I'm Not an Earthworm, I'm an Earth Dragon

For four full days, I walked the swamp as time allowed, but there was no progress. Everywhere I went, the same scenery repeated, and the only difference was that the swamp only got deeper.

There were no monsters, and I avoided the places where the sword was stuck. My body and mind grew tired from the free and muddy days, hoping to accidentally step on a corpse.

If there was visible progress, I could work hard, but the more I went, the more I doubted whether I was doing it right.

“…Ugh, there are so many of these damn bugs…! Akash, isn’t there a spell to drive away insects? You’re an archmage.”

“Of course, I’m an archmage. But before that, I’m a warlock. I have spells to summon insects, but not to drive them away. Why would I drive away ingredients when I need to gather them all?”

“Still, there must be something to drive away mosquitoes…?”

“You should have said so earlier. There is a spell to drive away bloodsuckers. Now, let me write in my book.”

Myungho seemed to be getting tired too, and he was getting annoyed to the point of reacting to the insects that he initially ignored, saying they were nothing. Even Yuna, who had a strong will as firm as his arm, seemed bored.

What were we doing in this swamp with nothing but corpses and insects? I was losing sight of what we were looking for in the first place. It was supposed to be the ruins of the ancient dwarves, but even when I stomped my feet, there was no space underneath.

I did feel the bones of some huge creature. But that was that, and this was this. It would have been different if there was a space inside the bones of that huge creature, but it was just a skeleton lying there dead.

“…Sigh, are you sure this is the right place…?”

“The key kept pointing here. And the constellations shone brighter as we got closer. It must be… evidence that we’re getting closer.”

It certainly… was. And if I listened carefully, the key was humming more actively, as if something was happening.

It still didn’t seem to be felt by the others. Whenever I doubted myself, I dropped a drop of blood on the ingot to confirm it, and to be honest, I wanted to drop another drop of blood now.

To that extent. There was no space around here for something like ruins to fit in. I didn’t know about the sky, but… it probably wasn’t.

I knew that not all adventures were great, but shouldn’t there be something exciting? Walking through a swamp where your feet sink in was never a pleasant experience.

Oh, there’s another one ahead. I turned the magic in my horn and filled the hole dug by the swamp monster again. The monster’s body fluids spurted out like pus from a pimple as it was squeezed by the earth.

“I wish something would come out and make it fun.”

It was fun the first couple of times, but it got boring after doing it over and over again. It was so boring that I would rather fight a fierce monster.

As I continued to wade through the mud without any results, Myungho suddenly took out the key from his bag and stared at it.

“…Guys. This thing, isn’t it shaking? Am I feeling things…”

Come to think of it, it was really shaking noticeably now. It seemed that Myungho and the others could feel it too. I always felt it shaking, so I didn’t know how others felt it.

“No, it’s really shaking. I can feel it too. Then… can we assume that it’s nearby… I hope it’s right.”

“I agree. My toes have gone numb. I want to step on something other than mud. You said it’s shaking? Then carry it around and go in the direction where the vibration gets stronger. Well… you’ll have to drop some blood too.”

“That means… we’re really close now!”

“If we find it. Getting what’s inside out is a completely different story, but be happy for now. The ruins of the ancient dwarves are not easy to find. Even the demon king has only seen a handful of ruins.”

Myungho, happy to finally be able to get out of this swamp, ran with the key at three times the speed he was before.

It was about the speed of a fast walk on land. It was quite funny to see him struggling with all his might. Still, I could understand why.

It was really shaking violently now. It was shaking like the handle of a motorcycle when you start the engine.

“Oh, wait. Myungho, that’s—”

A hole. I quickly made the ground under him rise to prevent him from falling in and getting covered in mud.

He was thrown up a bit high and then thrown back onto the risen ground. He should have been moderately excited.

“Ouch… There was a hole… But, it must be somewhere around here! Look, this thing is shaking like crazy! Altera?”

“I know even if you don’t tell me, so don’t ask me every time. Why do you ask so often for a guy?”

You should know how to ask with just your eyes, with a dignified attitude. I thought it was strange that he seemed strangely shy, and I wondered if people’s attitudes were different in the future.

