Episode 5
The Excavation Begins
As Jarette had said, at the crack of dawn the next day, the excavation team set off straight for the ruin site.
“Expect good news. And don’t even think about returning until the excavation is over.”
I heard monster activity decreases in the morning compared to night. With most of the excavation team following except Jarette and a few others, the scale had also grown. They were departing this early to reduce the burden on the already insufficient security personnel.
Even if it seemed rushed, the will of Jarette, the overall head, was strong, and after the long wait for a newly discovered ruin, the team’s motivation was high, so no worry or anxiety was visible among them.
“Alright, everyone, let’s go!”
“Being idle in this remote mountain area was frustrating, but finally, we have work!”
“Let’s just get it over with quickly. My wife is waiting for me at home.”
“You, even if you go back, you’ll just get nagged—why rush?”
“Oh, would someone unmarried like you understand that feeling?”
“What’s that?”
In fact, signs of anticipation and excitement were visible everywhere.
“I’ll lead the way since I know it. Follow carefully. They might not recklessly attack such a large group, but with how ferocious they’ve become lately, you can’t predict what they might do.”
Only Ethan, who had experienced the danger of the Forest Seclusion Imps, warned them to be cautious.
“Haha, Ethan, did you become too timid after nearly dying once?”
“Don’t worry. Unless it’s one or two Imps, I’ve never heard of them attacking such a large gathering of people.”
“You all don’t know how violent they’ve become lately. Something’s off.”
“Ah, Ethan. No matter how ferocious they become, an Imp is still an Imp, right? You should rather warn us to be careful of the more clever Goblins.”
“Hey, enough. Being careful isn’t bad.”
“What, Deacon? Are you scared of Imps too?”
“That’s beside the point. You’re being too noisy, it’s distracting for security, so shut up.”
Only after Deacon, the security captain, stepped in did the commotion subside. He seemed like a strange person when we had our dispute, but now that security duty started, he’s a completely different person. Was he helping me out?
As I watched the procession from the front, Ethan approached and spoke.
“Savior, are you okay? Any memories…?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But memories still aren’t coming back.”
“Ah, I asked an unnecessary question. Memories aren’t something that easily return…”
Ethan seemed somehow disappointed by my answer.
“I thought your memory might have returned when I saw you answer Jarette yesterday. If your memory returns, it could help with the excavation…”
“Hard to say. About ruins… I’m not sure. My name just suddenly came to me, but other than that, I don’t know anything.”
“It’s okay. It’s just my selfish desire to make work easier, so don’t mind it. Haha.”
Whether out of consideration for me, Ethan smiled softly. A handsome man with a pleasant impression that suited a smile. He’s only known as an archaeology expert here, but I know that’s not all.
Ethan was also a named character playing an important role in the game’s worldview.
Even if he seems like this now, his importance is actually higher than Jarette, the person in charge here.
That means he knows a lot about this world.
“But what exactly is the ruin Jarette is looking for?”
I naturally asked Ethan.
“Please explain it to me, even a little. Hearing about the ruin might trigger something.”
I was waiting for an opportunity to ask, and it came sooner than I thought.
“Ah! That could be. Where should I start…”
His face brightening, Ethan seemed to ponder for a moment, then continued as if something occurred to him.
“First, ‘ruin’ isn’t just an old structure; it’s a general term for traces of the Ancients.”
“Traces of the Ancients?”
“Yes. The Ancients, said to have ruled the continent long ago, are known to have used far more advanced technology and magic than now. The remaining ruins are full of their traces.”
“Then…”
“The most noticeable among them is the Black Stone. The Black Stones used by the Ancients contain immense power whose nature is still unknown.”
I nodded, listening attentively to Ethan’s words.
“They are also excellent sources of magical power themselves, which is why the young lady is so eager to find them. Except for the desert region in the eastern continent, the only places to excavate Black Stones are ancient ruins.”
Ethan’s explanation wasn’t much different from what I knew.
In the game, the Black Stones, with their immense, mysterious magical power, were also valuable resources.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Jarette, and indeed all nations on the continent, are obsessed with Black Stones.
Now, ravaged by prolonged war and plague, the Black Stones, with their enormous energy, are literally a symbol of national power.
Scouring the few remaining ancient ruins was no different from an arms race.
Especially for Heidel, which Jarette belongs to…
“It’s all because of the war, really.”
“Deacon! That’s…!”
Just then, Deacon suddenly approached and spoke.
“Isn’t this world history time? Our strong friend here seems curious about many things, so how can you leave out the important stuff?”
“War… That’s not even confirmed yet…”
“What’s surprising? It’s an open secret.”
Deacon, who must have been eavesdropping on Ethan’s explanation since earlier, added his own.
“Our Serendia. No, Heidel. It’s a colony of the great nation Calpheon, you see. So, the Black Stones we excavate are sent one by one to Calpheon.”
Whether flustered by Deacon’s blunt explanation or because it was sensitive, Ethan looked around, but Deacon paid no mind.
“So our fiery employer needs Black Stones to siphon off. At least, newly excavated ruins attract less attention from Calpheon.”
“Deacon! My savior has lost his memory. He must already be overwhelmed with new information; isn’t that too much?”
“Ah, the guy who knocked me around like that wouldn’t lack that much mental strength, would he?”
“Savior, just let Deacon’s words go in one ear and out the other. That’s closer to speculation than truth.”
Ethan cut him off, sounding worried, but Deacon’s explanation accurately predicted the current political situation here.
The power struggle and its underlying reasons surrounding the Black Stones were the same as the Black Desert worldview I had played for so long.
