Episode 36

I eventually entered the cave.

I was aware that the cave, which wasn’t even on the map, was dangerous, but I judged that there was no better place to fulfill the Crown Prince’s investigative purpose.

‘I’ll just take a quick look and return to the Empire.’

That’s what I thought as I walked.

The deeper I went into the cave, the stronger the smell of the sea became.

It was damp and musty.

As I struggled to walk on the soft, wet sand, the Crown Prince reached out.

“Hold on.”

I hesitated for a moment, then took his hand. I was surprised that his hand was warm at first, and then, I was startled when his thick, rough fingers slid between mine, pressing against my delicate skin.

The Crown Prince turned and smiled at me.

“Why are you shivering? Are you scared?”

“No, I’m not scared.”

I couldn’t say it was because of the strange way he held my hand, so I acted like it was nothing.

The further we went inside, the darker it became.

At some point, the sandy ground became shallower, and I could feel the jagged, solid ground beneath us.

“We can’t see.”

“One moment.”

I took the last light stone from my pouch and held it up.

The sharp light illuminated the dark space.

Fwaat-!

At that moment.

Something dark flew swiftly past us. Startled, I shrank back, but the Crown Prince pulled me into his arms.

I buried my face in his chest, then slowly lifted my head.

“What was that?”

“A bat.”

The Crown Prince released my shoulder, looked down, and grinned mischievously. His amber eyes, narrow like threads, glittered in the light of the stone.

“You’re scared.”

I brushed myself off and stepped away from him, shaking my shirt.

‘It was just a little shock, what’s with the fear?’

But honestly, it was definitely a creepy cave for someone who disliked the occult like me.

As we went deeper, we came across a stone staircase in the narrow corridor. It was an architectural staircase that could not have been formed by just weathering and dissolution.

“It’s a designed cave.”

“Is it a labyrinth?”

“It might be. Be careful, Young Lady.”

The Crown Prince’s hand tightened around mine.

We descended the stairs together, each step wide enough for three people to stand side by side.

How far down had we gone?

The faint golden light that poured from an open space illuminated the landing.

We stepped onto the landing and stared at the stone chamber, which emitted a golden glow, before glancing at each other in surprise.

“Stay here, Young Lady.”

The Crown Prince raised his arm to block me, then cautiously entered the stone chamber.

I stood there waiting, not moving, until he signaled me to come in.

Though I had caught a glimpse of the interior while standing outside, I was even more amazed once I entered.

From the ceiling to the floor, the walls were covered in intricate characters that looked like hieroglyphs and Hebrew.

The borders of the engraved characters on the stone plates glowed in bright gold, so dazzling that it nearly hurt my eyes.

On the opposite side of the entrance, there was a stone coffin and a rectangular table with two silver candle holders on either side.

The Crown Prince, stepping carefully around the room, mumbled as he examined the place.

“Ancient script.”

“Can you read it?”

The Crown Prince lightly shook his head.

“With all the frequent battles, I was never trained in linguistics or archaeology outside of essential imperial education.”

“Is that so?”

Well, considering he probably just brings an interpreter along or gives orders himself, I guess it makes sense.

I traced the left wall with my fingertips and spoke.

“It might sound strange, but I can read it.”

“You can?”

The Crown Prince looked at me with wide eyes.

I nodded casually, though I was surprised myself.

‘It could be that the possession buff allows me to understand the language of this place, but how do I know ancient scripts too?’

I was reading it as if it was natural, which was quite surprising.

“Young Lady.”

The Crown Prince gestured for me to read it.

I ran my fingers over the carved characters one by one and then rolled my eyes toward him.

“…The same phrase is repeated.”

He raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and gave me a signal to read more.

“Well, it’s… ”

‘It feels like something you’d find in a cult, trying to seduce followers with these words… It’s awkward to say out loud.’

I tried to swallow my embarrassment and muttered softly.

“Come, O light of darkness. On the day of glory, you shall awaken. It will cover the light…”

That’s when I stopped reading.

Creeeeak-.

The arched stone door moved sideways.

‘What is this?’

The Crown Prince and I exchanged glances and stepped back from the stone coffin.

I drew my hammer, and the Crown Prince raised his spear and positioned himself in front of me.

Creeeeak-!

Again, the stone door slid to the side, this time a bit further.

‘What… what is this?’

My heart raced, and my palms became slick with sweat.

After that, the stone door stopped moving. We didn’t relax, continuing to stare at the coffin.

Thud-!

