While anticipating an attack from them, I scanned the vicinity closely.
“…It’s quiet, isn’t it?”
What’s going on here? Is this creature a solitary straggler?
Though I was a bit puzzled, I thought it is not worth worrying about and proceeded deeper within.
When I walked a bit far, I spotted a mass of crimson aura up ahead.
I initially presumed it was the pack of creatures I previously encountered, but…
How should I put this?
It was half-correct.
[Remains of a Rashian]
– Just corpses.
Though it was indeed the remains of the Rashian pack, the problem was that not a single living creature remained in sight.
“…Looks like he feasted well?”
Scattered across the ground were remnants of the monster’s corpses. Most bore telltale signs of being torn apart by large fangs.
The image began to form in my mind.
He has mercilessly torn apart the Rashian and consumed them, leaving only the scraps behind.
That meant…
Grinning.
“I’d say we’ve arrived right on time.”
With that confidence, I quickened my pace.
As I reached the end of the sewer, I saw…
“What…?”
At the end was an enormous chamber.
As I illuminated my surroundings with the flashlight, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
“Impressive.”
This chamber was so vast that I couldn’t recall ever seeing a space so large in my life.
In it, massive pillars were set at regular intervals.
The height of each pillar looked to be about five meters.
‘To find a structure like this underground in the city?’
What could this possibly be? A secret bunker constructed by the government?
Treasures of a grand scale never fail to stir a man’s imagination.
I found myself growing excited and began thinking of all sorts of possibilities, but when I shined the flashlight on the walls, the truth became apparent.
[Chuncheon City Deep Water Storage Facility]
“Ah.”
The phrase boldly written on the wall had confirmed it. This was a rainwater storage facility, far from being a secret bunker.
Devising strategies to counter natural disasters is one of the priorities for all major cities.
This facility was one of the responses resulting from that task.
Emerging from the sewer tunnel, I carefully descended the stairs into the chamber.
The ground was quite slippery due to moisture.
By the way, according to the Awakened in Chuncheon,
When the dungeon break started, the rate at which the water rose was surprisingly slow. Thanks to that, they managed to gather some food supplies and evacuate to high buildings.
‘In the early days of the disaster, electricity was still operational; so, with the help of facilities like this one, they were able to navigate the situation.’
The bottom of the chamber resembled the status seen in the sewer.
An array of various colored auras lay scattered around.
“They had quite the feast, didn’t they?”
Remnants of all sorts of monsters were strewn about.
After the dungeon closed, monsters appeared in various parts of the city as if they’d always been part of those locations.
They didn’t seem to be picky about where they would emerge.
Even this sewer and chamber had seen a considerable number of monsters appear here.
‘Though it seems they have all been reduced to mere meals now.’
In any case, the presence of these monster corpses here meant…
That there must be someone actively hunting them somewhere inside.
While I was contemplating this, making my way deeper into the chamber, I suddenly heard a voice.
Be cautious.
“?”
A warning echoed from the shadows.
Then…
– Grrr…
From within, the fierce breathing of some beast rumbled.
It left me perplexed.
‘Both the sound and Ariella’s warning… there’s definitely something there.’
The issue was…
“Why can’t I see it?”
The ability I possessed,
[Combat Power Evaluation],
Was not merely a means of differentiating the strength of my opponents.
It was a skill that allowed me to visualize the magical energy emanating from enemies.
Regardless of how dark the surroundings may be, the ability to see magical energy allows me to pinpoint the location of an enemy. That was why I hadn’t bothered eating any food that would grant the ability to see in darkness, like the “Dark Vision” trait.
However, right now, there was no trace of magical energy in sight. I pondered the reason behind this, and after reading the description of my trait, everything clicked into place.
[Combat Power Evaluation]
[Measures the combat ability of different races based on their magical energy levels.]
It became clear that this trait only functions on other races. “So, this means it doesn’t work on those of the same species.” Upon reflection, I realized it had never activated for my other guild members either. That could mean… “That creature is classified as human, after all.”
Despite being labeled as an Gourmet Glutton, the system considers it a ‘human.’ This was contrary to the last Gourmet Glutton I had defeated who had been actively leading a group of plunderers.