Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

44. Ripples (3)



“So that’s how it happened.”

Han Cha-hyun crossed his arms, tapping his fingers against his bicep.

Though he appeared calm, it was clear this was not a matter to be trifled with. Lee Kang-to glanced furtively at Han Cha-hyun, trying to gauge his mood.

“Why didn’t you report something so important?”

“I was going to tell you after visiting one more time today! Really!”

“Fine. Let’s say that’s true.”

Lee Kang-to let out a small sigh at the unexpectedly lenient response.

“Don’t think I’m letting this slide. We’ll discuss this matter later.”

Han Cha-hyun nodded towards the door.

“Lead the way.”

“What? You’re… coming with me?”

“What about you would make me trust you enough to send you alone?”

Lee Kang-to opened the door with a deadpan expression. Han Cha-hyun, standing behind him, illuminated the interior with a flashlight.

“Were there any dangers inside yesterday?”

“Not yesterday.”

“We’d better stay on guard, just in case.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Han Cha-hyun’s attire changed. His shabby shirt instantly transformed into an adventurer’s outfit complete with a leather jacket.

Following Han Cha-hyun’s suggestion, Lee Kang-to also equipped an ornately embroidered robe. He didn’t forget to surreptitiously attach his tail either.

“You look like those archaeologists from the movies. That was your major, right?”

“Ah, those treasure hunter films. Yes, I did major in archaeology.”

Lee Kang-to, clutching Ariadne’s Thread, took the lead. Due to his trait, he was often dispatched to similar places, so this kind of adventure was a rare treat.

Han Cha-hyun, fiddling with the brim of his hat, suddenly asked a question that had occurred to him.

“By the way, you’re quite well-prepared with the olive branch and Ariadne’s Thread. These aren’t items people typically carry around.”

“Well, my hobby and specialty is rummaging through places others don’t go. Catches like this one are rare… Haha.”

Lee Kang-to tried to cover up his inadvertent admission with a laugh.

How obvious. If he hadn’t been caught, he probably intended to swallow up whatever was in that treasure box all by himself. It was almost endearing how blatant he was.

Han Cha-hyun smirked but pretended not to notice Lee Kang-to’s slip of the tongue.

“Huh, that’s strange. We should be there by now.”

“Did we take a wrong turn?”

“Maybe we need to exit and come back in.”

Despite passing several forks, the spiral staircase Lee Kang-to had seen yesterday didn’t appear. Han Cha-hyun calmed the panicking Lee Kang-to and suggested:

“We have Ariadne’s Thread, so we can return anytime. Let’s go a bit further.”

“O-okay.”

Perhaps it was a room that only opened under specific conditions? Or they might have simply taken a wrong turn. While following Lee Kang-to, Han Cha-hyun calculated various possibilities.

Lee Kang-to, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped. Han Cha-hyun, narrowly avoiding a collision, placed his hand on Lee Kang-to’s back and peered ahead.

“Have you seen this before?”

“No, this is new to me too.”

Yesterday, Lee Kang-to had seen a spiral staircase leading upwards.

But now, before the two of them stood a mysterious elevator. The old elevator, with only a button for going down, had lights flickering irregularly inside.

“Are we going down?”

“We have to.”

Han Cha-hyun stepped into the elevator without hesitation.

After all, this was still the 16th floor, hidden quest or not. Surely nothing too dangerous could happen? Lee Kang-to, who had been hesitating, followed Han Cha-hyun into the elevator. As Han Cha-hyun pressed the close button, the elevator automatically began its descent.

The elevator creaked and groaned as it descended for quite some time.

Ding!

With a clear sound that didn’t match its worn appearance, the elevator came to a stop.

The two exited the elevator, their nerves on edge. Unlike the corridor with occasional torches, expensive magic stones illuminated the surroundings here.

“Whew, they must have spent a fortune.”

“It’s surprising that these are all magic stones.”

“I guess nothing’s as profitable as religion.”

Lee Kang-to surveyed the surroundings while thoughtlessly spouting potentially controversial statements. The corridor stretched in one direction without any branching paths. There was nothing at the end of the corridor.

Han Cha-hyun furrowed his brow at the sight of the dead-end corridor.

Watching him, Lee Kang-to took out the olive branch from his inventory and waved it around. As he tapped the wall with the branch, a door similar to the one at the entrance appeared.

“These guys are so predictable. No creativity at all.”

Preparing for any contingency, Lee Kang-to, with his high health stat, opened the door.

Despite their caution, the room inside was eerily quiet. Unlike the corridor, the room was completely dark. Lee Kang-to poked his head in. Han Cha-hyun illuminated the interior with his flashlight.

“There’s… there’s a person!”

At Lee Kang-to’s exclamation, Han Cha-hyun directed his flashlight to where he was pointing.

A man with teal-colored hair lay unconscious in the middle of the room. As the flashlight beam touched him, the man’s hair gave off a faint sheen. Han Cha-hyun narrowed his eyes as something occurred to him.

“Why is a sea person here…?”

