Chapter 40

"Is it hidden inside the rocky area? You've got a pretty good head on your shoulders."

-You have a talent for making me anxious.

"Exactly. It was designed to forcibly fix most of the natural phenomena related to climate and geomancy throughout the entire territory."

-Oh?

"To be honest, it's an idea I never would have thought of."

At my words, Perserk stroked his chin with interest.

-Is the phenomenon of no rain and the geomancy consuming itself all due to the power of the curse?

"Something like that. From the curse's effects I've deciphered so far, there's only one: maintaining a specific situation."

The term 'maintaining a situation' might sound a bit strange, but if it persists in a certain area for a long time, it becomes a very terrifying and extremely dangerous curse.

Especially if the specific situation was set with malice, there's no need to say more.

In fact, this territory has maintained everything except the temperature for a long time, causing a prolonged drought and the geomancy failing to circulate, leading to its consumption.

If the curse's function is already in place, it's already doing its job.

The creator of this curse probably intended to slowly wither and devastate this place, Hains Territory.

It's questionable whether the owner is still alive now.

But what if I can control, rearrange, and modify it?

The geomancy, climate, and temperature.

If I can adjust it to my will and set a schedule, it wouldn't be strange to call it a paradise spell rather than a curse.

If I maintain a warm temperature and a consistent amount of rainfall in a certain area, growing special crops would be no problem.

Thanks to the medium controlling the surroundings, I might even find undiscovered mines by stirring up the underground.

Is that all?

Even if winter comes and everyone has to wrap themselves up to stay warm, this territory can maintain a warm and mild temperature like spring or summer.

It has the potential to be a tourist resort.

I can even change the humidity in the air at will, so if everything goes as I plan, this could be seen as the highest-grade platinum platform prepared for a leap forward.

Currently, all of this is just a hypothesis and not confirmed, but it's something to look forward to.

I stopped walking and stood in front of a rock that seemed to be several dozen meters tall.

The arrow that had been guiding me pointed to this massive rock.

"Hmm... Is this it?"

Although it's a complete dead end, I didn't feel disappointed and reached out to the surface of the rock.

Then, I slowly drew the commanding mana in a specific pattern.

Rumble...

At the same time, the commanding mana that flowed from my hand began to resonate with the wall like a key, and the solid rock started to pull me in as if it had become a black hole.

If I hadn't seen similar things before, I would have been quite surprised, but it felt familiar to me.

* * *

The inside of the rock led to a massive space.

To describe its form in one word:

"Ruins?"

The interior of the giant rock was an unexpected space.

The height of the massive corridor was at least 5 meters, and intricate patterns carved into the walls gave it an ancient feel.

Moreover, despite the corridor being dark and without any light, the blue luminescent stones attached to the ceiling gently illuminated the interior of the ruins.

I never expected such a large space inside a giant rock.

-From the architectural style, it's not from after the Great War.

Currently, she is in a small, pitiful form the size of my palm, but her original identity was a female demon lord who led the demons in a war against humans thousands of years ago.

If she, who has lived a life that is a living witness to history, says it's an unknown architectural style, it can be considered a pre-literate ancient ruin.

It would be a recording element that would make alchemists and mages drool.

-It's surprising that such a space hasn't been discovered until now.

"If I hadn't used the Reifix Curse, I wouldn't have known how to enter this place."

Regardless of the location, it might have taken months just to find a way to break through this defensive illusion magic.

If I had tried to destroy it recklessly, there might have been some side effects, so in a sense, it was quite thoroughly hidden.

-It might be dangerous.

"But we can't just leave it, let's go in."

On the continent, the period before the written record is called the ancient era.

It's a civilization from a time so distant that it goes back at least ten thousand years.

Unfortunately, there are no characters from that time in the corridor, so it can't be confirmed, but the existence of such a civilization is well-known due to the extremely rare ancient artifacts that have appeared in the world.

I don't feel any presence, but the mana is clearly felt in the surroundings.

I expected the commanding mana to be abundant since it's a place where the curse has manifested, but most of the power in the atmosphere is clearly mana.

"Perhaps it's not the work of black mages."

-They might not have realized the existence of this place. However, it's worth questioning why the curse, which has been left untouched for a long time, has only recently become active.

At first, I thought it was a landmine-type curse set by black mages to destroy the entire territory.

