Chapter 82: The Chimera Graveyard
After defeating the Demon and the chimera housing the Fragment of the White Calamity, we returned to the cave camp, bringing the Undead who was involved with the ruins.
“So, this Undead is… a survivor of the ancient civilization?”
“Since he’s Undead, shouldn’t we technically call him a ‘death-over’?”
Rody-san teased, lightly joking in response to the question from Wanda-san, an executive of the Adventurer’s Guild.
“We are having a serious discussion now, Rody of the Clear Storm.”
“My apologies.”
By the way, Wanda-san, who should have been waiting outside the cave, was here because Risou-san, the temporary supervisor inside the cave, insisted that this was no longer a simple monster subjugation and that they should consult with the Guild’s overseer. That’s how he came to join us.
“…Indeed, I am Ganei Torusokupin, Director of the Chimera Research Institute.”
Perhaps sensing the conversation wouldn’t progress otherwise, the Undead shrugged and introduced himself. Huh, so that was his name.
“My apologies. I am Wanda, the supervisor dispatched by the Adventurer’s Guild.”
After the introduction, Wanda-san explained the origin of the incident and why we were sent to investigate the ruins.
“In short, our objective is to investigate the ruins and the continuous flood of monsters spilling from this cave.”
“Hmm, those brats over there were saying the same thing.”
“We ask you, who lived in those ruins. Do you have any insight?”
“…Very well, I shall explain.”
With that, Ganei-san began by explaining what the ruins were originally built for.
“When I was still human, people and Demons fought fiercely. We fought to protect the world, our nation, from invaders, while the Demons fought to claim this world as their new domain.”
Ganei-san pulled a small metal rod from his pocket.
“The fighting intensified, and both sides devoted themselves to researching magic and magic items to defeat the other.”
He aimed the rod at the ceiling, and several small fireballs shot out from the tip, striking down the bats that were there.
“Something like this.”
“Ooooh…”
The adventurers’ gazes fixed on the metal rod in Ganei-san’s hand, the magic item.
“The war escalated, and research wasn’t just on technology and tools, but on monsters as well. Chimera research was born as a result.”
Next, Ganei-san pointed the magic item rod toward the chimeras the adventurers were sorting. Those were the chimera materials we had brought back as souvenirs.
“Research in various fields intensified, and in the aftermath of the fighting, the Sky Continent collapsed, leaving only small islands. Huge holes and fissures appeared in the continent, and in some places, seawater flowed in to form new bays.”
“Wh-what kind of war was that…”
“It sounds like a conflict of the gods…”
The adventurers, who were listening to Ganei-san while they worked, muttered with expressions of disbelief.
Well, research into magic and magic items for fighting Demons was common even in my life before last.
“It was at that time. A single white magical beast appeared on the battlefield where people and Demons were fighting.”
The moment he spoke the word ‘magical beast,’ Ganei-san clenched the magic item in his hand tightly.
“The beast that charged onto the battlefield attacked both people and Demons indiscriminately. Confused by the sudden event, both sides quickly counterattacked, intending to cut down the presumptuous beast… but we were the ones who were presumptuous.”
With an expression of anguish, Ganei-san snapped the magic item in his hand in two.
“It was annihilation. Both the human army and the Demon army were completely wiped out by a single magical beast…”
“…”
Hearing that the Ancient Civilization’s army and the Demon army were annihilated by a single magical beast, the noise vanished from the bustling camp.
“The beast that ravaged the battlefield swept across the world. Not just battlefields; it appeared in towns, bases, and even small villages to attack us. Many people were sacrificed, and even the Demons fled back to their original world. The few of us remaining desperately ran, barely managing to escape underground. We created a research facility in that temporary haven and began researching how to defeat that magical beast, the White Calamity. That is the true identity of the Chimera Research Institute where I lived… the ruins you have come to investigate.”
“…”
Everyone wore a bewildered expression, unsure what to say in the face of such a shocking confession.
“…So, what happened to this magical beast called the White Calamity? Did you ancient people defeat it?”
Ganei-san shook his head at Wanda-san’s question.
“I don’t know. We remained confined underground until today, continuing our research. We don’t know what happened to that hateful beast. Rather, I should be asking you. Do you know anything about the White Calamity?”
“No, I have never heard of such a monster. At the very least, according to the Guild records I have read, there have been no global-scale damages from monsters or magical beasts for several centuries.”
“Then where did that monster disappear to?”
Rody-san quietly voiced a question, but no one could answer it.
