Mine #7 and the Rogue Drills

The screech of metal echoed as the giant elevator began its descent. Yanaki stood at the edge of the platform, looking up at the city of Aethelgard as it slowly receded. The lights of the bustling residential and commercial districts were gradually replaced by a tangled web of colossal steam pipes, great gears turning slowly, and abandoned metal structures shrouded in darkness.

Finally, with a loud jolt, the elevator came to a stop at a rickety platform. The air here was thick with the smell of rust and ozone. The only light came from a few weakly flashing red emergency lamps and the sparks from broken wiring.

In front of them was a wide mine shaft entrance, with rusted minecart tracks leading into a deep darkness. A crooked metal sign hung above it: "MINE #7 - BEWARE OF CAVE-INS AND MALFUNCTIONING MACHINERY."

"Elara, go scout ahead," Yanaki commanded.

The Spirit of Memory nodded and gently floated through the stone wall, becoming an invisible scout. Sylva and Volt moved into defensive positions on either side of Yanaki.

"There's a small group ahead," Elara's voice sounded in Yanaki's mind after a few seconds. "The same mechanical rats we encountered before, but more of them."

"Good, stick to the plan."

They advanced. The mine passage was quite narrow. When the pack of Mechanical Sewer Rats charged out, they immediately ran into an unbreakable wall. Sylva, with its B-Rank shield, easily blocked the entire passage. Any rats that tried to slip past were greeted by Volt's power mace. Yanaki stood at the back, calmly commanding and using her dagger to finish off any that slipped through the net. The battle was over quickly and efficiently.

They delved deeper into the mine. "Be careful," Elara warned again. "There's something very big up ahead."

When they reached a wider mining area, they saw it. A giant machine, looking like a six-legged mechanical spider, with a massive spiral drill in place of a head. It was using the drill to mindlessly scrape at the rock face.

[T-9 Auto-Drill (Malfunctioning)]

Level: 15

Description: A heavy-duty mining machine. Its logic matrix has malfunctioned, causing it to perceive all living entities as ore and attempt to "mine" them.

Skills: [Drill Charge], [Seismic Shock].

Weakness: The joints on its rear legs; its central power core overheats and is exposed after using a skill.

As soon as it detected Yanaki's party, the machine roared with a metallic screech. Its drill began to spin rapidly, and it charged towards them like an iron rhinoceros. [Drill Charge]!

"Sylva, take the hit!"

The Guardian Treant let out a low growl, planting its roots into the stone floor and raising its shield.

CRASH!

A horrifying impact. Sylva was pushed back several meters, its HP dropping by a chunk, but it stood its ground. The drill's charge had been stopped.

"Volt, attack the rear leg joints!" Yanaki yelled.

The guard automaton flanked it, using its power mace to slam into the drill's rear leg joint. Sparks flew, and that leg was momentarily paralyzed, causing the giant machine to lose its balance.

Angered by the attack, it stomped its remaining legs on the ground. [Seismic Shock]! The entire mine shook, and rubble began to fall from the ceiling. The party had to move quickly to dodge.

After unleashing the skill, a compartment on the machine's back opened, revealing a brightly glowing red power core. It was overheating.

"That's it!" Yanaki realized. "Volt, get on it! Aim for the power core!"

Volt, with the agility of an automaton, used the drill's own legs as footholds to leap onto its back. The mechanical beast tried to shake Volt off, but it was too late.

Volt raised its power mace and plunged it straight into the overheating power core.

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"

A piercing screech of overloaded metal rang out. The drill convulsed violently, its drill bit spinning wildly before slowing down, and finally, it collapsed to the ground, silent. The light in its power core died out.

[You have slain the [T-9 Auto-Drill]. Received 500 EXP.]

The difficult battle was over. From the machine's wreckage, a few glowing items dropped. Yanaki walked over to pick them up. There were a few pieces of [Hardened Titanium Alloy], some [Medium-Grade Gears], and most importantly...

[You have received [Schematic: Upgraded Power Mace (E-Rank)].]

A crafting blueprint! This was exactly what she needed. She could use it to upgrade Volt's weapon.

Yanaki clenched the schematic in her hand, her eyes lighting up. The path to becoming stronger in Aethelgard had appeared before her. Hunt dangerous machines, collect their components and schematics, then personally upgrade her own companions.

The life of a Scrap Hunter, though fraught with danger, was also full of promise.