Aside from the two women who had run over to me, everyone was glad I had returned.
“How did you make it back alive? We almost died ourselves.”
The others marveled that I had returned in one piece and told me what they had gone through.
The process by which they had escaped the ruins safely was not much different from what I had expected.
They had focused on running rather than dealing with the monsters.
As they ran toward the surface, whenever the monsters caught up, they blocked the monsters’ advance with shields and ropes, and when they saw an opening, they killed them as well.
Perhaps the rest they had taken midway had helped a great deal, because they were able to shake off the monsters and escape the ruins.
“You have no idea how tense everyone was, wondering if they’d follow us all the way outside the ruins… Carlo dashed out on his own, you know.”
As she spoke about the moment they came out of the ruins, Margreta shot the Latino man a sidelong glare.
“That was something David and I had agreed on in advance. Once we reached the entrance, I was supposed to run back to the base first and report our situation.”
The Latino man immediately made an excuse.
“So he says.”
But Margreta merely shrugged as she looked at me.
“In any case, the reason we survived is all thanks to you, Mr. Myeonghan. We were barely able to escape because the ants had weakened. If those things had been fine, we never would have made it out of the ruins.”
Huiwon, who had been listening, chimed in and praised me.
At Huiwon’s words, everyone nodded.
They all seemed to think they had lived thanks to me.
It was not wrong. I had not sacrificed myself on purpose, but the reason they had all survived was because of me.
The macho older man thumped his chest and said,
“You saved my life, so one day I’ll save yours.”
The young Black man echoed him.
“Me too.”
They were pleasant words to hear, but there was no need to take them to heart.
They were only words spoken while drunk on the mood.
If I had no expectations, there would be no reason to be disappointed.
During the war, there had been several people whose lives I had saved, but I had never received any real help from them.
“When we get to Earth, I’ll keep my promise.”
Now this was the kind of thing I could look forward to.
The words Margreta whispered into my ear.
[What does she mean? A promise? Hurry up and tell me!]
They were such wonderful, magical words that Soph, who had been quietly watching, came pouncing in.
After that bout of happy reunions ended, it was time to report.
“I’m glad you made it back safely. I’ll make a proper report to headquarters about this matter.”
David said it with a serious face, but I did not believe him.
Even if he made a proper report, there was not much chance that the report would benefit me.
Unlike them, I did not belong to the United States.
I had experienced plenty during the war how reports that passed through America were received by those above.
However, seeing Margreta winking at me from behind him made me feel like I could trust it a little.
Damn it.
I shook my head.
It seemed the honey trap was starting to work on me.
I had to keep my wits about me.
[If one cannot trust the words of a beauty, might that not mean one’s own charm is lacking?]
I ignored Soph’s useless remark as well.
After passing over the matter of thanks like that, David continued speaking.
“The fact that you returned safely is an enormous relief to me as the leader of the expedition as well. We were too busy escaping to bring back anything other than two artifacts.”
The artifacts the expedition had taken from the ruins had been a sword and a breastplate, if I remembered correctly.
There had also been a metal rod, but that metal rod had already been smashed.
In that situation, since I had returned carrying the box, it was only natural that he would be pleased.
“We may be able to retrieve the rest later, but with the monsters guarding the ruins, it won’t be something we can do right away.”
I raised a hand and stopped him.
“There is one thing you don’t know.”
Before it got any later, I had to correct his misconception.
“It’s impossible to retrieve the items remaining in the ruins. Not only the ruins, but the canyon where the ruins were located has disappeared as well.”
To the astonished people, I explained how I had escaped the ruins.
“The reason I was able to leave the ruins safely was because the ruins collapsed.”
Of course, I could not tell them everything as it truly happened.
“After luring the monsters into a trap, I kept hiding in a blocked passage. Fortunately, I wasn’t discovered, so I endured there for several days. Then suddenly, the ruins began to shake.”
In order to hide Soph, I had no choice but to leave out both the fact that I had explored the ruins alone and the story of finding the staff deep underground.
Instead, I used the collapse of the ruins as the reason I was able to escape.
“When the ruins started to collapse, the monsters also tried to flee, and I used that opportunity to get out. But it wasn’t just the ruins—the canyon collapsed too, so I nearly died if things had gone wrong.”
After hearing my story, everyone’s eyes widened.
“My God… That huge canyon all collapsed?”
“If that’s true… then you really were lucky.”
Even the Latino man and Margreta had their mouths hanging open.
Unlike the others, David’s expression was not good.
I could tell why David’s face had stiffened.
He must have thought that, along with the ruins, the items inside them had been lost as well.
Partly to ease his expression, I began taking out the things inside the box.
“It was chaotic, but I still brought back as much as I could.”
I took out eight ant monsters, only a very small portion of the ant monsters inside the box, and also took out the scrap metal weapons I had taken from the storage room.
In front of me piled dozens of rusted scrap-metal swords and spears, along with the ant monsters.
“All of that fit inside?”
“I packed it in tightly, and somehow it went in.”
I immediately answered Margreta, who sounded astonished.
But Margreta was not the only one surprised.
“It’s not like putting an elephant in a refrigerator. How did this many fit?”
Huiwon also tilted her head, and David looked at me with a meaningful expression.
[You took out too much. You said you were bad with numbers, but did you fail to calculate the area properly too?]
I had used my head in my own way and calculated a yard as about two meters.
It seemed that had been wrong.
This was all America’s fault for not using the metric system.
