Chapter 17

A space composed entirely of jagged rock stretched out in every direction.

Moss growing on the walls and ground emitted a faint phosphorescence, providing a meager amount of light. The air was chillingly cool. The sound of water dripping echoed intermittently through the silence.

The half-destroyed golem car was drifting down a river flowing through an underground cavern.

I sat atop the vehicle with one knee pulled up. I held my rifle in my hand, my finger resting steadily on the trigger. I kept my gaze moving, remaining on high alert. I stared even into the darkness where the light couldn’t reach, sharpening my senses so as not to miss even the slightest sound.

Exasperated by the routine, I let out a small sigh.

“Seriously, what a mess…”

Based on my internal clock, about an hour had passed since the escape drama with the dragon. After plunging into the waterfall basin, the golem car had been swept away by the underground river, leaving us helpless.

Our current location was unknown. I assumed we were beneath the forest region, but I had no concrete evidence to back that up; it was just a gut feeling. Looking at the map offered no clues either.

Alice was unconscious inside the car. She had been drowning when we first fell, but I managed to pull her out, and she was hanging in there. Since her right arm and left leg were broken, I had stabilized them with improvised splints for now. Well, her life wasn’t in any immediate danger. She should wake up soon.

Honestly, I was surprised she was even alive. To come away with only a few broken bones after a fall from that height was unnatural. She likely used magic to mitigate the impact, or perhaps she had reshaped the golems into an optimal form to absorb the damage. The improvement in physical ability from her level-ups might have also played a part.

Regardless, she truly was an alchemist who had experienced thirteen lifetimes. Her tenacity was second to none. If she had died here, I would have lost a valuable partner, which would have been a massive problem.

On the other hand, I was almost completely unhurt. During the fall, I had slammed into a rock at the bottom of the water and sustained a bruise, but even that had already vanished completely. My body was tougher than I imagined. I knew I had become strong, but I hadn’t realized it went this far. It was surprisingly formidable. Without the level modifiers, I surely would have been severely injured at the very least.

‘You never know which way life is going to go…’

Reflecting deeply on that thought, I gnawed on some soggy jerked meat. It had a strange hardness and a terrible texture. To make matters worse, it was cold from being soaked in water. To put it mildly, it tasted awful. It felt like I was eating someone’s shoe insole.

That said, it wasn’t enough to make me gag. This was precious food. Without focusing on the taste or texture, I mechanically chewed and swallowed the meat.

‘That damn lizard…’

While silently eating, I looked back on the fight that had forced such a humiliation upon me. The dragon was an incredible monster. I felt lucky just to be alive. It had hundreds of times more presence than anything I’d seen in movies. It was practically a walking natural disaster.

The fact that long-range attacks didn’t work was a major blow. Both bullets and bombs had been mostly deflected. Even the combo of the tear gas and the fire bomb couldn’t be called a fatal wound. It had done nothing more than make it flinch for a moment.

The only thing that actually dealt damage was that lucky punch of mine.

Even then, I wouldn’t be able to land a hit unless I got dangerously close. Against a dragon with the ability to fly, it was an unreliable means of attack. Generally speaking, my firepower was overwhelmingly insufficient. Ideally, I needed to be able to deal a heavy blow even from a distance.

If I had weapons from my original world, the problem would be solved in a single shot, but there was no point in wishing for things I didn’t have. I would just have to craft something of equal value myself.

The first thing that came to mind was a powerful bomb. That was the field where I truly excelled. It also made perfect sense given my skill set. To put it in extreme terms, if I had a bomb with power rivaling the City Core I used back at the Imperial Capital, I could turn a dragon into charcoal.

Now, I also had Alice, an expert in magic. If we had the materials, it should be possible to manufacture a bomb on that scale. Of course, adjustments would be necessary to make it practical for use as a weapon, but I could consult her about that once she woke up.

I’ll never forgive that dragon. If we ever crossed paths again, I fully intended to finish it off. I’d roast it whole and eat it. I bet it would make for a magnificent feast.

‘No, escape comes first.’

I wondered how on earth I was going to get back to the surface from this underground cavern. From what I could see, there were no obvious exits. It was also unclear where the river led. It would be a huge help if we eventually just drifted back out to the surface, but things rarely went that smoothly.

As I was thinking that, the golem car came to an abrupt halt. I heard the sound of friction against the bottom of the chassis. It seemed we had reached a shallow area.

‘Can’t be helped. We’ll have to move on foot from here.’

Currently, the golem car had ceased all functions. It seemed to have broken down during the fall into the basin. Even when I tried to drive it, it wouldn’t budge. The damage it sustained from the dragon was likely a contributing factor as well. Alice might be able to fix it, but unfortunately, she was still unconscious.

Magic-based vehicles were inconvenient at times like this. It was frustrating to be unable to do anything. Once I got out of here, maybe I should try studying magic myself. I was reaching an age where learning new things was becoming a pain, but the situation didn’t allow for such excuses. It was all for the sake of returning to my original world. I’d start with what I could do.

Jumping down from the golem car, I moved to the front of the vehicle and began to pull it along. The total weight was probably several tons, but with my current strength, it felt like carrying hand luggage. It was easier to handle unforeseen circumstances if I was positioned in front. Although I hadn’t seen any yet, there was no guarantee that monsters didn’t live here too.

I hauled the golem car up onto the bank. I positioned it so it was hidden behind a massive boulder. It was a spot that was difficult to attack from a distance and easy to defend. I leaned against the vehicle and took a breather.

“Haha, give me a break.”

I thought I was used to trouble, but this was exceptionally bad. It was so absurd I actually felt a bit stunned. Even considering everything that happened in my original world, this would definitely rank in my top five worst experiences.

For now, I planned to kill time here and wait for Alice to wake up. Moving around aimlessly would just be a waste of stamina. As soon as she regained consciousness, I’d have her repair the golem car. If repairs were difficult, I would just tow the vehicle myself. We still had plenty of water and food. As long as we reached the surface before they ran out, we’d be fine.

I remained still, rifle in hand. While checking on Alice’s condition, I didn’t let my guard down for a moment against potential enemy attacks.

I wonder how much time passed.

Suddenly, I heard the clack of a small pebble rolling. At the same moment, I sensed multiple presences.

“…”

I aimed my rifle toward the direction of the sound. I squeezed the trigger to the limit, keeping myself ready to fire at any second. I wouldn’t strike first. I intended to see how they acted until I could identify them.

I waited for a while, as motionless as a statue.

Eventually, numerous figures emerged from the shadows of distant rocks in a hesitant, fearful manner. Keeping my aim steady, I narrowed my eyes.

The ones who appeared were bearded men with short, stocky builds.