Chapter 303
Episode 93: Temar’s Second Tomb (Part 1)
The shop owner had entrusted the store to Jogebi and returned home earlier, leaving only Jin and his companions as customers.
Crunch, crunch, munch, munch, snap…!
The sound of Olmango chewing cookies stood out sharply. He looked almost like a god obsessed with cookies.
It was as if he had found water in a desert oasis—he was practically inhaling the cookies.
‘What kind of god behaves like this?’
Jin couldn’t help but feel a bit baffled. At the same time, he thought maybe they should have prepared more cookies.
The nearby companions naturally gathered around, curious to watch.
It was a strange sight—watching a god bury his head in a basket and devour cookies.
[Is there more!?]
When about 70% of the cookies in the basket were gone, Olmango looked up and said,
“That’s all there is.”
[Please say there’s more.]
His eyes pleaded earnestly.
“There is, actually. At the tea shop on the third floor of the free city of Tikan, across the sea.”
[Ah… then I guess I have to save these. The contractor should get a taste too.]
Olmango closed the basket with trembling hands.
So cute! Enya couldn’t help but exclaim, while the others just shrugged.
Ahem.
Feeling a bit embarrassed by all the attention, Olmango cleared his throat.
[Still, I am a god, yet I showed such a disgraceful side for a moment… If possible, please tell the owner of that tea shop in Tikan that these were the best cookies Olmango has ever tasted. This is no human craft.]
Though he wasn’t human, there was no need to mention that.
“I’ll be sure to pass it on.”
[Good, good. So, you’re Jin Runkandel. The thousand-year contractor Solderet spoke of, right?]
“That’s right.”
[Prove it.]
Jin formed a fist-sized orb of spiritual energy in his palm, and Olmango nodded.
[Confirmed. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d survive to reach me. You caused such a ruckus against Ziphl before even becoming a Rider, and a bounty was placed on you… I thought for sure you’d be dead.]
Like everyone in Hupester, Jogebi and Olmango were well aware of the full story behind the Holy Kingdom incident.
[Solderet really did predict what would happen a thousand years later.]
“Hey, Shell God. We’re busy here. Just give us the key already.”
Murakan said gruffly.
He felt a bit resentful that Olmango called Solderet a ‘friend.’
Before falling into a long slumber, Murakan had never once seen Solderet and Olmango interact.
In fact, the public only knew Olmango’s abilities as something trivial—moisturizing the contractor’s skin, easily luring shellfish, and blessing them to cook shellfish deliciously in any situation.
That’s why Murakan always regarded Olmango as a minor god.
It wasn’t that Murakan was particularly rude; most people thought of Olmango that way.
Jogebi, Olmango’s contractor, worked as a clerk in this remote tavern for that very reason.
[Judging by your voice, you must be the Black Dragon Murakan. Solderet worried a lot about you.]
“Solderet left the keys to Temar’s tomb only to you and people like Pikon Mintche, without a word to me. And you say he worried about me?”
[There must have been a reason for that.]
“Ha! You know what that reason is?”
Olmango shook his head.
Murakan found those bright eyes irritating but knew it wasn’t worth arguing with Olmango.
The companions could tell from Murakan’s gruff tone that he was genuinely upset.
Pikon had known Solderet a thousand years ago, but from Murakan’s perspective, Olmango was a completely unexpected ally.
[Anyway, since the cookies are gone, I’ll open the second tomb of the first head of the Runkandel family. Jin Runkandel.]
“Yes?”
[Are you all going in together?]
Jin exchanged a puzzled glance with Olmango.
“Is that even possible?”
[Nothing’s impossible. It’s just a tomb built to honor someone.]
None of the companions, except Murakan or Misha, had ever considered going to Temar’s tomb together.
[But since it’s a special tomb, you should be prepared to face danger.]
Danger.
Just mentioning it was enough to recall the first tomb. If there was a guardian modeled after the teenage knights like Silderay Runkandel, it wasn’t just dangerous—it was deadly.
Jin didn’t want to put his companions in harm’s way if he could avoid it.
But he also knew that sometimes relying on their strength was the best way to respect them.
‘They all seem determined to come along.’
The companions had already made their choice.
They had been feeling guilty lately for not helping Jin as actively as before.
“Olmango, do you know what kind of guardian is inside the second tomb?”
[I can’t answer that.]
“Why not?”
[All memories of it have vanished. No matter how hard I try, only faint images come to mind.]
Not a single one of the teenage knights had escaped being erased from history.
[But one thing is certain. He must be exhausted. Ziphl has already damaged the tomb several times, leading to fierce battles.]
The guardian of the first tomb, Silderay, was awakened only after Ziphl disturbed the grave.
