Cling Cling Cling
My pick-ax continued to hit the stones, while Nero floated underground, creating the map.
It is the fourth day, and we will finish creating the map today. The mine is vast and there is a shitload of life-detection artifacts.
Till now, Nero had found seventeen of them, and I am sure, by the end of the day, there will be even more.
In a matter of four days, Nero had found loads of crystal. Yesterday’s, a single load was big as the three-story house I am living in.
It is now, lying in my core like a centerpiece.
Hun!
I was mining when a soul sense came; I acted like I did not notice and continued mining.
pαпᵈα-noνɐ1·сoМ
Every few days, the soul sense will come. It is from stone-skin men and women who take the shift on this floor. They would use their soul sense to keep an eye on the miners.
I am pretty careful with these people. I always need to be on the ground, not daring to let go even for a second.
It remained on me for a few minutes before disappearing and came back a few minutes later for a second, before disappearing for good. Seeing that, I relaxed a little but did not stop what I was doing.
Hun!
Hours passed when suddenly, I second something and reacted immediately with my pickax.
Clang!
My pickax clashed against the sharp-gemlike claw, and my eyes came face to face with the reptile.
It looked like a fusion between a lizard and a crocodile and shining scales. Its claws looked like they were carved out of amethyst and looked extremely sharp. Sharp enough to slice through me easily.
“Good, that you have come; I have been feeling quite bored in here with nothing to fight,” I said to the monster.
“Raaa!” It let out a glutaral sound and came at me with the power of the Primary-III. I also moved toward it, with a fighting spirit blazing in my eyes.
I might have feared it if it had been a few days ago, but now with the refining method and my impurities cleansing.
My body is filled with power, and I will use it to fight the monster.
It is also a great thing that these walls are good at absorbing energy and sounds.
So, unless stone-skin was looking at me intentionally, they will not be able to sense the fighting.
Clang!
Once again, its claw clashed against mine, but this time, the bastard moved fast and attacked me with a tail that was even faster than its claws.
I had been expecting this, as it is not my first time seeing the monster. Nero had fought a couple of them, and I have also heard about them from my roomies, so I know how to fight these bastards.
Clang!
I defended, but the tail attack was powerful enough that it shook me from head to toe, before attacking me with its claws.
Clang Clang Clang
It attacked continuously, not wanting to give me even a single moment to relax.
Seeing it fight like that, I couldn’t help but become surprised. It is fighting much better than most monsters; I have fought in my life and even better than the people; I have fought here.
I shouldn’t say that about the people. The ones I have fought here were on the lowest rung. The real practitioner of this world is much better and I want to fight them, but first I will have to deal with this monster and escape.
Clang Clang Clang
It continued attacking, testing me in every way to ascertain my weakness, but the monster did not find any.
More than a minute passed when suddenly, I spent a spike in the monsters’ power. It happened with barely any disturbance, but I sensed it and knew the monster is going to attack me, with the greater power.
‘Burst 20%’
I said and a large malachite circle appeared behind me, with it being filled to 20%.
The burst activated, filling my body with amazing power. I filled my ax with it and swing against the powerful attack coming from the reptile.
Clang!
Its tail clashed against my ax, and this time, this was a reptile’s turn to get shocked. As I had not only stopped its attack but also shaken it, that it had nearly taken a step back.
“Try harder, little reptile,” I teased, and its eyes flashed its anger and it attacked again, with far greater power than before.
‘25%,’ I muttered, and even more power filled my body and I swing my ax against its claws.
CLANG!
My pick-ax clashed against its claws and for a moment, we froze, before the shot back, stopping itself only a few meters before crashing against the wall.
“Use all your power, if you want to do anything against me,” I said to it and it somehow understood or did not see any other option as, its harnessed all its power.
Raaa!
It let out its strange roar filled with power and came at me with such speed that I needed to activate my abilities to see it.
CLANG CLANG CLANG
Its powerful claw brimming with energy, attacked me, but I defended, and the tail came the next moment. I defended against it and felt a faint shake, before moving my ax to deal against its claws.
Monster have gone absolutely mad and now, using every bit of power and trick it had to deal against me.
Many tricks it had been using might have killed many people. These bastards are the cause of the biggest mortality here. They killed more than the toxins and punishment, and this lower level has an attacking rate.
Just two days ago, Ranya had been attacked by it and she was happy, as these monsters have a high price.
Hundreds of its attacks clashed against mine within a minute, and it had used all its moves and its power also reached the limit.
A faint disappointment couldn’t help but cloud my eyes. Even when the monster had attacked me.
It wasn’t fully able to satiate.
“I think it is time I kill you,” I said, and its instincts seemed to have screamed what is going to happen as it had tried to retreat, but I had appeared directly in front of it and gently moved pick-ax toward its head.
The moment the tip of the pick-ax touched its head, I activated the sharpness of enchantment that I haven’t activated in our clash.
Thud!
As I did, the pick-ax pierced through its head, killing it in an instant, before its body fell.
I looked at the dead body of the monster and wish I could take it to my core, but it was too risky. The signs of battles are everywhere and while I could erase them, I did not want to take the risk of a monster’s body.
I would have taken it if it was a hare or deer, but I would not take it for a lizard, no matter how precious it is.
So, I simply stored it in my storage and resumed mining again as if nothing happened.
