Chapter 30

"Hey, this kid is trying to go beyond the length of the rope! Even after I stopped her, she’s pulling it forcefully!"

After Tian had been diving for a while, the rope ran out.

The rope was definitely over 30 meters, nearly 40 meters long.

The fact that it ran out means...

"Probably... the depth of the submerged area is considerable, and the length needed to reach the surface is not enough."

"Astrid! This isn’t the time to analyze calmly!"

"The only option is to let go."

"What!?"

"She must be determined to go. She’s pulling because she believes she can make it. She might not have enough air to return."

"But... but..."

"Let her go. And check how far the end of the rope can be pulled."

Saying that, Astrid waded into the water.

"Astrid!"

"I’ll go as far as I can. Taller people are better for this kind of thing."

Astrid held the end of the rope, just enough to keep her head above water.

But, despite her efforts, the rope was pulled further and further, and she had no choice but to let it go.

"Astrid!"

"...I’ll dive to check."

After a moment, Astrid dove into the water and felt around the ground.

(Not there. Not there. Not there...! Where did you go, how far did you go!?)

But there was no end of the rope anywhere.

Astrid’s diving limit was about that much.

"How... how was it?"

"......"

Astrid, drenched, came up to Emily and shook her head.

"The water level is rising... the return trip will be extremely difficult."

"That’s...!"

The two of them hurriedly considered their options.

Magic, perhaps.

Can the drill machine do anything?

Is there anything else they can use?

"——No good."

But none of those options were useful.

Emily used her meager magic to try to scoop out the water, but it was like pouring water on a hot stone.

"...We’re powerless."

Astrid looked up at the high ceiling.

At this point, there was nothing they could do.

All they could do was bet on Tian’s will to live.

"No, there must be something we can do... something, something——"

At that moment, Astrid heard a noise.

It wasn’t from the passage where Tian had dived, but from the direction of the mine entrance where they had come from.

△

The underwater world is not silent.

In fact, sound travels well.

Thud, thump... bubble, bubble, bubble... whoosh... such sounds could be heard.

Diving just 2 meters can cause ear pain due to pressure changes.

Even if you can equalize your ears, the pain can make an inexperienced diver think it’s impossible to go deeper.

Still, the site supervisor kept diving.

Following Tian, who was ahead.

He could sense her presence from the water currents she created.

The faintest of signs was his guide.

His head hurt as much as his ears.

He thought only of his family as he moved forward—yet his consciousness was starting to blur.

"!?"

At that moment, his arm was grabbed.

And his hand touched the rock wall.

This must be the passage.

Just 30 meters more.

"......"

Just... 30 meters?

"......"

He thought it was impossible.

He was already at his limit.

If he were on land, his face would be soaked with tears.

Still, at least.

He was heading towards the entrance.

Even if he became a corpse, he wanted to leave some trace—so he mustered his last strength.

Tian was also nearing her limit.

The return trip was deeper than the outbound trip, and she had to be mindful of the site supervisor while diving.

Once in the passage, it was just a matter of moving forward, but the remaining 30 meters were a close call.

From here on, the passage was straight, so she didn’t need to worry about the site supervisor.

Tian moved through the darkness.

She had to return alive.

She had to thank Emily, Astrid, and Nina properly.

And—tell the teacher at the convent.

—Leave the town. Go find her parents.

That was Tian’s resolve.

She didn’t want to abandon the site supervisor because he reminded her of herself, left alone and abandoned by her parents.

By saving him, she could put one thing to rest.

Then, she could leave this town—

"......?"

Tian turned around in the darkness.

He wasn’t there.

He wasn’t following.

That meant—his breath had run out.

And they were only halfway through the passage.

"......"

Tian didn’t hesitate.

She turned back.

"!"

He was about 5 meters ahead.

When Tian grabbed his body, he weakly pushed her away.

—If my breath runs out, you go on ahead. It’s fine to leave me.

He had said earlier.

A gurgling sound.

He must be trying to say—leave me here, I’m at my limit.

"......"

But Tian reached out again.

She pulled him closer.

With her free hand, she grabbed the wall and kicked to move forward.

Thump, thump, the site supervisor weakly hit Tian’s body.

—Leave me. Why are you bringing me? You’ll die too.

She could feel him saying that.

(I won’t leave you.)

The site supervisor had also said earlier:

—It’s better for both of us to die. Right, Tian?

He called her by name.

He knew her name, even though he called her a ghost dog.

When Tian realized that, she understood that this site supervisor had—really been a proper supervisor.

His words were harsh, and he used the quota system poorly, and he was aggressive towards Tian.

But he had tried to supervise the site and used all his efforts to meet the quota.

Upon reflection, there was no real unfairness.

Even when called a ghost dog, she was paid according to her work, and she was never banned from the mine.

(So that’s why... I don’t know. It’s hard to breathe. How long has it been? I can’t see the end. I can’t go on...)

Even Tian, with the site supervisor in her arms, couldn’t swim the remaining distance.

(......)

Instead of darkness, her vision was red.

Her body’s cells were starving for oxygen.

Her limbs ached as if they were being torn apart.

(Sorry... Teacher, Nina, Emily, Astrid... everyone...)

At that moment.

Snap.

The rope was pulled.