Chapter 21 Exploring the Cave

"Boss, we barely made it out of this damned place last time, do we really have to go back in again?"

Archer Warrior Kelu looked at the gloomy mineshaft in front of him, still somewhat terrified.

Clad in leather armor, Hart was applying blade oil to his long sword, "The Baron has given the order; if we don't dig up gold, we're all dead."

The Barbarian named Scar, wrapped in bear skin, expressed his displeasure, "What Baron, just a snotty young kid, what right does he have to send us to our deaths?"

He snorted coldly, "If it weren't for the gold, I would have thrown in the towel long ago!"

Kelu also chimed in, "Exactly, I should've grabbed the gold and run when I had the chance."

By then, Hart had finished oiling his sword and stood up seriously, "That's no snotty young kid, angering the Northwind Eagle, who can survive in this territory? Do you think you can outrun the Eagle Guards?"

Anger painted Scar's face as he retorted, "I don't care about any eagle, even if giant dragons came, that doesn't give them the right to use us as cannon fodder."

Hart simply said, "Save your energy. Our line of work is inherently life-threatening. We've finally gained a legitimate status and climbed aboard this powerful support—we can't afford to waste it."

"That accident was just that, an accident. Even if there's some monster, after eating so much, it should have gone into hibernation."

"Furthermore—" he shifted his tone.

"I've also managed to get quite a few serfs from the Baron, ah, no, according to the official Kingdom terminology, 'honest and faithful peasants' to work the mines."

He glanced behind him, where over a hundred frail-looking humans trudged along, one after the other, under the numb coercion of the overseer's whip—lured by a few words for their recruitment—'meals provided, won't starve to death.'

Yet what awaited them was not a job where they wouldn't starve but the deep, dark mineshafts and the unknown monsters lurking within.

"Arm yourselves with spears," Hart called out.

"These are specially gifted by the Baron for your protection."

"Should you encounter any monsters, if you retreat it's a dead end. Don't be afraid, just throw the spears at it."

"If someone sacrifices themselves, don't worry. The Baron will remember their service, alleviate taxes for their family, and provide food compensation."

"Oh, and take the pickaxes as well."

These serfs were the cannon fodder he had specifically recruited from the Baron. Naturally, he could not let his own men go first, let alone lead the charge himself.

From his years of experience in the wilderness, he knew that throwing spears was the most effective way to deal with large monsters. With sufficient numbers, even a massive woolly mammoth could be easily killed.

And even if they failed, with these cannon fodder at the bottom, once the monsters had their fill, they wouldn't pursue any further.

"Get in!"

"Hurry up and get in! No dawdling!"

The miners, tricked into coming, picked up the weapons and shuffled into the mineshaft chaotically.

Even if some realized something was wrong and wanted to flee, under the uncompromising whips of the overseers, they had no choice but to obey.

Yet why could dozens of armed people, in the presence of just a few others, offer no resistance at all?

Perhaps it was something deeply ingrained in their hearts...

Facing the unknown territory, those forced to lead the way shakily held up torches, pressing forward under the threat of whips and swords.

Amazed, Scar, who followed behind the large group of serfs, commented, "When it comes to slave trading, these Nobles are real experts."

"They don't even have to get their hands dirty, yet they sell people off just like that."

"Stop blabbering, and get in," someone ordered.

Soon, Hart and his group had all entered the mine, leaving only a few Soldiers at the entrance to respond.

However, they were oblivious to other things quietly following them into the mine.

They were also unaware that there is a spell called Invisibility Spell which can completely conceal one's figure from ordinary detection.

"Boss, something feels odd," Kelu said.

Kelu's Senses were relatively sharp. He felt that something was amiss, but looking around, he couldn't detect anything.

"Stop with your baseless fears. We haven't gone very deep yet; there's still a long way to go," Scar said dismissively.

Hart simply treaded lightly at the back and said in a deep voice, "Keep it down and watch what's ahead."

Walking down the previously erected makeshift signs, a group of people gradually made their way to the depths of the mine.

The space inside was spacious; this was the place where the Gnolls had labored hard previously, with the ground still littered with broken pickaxe heads, mine carts used for transportation, and accidentally dropped ore.

A "miner" couldn't help but pick up a piece of gold ore from the ground, secretly slipping it into his rough burlap clothes.

However, this act was spotted by the sharp-eyed Scar.

The Barbarian walked over, picked up the man's frail body, shook him a couple of times, and the shimmering pieces of ore fell out.

"Truly a lowly thing, just like those Gnolls," he said.

With one hand, Scar threw him harshly to the ground, stepped forward, and efficiently broke his arm with his foot, drawing a dreadful scream from the man.

"Remember, everything here is the property of Baron."

"You are here to mine, not to steal."

"If there's another transgression..."

"Heh, don't ever think about leaving this mine in your lifetime," he said with a chuckle.

Scar smiled, showing his teeth; he quite liked the feeling of controlling other people's lives, one of the rare amusements in his life as a Slave Trader.

At the end of the line, Hart, however, was carefully observing the damage within the mine — the wooden door violently broken open, the smelting furnace warped out of shape, human limbs and bodies scattered about, fences torn and ripped apart by massive strength.

Seeing these traces, cold sweat broke out on Hart's forehead.

"A terrifying Monster."

"Its strength may rival that of the Frost Giants."

For him, this was already a high assessment, after all, those Giants that came with the cold winds were one of the most formidable enemies of the Northern Kingdom.

Hearing the zealous lecturing from Scar nearby, Hart felt more aggrieved and briskly moved forward, lowered his voice, and said to him:

"That Monster might still be here."

"If you want to die, just say so, but don't drag me down with you."

"But, boss, our gold..."

This Barbarian, who didn't think before speaking and revered violence, was about to respond when a strange sound started to emanate from the cave.

"Don't talk, listen carefully," Hart said, frowning.

"Thump, thump..."

"Thump, thump..."

A heavy, footstep-like sound echoed in the pitch-black mine, making people's hearts pound.

"The sound is coming from the rock wall," Hart thought to himself.

He looked around the cliffs, but it was still pitch dark all around.

"It's ahead."

"To the left."

"No, above," Kelu said in a deep voice.

The sound seemed to shuttle all around the mine, encircling the crowd, making it impossible to pinpoint its source or direction.

But the sound seemed to be getting closer...

The crowd became chaotic and noisy, and soon, more people suggested going back to the surface, even the overseers involuntary became agitated.

"Don't panic, pick up your weapons."

Hart's back was soaked with sweat; he had not previously encountered the "Monster" up close, and the current chaos was beyond his expectations.

"Don't be afraid, raise your torches."

"It's over, this is definitely not an ordinary Monster but a terrifying Hunter, it's creating panic, trying to catch us all in one go," Hart thought to himself.