NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
Crystal Mine
At the entrance of the Crystal Mine.
It is a place where the finest ores in the mining town of Lystal are extracted, but only when crafting royal jewelry or gifts for other nations.
Soldiers of the kingdom are always patrolling, and anyone who enters without permission or attempts mining is immediately executed.
Thus, it is rare for an ordinary adventurer to ever enter here in their lifetime.
“We’ve entered such a mine, huh…?”
Robin gulped and looked around nervously.
Then, Cress laughed with a “Ha ha.”
“I’ve only been here once. I was five, I think… I was so bored I threw a tantrum and said to the knight accompanying me, ‘Let’s go home quickly.'”
“Onii-sama, you had such a past?”
Myuane was surprised.
At that moment, Tycoon sighed.
“Honestly… We’re inside the mine now. No more idle chatter. Robin, you take the lead as a scout.”
“Got it!”
Robin moved ahead.
Although Robin was an archer, she went ahead of the team as a scout before battles.
Her skill, [Failnaught], was the highest among archers, but she never grew complacent. She honed her agility relentlessly.
Her stealth skills, sensing presences, and understanding the surroundings were unmatched.
By grasping the terrain faster than anyone, she could position herself in the most advantageous spots to fight as an archer.
Sasha gently touched the wall.
“Crystal Mine… such a mysterious glow.”
The passage within the Crystal Mine was high-ceilinged and spacious.
And at various points, raw transparent crystal formations glowed softly, making it incredibly bright, almost like daytime.
Tycoon spoke.
“The crystals here are of low purity and aren’t suited for jewelry. Though, in other mines, the purity is much higher.”
“Really? Then why are the crystals around here still here?”
Reynold tilted his head.
Tycoon adjusted his glasses.
“As you can see, they’re not suited for jewelry, but they can be used as light sources. If we go deeper, we can find plenty of high-purity crystals, so there’s no need to mine the ones here being used as lamps.”
“Ah… I see.”
Then, Piasora, who had been silent, spoke.
“Cress!!”
“Whoa, you startled me… What is it?”
“Please, could you spare a little of the crystals here? Hehehe… if I sell high-purity crystals, I can buy an item box that stops time…”
“Sure, I don’t mind…”
“Yessss!!”
Piasora joyfully shouted.
Cress smiled wryly, but then noticed that Myuane seemed off.
“Myuane, what’s wrong?”
“N-no, it’s just… I’m not very fond of caves and narrow spaces…”
“Ah~… that’s right.”
“Hm? Myuane, what’s wrong?”
“Sasha… uh, never mind.”
Myuane shook her head and started walking beside Reynold.
Cress moved next to Sasha.
“Myuane isn’t fond of caves. My bad… I forgot to mention it.”
“Don’t worry about it. Stay with Myuane.”
“Got it.”
“……”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, no… nothing.”
“Heh, were you staring?”
“!!”
Sasha turned away and walked next to Tycoon.
“W-what’s wrong? Sasha?”
“It’s nothing!!”
“Ah, alright…”
Tycoon tilted his head slightly.
◇◇◇◇◇
After advancing through the cave for five minutes, Robin returned.
She had completely erased her presence and appeared out of nowhere.
Only Sasha could sense Robin’s presence, as she had S-level stealth skills.
Upon returning, Robin spoke.
“They’re here. Crystal Golems.”
“How many?”
“Seven. But… something’s off.”
“Off?”
Reynold asked, and Robin nodded.
“There’s a mining area about a hundred meters ahead. The ceiling is really high, and there are huts and water sources for resting. There are seven Golems there, but they’re surprisingly organized.”
“Organized?”
Tycoon raised his glasses.
“Yeah. Two are patrolling the mining area, two are guarding the entrance to the processing area further back, and the remaining three are standing watch within the mining area… It’s as if they’re guarding something.”
“Magic beasts having that kind of intelligence? That’s strange… Goblins are said to have the intelligence of a three-year-old, but Golems are just mutated rocks or ores that became monsters. They have no will, only attacking whatever enemies they face.”
“Let’s get closer and check it out.”
Sasha took the lead, and the team proceeded.
They reached the center of the mining area and peeked from the entrance.
“…It’s quite large.”
The mining area was indeed large.
It was a half-dome shape, with resting huts, water sources, and mining tools scattered around.
From their position, there was a path leading deeper on the opposite side.
And within the mining area, two Crystal Golems patrolled. Two more stood guarding the path leading deeper. Three others were stationed in various spots, watching over the area. A total of seven Crystal Golems.
“Even one is troublesome, but seven…?”
Tycoon muttered.
“Sasha, what’s the plan?”
“Of course───No changes!!”
With a sudden burst, Sasha was enveloped in battle aura.
Cress lightly patted Sasha’s shoulder.
“[Double]!!”
Then, another ‘Sasha’ appeared next to her.
Cress’s ability, [Double], duplicated whatever he touched. By touching the duplicate, it could be doubled again.
Though it seemed like a subtle ability, just having two Sashas made a huge difference in combat.
Meanwhile, Robin drew several arrows and handed them to Myuane.
“Please!!”
“Got it!!”
As Myuane gripped the arrows, they began to glow red.
She shot an arrow, timed perfectly with the advancing Sasha.
The arrow hit one of the Crystal Golems, causing an explosion.
The shock shattered the Golem’s arm. The other Golems activated at once.
“Hehe, this is my ability!! Let me blow them all up for you!!”
Myuane’s ability, [Explosion].
It allows her to imbue weapons with the ‘explosion’ attribute. The longer the weapon is held, the more powerful the explosion becomes. She can even add explosions to swords, but it’s more common to do so with ranged weapons since the user would take damage.
“Impressive.”
“Yeah. Leave that to you.”
“Understood.”
Sasha, together with her duplicate, headed toward the Crystal Golems to take them down.