Chapter 39
Chapter 39. The Monster of the Starlight Cavern
Yul explained where he planned to bring the goods from and that he was working closely with the Sun King.
-A human kingdom, you say? I’ve never heard of such a species, but from your words, it seems they’re an intelligent race.
The Sorcerer King of the Penguin Kingdom, Adol, glimmered his eyes with curiosity.
-And you intend to bring goods from there?
-Of course.
-Hmm. Very well. I grant you permission to trade. You may purchase whatever you wish within the Penguin Kingdom, but… there are things I, too, wish to obtain from these humans.
-What kind of things?
-Food, magic stones, steel, and cannons. Among all you’ve mentioned, those are what tempt me the most.
-Understood.
-And I would also like you to deliver a gift to this Sun King. This is an Eternal Ice Stone. It’s a gem mined in small quantities from the Frost Dragon Mountains.
According to Adol, deep inland from the Arctic lay a vast mountain range—the Frost Dragon Mountains. There, a creature known as the Frost Dragon had once lived before being vanquished by penguin heroes.
The gems found only in that range were highly prized—the finest and purest ones were rare enough to adorn Adol’s own crown.
The one he offered, of course, was of lower purity, a lesser-grade stone. But even so, it shone white as snow and emanated a cool, refreshing chill.
-I’ll deliver it to the Sun King.
-And if you manage to establish a large-scale trade agreement with him, I shall gift you another Eternal Ice Stone.
-Sounds good to me.
A large-scale trade agreement. Yul immediately saw the opportunity.
This would strengthen his dealings with the Sun King, and the royal favor he enjoyed would grow even greater.
After finishing his brief meeting with Adol, Tuania turned to Yul.
-I don’t think there’s another orca as greedy for wealth as you are.
-Well, having one like me among the orcas isn’t such a bad thing, is it?
Ordinarily, orcas collected only what they needed and no more. They valued honor over material wealth, whether in the Warrior Corps or among the Patrollers.
-Anyway, you’ll be returning to the Warrior Corps now, right?
-No, not for a while. I’ve just finished a major mission.
-Ah, is that so? Like Nugh?
When Nugh had defeated the Syrendron, he’d left the Corps for a time, wandering with his family for about a year.
-Exactly. Once a mission is done, we rotate—some rest, others take their place.
-So you’re not going back to your family?
-Once I deliver Rahendal’s Shell, my job’s done. And besides, you’re family too, aren’t you?
That word—family—struck Yul more deeply than he expected. Still, he responded with a joke.
-Tuania, wait… don’t tell me—
-I don’t see you that way, idiot.
Smack. Smack.
Two sharp tail slaps. This time, she didn’t hold back. The shock triggered Authority of Madness for about a second before it subsided. Definitely intentional.
Tuania’s eyes widened.
-You just turned red for a moment. What was that?
-Yeah. It's something similar to a Mantra.
-Hmm. Alright.
-Anyway, I plan to go to where the humans live right now. Do you want to come?
-Should I? I am curious. I'll just stop by the Warrior Corps and deliver this first.
-Ah…
Just then, a sharp ringing sound echoed in Yul’s mind. It was a message sent through the Mantra of Communication.
- The regular transmission from the signal tower near the Starlight Gem Cavern has been cut off. Any Patroller receiving this message is asked to investigate the tower for possible issues.
Yul immediately knew who had sent it—Borgin, the former Patroller.
-The Starlight Gem Cavern?
-Hm? Why? Something happened there?
Tuania caught his murmur.
-That’s what they said. The regular contact stopped.
-That signal tower’s a heavily fortified outpost…
-I don’t even know where that is.
There was no such cavern within Yul’s assigned patrol area.
-I know where it is. Want me to guide you?
-Yeah.
Judging from the change in her tone, Yul could tell—whatever awaited them there was going to be dangerous.
* * *
Guided by Tuania, Yul made his way toward the Starlight Gem Cavern. It was located near the western territory of the Orca Tribe, fairly close to his own patrol area.
-This is the place?
All around them were corals of every color imaginable, and countless fish darted between them. Near the middle, a massive tower stood on the continental shelf.
Or rather, it looked like it was built, but upon closer inspection, it resembled Yul’s own outpost, a natural stone pillar with a hollowed-out interior.
-That’s the watchtower?
-Yeah.
-Quite a peculiar design.
Yul and Tuania swam toward it. The interior was empty, as though something had gouged out the core of the stone column.
When they peered inside, they saw no one. Tuania stepped forward.
-Normally, there should be a Patroller stationed here.
-Either they deserted… or…
-They were attacked. I doubt anyone assigned to the Starlight Gem Cavern watchtower would’ve run away.
-Agreed.
It was hard to imagine a Patroller vanishing due to negligence. Orcas never thought of their duties as unpaid labor—it was an honorable obligation.
-Let’s wait a bit, just in case.
They waited half a day, but there was no response. They searched the surrounding area, sweeping a wide radius around the tower, but found nothing unusual.
-It’s too peaceful. That makes it even more suspicious.
-There's no Patroller. Tuania, we should check the cave.
-It’s dangerous, but we’ve got no choice.
-Hold on.
Before entering, Yul activated the Mantra of Communication to contact Borgin.
