Volume 3 Episode 1: Honesty

Tombs.

Mythology, historical figures, legends, folk tales, these are the words that you often hear when talking about the topic of tombs.

Magical and mysterious tales revolve around tombs, usually due to their unique and unexplainable architecture which can be considered as before its time. 

Lin walked out of his tent to check out the ruins once again.

Although he and the rest of the students selected for the expedition have been staying with the archeology crew for more than a month, the beautiful and mystifying ruins never ceased to amaze him.

He felt as though he was drawn to it, like an external force was pulling him.

'Will I be able to find the answers I desire from here?'

One month ago, when his information hint started going haywire during the mention of the ruins and tombs, Lin thought that he would find what he was searching for the second he arrived at the site.

But unfortunately, that was not the case. It has been well over a month since they arrived and yet he hadn't found any answers.

The information hint that had gone berserk when tombs were mentioned was now not even showing any signs of being there at all. He even wondered if the 'berserker mode' broke the system altogether.

The good news was the excavation tour was still in its first stages. They had only covered about a fraction of the tombs, with many more archaeology sites still left to study. Perhaps Lin might find something useful in the coming days. He did not know what the future held in store, but chose to be optimistic about it.

According to various historians, the Malkian tribes were one of the first ever inhabitants of the Korean magical peninsula to document the use of magic, as numerous writings over walls of caves all across the country were already discovered by archeologists which were written using a language that seemed to resemble ancient sanskrit partially.

Of course, other than the records and documents that were discovered and the existence of the tribe being proven by the discovery of fossils, there wasn't anything else known about the Malkians. That was until the archaeological team consisting of eighteen members from Brusvia found an opening to an underground tomb that seemed to stretch over hundreds of miles deep underground.

Word spread quickly, and more archeologists and media started gathering around the site as the attention grew larger, until the government had to intervene, publicly acknowledging the underground site as classified military land, restricting the entry of the public.

Only a select few people, who had been thoroughly checked by the government, had the authority to enter the restricted land. Which meant that the Drakon Academy apparently has enough influence within the political field to get a recommendation from the government to enter the tombs.

'What kind of an existence is the Drakon Academy that even the government owes them favors?'

Lin didn't believe that the government just happened to only let in the Drakon Academy students as part of their expedition team. It was unlikely that the government that was restricting even some of the legitimate archeology teams to limit the number of entries into the restricted land suddenly changed their minds and included a group of students amongst their archeology expedition.

Lin was extremely curious, but chose not to think about it anymore to focus on the matter at hand, which was finding out for what reason his information hint led him to these ruins.

It was already eight in the morning, and all of the members of the team gathered around. 

Aside from the students from the Drakon Academy, there were around thirty members, all of whom were part of the 'Scavenger Expedition Team'' or SET for short. A particularly well known group of archeologists, the SET works alongside the Korean Government in exploring tombs, archeology sites and ancient ruins. They were, to Lin's knowledge, the only archeology team that were authorised to enter the ruins, probably because of their relationship with the government.

Most of the team members started chatting with each other, while the Drakon academy students kept their distance from them. A young man who looked to be in his twenties stepped forward, and the whole group got quiet. The students were already used to this happening, and stayed silent as well.

"Good morning. I hope you've all slept well."

"YES WE DID MR. GREGORY!"

The man asked and the crowd yelled in unison. It was almost as if they had rehearsed it beforehand, because all of them were perfectly in sync with no delays. The man, Mr. Gregory grinned at the answer from his enthusiastic audience and continued.

"Good. That is exactly what I expect from the people that I selected to be a part of my team. Now, I know that you're all probably extremely tired by the fact that we haven't uncovered anything noteworthy even after two months of spending inside these tombs. But do not worry my friends. I promise you that soon, we will uncover the secrets behind these ruins, for I can feel the answers we desire nearing as I talk. 

Now, you know that I cannot do this on my own. I cannot find the answers that I desire alone, and neither can you. No one can find what they desire if they are alone. That is why I am asking you to be patient. I know that the last two months have been uneventful, but please, do not lose hope. I assure you that we'll surely find the answers that we seek, but only if we persist through this arduous journey together. Fellow members of SET, are you with me?"