“Well, for whatever reason, it seems the world today is free from the White Calamity’s damage. I am relieved…”
Ganei-san smiled gently, and his body began to faintly glow.
“Now I can pass on peacefully…”
“W-what is this!?”
Everyone cried out in surprise at the sudden event.
“His lingering attachments are gone, so his soul is trying to ascend.”
Foka-san, the priest, explained the phenomenon happening to Ganei-san.
“Ascension? So this Undead will disappear?”
“Yes, he is about to journey to the presence of the gods. A soul that carried enough attachment to become Undead is being saved without need for purification. This is, this is a miracle! Now, let us all see him off!”
Hearing Foka-san’s words, everyone, who had been surprised by the sight, now looked at Ganei-san with solemn expressions. Everyone likely had various thoughts, but upon hearing that a wandering soul was being saved, they seemed to embrace a sense of requiem.
But wait a minute. Everyone is forgetting something important.
“I said, hold on a minute!”
I snatched Ganei-san’s soul, which was about to leave his body, and slammed it back into his flesh.
“Buh-gyah!?”
“HAH!?”
Seeing Ganei-san’s soul slam back into his body, everyone shouted in surprise.
“W-wait, what are you doing, Rex-san!? A wandering soul was finally about to ascend!?”
Foka-san protested, but it can’t be helped since the incident isn’t solved yet.
“Well, he hasn’t explained the cause of the monster surge yet.”
“…Ah.”
Between the flow of the conversation and the near-ascension of the soul, everyone seemed to have completely forgotten to ask for the facts.
“…Ah, well, that’s how it is. We apologize, but could you possibly postpone your ascension until after you finish explaining?”
Wanda-san, looking apologetic, asked Ganei-san to continue his explanation.
“Ugh, I missed my chance to join my comrades again. I was so close to taking their hands.”
Phew, that was close.
“No, we truly apologize.”
“Very well. The monster surge, you say. The Institute originally had facilities to breed monsters used as chimera materials. The monsters raised there were used not only as chimera materials but also as chimera feed. Most likely, those monsters escaped.”
Oh, he mentioned something like that before and after the fight with the Demon.
“Perhaps the Demon who took over the research after me messed something up? Did they carelessly break the wall of the breeding facility, allowing them to escape? Well, I no longer have any attachment to the research. Feel free to destroy the facilities or do whatever you like with them.”
Ganei-san answered dismissively, seemingly eager to ascend quickly.
“Were only monsters bred in the facility? What happened to the chimeras you were researching?”
“Chimeras?”
Ganei-san put a hand to his chin, contemplating Wanda-san’s question.
“Failed experiments and chimeras whose research was complete were thrown into the disposal pit, so I doubt they’re alive.”
“Disposal pit?”
“Yes, sploosh into the subterranean water vein at the bottom layer from the disposal trapdoor. Most of them perish from the impact of the fall and are swept away by the water vein’s torrent.”
Huh? What kind of ridiculously crude disposal method is that?
“…What is the possibility of survival?”
“Hmm, chimeras with wings or those with aquatic properties might survive. Also, any chimeras that managed to safely reach dry land might be surviving in the bottom layer.”
“There are absolutely survivors!!“
The retorts from everyone in the camp merged into one voice. Yeah, there are definitely survivors, no matter how you look at it.
“By the way, because we disposed of them by dropping them sploosh into the subterranean water vein, we called this disposal pit the ‘Sploosh Toilet’.”
Nobody asked for that.
More importantly, a massive loose end was discovered right at the very end!
“Then, may I ascend now?”
“NO!!“
Of course not!
A morning broke after Ganei-san’s shocking statement.
We S-Rank adventurers were ordered to rest to recover from the fighting inside the ruins. Meanwhile, A-Rank adventurers re-investigated the ruins, now free from the threat of the Demon and the huge chimera, and also carried out a sweep of the resident monsters.
“Regarding the monster breeding facility mentioned in the testimony, as expected, a hole was found in the wall, ripped open by large claw marks. Since the hole bypasses the ruins and leads back to this side, it seems all the monsters that came out during this incident are those already defeated in the last battle and those likely remaining in the cave.”
“I see. Good work.”
Wanda-san, upon receiving the report from the adventurers who investigated the ruins, let out a heavy sigh.
“For now, it seems the monster increase will stop. All that’s left is a general survey of the entire cave and the deepest part, which apparently leads to the subterranean water vein.”
