The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Clatter, clatter, clatter…

Claang!

As the lift finally reached the bottom of the mineshaft, Seol Hong, Chi Woo, and Seol took a second to look around them from within the Large Soldier.

“It’s extremely deep.”

“I guess we should just be thankful that the lift is still operational…”

Seol Hong was tense.

While the rescue mission was inherently dangerous, she was mostly tense because its success or failure depended directly on her decisions.

She had to make swift and accurate decisions.

Beeeeeeeep!

“Apparently… the ghost energy here is far higher than expected?”

“...The number definitely doesn’t seem normal. It’s much higher than we were told.”

“Something must have happened then.”

“It would be nice if it were simply due to the mine’s collapse, but… with these values, we might lose consciousness the moment we remove our protective suits.”

“Is it that high?”

“Well, if it’s this high when we’re still in the shallower parts…”

Thunk…

Thunk…

Beammmmmm…

The Large Soldier’s headlights turned on.

“Everywhere’s completely destroyed… Even finding survivors will be a problem.”

“Are you sure it’s fine that you’re not looking at the map right now?”

"I already entered it before we descended, so it’s fine. The problem is that some parts are cut off, so the information is incomplete..."

It was the first time Seol saw this side of Seol Hong.

She was taking the initiative on the front lines while Seol followed behind. He had never seen her act this way before.

“Amazing,” muttered Seol.

“...Are you talking about me?” asked Seol Hong.

“I am.”

“It isn’t amazing at all. It’s just a small child’s greed.”

“Greed?”

Seol Hong then turned to look at Seol, the respirator still attached to her mouth.

“Are you used to compliments?” she asked.

“...I guess?”

"Well, I wasn't. Not only was there nothing to compliment about me, but the only person who could was Cheon Ju."

Seol Hong then continued, recalling her childhood.

"I couldn’t show any competence in the fields where my siblings excelled. Forget compliments. I was completely looked down upon. But… everyone also seemed happy when I found a way to use complicated ALUs* and got grease all over myself. That’s why I worked harder, because I wanted to receive more compliments."

*ALU = Arithmetic Logic Unit

“I could see how a child could think that…”

"Still, it definitely isn’t a field that suits a Dragon’s Flower. Lower than Daoist spells or martial arts, no... it’s regarded lower than any other skill..."

Smirk…

She then laughed.

"Still, isn’t it funny? The things I learned as a child because of my inferiority complex are now being used to save lives. Life really is strange, huh?"

As the two continued their conversation, Chi Woo suddenly butted in.

“Are you guys… done talking?”

They quickly turned to Chi Woo.

“Because if you are… could you look over there?”

“Huh?”

“That’s…”

Regardless of how much the mineshaft had collapsed, Seol and Seol Hong assumed that the likely cause was the destruction of one of the supporting pillars.

However…

Their minds quickly changed after seeing the massive hole that Chi Woo saw through the periscope.

“What’s that?”

"This incident... It's clear now that it wasn't due to a normal reason."

“What should we do then? Do we still go down?”

They couldn’t see the bottom of that hole.

However, judging by its location, it also seemed like the best way to save time and fuel.

Seol and Seol Hong both nodded in agreement.

* * *

It did not take much for something to be a miracle.

Despite the mineshaft being completely destroyed, no one had died. That alone was more than enough to be a miracle.

However, none of the survivors saw it as such.

“Damn it…”

Their fuel for their protective suits was steadily running out.

When ships were stranded at sea with limited food, the crew members often fought and killed each other because of it.

And there was no guarantee that the miners here would be any different.

There were a total of 22 survivors.

And they were all still very much alive.

All the while, their fuel continued to steadily run out.

“We’re all going to die…”

“You shouldn’t say something like that, you bastard! We’ll all survive once the rescue party arrives.”

“Rescue party? Who the hell mentioned a rescue party? Do any of you really think that a rescue party will come for us? It’s not a normal mine that collapsed, it’s an eerie ghost stone mine!”

“......”

"Do you really think the Suni Kingdom would spend any money to rescue us? Those bastards are the type to skimp out on a funeral! Not to mention the fact that the Khan Empire doesn’t like us anymore. It’s a damn pipe dream!"

It had been three days since the incident happened, and conversations like this had happened countless times.

“Damn it… I can’t leave my kids alone in this world!”

“Wouldn’t Seong Chi take care of your kids, though? Don’t feel too sad, old man.”

“That’s not the point! I have to see them myself! I… I don’t want to die in a hole like this…”

Thud…

“Wh-what was that sound?”

“Isn’t this all because of that?”

“Shut up! Don’t make up anything weird!”

Recently, something strange had happened in the Sodoong Mine.

As the miners were widening the mine as part of their procedures, they spotted a door inscribed with a strange pattern.

Discovering it only recently, they took some time before reporting it to the mine’s managers.

After all, there had been multiple cases where mining operations were halted upon discovering ruins nearby.

If that happened at the Sodoong Mine, the miners feared they wouldn’t be able to support their families, potentially leading to even more disastrous consequences.

As it could potentially lead to the mine's shutdown, the workers decided to discuss it more before reaching a conclusion.