-Borgin, we’ve arrived at the Starlight Cavern watchtower. There’s no one inside.
-…
-We’re planning to investigate deeper into the cavern.
‘What?’
He received no reply. The Mantra connected, but Borgin didn’t respond. That usually meant the recipient was either asleep or preoccupied with something urgent.
He’s probably still in the village, maybe sleeping.
-What’d he say?
When Tuania asked, Yul replied.
-No answer. Looks like we’ll have to go in ourselves.
-Better send a message to my grandfather, just in case.
-Ah, right. Good point.
The Mantra of Communication was convenient, but one-sided.
Since Nugh didn’t possess it, he could hear the message, but couldn’t send a response.
After sending the warning, they immediately began preparing for the search.
The cavern glimmered with vivid color, gemstones embedded even at the entrance.
The gems formed distinct layers, but as they descended deeper, the natural light vanished, leaving only the faint glow of the stones along the cave walls.
They glittered faintly-like starlight. Now it was clear why the place bore its name.
-Wow, so many gems embedded in the walls. Nobody ever thought to take them?
-Of course not. This cave is a sacred place. A thousand years ago, the Deep King Tribe drove back creatures that rose from the Deep Sea and sealed them here.
-The Deep King Tribe?
-Yes. And the ones maintaining the seal are precisely these starlike gems.
Yul had never actually seen a Deep King before—only heard about them in legends. But traces of their influence were scattered throughout orca history.
-So removing the gems is a bad idea. But then, why haven’t we seen any of the Deep King Tribe recently?
-I don’t know. The elders say they haven’t seen one for as long as they can remember.
-Hmm.
Talking quietly, they made their way deeper into the cavern.
-As you know, one of the Warrior Corps’ duties is to repel anything that emerges from this Starlight Gem Cavern.
-I remember. You’re supposed to drive back whatever comes up from the Deep Sea.
-Right. Maybe this is one of those times.
At the very end of the cave, total darkness engulfed them. The only things still shimmering were the blue gemstones embedded in the walls.
-Is there no one here?
Yul spread his ultrasonic waves widely to scan the surroundings, creating a 3D map in his mind.
He understood the environment at a glance. It was a stone cavern, hollowed straight downward, with dagger-like gems jutting from the walls.
They looked impossibly sharp.
Those gems extended all the way to the impossibly deep bottom of the Deep Sea, and from the space where the gems ceased, there was a sheer, open void.
‘How deep is this place, really?’
Yul judged that the bottom was beyond his ability to estimate.
-Tuania, something’s off here. I can’t sense anything.
-Yul, I told you. Whenever you scan with ultrasound waves, you have to keep in mind that there might be exceptions.
-…?
-Look there.
Tuania slid close and nudged him. She pointed with her tail. In that direction was a patch of darkness.
A hole where nothing should be—an open gap. Behind that gap, the gems that should have glittered were absent.
However, it wasn't picked up at all by his ultrasonic waves.
A chill ran down Yul’s spine.
-What is that?
-That’s… a Barcenoy. A walking barnacle of the Deep Sea.
-It’s not moving, so why don't we wait for backup?
The thing in that sheer, dark void was doing nothing, merely hunkering down as if it were curled up.
Yul thought it would be right to go out and call another orca, but Tuania shook her head.
-No. It’s just come up from the Deep Sea and is still adapting. Once it adjusts to the pressure difference, it’ll be many times stronger.
-Then we can’t wait.
Yul accepted Tuania’s assessment. If it was that dangerous, they had to deal with it now.
As they closed the distance, the creature’s form became clearer. Four long legs were made of an incredibly hard, metallic material, each tapering to a fang-like point.
The body appeared to be a mass of barnacles fused together—it was impossible to tell the original shape. It had no arms, but between the barnacle plates swarmed countless feather-like cilia, and the area that seemed to be its “front” was filled with darkness.
-I’ll attack first.
-Wait…
Black aura flared across Tuania’s entire body like living flame. Even though there was no light source, it seemed to glow on its own. At incredible speed, she charged the barnacle’s core.
The walking barnacle, which had been curled and still, rose to meet her. Even curled, its massed size approached twenty-five meters—excluding the long fang-legs.
Tuania, cloaked in black darkness, rammed like a torpedo and smashed into the shell. Fragments rained down, and it staggered.
The creature only twisted slightly from the impact, then reformed into its prior posture.
Thud!
Yul immediately took his position.
‘While drawing its attention up front…’
Tuania had opened, and the monster’s gaze—or whatever functioned as a gaze—focused on her. Yul drew in his magic.
-Perception.
He let his magic sweep over the monster. Something was wrong—the magic that touched it warped and scattered sideways in a strange way.
Then pour in more magic.
-Perception!
He hurled magic at it until the Perception formula unfolded wildly, and at last he grasped roughly what the creature was.
Its main body was an upper torso covered in shell plates. From the feather-like cilia flowed an uncanny spray of bubbles—the cilia’s tips emitted intense heat.
Its massive dark “front” could not be seen through because of the magic distortion, but from that assumed front, it opened its mouth.
Thud-ud-ud-ud-ud.
And it expelled horrible things. The skeletal bones of a white-boned orca, presumably belonging to the Patroller who had been stationed at the watchtower.
-Crazy.
If they weren’t careful, they’d be eaten.