People sweat more in the heat and shed water from their bodies.
Shedding water means expelling moisture.
That means you need to drink that much more, but once inside the Abyss, it’s not so simple.
No matter how tough an explorer is, there’s a limit to how much water they can carry.
That’s why, on the 16th Layer, you need to actively avoid the heat.
The way to do that is……….
“By avoiding the Sun, you mean.”
“Phew, that’s refreshing.”
Avoiding the Sun’s rays as much as possible.
There’s a reason those caravans out in the Desert wrap their whole bodies in white, even under the scorching heat.
It’s all to block out the burning starlight.
“It’s not exactly the Sun, but close enough.”
“It’s harsher than the Sun.”
The ceiling of the Abyss soared as high as the sky, completely covered by World Tree Roots.
They poured down a merciless light, rivaling that of the Sahara Sun.
Yuseong used a simple method.
A Cold Skin Camel, even bigger than an elephant.
Its back was crowned with two massive humps, big enough for both Jang Dojin and Yuseong to sit comfortably between them.
They draped a white cloth, brought in advance, over the top like a roof, and a fine tent was made.
Thanks to the creature’s natural cooling, it was as cool under that cloth as if an air conditioner was running.
“If only we could bring this guy up to the next Layer.”
“Yeah, if only.”
It wasn’t impossible, just something that would only be possible much later.
Yuseong bit into the fruit he held.
A sweet flavor spread, with a hint of exotic fragrance.
Unlike American-style beef jerky, this was moist and juicy.
A little bit of oiliness melted softly through the body.
Jang Dojin also nibbled on the jerky, enjoying a moment of leisure.
He mixed a splash of Pil Apple Juice into the water inside his Camelbak.
It wasn’t as cold as ice water, but the fresh scent was invigorating.
Jang Dojin admired the horizon in the distance.
Endless stretches of sand desert.
When the fine sand met the harsh light, the landscape lost all sense of reality.
A strange, beautiful scene, like an oil painting done with just a few colors.
Especially since there weren’t any other explorers riding Cold Skin Camels, it felt even more solitary.
Just a little while ago, there had been plenty of explorers around, but now, they had all vanished.
Staring blankly, Jang Dojin muttered.
“By the way… why are we the only ones left?”
“Because we left the road.”
“Ah, right.”
Yuseong’s reply was so nonchalant that Jang Dojin couldn’t even tell what was odd for a moment.
“But… aren’t you not supposed to leave the road?”
As far as Jang Dojin knew, that was the case.
The 16th Layer was famous for its ‘full crossing’ Clear Route.
In this especially vast Layer, reaching the opposite side from the entry Gate was the only known method to Clear so far.
Since dangerous Monsters appear even if you stray just a little from the established path, explorers always walk in a line.
To avoid getting separated from each other.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
But Yuseong had left the path by choice.
BOOM!
Just then, from far away, a thunderous crash rang out like a meteor falling.
There was a clanging, like metal striking metal.
“I said it’s fine. It’s just a flower field.”
“F-flower field?”
The Cold Skin Camel climbed a sand hill.
And only after seeing the scene that lay beyond did Jang Dojin realize what Yuseong meant.
There was a deep basin, and down below, a literal flower bed.
Except, the ‘flowers’ were cactus blooms no bigger than a fist, and the cacti themselves were larger than most trees and bristled with fierce spines.
Between those cacti, explorers moved.
“There’s still things to hunt here.”
Most explorers head for the Clear Gate.
But those looking to hunt Monsters and collect Masok leave the desert road and come to these cactus fields.
Indeed, the explorers were battling Monsters among the cacti.
Some wielded cold weapons; their opponents were Monsters clad in brown carapace.
“Sacheolgap.”
The Monster resembled a pangolin from the surface, or what’s called an ‘Armadillo.’
It curled its body, armored in thick shell, and attacked by rolling—barreling forward.
Thanks to its hard exterior, the cactus thorns did nothing to it, so it thrived here, picking up fallen cactus fruit.
The explorers fighting Sacheolgap moved in tight formation.
“Everyone, form up!”
The Sacheolgap curled up as if determined not to let the intruders escape its territory.
It was a signal—it would charge soon.
Compared to the Sacheolgap’s daunting figure, the explorers looked rather pitiful.
Jang Dojin said anxiously.
“Shouldn’t we help them?”
“What? Why would I do that?”
But Yuseong seemed completely unconcerned.
“But, look how big it is…”
The Sacheolgap was easily bigger than three of those explorers put together.
While Yuseong and Jang Dojin spoke, the thing had already started rolling.
Thud thud thud thud.
It looked as if, at any moment, it would flatten the explorers before it.