Suddenly, a noise from outside the chamber startled us, and the Crown Prince and I rushed out of the chamber.

The entrance, where the blue sky had seemed like a tiny dot, was now completely blocked by a stone wall descending from the ceiling.

The Crown Prince and I exchanged nervous glances.

“We’re trapped, aren’t we?”

“Definitely.”

We looked around.

There were only a few stairs left above us, and below was a dark, winding staircase.

In other words, the only way for us was to go down.

Creeeeak- Thud-!

Again, the cave echoed.

My heart pounded like a panic attack, and my mouth went dry.

Just as I was about to reposition my hammer and slowly step back into the chamber…

Thud!

A foot dropped from the coffin, causing the entire interior to shake.

Thud!

As two feet hit the ground, small stones bounced up.

Thud!

The thing that emerged from the stone coffin rose like a mountain, its golden back gleaming.

I slowly lifted my head.

A creature with a round rocky body and limbs was swaying unsteadily as it gazed at us.

Its two arms were human, while its two legs were like those of a lion.

Its rocky body was embedded with multiple human and animal eyes and mouths.

A dozen or so bulging eyes constantly darted around.

Kik… Kik…

A strange laughter emanated from its crooked mouth, from which viscous green saliva dripped.

Flap-!

Under its left arm was a tail—a gray, asymmetrical, heart-shaped tail that was unmistakably that of a shark. Gills, resembling torn flesh, were fluttering in the middle of its stomach.

‘So… disgusting…’

Goosebumps rose all over my body as I staggered backward, pressing myself against the wall.

The overwhelming feeling of discomfort and disgust was far stronger than fear.

Ugh. I covered my mouth with my hand and gagged.

Noticing my reaction, the Crown Prince’s face twisted in disgust as well.

I swallowed and tugged at his shirt.

“Your Highness, does such a monster exist in the Empire?”

“A horrible hybrid. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a monster.”

Thank goodness. This time, the Crown Prince didn’t treat me like a fool.

In fact, even when I had studied the monster’s encyclopedia before entering the zombie zone, nothing like this existed.

‘What the hell is that? It’s on a whole different level from desert scorpion monsters.’

Just as we stood there staring at the creature in awe, it happened.

Kueeeek!

A zombie shot up from the dark staircase behind me and lunged toward me.

Crack-!

The Crown Prince grabbed my shoulder and swung his spear, sending the zombie’s skull flying, which then crashed against the wall and tumbled down the stairs.

‘Wha—what?!’

I held my pounding heart and looked down the stairs, but suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

‘No… could it be…?’

The worst-case scenario began to form in my mind.

I turned again to look down the dark stairs.

The pitch-black corridor was eerily still, like the calm before a storm, with a cold, foul breeze stirring my bangs.

It seemed like a signal, and my breathing began to quicken.

The air felt as heavy as lead.

Then, suddenly…

Clunk!

A claw-shaped bone hand shot out from the darkness and grasped the stone wall.

‘Ah!’

Just as I jumped in surprise…

Kueeeek!

Dozens of zombies burst forth, climbing up the stairs.

‘What the hell is that!’

Crack!

“Young Lady!”

As I hesitated, the Crown Prince grabbed me and pulled me backward while dealing with the zombies climbing the stairs.

After taking down the zombies that had crawled up to the landing, he grabbed my wrist and backed away.

Crack! Thwack! Crack!

“One, two, three, four… Damn it, there’s no point in counting.”

While taking down the zombies, he paused for a moment, breathing heavily, and looked back at me, his face dazed.

“Damn it… Young Lady, are you okay?”

No, I’m not okay.

I told you, this goes against the survival rules of the zombie apocalypse!

Crack-!

Finally regaining my senses, I swung my hammer and glared at the Crown Prince.

Feeling my gaze, he looked a bit embarrassed as he continued dealing with the zombies.

“Young Lady, I take it back!”

Kueeeek!

Crack-!

“…What do you mean?”

“It might not be ‘probably’ anymore!”

The moment his words echoed in my mind, I heard his voice booming like it was amplified.

‘You won’t die, probably.’

Kueeeek!

I looked straight ahead.

Skulls, like white gravel, were struggling to crawl up the narrow path, bumping into each other, some even getting stuck.

I looked to the left.

Kik… Kik!

In the stone chamber, strange creatures were sneering at us, lifting their multiple mouths.

I shut my eyes tightly as I alternated between these horrific sights.

“Damn it…”

At this point, I wished someone would just knock me out.