Chapter 48: The Underground World! (4)
Author’s note: Hi everyone, have you missed me? Haha, damn, the holidays have gone by so quickly!
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Something this dangerous had been happening right under his nose without him knowing.
Kaiden forgot about the quest entirely at that moment — it no longer mattered to him as much as knowing where this wretched tunnel led.
His field of vision was limited, while both ends of the tunnel were swallowed in impenetrable darkness and silence. He thought for a moment before deciding to follow the left direction, as that path extended toward the workshops deeper inside the territory.
The tunnel was pitch black, and though what was present there was nothing but his vision — detached from his physical body — Kaiden felt a faint tension. It felt as though he had been suddenly transported from an adventure film into a genuine horror one.
Even so, he didn't turn back.
He continued exploring for dozens of meters before stopping. His vision had reached its maximum range, especially when accounting for depth within the distance the skill could cover.
He cut off the vision temporarily, then rose from his chair inside the Lord's Hall and began walking with steady, expressionless steps.
Outside the Lord's Hall, Casper was standing alongside Golan. They had come to deliver their respective reports — but before they could enter, Kaiden stepped out.
Casper prepared to bow in greeting, but suddenly heard the Lord's voice:
"Not now, Casper."
Casper was taken aback.
The Lord's tone wasn't angry — but the usual warmth in his voice had vanished entirely, replaced by complete coldness and detachment. It was the first time he had seen him like this.
The Lord is angry, Casper concluded quickly.
But about what? What has made the Lord angry?
His sharp mind immediately began working at full speed searching for the cause, while Kaiden passed them and continued forward.
After several steps, he stopped suddenly and turned back toward them.
By that point he had shed the wave of dread and anger triggered by discovering the tunnel, and his mind had returned to its usual calm.
Both Casper and Golan stopped thinking and readied themselves to receive the Lord's orders.
"Golan!"
Golan straightened up immediately.
"Listening for my lord's orders!"
Kaiden said in a firm voice:
"In addition to Laura and Josh, I want every single elite soldier — without exception — armed and assembled before me within ten minutes."
"At once, my lord!"
Golan noted the weight behind the Lord's tone and understood immediately that the matter was of the gravest importance. So the moment those words left his mouth, he took off at full sprint without asking a single question.
"Casper!"
"Awaiting the Lord's orders!"
"Effective immediately, declare the territory at maximum emergency status. Halt all non-combat personnel and move them to a safe location."
Kaiden paused for a moment and drew a deep breath before continuing:
"After that, gather all militia soldiers and have them take charge of protecting the territory's residents."
He then looked directly at Casper and added:
"As Lord of the Fertile Lands, I grant you temporary authority to act in my name to execute these orders as quickly as possible."
His words paused for a moment before he added in a cold tone:
"And Casper — one more thing. Anyone who refuses to comply, tell them to await my punishment."
Kaiden emphasized the final two words.
"Heard and obeyed, my lord!"
Casper bowed respectfully before setting off at speed to execute the orders. And though he didn't run as Golan had, his rapid strides were not a single step slower.
Kaiden smiled faintly when he saw his trusted subordinates comply without questioning or hesitation.
In truth, he appreciated subordinates who offered suggestions and used their heads — but in critical moments like this, he preferred those who carried out his orders without delay.
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In reality, things weren't actually this dire — and there wasn't a genuine need to declare maximum emergency status.
He didn't know yet what following the tunnel would reveal. It might simply be an abandoned passage and nothing more.
And even if it wasn't, the protective barrier at ten meters depth still shielded the territory and prevented any intruder from reaching it.
But Kaiden had his own reasons for these orders.
In two days the protective barrier would vanish — and he saw in this incident a fitting opportunity to accustom the territory's residents to responding swiftly to emergencies.
While turning this over in his mind, Kaiden walked until he reached the spot he wanted, then took out another Mana Recovery Potion and drank it in one go.
He activated his skill once more.
His perspective swiftly returned to the depths of the dark tunnel.
Kaiden resumed the exploration meter by meter.