However…

Creaaaaaak…

- Wh-what the hell?! Why is the door suddenly openi—

BAAAAAAAAAM!

That was when the mine collapsed.

In an instant, the ghost energy measurement device began to whistle as the miners began to feel pricks despite their protective gear.

After that, they had been stuck like this.

The shaft toward the exit had collapsed, and because the ground beneath them had caved in, they fell deeper downward.

While their protective clothing had properly activated to prevent them from being hurt from the fall, the issue was that it had cost them a lot of fuel.

Despite this, the miners were also unaware that the mine’s terrain had changed significantly due to the massive earthquake. They also didn’t know that the majority of the mineshaft had been destroyed, making it difficult for the rescue team to reach them.

However, everyone here still knew that it was incredibly difficult for miners to return safely when an accident of this scale occurred in the mines.

If you added the fact that this area could only be reached by Large Soldiers and how most of their equipment had already been sent off to Hong Yeon…

The word ‘hope’ wasn’t even a fantasy for them.

“It’s cold…”

“Come over here then! It’s warm near the Large Soldier.”

“Ah… I’m fine then.”

“What? Why?”

“I heard it’s unlucky to be near them.”

“What? What did they do wrong? Hah, I guess I can’t do anything about your shitty personality, though…”

Click… clack…

The two miners then looked up to see the five technicians hanging around the Large Soldier.

The miners warming themselves up by the robot then asked them a question.

“Hey, can you fix it?”

“......”

“Can you, or can you not? It’s already been three days.”

“The engine’s been destroyed. I’d be a god if I could repair it without any equipment.”

“What’s the situation exactly?”

“One of them’s completely unusable, and the other can’t operate normally.”

It was a miracle that even one of them was still operational. Without it, they wouldn't have been able to warm themselves up at all.

“So…”

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s only barely still working because we’re overworking it. It won’t be able to take us up back to the surface with how little fuel it has.”

“In the end… this is our grave, huh?”

Thud…

Thud…

The ground began to rumble once more.

“What is this sound that we’ve been hearing…?”

“Hieeek…”

“M-Maybe the door that we opened was dangerous? You know… like a curse!”

"Will you please shut up? Are you really suggesting that we're cursed and going to die here because of it?"

Thud…

Thuuuud…

“I-It’s over! It’s coming here!”

“D-Don’t make me laugh! It’s obviously a rescue party here to save us!”

No, there was no way that would be the case.

A rescue party finding trapped miners in just three days?

It was unlikely—no, impossible.

Even excluding the difficulty of finding them, three days wasn't even enough time to form a proper rescue party.

Therefore, the rumbling heading toward them was likely the curse.

In fact, one of them even grabbed their beads to start praying.

“Oh god… Oh god… please protect us. Please let us return to our families.”

Rumble rumble rumble!

“Ahhhhh!”

The miners quickly scurried to the Large Soldier, sticking to it like flies.

The rumblings grew louder, their vibrations wrapping around them through the earth.

Until eventually…

Crumble…

A portion of the wall crumbled.

“Wh-what…?”

“Isn’t that…”

What appeared from behind the wall wasn’t a curse but an older model of the Large Soldier—the Earth King Unit 1, operated by Seol Hong.

“Earth King? It’s the Earth King!” shouted the miner holding the prayer beads. “God! God showed up! God answered my prayers!”

He then immediately ran toward the Earth King Unit 1.

“Over here! It’s here, god! Save us!”

Rumble rumble rumble…

The Earth King broke down more of the wall to enter their location.

It was massive, to the point that the word ‘massive’ wasn’t enough to describe its size.

In fact, it was even bigger than the other Large Soldiers here.

When you considered the Earth King’s immense size and strange shape, it truly felt like a god had descended into the mine.

Seol Hong’s voice then echoed through the speakers.

“Found you.”

* * *

After breaking down the wall to appear before the miners, Seol and Seol Hong explained to them what had been happening on the surface, one by one.

“A rescue team? So you guys are the rescue team?”

“You guys came for us?”

After hearing the word ‘rescue team’, even the technicians came to greet Seol Hong’s robot.

“R-Really?”

“More importantly, isn’t this the Earth King Unit 1? Why is this lump of metal…”

“You brought this all the way down here?”

Thunk…

Thunk…

“Get out of the way, you might get stepped on.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Seol Hong’s Earth King then approached the Large Soldier they were repairing and the inoperational one.

“Is there a problem?” asked Seol.

“That’s what I’m about to see right now,” responded Seol Hong.

Hummmmm…

An electrical wire wriggled out from the Earth King’s arm before connecting to the fallen Large Soldier.

Beep!

The Large Soldier’s status immediately appeared on the Earth King’s screen.

"So the power engine is completely unusable. Other than that, everything else is fine."

Hummmmm…

The wire then connected to the other Large Soldier.

Beep!

“Hm… This is quite an interesting situation.”

“What’s the issue with this one?”

“This Large Soldier only has their engine intact. Everything else is completely destroyed. Their situations are exactly opposite.”

“Then that means…”

Hmmm…

Click…

The Earth King reached out, attempting to grab the Large Soldier’s power engine.