“But if that’s the case, the chimeras occasionally discovered on the surface might be descendants of chimeras dumped from similar research facility disposal pits.” Rody-san, who was guarding the camp, mused, following Wanda-san’s statement.
“Perhaps. That Undead’s story suggests that most chimeras that fall underground are weakened by the impact and then dealt with by the native monsters near the water vein, but there are definitely survivors.”
“Hey, could those Antraptors that attacked us before have been…”
“Apparently, those are monsters that were brought in from outside for chimera disposal and then bred.”
“Isn’t that old man too much trouble!?”
Ah, the classic. Using monsters to solve an environmental problem only to create a new one happened in my time too. The emergency dispatch of the Knights is usually part of the deal.
“But those Antraptors were defeated in large numbers during the last fight. If there are still surviving chimeras…”
“The surviving chimeras will definitely become active.”
Both of them dropped their shoulders and sighed heavily.
“Investigating an unexplored cave with chimeras, restricted to A-Ranks… I don’t know how much time and money that will take. We can’t be involved for too long.”
“Mmm, I’d at least like to survey the situation in the bottom layer…”
“No, no, that’s the place you reach last of all. It’s basically the bottom level of a dungeon.”
Ah, come to think of it, the cave could be considered a type of dungeon. Right, speaking of investigating the bottom layer…
“Um, in that case, why don’t we just descend from the disposal pit using Flight Magic?”
“…What?”
Wanda-san looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Well, if the disposal pit leads to the bottom layer, I think we can survey the bottom layer fastest by just descending slowly with Flight Magic.”
“That’s it!“
Wanda-san shouted excitedly at my suggestion.
“I see, you can use Flight Magic! Please, I beg you!”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Wanda-san was overjoyed by my suggestion. Yep, I’m glad I brought it up.
“You’re amazing, young man! Seriously, Flight Magic is incredibly useful!”
“Alright, with this, we can at least create the basic documents for the report to the higher-ups!”
“By the way, young man, about that Flight Magic, can you carry us with you?”
Rody-san asked me that.
“Well, there is a limit to how many people I can carry at once, but if I make multiple trips, I can carry everyone without a problem.”
“Then carry us too. If there are surviving chimeras we encountered in the ruins underground, that’s where we S-Ranks come in.”
I see, that’s Rody-san for you. Even if the objective is just investigation, we should secure minimum combat strength since we don’t know the scale or number of chimeras in the bottom layer.
“Then let us join as well. You can never have too much fighting power.”
“And in that case, you’ll need a healer too.”
Risou-san and Foka-san also came over.
“Alright, then I will organize the personnel for the bottom layer investigation. Wait a moment.”
With that, Wanda-san gathered his subordinates and immediately began forming the team to descend to the bottom layer.
“I will open it now.”
In front of us, Ganei-san opened the disposal pit for throwing chimeras away. The pit was large; it looked capable of dropping even a huge chimera.
With a heavy clank, the disposal pit opened, revealing a huge black hole that seemed to lead to the abyss.
However, something unexpected was also visible there.
“Gah!!“
The deep vertical shaft leading into the disposal pit… countless monsters were clinging to its side walls. And we knew those monsters.
“Antraptors!!“
Yes, Antraptors. The same swarms of monsters that attacked us when we were setting up the second camp inside the cave. The exact same creatures were crawling densely on the other side of the disposal pit.
“It seems we haven’t dropped any chimeras for a while, so they climbed up, hungry for a meal.”
“Is this the time for your leisurely commentary!!”
Someone retorted against the calmly explaining Ganei-san.
“Gishaaaaa!“
Simultaneously, the Antraptors started moving.
“No! Everyone, engage the e…!”
“Lightning Burst!!”
My magic detonated before Risou-san could finish her sentence. The wide-area lightning magic spread throughout the entire disposal pit, intercepting the Antraptors that were trying to crawl out. The Antraptors climbing the walls had nowhere to run or hide, and they were swallowed by the magic, disappearing without resistance.
“Antraptor repulsion complete!”
Yeah, if I don’t have to worry about collateral damage in a chaotic battle, it’s this easy.
“…Um, ah, g-good work.”
Risou-san, who had been about to draw her sword, lowered it and gave me a complicated look of appreciation.
“We struggled with those so much…”
“Well, you know. He’s an S-Rank.”
“That’s right. He’s an S-Rank.”
Voices of reluctant acceptance quietly rose from the surrounding adventurers: He’s an S-Rank, after all. Yes! I might finally be starting to measure up to my S-Rank title!
“No, wait a minute. Don’t lump him in with the rest of us…”
