Reborn with the Conquest System-Chapter 50: Caverning

’One of... Your Own?’ Magnus asked, surprised.

[The best way I can describe it without getting you in trouble... Hmm.]

[Ah, here’s how. A system is a link between two entities that operates on the lowest level possible. Any more than that, I cannot say without risking your life, so you’re free to speculate on the specifics.]

’Two entities... Well, makes sense considering everything I saw. So how are those systems related to you?’

[Unlike me who establish a mutually beneficial relationship, those things simply take you over. And while the small ones couldn’t have severed our connection and harmed you, the big one could’ve.]

’I see...’

[I see my ass! How many times is your reckless behavior going to get you almost killed!]

’But I didn’t die, so it’s fine. I am the protagonist after all!’

A minute long silence fell over them, before he gently coughed.

"I’m sorry, the joke didn’t land I guess. I’ll try to be more careful in the future, so once again, I’m sorry!" He spoke out loud, bowing to the air.

[... No comment.]

Getting up from the ground after a short 10 minutes break, Magnus looked at his map. Most the caverns had become inaccessible due to him collapsing everything. Only a few paths were left, all of which descended deeper into the ground than going up.

’Well, since I can’t really go up, I’ll try making the way myself. Say, system, how deep am I even?’

[I don’t know exactly how deepsince my perception is very limited, but you’re at least a few kilometres under the surface level.]

’A few kilometres? Man... WAIT, is there water above me?’

[Unknown.] 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

’... So I can’t even dig up, otherwise I might risk flooding the caverns and drowning. Beautiful. Then I guess the only way is down?’

[Be careful. If those things were here, there might be worse things underneath.]

Magnus recalled the feeling of dread that had come from the unknown creatures. Especially the one that shone light everywhere.

Nodding his head, he made up his mind.

He waited in silence to recover his stamina, before he walked towards a wall. A fist flew out and dug deep into the rocks.

’I’d rather risk drowning than staying here.’

Surprisingly, the rocks easily crumbled under the force of his blows, each strike sending hundreds of kilograms of debris rolling on the floor.

Next, he used his legs to kick the debris far behind him, as to not clutter the cave floor and create more space for himself.

Right now, he was trying to dig at an 45 degree angle, so that he would reach the surface as quickly as possible.

The next few hours, he spent digging the tunnel, the low growls of his stomach occasionally sending a pang of pain through his body.

’System, how long have I been digging?’

[Do you want a clock?]

’That would be useful yeah.’

A small change happened to his map, now displaying time accurately.

13:56/28:04

’So a day is 28 hours huh. Explains why they felt longer. Wait, why did you time the mission previously by 24 hours per day?’

[More convenient.]

’Huh... Okay.’

Repeating the cycle of digging and resting, Magnus spent the next few days growing hungrier, only his thirst being quenched by the underground water.

On the 6th day, a tired Magnus sunk his fist into the rock, deep cracks spreading throughout the entire wall.

Taken aback, Magnus looked at the cracks. Grabbing the nearby flows tone with his left hand in case he needed to run, he got ready to punch again.

’I’ve been growing weaker, yet now it managed to cover the entire wall all of a sudden? MAYBE THERE’S A CAVERN BEHIND THIS!?’

His fist shot out again, the rocks beginning to fall like an avalanche. Yet mixed with the water was something else...

’Water—!!!’

The wall of rocks collapsed, a torrential wall of water hurling him backwards, slamming him into the tunnel walls.

’I—’

His head smashed into a rock, shattering it.

’Hate—’

His head smashed into another rock, a gash opening on the side of his temple.

’Life!!!’

Finally, the current slammed him deeply into the wall, a dozen metres away from the area leaking. His right hand’s fingers were deeply embedded into the stone, while his left hand clutched the flowstone tightly.

He looked behind — his heart sank.

The tunnel had collapsed at some point, and now the water was flooding in, rising fast.

He made his decision.

He placed the flowstone in his mouth, before pulling his lower body out of the raging current.

He forced his tired arms to move, his fingers sinking into the rocks as he began climbing the wall like a spider.

Cracks lined the walls of the cave in his wake, occasionally the ceiling when he needed to move past a large rock. His breathing grew ragged, and his vision blurry, yet he pushed himself onwards.

[If it’s an ocean, it’ll crush you alive!]

’Even if it is, the air bubble would carry me above and reduce some pressure!’

[Your organs will explode!]

’I have no choice!’

Then he reached a small opening. A wall of absolute darkness yawned before him—an endless, horrifying void.

Yet a glance behind revealed the water that had almost reached him.

"OOOOORAAAAAH!"

A deep breath.

With a furious kick, the opening the size of his head collapsed and another massive tsuami swept over him. His arms felt like they would be torn, his eyeballs almost bursting under the pressure.

The rocks under him gave way yet his hands and feet kept digging into the rocks as he pushed ahead.

Then, suddenly—

A sudden sense of weightlessness overcame him, and the pressure vanished momentarily.

The sudden surreal feeling made him pause.

’Huh—’

Before he could think about it, a violent tug propelled his body rapidly upwards. His organs felt like they twisted under the pressure, his limbs bent at an unnatural angle.

It took all his willpower not to let out a scream, his teeth biting hard onto the flowstone to hold onto it.

A minute passed.

His body was still going upwards.

Two minutes.

The pressure noticeably lessened, yet his consciousness grew blurred.

’Hold on...’

Three minutes.

The pressure became tolerable. Yet he was still surrounded by water, his consciousness repeating broken words.

’Ho...ld... On...’

He didn’t know when he reached the surface—only that light stabbed at his eyes. His limbs were twisted. Blood leaked from his nose and ears. The flowstone clutched in his mouth.

Then came the pain.

An explosive, shattering pressure inside his chest. It was like his lungs were tearing themselves apart. Gas bubbles clogged his blood—somewhere in his arm, something burst. His vision flickered before going dark.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t breathe.

His consciousness went black as he floated amidst an endless ocean.