But, contrary to Jang Dojin’s fears, the explorers handled it skillfully.
The explorer the Sacheolgap was targeting leaped out of the way at the last second.
In the end, the Sacheolgap crashed headlong into the cactus behind.
BOOM!
The enormous cactus shook, and the crash sounded like a meteor impact.
“It’s over.”
As the Sacheolgap reeled, the explorers rushed it.
They swung their weapons, slicing into the Sacheolgap’s body.
Clang! Clang!
The metallic sound from before had been weapons striking the Sacheolgap’s shell.
Its carapace was as tough as most metals, but the explorers weren’t ordinary.
Their blades, infused with magical power, were plenty strong even without special Gifts.
It didn’t take long before blood was spilled.
“Faster, move faster!”
Perhaps one of their Gifts was magic that increased a comrade’s speed.
Their blades flashed faster and faster.
The Sacheolgap fell, covered in blood, and one who looked like the leader smiled brightly as he extracted a Masok.
A sturdy lump, easily worth several hundred.
Jang Dojin, watching, muttered.
“They’re strong.”
“To have made it this far, of course.”
Just as Yuseong said.
While a safe Clear Route had been opened, and even civilians could enter the Abyss if escorted, this was still a frontline Layer.
Those who had made it down here, and furthermore, had the skills to leave the safe route and seek out hunting grounds, were no ordinary explorers.
Only the best had gathered here.
Even after catching two Sacheolgap, they were eager for more prey.
But Yuseong lounged atop the Cold Skin Camel, not thinking of getting off, just watching.
“Aren’t we here to hunt those too?”
“No, they drop good Masok, but the taste is terrible.”
Up close, Sacheolgap’s shell was made of hundreds of scales.
Each scale contained poison, making its whole body a walking toxin.
No matter how skilled Yuseong was at dismantling Monsters, it was impossible to strip all that poison away.
“Then…”
“Ah, it’s coming out soon.”
Yuseong cut off Jang Dojin’s words.
Like a raptor in the sky, he stared unblinking at a certain spot.
Jang Dojin also turned to follow his gaze.
The explorers, still on guard while searching for new Sacheolgap, didn’t notice.
But about 20 meters away, there was a stone pillar, looking like a refrigerator, as if artificially placed.
From that huge boulder, arms and legs sprouted.
“Oh…”
A massive boulder, at least 5 meters tall, rose and began to walk.
A thought came to mind.
“A Golem?”
“Something like that. It’s the guard of this cactus field.”
The stone giant lumbered straight toward the nearest explorers.
Its stubby arms and legs looked comical compared to its fridge-like body.
But its strength was anything but funny.
One explorer spotted it.
“R-rock giant!”
Between the thing and the explorers stood a massive cactus.
But it didn’t care—it accelerated.
CRASH!
The huge cactus, which only swayed under a Sacheolgap’s roll, splintered and toppled backward.
The explorers panicked.
“Damn it, that’s why I said we should leave after two kills!”
“How was I supposed to know? Last time we hunted here half a day and it didn’t show up!”
“Less talking, more running, idiots!”
The Cold Boulder was a dangerous Monster native to these cactus fields.
It coexisted with the cacti and Sacheolgap, but sometimes suddenly emerged like this.
At last, Yuseong sprang into action.
“Let’s go.”
“Uh, uh…! Yes!!!”
Without hesitation, he dove down the sandy slope.
When Yuseong landed, the impact sent the sand tumbling down.
He kept his balance with incredible skill.
Like a snowboarder, he rode the sand downhill.
“Uwaahh!”
Jang Dojin rolled after him.
At first, the sand slid just a little, but soon it grew into a wave.
Behind Yuseong, a sand wave several meters high followed as he slid down.
The explorers, trying desperately to scramble up the slope and avoid the Cold Boulder, saw the avalanche of sand coming and gaped.
“You—what the hell!”
They shouted at Yuseong as he raced past, but he shot past them like lightning.
“That crazy—urk!”
Right after Yuseong, Jang Dojin tumbled down.
The explorers, clutching their startled hearts, looked ahead again.
“Just our luck…! Ugh.”
They were caught in the surging sand.
They were tough enough not to die from being buried, but they could do nothing but be swept away.
Yuseong clicked his tongue, seeing Jang Dojin still unable to balance himself.
“Earn your keep for once!”
After all that good jerky, it was time to pay for it.
As Yuseong released his magic, armor began to cover Jang Dojin’s body.
With the Armored Giant’s Protection, Jang Dojin couldn’t ride the sand wave like Yuseong.
“Gwooh!”
But with the added weight, he could at least keep his footing and charge downhill.