“H-Hold on! What are you doing?! Stop!”

“You shouldn’t toy with it unless you know what you’re doing! If you mess up, and the engine explodes…”

Fwoooooosh…

As the overheated engine was revealed with a puff of smoke, the Earth King quickly pulled it out.

Though the technicians began to scream and shout, Seol Hong unflinchingly continued her work.

Hum…

Click!

The engine was successfully transferred to the other Large Soldier.

Hummmmmm!

- Hello, World! Good morning! I am…

“Woahhhhh!”

“What the hell?! I thought we couldn’t fix it?!”

As the miners began to glare at the technicians, they quickly protested.

“We already said that we couldn’t do anything without equipment! Obviously, we could’ve done the same if all we had to do was swap the power engines!”

“Hmph! Let’s just go!”

The survivors then began walking toward the Earth King.

“Why haven’t you activated the protective umbrella yet?” asked Seol Hong.

“Protective umbrella? What’s that?” the technicians asked in return.

Beep.

Beep!

After fiddling with a few buttons, Seol Hong shook her head as if someone had tricked her.

“Ah… so they removed that function in the newer models.”

After saying that, she immediately began typing something.

She started by pulling out two batteries from the Large Soldier whose engine had been removed.

Then, she connected them to the Earth King.

After a few seconds, the Earth King began making a mechanical sound.

- Protective umbrella activated.

Hummmmmmm…

An umbrella-like hemisphere sprouted from the Earth King, creating a barrier that spread out like a fountain shooting water.

“...the ghost energy values are going down,” said Seol, in awe.

“Let me know when it’s in the green.”

“It’s already in the green.”

“Then they could take off their protective suits.”

Click…

Fsssssss…

As the cockpit opened up, Seol Hong and Seol exited.

Seeing them not wearing protective suits, the miners thought they were gods.

“I told you, didn’t I? They’re gods.”

“The protective suits…”

“Huh? The ghost energy values are normal…”

Seol Hong then opened her mouth.

“All of you, feel free to take off your protective suits.”

“What if it’s a lie…”

Suddenly, a swift, liquid-like blur passed by them.

Fwip!

Woosh…

Woosh…

Their protective suits were taken off automatically.

…Or at least it seemed like it. In actuality, Chi Woo took them off for them.

“Huh… What the?!”

“H-Huh?”

“She wasn’t lying?”

Seol Hong continued.

“We should be fine as long as the protective umbrella is active.”

“Th-the Earth King had a function like this?”

“More importantly, who are you?”

“I…”

Seol Hong finished what she couldn’t say earlier.

After hearing everything, the miners let out a sigh.

“I got so excited by the rescue party… but to think it was an older model…”

“Are you three really the only ones who came down?”

“Stop! Everyone, get a grip! They came down to rescue us!”

“You fucking moles… Let me apologize in their stead.”

A few miners stepped forward to apologize to Seol Hong.

Seeing that, Seol asked them a question.

“We also had some things that we were curious about.”

“Please, ask away.”

“Do you have any ideas about what could’ve caused the collapse?”

“W-Well…”

The miners turned to each other, trying to read each other. After a while, a miner who seemed to be in charge stepped forward.

"Haah... In truth, we believe it was because of that door."

“...Door?”

“Well…”

The man explained.

They discovered a door covered with a strange pattern, with a weird rope and pieces of paper attached to it. The door then opened by itself, causing the mine to collapse.

“What? Bwahahahahaha! What the hell is that? Did a ghost do it, huh?” Chi Woo laughed.

“......”

“If a ghost really is behind all of this, I’d love to meet it, haha…”

Seol then shot Chi Woo a glare.

“Chi Woo, shut up.”

“...Hah?”

Seol Hong quickly intervened before the mood grew worse.

“I… definitely felt something like that.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” confusedly replied the miner.

Seol then answered in her stead.

“On our way here, we felt an unusual energy.”

“Unusual… energy?”

“Yes, do you know how long it has been since the mine collapsed?”

“About three days…”

“Even if the mineshaft was destroyed, do you all really believe that it would take three days to arrive here?”

“Well, I’m sure you cleared some rubble on your way—”

Seol immediately cut him off.

"No, we haven't had to remove any rubble. We continued down the given path with nothing in our way. We were also able to save that much fuel because of it."

“......”

A distance that should have taken a few hours took three days.

Seol then gave a potential reason why.

"It's possible that this mine is continuously changing. It could also be similar when we try to escape."

“Hieeek… Th-then that means…”

Seol continued, looking around the mine.

“That door… Something likely escaped from it.”

“Oh my god…”

“Do you know anything else about the situation?” asked Seol. “Anything else you could surmise?”

A miner, who had been sitting alone in the back, slowly stepped forward.

The young man tensed his face and slowly opened his mouth.

“...mu. I definitely heard something like that when the door opened.”

“...What?”

The man's next words were tied to an old, ancient legend.

“I heard something say… Lord Hwagmu… has awoken me…”

Hwagmu, the Evil Dragon.

A legendary name in the East.

And now, his name was once more being mentioned unexpectedly.

Glance…

Seol, Seol Hong, and Chi Woo all exchanged glances.

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