Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 14

The wilderness in?the southern part of the Sylphia Continent?had no particular?name, and not many merchants or adventurers?traversed the area. To think a ruin existed there…?Even Shaneth,?who?had lived in Kerlin her whole life,?had never heard of such a thing.

“Aren’t ruins usually found?in?fertile places that?have been?taken over by monsters as their habitat? Adventurers would’ve already flocked over here if they heard there was a ruin in this wilderness,” said Shaneth.

Ruins had existed in this world since time immemorial, and?mentions of them?could be found in numerous ancient texts. They?possessed two distinct characteristics.

Firstly, they were inhabited by an overwhelming amount of monsters. Hundreds and hundreds of monsters could be found inhabiting a ruin, but?they would be trapped inside and unable to leave due to the ruin’s magical energy. Monsters?would not feel the need to eat or drink when they?were in the ruins, but they tended to be very aggressive?after?being?trapped?their whole lives, and would?attack any intruders with the intent to tear them limb?from?limb.

Secondly, they had astounding rewards. A ruin?was considered conquered once someone reached the treasures at its heart. The treasures?found in?ruins?were usually rare items that could?not be bought anywhere else, but they were?usually guarded by boss monsters.

“Ruins have nothing to do with the area they’re in,” Kang Yoon-Soo said. “They’re only difficult to find,” he added.

What greeted them after a long journey was a field of thorns that made the wilderness look even more desolate.

“I never knew such a place existed in the wilderness,” Shaneth said in surprise as she looked at the?numerous?bundles of thorns that grew in the?barren?ground. The bundles of thorns were so tightly packed that?it was?all but guaranteed that?one would be unable to cross this place unscathed.

“How are we going to pass through this?”?she?asked?worriedly.

The greatsword used by Kang Yoon-Soo?had?originally been a machete;?it was a good weapon, but machetes were originally designed to hack and slash through jungles. However, Kang Yoon-Soo looked away and stretched out his hand, saying,?“Summon Salamander Sally.”

A spark formed in midair and started spinning until a small flame vortex formed. A?young girl popped out from within the vortex.

“Papaaa!” Sally exclaimed as she ran toward Kang Yoon-Soo and clung to his leg.?“Papa! Papa! Why did you call me?”?she added excitedly.

Kang Yoon-Soo pointed at the field of thorns and said, “Burn it.”

“What will you give me if I do that?” Sally?asked.

“What do you want?” Kang Yoon-Soo?replied?emotionlessly.

“Hmm…?A?hug?” Sally answered after pondering for a minute.

Kang Yoon-Soo hugged her as requested.

“Kyaaaah!” Sally screamed in delight.

Shaneth thought?it?was a surprising sight. The Kang Yoon-Soo she thought she knew was not someone who would do this at all.?Perhaps he was not so?cold and emotionless after all?

Sally raised both of her arms toward the thorny field and shouted,?“Wrath of the Flames!”

A vortex of flames started to shoot out of?her?hands toward the fields. The?spirit’s flames?were hot and radiant, and the dry and arid desert atmosphere made the flames grow even stronger. They burned?down the field of thorns in an instant, and Sally looked at Kang Yoon-Soo with sparkling eyes as if she were?craving for his praise.

“Papa, papa, Sally did a good job, right?”?she?asked enthusiastically.

“Yes. Now go back,” Kang Yoon-Soo?replied coldly.

“Hng… Praise me more…”?Sally said tearfully.

“I don’t feel like it,” Kang Yoon-Soo said?curtly.

Sally?puffed?her cheeks up as if to show that she was sulking,?then walked toward?Shaneth and wrapped her arms around?her waist, saying,?“Sally loves mama too! I’ll see you later, mama!”

“Alright, see you later, Sally,” Shaneth replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo started moving as soon as he sent Sally back to the spirit dimension, but Shaneth just stood there staring at the?burned-down?field as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened.?He called her over, saying,?“Hurry up.”

The?burned-down thorns?slowly started to grow back?again. Their regenerative ability?was amazing, and the road was?already starting to be covered by them?again. Shaneth let out a shriek and quickly followed after Kang Yoon-Soo.

Shik! Shik!

The thorns were?regenerating at a rate?that was impossible for normal plants. They?started to quickly?cover?the area again, and any delays would trap the?pair?in the field of thorns.

“We’ll get stuck in the thorns at this rate!” Shaneth shrieked, her voice filled with fear.

“That’s why I said to hurry up,” Kang Yoon-Soo said coldly.

The two of them ran until they were out of breath,?until suddenly,?Kang Yoon-Soo jumped into a hole that?had seemingly appeared out?of nowhere. How Kang Yoon-Soo knew about the?whole thing was not?even surprising anymore.?“This way,” he called out to Shaneth.

Shaneth ran for her life and leaped into the?hole?just before the thorns managed to wrap around her ankles. The thorns grew over?the hole and blocked it off?as soon as she landed inside.

Shik!

“Th…?That was close…” Shaneth said as she tried to catch her breath, but Kang Yoon-Soo had already started to walk deeper?into?the cave. She?let out a sigh and followed behind him. The man Shaneth?had seen?during the trials of the Spartoi?was the same as?the man in front of her;?he?was void of any emotions, as if he were?an empty puppet. Then she suddenly remembered?Hermia’s words.

‘He acts as if he’s?lived for a very long time… It feels different from us.’

“Who the hell is this guy…” Shaneth?muttered to?herself.