It’s not strange for a weak person to ask a strong person, but it seems strange when I think of it as a man asking a woman.

I stabbed my palm with my thumb and let the blood flow over the rapidly vibrating key. Then, the now-familiar night sky emerged from the ingot.

I wasn’t very surprised because I had seen it so many times. I was sucking on the precious blood on my finger and watching to see what would happen this time, when the constellation suddenly started to rotate.

It wasn’t pointing in any direction, but kept drawing circles as if it had lost its way. Suddenly, the constellation that escaped the night sky rotated faster and faster.

Uh oh…?

I stepped back, preparing for something unusual to happen. Whether something went wrong or not, the rotating constellation now formed a sphere and shone like the sun.

As it rotated violently, a black hole suddenly appeared in the air. I didn’t know how to react to this foreign object, like a hole in reality, so I just stood there like an idiot.

“Ho. A storage vault that sends you to another dimension. What did they hide that they had to hide it so tightly? What are you doing? Let’s go.”

Myungho had fallen on his butt in the mud while trying to get away when the constellation started to rotate, and only after Akash entered as if it was nothing did he manage to get up.

“Akash, wait! We don’t know what’s inside… Ah. Yuna! Altera! Let’s go in for now! Akash can’t do anything alone!”

I could just let him die… but he makes food too well. I pulled out only the dirt from the muddy water to create a rock greatsword and followed Myungho into the black hole.

After passing through a space that I thought I had only seen in science fiction novels, I came out of another hole and found myself in a completely different place from the vast swamp I had been in.

Although old in places, the lights still seemed to be working well, emitting a soft glow. And the floor and walls that emitted a blue light on their own.

A strange space that was a bit small to be called a corridor and a bit wide to be called a hallway.

Is this a storage vault? Just as I was about to question it, I couldn’t see the people I should have seen. Myungho, Akash, Yuna. Where did they all go?

I put my horn to the floor and turned my magic to devote all my senses to vibration detection, and only then could I barely tell where they were. Let’s see, this is… an adult male, maybe.

But then again, Yuna is similar to this. I’ll know when I get there.

It seemed that we were all scattered. I looked to see if there was an exit, but there were no holes or anything like that.

…Just standing here won’t solve anything. I stood up using the greatsword as a cane and poured my magic to see if my ability worked.

Contrary to my expectations, the flooring moved according to my will. Good, at least I can smash anything that appears.

Should I join them first?

– – – –

“Altera! Yuna! Akash! Where did everyone go?!”

Walking alone in the hallway, I felt a chill somewhere. No matter how loudly I shouted, all I could hear was my own echoed voice.

Where did I fall, and where did the others go? I was just anxious. Anyone would feel that way if they fell into a strange space where they couldn’t see the exit and didn’t know where to go even if they walked.

As I walked aimlessly, I was about to be consumed by the anxiety that I might not be able to get out of here, when suddenly I felt a loud noise and vibration.

Something that could be made by something breaking or collapsing. Even I, who didn’t have a marvelous detection ability like Altera, could tell…

Even though I knew it wouldn’t be of much help, I held onto my sword. The Sword Witch said this wasn’t a sword but an object that held souls, but if this wasn’t a sword, what was it?

I blamed my past self for being too distracted by the words ‘ancient dwarves’ and headed in the opposite direction of the vibration.

I didn’t know what it was, so I should get away for now.

But the vibration was getting closer.

As if something was coming through the shortest path to me, breaking everything in its way.

Could it be that it knows where I am?

I was overcome with extreme anxiety and ran as fast as my feet could carry me. If that was Altera, she would have answered me somehow when I called out to her earlier, but there was nothing like that.

Akash’s words came to mind. Getting what’s inside out is a completely different story. If that’s what he was talking about…

The vibration was now felt right across from me.

I couldn’t run away from this. Whatever came out, I would fight it to the death. I put away the sword and took out the brush.

Come at me, whatever you are.

As I stood with my back to the wall where the vibration was felt, aiming the brush, the wall soon cracked and shattered.

“…Why do you keep running away? I thought you were being chased by something, so I rushed over.”

It was Altera.