The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-242

“Hwagmu?! What the hell are you saying right now?!”

“B-But I definitely heard it…! I definitely heard something say that!”

At the mention of Hwagmu, even Chi Woo, who had shown absolutely no interest so far, began paying attention.

“Really?” asked Chi Woo. “You really heard that?”

“Ah… Yes…”

“Hm… Someone stronger than we expected might be behind this incident…”

Seol also agreed with that statement.

‘If it’s claiming Hwagmu revived them, then…’

Seol began mentally going through the figurative guidebook in his head.

There were a number of individuals who helped Hwagmu. While some were humans, there were also members of other races.

‘Don’t tell me…’

A certain individual crossed Seol's mind as he pondered who it could be.

"Argh, damn it! Is that even important right now? We’re in danger regardless, what does it matter?"

“That’s true…”

The miners began to squabble among themselves.

However, they weren’t wrong.

Even just a few moments ago, their only futures seemed to be either starving to death or succumbing to madness.

There was no way anyone could think about the future when their next decisions were already a matter of life or death.

One of the miners suddenly asked Seol and the others a question.

“Food! Do you perhaps have any food?”

“Our supply box disappeared when the Large Soldier fell, so…”

Seol nodded in response.

‘Maybe that was why they were so on edge?’

Not only had the miners gone without food for several days, but they were also facing death at every moment. It made sense why they didn’t have any manners or welcome Seol and the others properly. Additionally, Seol Hong had repaired the Large Soldier, their sole hope, in a way the miners hadn’t even heard of before.

“Kang Seol is an excellent cook,” said Seol Hong. “Please wait a second.”

Everyone, including Chi Woo, immediately turned to her.

“He’s going to cook? In a hole like this…?”

“What is she…”

In an instant, an unbelievable sight unfolded in front of them.

Out of nowhere, Seol pulled out a wok and a burner and immediately poured oil into them.

Ssssssss…

Just the smell of the oil was enough to stimulate the miners' senses.

In fact, a few miners might have even tried to lick the hot oil from the wok if Seol Hong hadn’t stopped them.

Sizzle…

After frying rice noodles in the oil, Seol immediately tossed in some shredded vegetables as well.

Gulp…

Seol then pushed everything in the wok to one side before cracking multiple eggs into it.

After that, he mixed everything into the eggs.

“Haha… I never thought I’d see something like this…”

“He’s cooking a fresh meal in the mines…”

Unlike in ordinary mines, dust explosions and excess dust were extremely rare in the Sodoong Mine, because the Large Soldiers they rode had the ability to purify the air around them.

In fact, If it weren’t for the ghost energy, they could eat and sleep here normally.

Regardless, Seol began handing out the food, and everyone began eating their meals.

“Haah… H-Hot…”

“Careful not to eat too quickly.”

The miners quickly began wolfing down their food.

For the first time since Seol and the others met them, the miners were silent.

Burp…

“Thanks for the meal! I feel a bit better now that I’ve eaten some food.”

“I feel more sleepy now than anything, though…”

“Right? This is why it’s dangerous to eat too quickly, haha!”

“Then why don’t you guys get some sleep?” said Seol Hong. “We’ll keep watch while we discuss what to do next.”

A miner, who seemed to be the leader, began shaking his head.

“How could we possibly sleep in front of a Dragon’s Flower…”

“Do I look like a Dragon’s Flower to you now?” joked Seol Hong.

“I-I apologize for my bad manners…”

Smirk…

“You can even do more if you wish. After all, your friends are doing so already.”

“...Huh?”

The miner turned around to see all of the other survivors taking a nap.

“Th-those bastards…”

"It’s fine. Everyone recovering their energy is much more important for the future anyway."

“...Thank you.”

And like that, the miners went to sleep.

Chi Woo joined them as well, sleeping alongside the miners.

After the two shot the wolf boy an incredulous look, they quickly began discussing things.

“What do you think?” asked Seol Hong.

“The situation is definitely not good.”

“I agree. We also used too much fuel on our way here.”

"That too, but our circumstances also don’t allow us to operate two Large Soldiers.”

“I’ve checked that as well,” answered Seol Hong. “There isn’t much upside to operating both. In fact, we’d probably run out of fuel before reaching the surface if we tried using them simultaneously.”