But looking at the current situation, this dud curse has been buried in the ground for not just 1-2 thousand years but for ten thousand years, and it's only now awakening as a giant landmine.

"It's really quiet."

While walking without casting a light spell since no light was needed, Perserk muttered in surprise.

-By common sense, there shouldn't be any guardians in a ruin of this magnitude...

Squeak!!! Bang!

-Darn, my mouth is the root of all evil.

She covered her mouth with her small hand as the previously quiet corridor suddenly became noisy.

Before I could move, the stone wall on the ceiling twisted, and a massive something aimed directly at me.

Boom!!!

A massive explosion.

What struck me was a giant black stone fist.

Whoosh!!

It was a split second.

If my reaction had been a bit slower or my skills a bit lacking, I would have been seriously injured by the previous attack.

I let out a sigh of relief and frowned as I looked at the owner of the giant fist that attacked me.

It was a blue-eyed monstrosity in the shape of a human.

About 4 meters tall.

Bigger and more angular, with black stone pieces haphazardly attached.

A small blue gem, about the size of a human palm, was embedded in its forehead, glowing blue, and from its form and the amount of mana it contained, I could tell what it was.

When the same size, one of these gems is worth as much as a platinum coin. This is a concentration of hundreds of such gems.

It's a mana crystal.

"Huh?... Is that a mana crystal? This is insane."

I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

-It's a golem... Clearly a magical golem, and it uses a mana crystal as its core, which is astonishing.

The number of golems in front of me is roughly a dozen. Each of them has a palm-sized mana crystal embedded in their forehead as a core.

Unlike ordinary golems that move using mana stones, these are made from materials that are absurdly rare.

"It smells."

The words slipped out as I looked at them.

My expression naturally twisted.

-They will be incomparably strong, agile, and durable compared to the mass-produced golems that the Alchemists' Guild proudly displays. Moreover, they have the potential for special abilities, so you must not overexert yourself.

Perserk's advice, as if to make me tense, reached my ears, but I had already quickly engaged with one of the blue-eyed mana crystal golems.

Crack.

At the same time, black sparks flew from my clenched fist...

For a creature made of solid rock, a half-hearted attack would be more dangerous.

Moreover, with a mana crystal, I don't know what functions it might have.

The golem, which had started to attack me at an incredible speed, didn't make me retreat.

Instead, I narrowly avoided its fist, which was trying to crush me, and closed the distance with it as much as possible.

Then, I quickly ran and, with a strong stomp, spun and threw my clenched fist.

Crack!! Bang!!

A loud explosion and black sparks scattered in all directions, lifting the giant golem that had attacked me.

An attack that would have shattered its entire body, but it held on.

Without hesitation, I reached out to the golem's head, which was being thrown back, and forcibly pulled out the mana crystal.

Crack!!

With a brutal sound, a half-broken mana crystal was pulled from the golem's head and landed in my hand.

"It smells!"

-Your strength is truly amazing, but what exactly do you mean by 'it smells'...

I confidently shouted at her, who tilted her head in confusion.

"Money smell! It's a sign of a big win!"

Considering the possibility of an ancient ruin that can control all the weather phenomena in the vast Hains Territory.

And the golems using mana crystals as cores, which would make anyone a millionaire if sold individually.

It's hard to believe that what's hidden here is just a small treasure.

It's like finding a gold mine, not a dying land!

The golems looking like lumps of money isn't just a feeling.

* * *

Crack!

With a satisfying destruction sound, the last golem's head, embedded with a solid mana crystal, was separated and pulled out by my hand.

"Phew... It was intense."

As I wiped the sweat off, feeling refreshed, Perserk's expression beside me cooled down strangely.

-Intense? You need to learn the meaning of the word 'intense.'

"Wasn't it intense enough?"

I showed her the torn and charred sleeve and smiled, and she smiled back.

-Whose fault is it that your sleeve is burned and torn by the black lightning you emitted? You are incredibly thick-skinned when you think about it.

Her unyielding behavior made me involuntarily smack my lips.

"Anyway, how many will come out?"

The mana crystals I pulled out were carefully placed in the bag on my back.

Even the golems that I thought were impossible to defeat and tried to quickly escape were found and thoroughly looted, and the amount is quite substantial.

Moreover, by finding and meticulously removing the mana crystals from the golems hidden in the walls, the previously empty bag is now bulging.