[It went far beyond that… Still, compared to the real size, it is nothing much, so there is no need to worry.]
Inside the box were several times more junk and monster corpses than what I had taken out.
That was also why I had taken out too many monster corpses this time.
I had been trying to remove as many useless ant monster corpses as possible…
It seemed I had overdone it a little.
“It seems we chose the right box carrier.”
David seemed to be in a better mood after I took out more than he had expected.
“With the two artifacts, the Dark Stones we’ve mined so far, and the Dark Stones from eight monsters, there shouldn’t be much trouble with the delivery.”
At his words, the young Black man and the macho middle-aged man sighed and began extracting the black stones from the corpses.
It would have been more convenient if I told them where the black stones were, but the report came first.
After that, David asked about various minor things as well.
Whether the ruins could still be seen after the canyon collapsed, whether any ant monsters had been seen afterward, whether I had seen any other artifacts.
I told him everything within limits that would not cause problems.
The ruins had disappeared underground, the ant monsters had been buried with them or left, and I had not seen any more artifacts.
By the time we finished talking, the monster corpses had all been processed.
The others went outside, leaving only David, Margreta, and me in the cave.
They had all deliberately cleared the room.
David asked me,
“There’s nothing wrong with your body, is there?”
“No.”
It was far beyond there being nothing wrong.
All my fatigue was gone, and I had become much stronger than before I went to the ruins.
“We’ll be leaving for Earth in three hours, so the two of you should come to the underground ruins by then.”
It was just as Margreta had told me earlier.
The number of people departing was two.
Margreta and me.
It was something I had been looking forward to for some time, and it was the story that had made me run all the way back to this base.
However, I was a little worried because of the people who would remain behind.
Perhaps she saw my expression, because Margreta resolved my concern.
“It would be better not to tell the others. If they find out you’re going to Earth alone, they won’t look kindly on it.”
Margreta winked with one eye.
“As long as the expedition keeps its mouth shut, it’ll be fine. If people ask, we can just say you went on an expedition.”
When she said that, since they owed me their lives, they would certainly keep that much of a secret, I nodded.
As repayment for saving their lives, this was not bad.
After finishing the report, I returned to the lodging cave.
I explained the situation to Sergeant An and Huiwon, who had been waiting.
“I think I’ll be away for a few days because of expedition business.”
The two of them became greatly angry.
“Again? You only just barely made it back alive.”
“What do they think a person’s life is… We need to protest this.”
I was extremely grateful, but it was not easy to stop them either.
After barely calming the two of them down, I packed my things.
There was not much I needed to take.
The backpack containing the box and one spear.
Since the box could not be moved through space, I could give it to David in front of the ruins.
What remained was the spear—the staff containing Soph.
I picked up my belongings, left the cave used as our lodging, and headed toward the cave where the ruins were located.
A long, winding cave.
Holding a torch, I walked in until the entrance was no longer visible.
Once no one could be seen, I spoke to the mage.
“Now explain it. How are you going to come with me?”
Even if I disguised the staff as a spear, I could not bring it to Earth.
[Who am I? Am I not a mage?]
“A mage who has forgotten magic.”
I wanted to say a senile mage, but I could not bring myself to.
[I have lost many memories, but there is magic I still remember. I am using magic even now.]
At Soph’s words, I looked down at the spear.
“You’re using it even now?”
[How do you think I am speaking with you?
How do you think I am seeing and hearing what you see and hear?
It is all magic.]
It was something I had not even thought of.
I had assumed that was simply something that happened naturally.
“Wasn’t the energy that’s been continuously drained going toward maintaining your mind, Soph?”
Ever since I had taken hold of this staff, energy had been leaking out of me continuously.
It was fine because the rate at which it was replenished was faster, but I could clearly feel it draining.
[That too, but most of it is because of the magic.]
Damn it. Should I cut it off?
[With your ability, you will not be able to distinguish and block only that. If you feel wronged, you would do well to learn magic properly.]
Even in the middle of that, the mage picked a fight.
Hold it in. Hold it in.
I could not get angry here.
I promised myself there would be a later.
[When I heard about the pseudo-magic used by the man who died in the ruins, it came back to me. I can use magic similar to his as well.]
At his words, I remembered the dead businessman.
His ability, which had not even registered with my senses.
If Soph could use an ability like that, I could endure his rude remarks any number of times.
“You can use magic that hides your appearance?”
[It is indeed invisibility magic. Magic that hides the person who uses it.]
“Then will my appearance be hidden too?”
[Do you use magic? Since I am the one using the magic, only my appearance will become unseen.]
Damn it.
Of course.
I nearly threw the staff away.
Still, the mage’s words were not wrong.
If I could hide the staff, I could bring it to Earth.
[Before going to Earth, instead of that hideous bone spearhead, attach a black stone to the tip of the spear. You must attach the best one.]
“Why do I have to do that?”
[I may be wrong, so I will tell you after we arrive.]
As he said, I removed the spearhead and tied the largest black stone I had placed inside the box to the end of the spear.
Unlike the splendid black-stone staff I had seen in the memory, it became a strangely shaped staff, but the mage said nothing even after seeing it.
After finishing the preparations like that, I continued descending underground and arrived at the ruins we had crossed over from.
The Americans guarding the ruins were there, as were David and Margreta.
Upon seeing the ruins, Soph spoke.
[It is still operating well.
With a little adjustment, it seems we could go somewhere other than Earth.
Somewhere like the planet those who escaped from this planet ended up on.]