“In the end, our only option is to all get into the Earth King Unit 1.”

“It is, but… unless we have some ground-breaking way to greatly reduce fuel consumption, it isn’t a guarantee either.”

Seol then gave her a look before asking her a question.

“You thought of something, didn’t you?”

“We could try one thing. But even if you leave that part to me, the bigger issue is the entity crawling beneath us.”

“I agree,” responded Seol. “I believe that will truly determine whether this rescue mission is a success or not.”

In this dark, pitch-black mine… loomed a dangerous threat.

“Who do you think it could be?”

“Powerful enough to collapse a mine this big… and if you include the dense ghost energy… only one entity comes to mind.”

“You as well?”

“Yes.”

Seol Hong then closed her eyes for a short second.

“If it’s this strong… it’s likely Phantom.”

“I agree as well.”

Phantom.

One of the three Ghost Generals that commanded Hwagmu’s ghost army.

The legends said that the Dragon Emperor sealed Phantom before he sealed Hwagmu.

“But there’s one thing that doesn’t make sense to me…”

“That this wasn’t where he was sealed, right?”

“Yes. I was told he was sealed in the Creepy Mountain, a place quite far from Tumaku.”

"The Dragon Emperor is not someone who would be careless with Phantom's ensnarement. This means that either they aren’t Phantom, or... due to his own efforts or with someone’s help, he was able to be unsealed here."

“Regardless, it is a problem. Even if it isn’t Phantom, an enemy this strong is concerning. If Phantom were unsealed, then it would be an even bigger problem.”

“He hasn’t been unsealed for long, though. From what I’ve been told, waking up after being sealed for so long only restores you to half of your original power.”

“A legendary monster is still a legendary monster, though…”

“Do you think he would get in our way?”

“It already seems like he’s doing whatever he can.”

“Haah…Saving them is more than enough of a headache. Why do we have to deal with him as well…”

Seol remained silent after that.

‘It would have been nice if Jamad or Ur was here right now.’

He was unfortunate to be in a situation where the two experienced individuals in magic and shamanism were missing. As a result, he had to start thinking of additional plans.

“By the way…” began Seol. “What was your plan to reduce fuel consumption?”

“It’s…”

Hummm….

Crackle…

Crackle…

The protective umbrella had been maintained for a few days now. As it was important to conserve fuel, Seol Hong had shifted to using the Large Soldier’s battery to maintain the protective area.

However, that, too, will soon reach its limits.

The miners continued to watch Seol Hong, who was moving around the Earth King Unit 1 while fiddling with things.

“What is she doing right now?” one of the miners asked the technicians.

“Just watch. We’re learning, too.”

“...What? Seriously?”

Not only were the technicians now close to Seol Hong, but so were the miners. There was no need to comment on their relationship with Seol, especially when considering how he had been cooking for them.

“Ah… I’m so bored.”

Chi Woo was beginning to feel sluggish from the lack of excitement.

Though there had been some fun moments, he had leaped into the mines expecting much more action. However, after arriving here, nothing interesting had happened at all.

They ate together at the designated time, Seol Hong continued her work during the designated times, and they even all slept at the designated times.

Chi Woo then turned to look at Seol Hong.

She, especially her face, was covered in grease. The stains were beginning to accumulate to the point where soon she would have more grime on her face than even the miners.

Seeing that, Chi Woo asked himself a question.

Why is she working so hard?

He then looked at the other survivors.

It wasn’t just Chi Woo looking at her, but all of them.

Cho Yeon, Chi Woo’s mother and a descendent of the Lang Tribe, left these words for him before her death.

- Chi Woo, you have inherited the Lang Tribe’s blood. It is a noble, powerful blood. And through the Dragon Emperor’s blood, you have also received incredible status.

- Mom…

- Unlike the other members of the Lang Tribe… You have the ability to choose your own future.

Beastmen weren’t treated well in the Khan Empire.

With the Lang Tribe also enduring a long civil war that shook their core, Cho Yeon constantly worried about the tribe’s future.

And now, moments from death, it was time for her to pass on her worries to her child. This was her only chance.

But... she didn’t.

- Be happy, Chi Woo. Live your own life…

- ……

With her death, Chi Woo also lost his connection to the Lang Tribe.

