TLBP 08

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CHAPTER  8………………………………………

 – Historical Site

I wandered through a corridor of flat stone walls stretching endlessly. After walking through the dark path for a while, my eyes adjusted, allowing me to vaguely make out the shapes around me.

A low whoosh of wind came from afar. The fine hair on my face trembled slightly as the wind brushed past.

“Creepy… feels like something could jump out at any moment.”

I minimized the sound of my footsteps and heightened all my senses toward my surroundings.

On the surface, it looked like a place abandoned long ago. It seemed unlikely that the person who built this place would still be here.

Yet, if there were an entrance allowing wind to pass through, it was possible that some wild creature, like myself, had made a nest here.

With ceilings and walls to block rain and wind, it could serve as a perfect hideout for animals. Honestly, even I thought that if safety were guaranteed, settling here wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Of course, that’s assuming it’s safe,” I reminded myself.

The gloomy atmosphere alone made it easy to imagine mummies wrapped in bandages or dried corpses stepping out.

In a world where demons, three-eyed wolves, slimes, and imps moved freely, it was entirely possible that a creature I couldn’t even imagine was lurking here.

Scary thoughts kept multiplying.

“Should I just turn back?”

I stopped and looked back. Faint sunlight seeped through a broken ceiling in the distance. Once the sun set, even that small light would vanish.

“No… I can’t. I’m not waiting for a rescue team, and there’s no way I can climb the ceiling from here.”

I steeled myself against my weak thoughts. Whatever happens, I had to keep moving forward. I refused to become another dried-up corpse in this ruin.

Encouraging myself, I pressed against the wall and advanced into the endless darkness. After walking a while, I noticed a dark shadow ahead, perhaps ten meters away.

I lowered my posture, staying still, and strained my eyes and mind to identify the shadow.

After a while, I realized it wasn’t moving at all.

Carefully, I approached the shadow. I could now see its feet and head.

“It’s a statue.”

Its long body resembled a salamander or lizard, with a head similar to a canine, complete with horns and fangs. Even the scales on its body were intricately detailed.

It reminded me of the haetae or guardian statues in front of temples or palaces.

Though the builders were poor at murals, they were clearly skilled in stonecraft. After all, they quarried flat stones to build these underground structures in a jungle. Making statues would be nothing to them.

I examined the statue thoroughly, hoping for any useful information, but concluded it was just a well-crafted stone object.

Leaping over the scattered statues on the floor, I moved toward the end of the corridor.

“I see something…”

A faint, soft glow appeared in the distance. Perhaps a wind tunnel or exit I had been hoping for?

But as I got closer, I realized the light was far from any exit or wind passage.

“A gem?”

It was about the size of my fist—a gemstone or crystal. It emitted a faint, mesmerizing blue glow. I didn’t know the principle behind it, but I liked it very much.

“Maybe the ancients used this like a flashlight.”

I picked it up. Contrary to my expectation of warmth, the crystal was cold, like a chilled drink can.

Shining the blue crystal around, it illuminated the space like a radiant lantern.

“Hmm?”

The light revealed more statues scattered across the corridor. They varied: four-legged creatures resembling dogs or cats, humans holding short swords, totaling about a dozen.

Why would someone fill an underground space with statues like this? It reminded me of the Terracotta Army in Emperor Qin’s tomb.

Perhaps, like ancient customs where servants and wives were buried with high-ranking people, statues were used instead of humans.

I examined the walls and statues with the crystal. One astonishing detail became clear: the weapons held in the statues’ hands were real steel and iron.

“Giving a statue a real sword… what a luxurious hobby.”

I tried to take the sword from a statue. As I applied force, a human-shaped statue crumbled. Stones clattered across the floor, echoing through the corridor.

“I didn’t mean to break it…”

Slightly embarrassed, I shrugged it off, thinking there was no one to complain.

I bent down and picked up the fallen sword.

Suddenly, all the hair on my body stood on end.

━━

From somewhere, twigs scraped together in the wind. For a moment, I wondered if there was a forest underground.

Then I saw something black charging at me. Its red eyes flashed as it sprinted.

Covered floor to ceiling, it was a mass of arthropods: scorpions and spiders.

The many legs clattering on the stone sounded like trees swaying in the wind.

━What the heck is that?!

I shouted in shock.