***

After they traveled some distance through?the tunnel,?light began to shine in from above—it was the exit. A large open area greeted them when they exited the tunnel. The area looked quite different from the wilderness they?had been?in just?before;?it had lush green?vegetation with dew?forming on the leaves, and large trees?towered?above them.

“What… is this place…?” Shaneth asked as she looked around in amazement.

“It’s a place created by magic,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied after?picking up a stone and throwing it into the?distance.

Thud!

The stone Kang Yoon-Soo threw hit something invisible in midair and fell to the ground. Shaneth couldn’t believe her eyes and went to investigate what had just happened. She felt something hard like a wall blocking her, even though there was nothing?visible in front of her..

“There are limitations to?space-related?magic. It will dispel if the weakest point is attacked,” Kang Yoon-Soo explained. The area they were in,?that seemed like?a lush, overgrown?forest, was actually?an illusion?created by magic.

Kang Yoon-Soo took out a Black Iron Dagger?and?looked around the forest before throwing it toward a large tree.

Pukeok!

The dagger landed?in a precise spot on the tree trunk, and the tree started to crumble?in an instant, taking the area with it. The surroundings reverted back to?wilderness,?revealing?a large structure in front of them. It had a large wall?with?a few broken sections?and?strange markings on it—it was a ruin.

The Yultika?Ruin?had the lowest difficulty?of?the ruins found?on?the continent, and the rewards were?only on par with that difficulty. However, one could not underestimate?it,?as it still?had hundreds of monsters living in it.

The ruin in front of them had numerous stone pillars, and its wide interior appeared to stretch endlessly—it seemed?as if?the ruin was boasting?of?its majesty to them.

“The ruin was hidden with magic…?” Shaneth asked, stating?the obvious.

“The illusion?was there to?make you think it was just a normal forest and catch you off guard,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered.

“But?are there?other people who could manage to go through the field of thorns and reach this place…?” Shaneth asked.

“There are,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered curtly. Shaneth was used to his attitude by now,?which was?why she?no longer felt?bothered by his words,?nor did?she further?inquire about anything.

Shaneth had never seen such a large structure in her life,?and she was awestruck by the large ruin in front of her. However, she did?not?let her guard down even if the ruin seemed peaceful from the outside, because she knew for certain that hundreds of monsters inhabited all ruins.

“So what will we do now?” she asked Kang Yoon-Soo.

“We’re going?in,” he answered, then quickly entered the?ruin.

Shaneth was very worried?about entering?the ruin, but she gripped her scythe and followed behind?him. Kang Yoon-Soo was cold and emotionless, but she had to admit that he was well-rounded and skilled. The fact that he was low-level and had no class concerned her, but she was certain that he had a plan.

The?pair?entered the ruin.?Its interior was not?dark at all, due?to the?glow stones?embedded?in the pillars.?While Shaneth was admiring the structure, however, a?sudden cry?emerged?from within the ruin.

“Roooooooaaarr!”

It was a roar that?could give one goosebumps all over—the?roar of a predator. A large?wolf-like?creature?charged toward?them from within the ruin. The creature was covered in silver fur, its eyes were eerily red, and it had?spine-chillingly large fangs.

It was a werewolf, part of a species?known to be aggressive and very difficult to deal with. Werewolves were known to go around in packs, but they?could also?communicate with each other?more effectively than?ordinary wolves.?The average werewolf?was around Level 70,?making it?much more dangerous than a landworm.

Shaneth gritted her teeth and gripped her scythe, but the roars she heard next made her fall into despair.

“Awoooooooo!”

“Awooooooooooo!”

“Awooooooooooooooo!”

As expected, the werewolf was not alone.?Hundreds of werewolves?hidden?in every corner of the ruin started to show themselves. The whole area gave off a silver glow from the werewolves?that?filled it, and?in an instant, more than 700 of the monsters surrounded the duo.

Sniff!?Sniff!

“Grrrrrrrr…!”?The werewolves started to growl?while prowling?around them.

“What should we do now?!” Shaneth asked Kang Yoon-Soo?urgently.

The werewolves started to bare their fangs, as if they were ready to pounce at any moment. It was a moment that could only be described as desperate.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo was not fazed at all and even confidently walked toward the pack of werewolves, surprising Shaneth with his leisurely pace. He then?lifted both of his arms and?loudly shouted,?“Keung!?Grrwaaang!?Grrr… Keung! Keung! Kreung!”

It?seemed to be nonsensical gibberish, as he?was just barking like a dog…

But suddenly, the werewolves started to tense up and?barked?in response.

“Keung??Keungkeung!?Grrrrreung!”

“Grrrrrrr…? Keung!?Keung!”

“Kyeung…?Kyeung…!”

The werewolves suddenly withdrew their fangs and turned docile like a?litter?of puppies,?making?way for Kang Yoon-Soo. In fact, some of the werewolves even started tearing up.

To?think?that monsters would obediently make way for a human! Shaneth was dumbfounded by the scene in front of her that no one would believe even if she told the story a hundred times.

“Did you perhaps… communicate with the monsters just now…?” Shaneth asked as she carefully walked toward?Kang Yoon-Soo.

“Yeah,” he answered.

At that moment, Shaneth was?no longer sure what expression she should have. Eventually, she asked,?“What did you?tell them?to?make them?so docile all of a sudden…?”

“That I’ll?liberate them from the ruin,” he answered.

“Can you really do that?”?Shaneth?asked in surprise.

“Nope,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

…

The two of them leisurely walked toward the heart of the ruin.