Now, alone in the world, he did not know how to live his life.

And after losing his mother, the people who could influence him the most were his brothers.

- The people? Everyone under the Dragon Emperor’s rule owes something to the Dragon Emperor. And as we are of his blood, the Dragon’s Flowers have the right to rule them too! They’re nothing more than dirt compared to us!

Chi Woo was from both noble and powerful blood.

And despite being in the same circumstances as them, for some reason… he hated those words.

So he beat them, a lot.

With the martial arts that he was so good at.

- Ahhhhh! Th-this bastard…

- I’m stronger than you. Therefore, you are beneath me.

- What?

- Now I’m going to do whatever I want to you!

Chi Woo bullied the Dragon’s Flowers he didn’t like, using training as an excuse. In the end, he managed to make them surrender.

- You’re right… so stop…

But for some reason, it wasn’t fun anymore. Chi Woo stopped bullying them after that.

How was I supposed to live?

Though Cho Yeon had given him the option to do so, she did not leave him with any teachings.

You could break your opponent’s will through violence.

In fact, you could even break them without violence, if you could scare them enough.

Chi Woo lost interest in the world after learning such things.

Everyone seemed like children pretending to be strong. Especially the Dragon’s Flowers, they were nothing more than empty shells.

Or… at least, that was what he thought until he met Seol Hong.

“That’s interesting…”

Why was Seol Hong so desperate?

For herself? The miners?

One of the miners then opened their mouth.

“Maybe we can just… give up on that?”

“What?”

“Y-You know what I’m trying to say, right? We could last a few more weeks here if we just save fuel… Then maybe they’ll form another res—”

"Shut your fucking mouth! The sounds are getting closer! We don’t know what could happen at any moment!"

The past couple of nights, everyone heard the whispers of a ghost.

- You’re scared of me…

- Feel the fear… Close your eyes, truly feel it…

Though it could have initially been dismissed as a nightmare, everyone had heard the same sounds. The voice definitely belonged to whatever had escaped the door.

“It’s as Lady Seol Hong said! If we want to escape now, this is the only method!”

“B-But…”

Clang…

“It’s done. Everyone, come over here,” said Seol Hong.

After soldering one metal plate to another, Seol Hong created a massive box. Well, to be more accurate, she had simply remodeled a container that was already inside the Large Soldier.

“What’s that?”

“A coffin?”

“A box?”

Seol Hong then began to explain.

“Do you see the connected part there?”

Taking a closer look, the miners noticed a hole and a hose attached to it.

“Yes, we do.”

“We will be using fuel to create a protective field within it.”

“Which would essentially protect the box from the ghost energy, right?”

“It will. You can think of it as a massive protective suit.”

“What about oxygen…”

“Oxygen will also be poured into it, after being purified.”

‘Coffin’ was a suitable word for the crudely made box.

“Are you… really trying to stuff us into there?”

“...I am.”

The miners began to murmur with cold expressions.

“Do you really know what you’re saying right now?”

“I do.”

The box was enclosed on all sides.

If the miners were going to escape placed inside the box, they would have to sit in there for multiple days, completely unaware of the outside.

One of the technicians then asked a question.

“Why are you using this method…”

“Because this is the only method. We don’t have much fuel, and the batteries we are using to maintain the protective umbrella will run out soon. We have to save fuel while also trying to reach the surface.”

“But…”

“I know, I’m sure you’re terrified. However, if you place your faith in me…”

It was then…

“How the hell could we trust you?! You’re a Dragon’s Flower!”

“Watch your words!” shouted another miner.

“What the hell happened to all of you?!” yelled the first miner. “Did all of you forget? Did everyone really forget what that Dragon’s Flower did to us?”

“......”

"Because that bastard prohibited us from mining because of some stupid ruin, my dad lost his job! In just a day, he ended up on the streets, begging! And after that, he even ended his own life!"

“......”

"All of the Dragon’s Flowers I’ve met were like that! They’re all hypocrites, they don’t care who ends up dying just because they can’t stop trampling over everything around them!"

Seol Hong then asked a question.

“Do you remember his name?”

“...Zhe Gak. It was Zhe Gak, I’m sure of it.”

“......”

Disappointment consumed Seol Hong’s face.

The unsavory rumors about Zhe Gak seemed to hold some truth.