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At the same time, the atmosphere of the territory changed completely under the weight of Kaiden's order.
What had been a scene of quiet, harmonious work transformed in its entirety into organized chaos.
Elite soldiers were running from every direction to assemble under Golan's supervision.
The monster-luring posts were left completely abandoned as the squad leaders sprinted toward the assembly point the moment the urgent summons arrived.
Their militia squad members set off in a different direction in response to Casper's call.
Several monsters drifted over, devoured the bait that had been left out, let out a satisfied belch, and wandered back the way they came — with no one paying them any attention.
The evacuation order reached the farmers too.
They abandoned their half-planted fields and broke into a run without hesitation.
In the blacksmith's workshop, Hook was working on Josh's broad sword.
The mithril was still in the smelting stage — a process that required extremely high temperatures and a long time for the metal to turn to liquid.
The recently upgraded smelting furnace was running at maximum capacity, producing a deep roaring sound that left Hook and his assistants entirely unaware of the chaos outside.
Suddenly Josh burst in and grabbed his old broad sword — which Hook had been using as a model to make a clay mold to its measurements.
Before Hook could ask, Josh said quickly:
"Stop everything you're doing and go to Casper immediately. The Lord has declared maximum emergency status. All unarmed personnel are to report to him now."
Then he added as he moved to leave:
"Sorry, I can't explain more. I have to go too."
He left his words behind him and vanished from the workshop entrance at a speed that surpassed human limits.
Hook stared at the disappearing shadow in puzzlement — but it took only a few seconds before he regained his composure.
He turned to his assistants and said in his rough voice:
"Shut down the furnace — quickly."
"Yes, sir!"
All the workshops were facing similar situations.
Word of the evacuation reached Joel the Butcher, who left the monster he had been dissecting hanging upside down and bolted for the exit.
But he had only taken a few steps before turning back inside, placing the butcher's cleaver he had forgotten he was holding on the table.
He patted it affectionately for exactly one second, then turned and launched himself forward again at full speed.
As for Luther — he had been absorbed in his own work.
On the iron table before him lay the carcass of a massive spider spread flat on its back, its belly split open entirely from both sides.
Dozens of long, thin tubes were drawing green blood from inside the creature and emptying it into a designated barrel on the side.
The moment the evacuation order reached him, he shut off the extraction device, then dashed out of the workshop without hesitation.
At this moment, the high loyalty points Kaiden had built over the past days played their most important role.
The moment people heard the order had come from the Lord, everyone began evacuating and assembling without a single objection or question.
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As for the cause of all this commotion — Kaiden at that moment was still continuing his exploration of the tunnel.
Though his field of vision remained limited, he had gradually grown accustomed to this suffocating environment and kept pushing his vision forward without stopping.
Then…
Finally…
The end of the tunnel appeared.
And with it, the culprit.
In Kaiden's perspective, a massive mound of earth rose at the end of the passage.
And directly behind it, dozens of strange black creatures were clinging to the wall — like enormous spiders pressed flat against the surface.
Each one stood roughly three meters tall, while their bodies looked disturbingly thin.
They had long, unnaturally slender limbs, and their heads were cylindrical in shape — approximately the size of a household gas cylinder.
The scene was strange and terrifying in a way that defied description. Even horror game designers might not have dared to create creatures this frightening in appearance.
But the question remained the same — what on earth were these wretched things doing beneath his territory?!
And before Kaiden had the chance to investigate further, consecutive system notifications rang out inside his mind — forcing him to deactivate the skill.
[System Alert: You have discovered a sinister plot threatening the safety of your territory through the "Subterranean Vision" skill. You have gained: +749 Experience.]
[Quest "Optimal Use of Earth Magic 2!" Completed! Reward dispatched to the Lord's inventory: Equipment — Mage's Robe ×1 (Rare).]
A sinister plot being hatched against the safety of my territory — without my knowledge?!
Kaiden's eyes filled with shock. Events had far exceeded anything he had anticipated. What had started as a simple quest had turned into the discovery of a conspiracy this treacherous.
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— End of Chapter Forty-Eight —