So…
Now I can draw a conclusion.
Even if the details differ, in the broad framework, this is identical to the Black Desert worldview.
“Thank you.”
After listening to their explanations for a while, I nodded and replied.
“Why ‘thank you’? You’re my life’s savior. If you have any questions in the future, please ask. I’ll answer anytime.”
“I don’t say this to just anyone either. It’s a man who can beat me, so I’m trying to look good. ‘Get along well with those who fight well’ is our guard’s ironclad rule.”
This much information was sufficient.
Of course, there were still many questions, but organizing my thoughts was the priority now.
Ethan was one thing, but to receive help even from Deacon, whom I sparred with…
Wait, thinking about it, is this guy doing security duty like nothing happened after being beaten like that yesterday? His stamina is impressive.
Just then.
“Look, something’s visible over there!”
“Wow, it’s bigger than Ethan said! How come we couldn’t find a building like this until now?”
“Let’s hurry!”
Excited voices came from the surroundings.
The group following Ethan had finally discovered the ruin.
“Shall we go in right away?”
From the outside, the ruin was larger than expected.
A massive, semi-circular structure simply placed there.
Ethan, having quickly set down his gear, pointed to the open stone chamber.
“The remaining members will set up the base camp, so we’ll focus on the investigation.”
“Alright, everyone, hurry up. The forest gets dark early.”
“Security, look for positions to set up a perimeter.”
Upon reaching the destination, the previously excited demeanor vanished as the excavation team members moved in perfect unison. Their expert-like movements proved Jarette’s careful selection wasn’t false.
And Ethan was the same.
“We were explaining about ruins earlier and got cut off.”
Unlike when we first met, Ethan cautiously stepped into the stone chamber and began examining the interior.
“If you discover a ruin, the first things to ascertain are its structure, purpose, and construction period. Three main things.”
Still a vast interior.
I listened to Ethan’s explanation while looking around.
“Usually, excavation requests—except for archaeologists—mostly aim for Black Stones, so ultimately, you need to find where the Black Stones are.”
The traces of the many Imps from before were gone, perhaps dealt with by other beasts or monsters. However, bloodstains and blade marks stuck here and there still remained, reminding me of that experience.
“The older the ruin, the greater the Black Stone deposits. Except for special cases, Black Stones are found at the center or very end of a ruin.”
Ethan didn’t stop explaining while meticulously examining the stone chamber.
With an intensely serious gaze, he traced the strange patterns on the wall with his hand, moving forward.
He even picked up pebbles from the floor, smelled them with his nose, and even tasted them with his tongue.
“The patterns on the wall seem to be ancient Kabua style. The tomb-like stone chamber structure resembles Ulukita style at a glance…”
A completely different, professional appearance from the flustered person I first saw. Well, in the settings, archaeologists of Ethan’s caliber were counted on one hand. Though unintended, doing him a favor first turned out to be very lucky. Even now, after giving my name, he still respectfully calls me ‘savior’—considering the help I’ll get from him in the future.
“If my guess is correct…”
Ethan, who had been pondering while examining the stone chamber for a while, muttered to himself, then pushed aside the sarcophagus in the center of the chamber.
Where I had been lying.
-Gr-gr-gr-groan!
With a dull sound, pushing the stone coffin aside revealed stairs beneath it. Who would have thought something like that was hidden?
“Phew, seems like an entrance. This appears to be an older ruin than expected. Old ruins aren’t always good…”
“You just said the older, the more Black Stones, which is good?”
“That’s only from the perspective of those who need Black Stones. In truth, old ruins, especially ones like this with no signs of looting, have a high probability of hidden traps.”
Ethan, having just discovered the hidden entrance, let out a small sigh.
“Also, there’s little information, making it hard to assess, and the excavation difficulty and danger are high.”
According to the earlier explanation, Black Stones are at the end of the ruin.
Jarette’s goal is solely the Black Stones.
Since it’s not about the ruin’s academic value or honor, a ruin with high excavation difficulty like this was troublesome for Ethan.
“For something like that, you found the entrance quickly.”
“That’s because it’s me. Sigh… No choice. Savior, I’m sorry, but we’ll have to work hard.”
Ethan, making a slightly worried expression, slowly descended the stairs.
“Follow carefully behind me. I’ll keep a close eye out for traps.”
And, as if Ethan’s concerns were prophetic, the first thing to greet us was a massive wall, perfectly sealed without a gap.
“A trap right from the entrance…”
“What is this?”
“Savior, please wait behind. This is a Kabua-style seal; it opens when the correct button is pressed.”
As if his worries had become reality, Ethan spat out an explanation mixed with a sigh.
“If you press the wrong button, the door seals completely or other traps activate, so you must stay still.”
Dangerous…
As Ethan described, the massive wall blocking the underground chamber was imposing just by itself. If pressing the wrong button completely sealed it, opening it with our current personnel might be a distant hope. If another trap activated, who knows what would happen.
But I’m different.
“This pattern is new to me… Seems like it’ll take a while.”
Ethan, seemingly analyzing intently, took out a notebook and began writing something, but…
I walked past Ethan toward the door.
“Savior? It’s dangerous! We don’t even know where the buttons are yet. If you get too close and accidentally press the wrong one…”
Ignoring Ethan’s attempts to stop me, I pressed a protruding spot near the corner of the wall.
-Click!
“Sav-savior!”
-Gr-gr-gr-groooooan!
“Huh?”
Simultaneously, the massive wall opened with a heavy sound.
Soon after, stepping into the connected space, I looked back at Ethan and said.
“It’s open.”