It was a guardian that appeared only when the condition ‘the thousand-year contractor arrives’ was met.
The guardian of the second tomb, however, had been guarding it from the very beginning.
Once again, a bitter smile spread across Olmango’s lips as he struggled to recall the face he couldn’t remember.
[Let’s go.]
Jin and his companions followed Olmango out of the tavern.
The night was unusually starry. Somehow, the starlight seemed to shine down on them, lighting their path.
Olmango stopped at the beach where the group had spent time swimming and playing.
“…Could the second tomb really be here?”
[Yes.]
Splash…!
Olmango stepped into the water and looked back at the group, signaling them to follow instead of standing around.
[Line up and follow closely.]
Moments later, something astonishing happened.
A ‘path’ formed on the water, following Olmango’s slow steps.
He walked on the sea as if it were solid ground—a truly mystical sight worthy of a god.
Naturally, none of them had ever walked on water before.
“Wow… This god really is a god, isn’t he, Lord Jin?”
“That’s right. Thanks to you, Lord Jet, I’m experiencing something amazing again. The gentle waves all around make this the most elegant scene I’ve ever seen.”
“This is truly a vacation I love, my lord.”
Even Quikantel was secretly impressed by Olmango’s power.
Murakan just grumbled, “It’s just walking on water,” but said no more.
They walked for an hour. Looking back, the sea was bathed in starlight, and the land was barely visible.
[This should be about the right time to open it.]
“What do you mean open? Weren’t you just going to give us the key?”
Murakan asked, and Olmango spread his hands.
[My power is the key, Murakan.]
In the next moment—
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the sea before Olmango began to split apart.
As if a river were being torn into two.
“Ha. What the… This is insane!”
Even Murakan, who had been annoyed all along, couldn’t help but marvel.
The companions were equally stunned.
Jin himself was so surprised he couldn’t close his mouth.
Crash, rumble, splash! Following Olmango’s gesture, the sea formed two waterfalls.
No matter how much anyone tried to explain that this miracle was being wrought by the Shell God, no one would believe it.
And it didn’t stop at just parting the sea.
‘My goodness, what is that?’
Jin and the others looked down between the split waters.
There lay a shell.
Enormous and smooth beyond words… undoubtedly one of a kind in the world, its mouth wide open.
It was as large as a fortress.
[It’s been a while since I used this much power. Murakan, this is why Solderet chose me. There are very few beings in the world who can handle a seal this big.]
The image of Olmango crazed over cookies seemed like a lie.
Even Murakan couldn’t help but show respect.
The reason the Shell God Olmango was known as a minor god was simple.
He always had to conserve his power. His divine mission was to use that power to hide and protect stories for those in need, sealed within this giant shell.
Whoooosh, whoooosh…!
Like a black pearl.
A massive spiritual seal writhed inside the shell. That seal was the entrance to Temar’s second tomb.
[So don’t be too upset with Solderet. Everyone, let’s go.]
“Thank you, Olmango.”
[I’m just doing what I must. Oh, and]
Olmango met Jin’s eyes and added,
[I don’t remember who it is, but please tell the friend inside that they’ve done well.]
“I won’t forget to pass it on.”
One by one, the group plunged into the spiritual seal within the shell.
As everyone was drawn inside, Olmango’s shell closed its massive mouth.
Once again, they entered a spiritual pocket dimension.
But unlike the first tomb, which was endlessly dark and desolate,
the second tomb was filled with signs of fierce battles everywhere the moment they stepped inside.
The skeletal remains, presumed to be those of an ancient Zipple wizard, littered the ground so thickly they could be kicked aside—yet the moment anyone touched them, they crumbled into dust.
“Wow, it was so mystical just a moment ago. Now this place feels utterly desolate and eerie,” someone muttered.
“…How many skeletons are there, exactly? I can’t even begin to imagine how many foes the guardian here must have faced alone, Prince Jin,” Jet and Kashimir said as they scanned the surroundings.
As the group hesitated, unsure which way to proceed, a woman’s voice drifted faintly from afar.
[No wonder I sensed such a commotion from a distance. Yes, I knew you would come…]
The party immediately tensed, turning their heads toward the sound.
Murakan instantly recognized the voice’s owner.
“Sarah? Sarah Runcandel, is that you?”
[Murakan…]
At last, the guardian appeared.
She wore armor resembling that of the Runcandel knights, much like the Silderay order, but it was torn and riddled with holes—utterly battered.
Not just her armor, but her body bore the same ravaged state. Only one arm remained, and countless wounds oozed a spectral energy that looked like blood.
[Why are you so late, you damn bastard?]
The guardian locked eyes with Murakan and spoke.