Wasn’t the sea people’s homeland supposed to be in the sea in front of Shella?

Helium, Media, and the sea people. Various pieces of information flashed through Han Cha-hyun’s mind.

Lee Kang-to snatched the flashlight from the pensive Han Cha-hyun and swept it across the floor.

“Look at this!”

The entire floor was soaked with liquid. It was blood flowing from the sea person’s body.

Han Cha-hyun and Lee Kang-to’s eyes met. They rushed towards the fallen sea person.

Ding!

Just as they were about to examine the sea person, the sound of the elevator’s arrival rang out. Han Cha-hyun and Lee Kang-to had no choice but to leave the sea person behind and exit the basement.

“Hunter Han Cha-hyun, what are you doing? Can’t you hear the footsteps? Hurry!”

“Just a moment. I need to take a picture.”

Lee Kang-to stamped his feet impatiently as he heard the approaching footsteps. As soon as Han Cha-hyun snapped a photo with his hunter watch, the two left the room.

◆◇◆◇◆

[- From: Yun Gaho

 I’ve received the photo you sent.

 Hunter Yun Su-ho brought a sea person from the delegation, but the photo is too dark to identify. Could you take a picture in a brighter place?

 If that’s not possible, please describe the sea person’s appearance in text.

 I look forward to your prompt reply.]

Han Cha-hyun, chewing on a dried-out piece of bread in the bustling dining hall, checked the message. How much time was left for Yun Gaho’s quest deadline? Less than two days now.

It was understandable that they were in a hurry. If the sea person here wasn’t from the delegation, they’d have to start their investigation from scratch. He asked Lee Kang-to, who was across from him, absently stirring his soup:

“Lee Kang-to-ssi, about that room yesterday. It would be difficult to access during the day, wouldn’t it?”

“I suppose so. It’s the festival week, so people are swarming everywhere. Even yesterday, we almost got caught.”

Lee Kang-to waved his spoon as he spoke.

Ding! The elevator sound still rang clear in their ears.

Even now, it sent chills down their spines. Because Han Cha-hyun had dawdled to take a photo, they had nearly run into the priests. If it weren’t for Han Cha-hyun’s stealth skill, they would have been caught red-handed.

“We confirmed he’s still alive, so there’s no need to rush, right?”

“The Shella side wants to confirm that sea person’s identity as soon as possible. You know how tight their quest deadline is.”

Can’t be helped. Lee Kang-to nodded at Han Cha-hyun’s words.

“But we can’t move recklessly either.”

There was still more to investigate in this temple.

‘We can’t risk getting kicked out by poking our noses where they don’t belong.’

Han Cha-hyun described the sea person’s appearance from memory. After having Lee Kang-to check for any missing details, he sent the message.

“Tonight, let’s meet at the same place as yesterday.”

“Can we really say we ‘met’ them?”

Lee Kang-to quibbled, but Han Cha-hyun easily ignored him. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Lee Kang-to buried his face in his soup bowl.

As soon as it got dark, Han Cha-hyun and Lee Kang-to headed for that basement. Fortunately, the unconscious sea person regained consciousness with half a bottle of awakening potion.

“A message from Astrona? Ah, so he still remembers me.”

Berben, who had been wary of Han Cha-hyun and Lee Kang-to, immediately dropped his guard upon hearing mention of Astrona’s message.

‘What if we were imposters pretending to be the spirit…?’

He hasn’t changed even after being deceived by humans once. Han Cha-hyun thought to himself while putting on a friendly face, trying to build rapport with Berben.

Despite the long period of suffering, Berben’s eyes shone with a zest for life. This should be enough to prevent him from hindering their escape.

“The potion didn’t work, so we couldn’t heal the wounds.”

Given how badly injured he was, they decided to monitor Berben’s condition for the time being.

“It’s about time we headed back.”

Lee Kang-to was oddly fixated on the room above the spiral staircase. Thanks to Han Cha-hyun’s keen sense of direction, they were able to reach the elevator without getting lost, but the spiral staircase Lee Kang-to claimed to have seen was nowhere to be found.

They had left him behind, as he insisted on searching a bit more by himself.

“It’s worrying to just leave him…”

Finally, Han Cha-hyun stood up and leapt down from under the tree. It was better for Lee Kang-to to cause trouble where he could be seen.

“I should go get him.”

Thanks to his unpredictable nature, they had discovered the sea person, so they couldn’t just tell him to stay put.

Even as he pondered, Han Cha-hyun nimbly avoided the knights’ patrols.

“He just went that way, so now there shouldn’t be…”

As Han Cha-hyun crossed the corridor, expecting it to be empty, a shabbily dressed man appeared before him.

‘Who is this?’

Everyone who entered the temple, from priests to volunteers, was neatly dressed. It was, after all, the place closest to the god.

Yet this man, circling the statue and praying, looked as if he could be mistaken for a vagrant.

In contrast to his shabby appearance, his face was filled with joy.

‘What is he doing?’

The man, who had been rubbing his hands together in prayer, noticed Han Cha-hyun’s presence and looked up.


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