The swarm surged like a wave of darkness, like death made visible.

━Zzzz…
━Zzzz…

The sounds reverberated. Bright red eyes glimmered everywhere.

I ran as fast as I could, thinking: dying to a wolf is one thing, but being eaten by spiders is the absolute worst.

━Zzzz…

The sounds grew closer. Apparently, running on two legs was too slow.

I threw the sword to the floor. I considered discarding the crystal too, but its value made me clutch it tightly in my teeth.

On all fours, I moved faster, enough to shake off the creatures.

I retraced my steps and reached the ceiling breach, but there was still no way up.

Three walls blocked my path. I saw spiders and scorpions approaching. Truly a life-or-death situation.

I swallowed hard and eyed the hole in the ceiling.

I had no choice but to try.

Claws gripping, I began climbing the wall. Digging into the engraved stone, I could go up slightly—but the upside-down ceiling remained a problem.

I wasn’t a spider or insect; I couldn’t hang upside down.

Hanging on the wall, I exhaled deeply and eyed the hole. The swarm would reach me in seconds.

I planned my move: push off the wall and leap toward the ceiling hole.

“Whatever happens, I have to try!”

Tensing my hind legs like a drawn rubber band, I pushed off the wall.

I soared into the air, reaching toward the ceiling, but fell short and slammed to the ground.

My back and hips hurt, but worse was the swarm approaching.

━Zzzz…
━Zzzz…

Just before they reached me, I squeezed my eyes shut. Legs clattered on stone walls as the sound echoed.

“…Hmm?”

I noticed something strange and opened my eyes slightly. Countless spiders and scorpions had passed by me, avoiding me entirely.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, or water flowing around a rock, the swarm split around my body and rushed backward.

“Are they avoiding the light?”

Shivering, I held the crystal in my mouth. Indeed, the creatures avoided the bright center.

━Zzzz…

Even without light, they didn’t seem to notice me. They went toward the ceiling hole like water in a pipe.

After a while, the black wave disappeared completely. I blinked, stunned.

“What… what was that?”

I looked around. No spiders or scorpions. Complete, eerie silence had settled in the corridor.

“I thought they were attracted to the sound of the statue breaking…”

Then why did they hide in the ceiling hole?

They had seemed desperate, but not for me. Whatever they fled, it wasn’t me.

“What on earth was that?”

I alternated between looking at the hole and the crystal. Whatever it was, one thing was certain: they hated the light.

“I thought it was just a lantern, but this is pretty amazing.”

I stood up, brushed off, and calmed my racing heart. I was alive—and that was a relief.

I moved toward where the swarm had gathered, assuming the inner area was now empty.

━Zzzz…

Occasionally, a spider or scorpion appeared. Shining the crystal at threatening ones, they shrank back into holes in the walls.

“Effective.”

Holding the crystal, I advanced. I felt like an explorer uncovering an ancient ruin.

Finally, the long corridor ended, opening into a wide hall or chamber.

Even shining the crystal around, the far walls remained out of view. I marveled at the size of this underground structure.

“What is this place?”

Faint words appeared before me:

[Queen El─ Burial Grounds.]

I raised an eyebrow.

A burial ground—this entire chamber, or underground stone structure, was a tomb.

The title “Queen” confirmed it was for someone of high status. Now I understood the enormous scale of this underground construction.

“Like the pyramids of Egypt, Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, or North Korea’s Sun Palace.”

No matter the world, high-ranking people seem to live in palace-like homes even in death.

━Whoooosh.

A strong wind blew. There had to be an exit somewhere.

Clenching the crystal and sword, I moved toward the sound, only to be shocked at what I found.

A massive red-and-gold serpent coiled in the corner. It was large enough to swallow me whole without a trace. Its scales were like rough stone, and horns jutted from its head like eyebrows.

Calling it a dragon or legendary serpent seemed more fitting than “snake.” Even its girth couldn’t be hugged by me.

━Whoooosh.

The wind came from its nostrils. I realized how wrong I had been.

The spiders and scorpions weren’t chasing me—they were fleeing something. And that something was this serpent.

“It seems to be asleep… better not wake it.”

Holding the crystal in my mouth, I crept on all fours. A small passage appeared behind the serpent.

Faintly lit stairs led upward. The wind wasn’t just from its breath.

“That must be the exit!”