword…
My small hand, as if drawn by some invisible force, brushed against the dusty blade. In that instant, I felt a sharp sting on my fingertip. Despite the passage of time, the sword still retained its keen edge.
Drip—
A drop of blood from my finger fell into the bowl. At that moment, the blood, as if alive, began to spread. It rapidly overflowed from the bowl, spilling out and staining the surrounding altar.
The blood flowed relentlessly, spreading at an alarming speed and even coloring the massive six-pointed star ritual circle surrounding the altar.
"Saeorin…?"
"It seems I made a mistake…"
At that moment, the massive stone door slammed shut.
Bang—!