Mr. Gregory finished speaking, and the whole group erupted with cheers, chanting together in perfect sync.

"YES WE ARE!"

The students looked at the weird and shady group session of the SET members and sighed. They were initially a bit creeped out by what looked like a daily session of a cult, but were already used to it after two months. 

Plus, regardless of how they felt about the weird group, they were a government certified archeology team, and it wasn't like the students could do anything about it, other than choosing to leave the expedition altogether. So they just chose to ignore them.

Lin also did the same, and got ready as the archeology expedition had resumed its journey. Within the two months that passed, the team had already passed through the main entrance of the tombs. They had examined the structures for any new information, but found nothing. 

Of course, Lin did some snooping on his own as well without being noticed by anyone, but couldn't find anything of value either.

"The members of the SET are weird as usual, huh?"

Lin heard a familiar voice from behind him and turned around to see Luke grinning at him.

"What do you want Luke?"

Lin looked at his cousin, who was awkwardly trying to have a chat with him, and asked bluntly. He knew that it was probably because Luke realised that he had lost his chance to succeed the Lin family as Lin had awakened his powers and also won the Evantel Tournament during his first year. It was clear that the elders would favour someone from the main branch than someone like Luke who was not part of the main family, and so he had come to offer peace, to end their feud once and for all. Sadly for Luke, Lin already figured it out.

"H-huh? W-why would you think that? I'm just talking to myself."

Lin's sharp reply caught Luke off guard, causing him to stammer during answering, which made him look even more suspicious.

"Cut it out Lin. He's just trying to talk to you. You don't have to be mean about it."

Rin, who was listening in on the conversation, joined in. Lin suddenly turned around and stared at her, causing her to flinch, but she quickly snapped out of it and stared back.

"Switching sides now? I guess I'm not weak enough for your ego anymore huh?"

Lin snorted and replied quickly, taking a jab at her which made Rin bite her lips in anger.

"The only one with a giant ego here is you, isn't it? You were the one who misinterpreted my kindness as pity for the weak, without even thinking of the possibility that I could've done it out of the kindness of my heart. 

No, it isn't because you didn't consider it, but because you didn't want to believe it. You didn't want to believe that there was actually someone kind enough to help out the weak without any ulterior motives, because you needed a reason for your cynical worldview. 

Face it, you are a liar. Not only do you lie to others, but you lie to yourself so you feel satisfied."

After finishing her long rant, Rin stopped and looked at Lin, who wasn't replying. Luke looked at the two people who were formally friends dumbfounded. He had no idea what had happened between the two of them but looked like it was serious.

'Did I win?'

For a brief second a smile crept up on Rin's face but disappeared as soon as she realised she was smiling, with no one noticing it. Well, almost no one.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…"

Lin started laughing all of a sudden, and the whole crowd moved their gazes at them. But Lin didn't care and continued laughing. He laughed for quite a while, and calmed down once it was over. Lin looked at Rin, who was standing in front of him with furrowed brows and opened his mouth.

"You know what, you are absolutely right."

"...Huh?"

Ignoring the confused Rin, Lin continued speaking.

"I'm telling you that you are right about me being a selfish prick who only looks for reasons to justify his actions. I am like you said, a liar."

Lin then stopped smiling and walked towards Rin swiftly, catching her off guard, and he only stopped when he was close enough to feel her breath.

"That is why, from today onwards I am going to be honest not just to others, but to myself as well. I, Lin Hamill, is in fact a selfish and egotistical person who would find anything to justify his ideologies and beliefs. I am not a good person, and anyone who expects otherwise is bound to be disappointed. There, you happy?"

Lin looked at Rin's face, who couldn't even breath due to the immense pressure he was emitting. It felt as if she was facing a professional magic user. She couldn't even respond, and stood there, unable to face her opponent.

Lin looked at the unresponsive Rin, and nodded. He then backed off, and Rin fell to her knees, while catching her breath. He walked in the direction of his tents to pack up, but suddenly he stopped walking, and turned back to look at her once more.

"Oh, and one more thing. Being a liar myself, I can, more often than not, tell when people are lying."

Lin stopped speaking and looked at the disheveled Rin, who was still having trouble breathing and turned back to resume walking.

"Just something to note."