Down below, the Cold Boulder stood.
Perhaps surprised by the rushing sand wave, it braced itself not to be swept away.
Yuseong shouted an order.
“Kick it over!”
Perhaps thanks to ingrained training and callused feet, Jang Dojin accelerated on instinct.
He leaped high, and like a wrestler, dropkicked.
BOOM!
Was this what it was like when a battering ram smashed a castle gate in medieval war?
With the Armored Giant’s Protection, Jang Dojin knocked the Cold Boulder over.
In slow motion, the Cold Boulder toppled backward, its massive form collapsing.
BOOM!
And the sand that followed swallowed everything up.
Jang Dojin, the explorers, the Cold Boulder—all were buried by the incoming sand.
The cacti acted as breakwaters, finally stopping the wave.
Atop the mound of sand, several meters high, only Yuseong stood.
Yuseong lingered a moment on the new sand plateau.
A hand soon popped up.
It was Jang Dojin’s, the Armored Giant’s Protection already faded.
“Ugh! Cough!”
Every time Jang Dojin coughed, a fistful of sand came out.
“Almost died, jeez.”
“Why’d you get buried?”
Yuseong pulled Jang Dojin up.
Soon, the lighter explorers also crawled out of the sand.
Though none of them were weak enough to die here, it had still been a harrowing experience.
Caked in sand like miners from a coal pit, the explorers protested to Yuseong.
“You! Are you crazy?”
“Were you trying to kill us? Want a lawsuit?”
“Damn it, where’s my sword? You buried it!”
They looked ready to start a fight at any moment.
“Tch, you pull someone from the water and they want your wallet too.”
But suddenly, Yuseong snapped back at them.
The angry explorers recoiled, taken aback by his unexpected response.
“You realize I just saved your lives from the Cold Boulder, right?”
“W-what…!”
“Or were you planning to kill it yourself?”
“That’s…”
The explorer who had lost his sword looked flustered.
The Cold Boulder wasn’t something you could kill.
It wasn’t as fast as Sacheolgap, but its sheer bulk made its power overwhelming.
More than anything, its durability was off the charts.
With a flimsy sword or spear, you could barely even scratch it.
Blunt weapons like hammers worked best, but there was no way to climb on that huge thing and smash away.
Then one of the female explorers protested.
“We’re fast enough! We could have escaped just fine!”
“Yeah, we’ve hunted here more than once!”
But Yuseong retorted.
“Bullshit! I saw it right behind you. You almost died while gawking, so I helped you out.”
“No way…”
“Did you check?”
The explorers, busy running, hadn’t looked back.
“Did you check or not!”
“Well…”
Jang Dojin saw it.
Yuseong had waited for them to lure the Cold Boulder close to the sand hill.
And if left alone, the explorers could probably have escaped just fine.
The Cold Boulder and the explorers had plenty of distance between them.
But, seeing the cold, deadly gleam in Yuseong’s eyes, Jang Dojin couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
“Th-thank you… and sorry for yelling.”
In the end, they apologized awkwardly.
Yuseong nodded as if he had no choice but to accept.
“Well, we’re all colleagues here, aren’t we? Gotta help each other.”
He even patted their shoulders encouragingly.
“Anyway, since I dealt with the Cold Boulder, you can hunt Sacheolgap in peace now.”
“O-okay…”
“I mean it, you can hunt without worry.”
“No, wait—did you say you dealt with the Cold Boulder?”
“I did.”
The explorers looked around.
“Huh? It’s gone…”
There was only a wide stretch of sand.
The Cold Boulder that had chased them was nowhere to be seen.
“How did you do it?”
“How else? Buried it, simple as that.”
“Is that… okay?”
“If you can’t breathe, whether you’re a dragon or a pig or a Cold Boulder, you’ll die.”
The explorers’ faces twisted with disbelief.
It wasn’t impossible.
But who would ever think of killing that terrifying Monster by burying it in sand?
Even those who had faced the Cold Boulder a few times had never imagined such a method.
“With a body that heavy and limbs that short, once you knock it over and pile sand on top, it’s helpless.”
Jang Dojin finally realized it, too.
He’d instinctively knocked it over on Yuseong’s command, but it had all been planned.
This was a strategy for subduing the Cold Boulder that would only be developed much later.
Of course, as of now, only Yuseong knew about it.
Yuseong grinned and said,
“Dojin, bring over the pickaxe.”
“The pickaxe?”
“Yeah, it’s hot—let’s have some ice cream first.”
“Ice cream?”
Even in the hottest desert, there’s always an oasis.
And in the 16th Layer, the very best oasis was hidden inside the Cold Boulder itself.