Chapter 188: Regarding Thunder’s Disappearance

Clark stared at Kei for a long moment, as though debating where best to begin.

“Do you happen to know Thunder?”

Kei paused slightly. “Thunder? You mean the A-rank blacksmith Thunder from Dong-san City?”

“Yes. He’s my actual younger brother.” Clark exhaled a wisp of cigarette smoke, his gaze heavy. “Thunder came to Ji-pong about a week ago.”

He paused for a beat before recounting the events of that day.

A week ago, Clark was conferring with Linda regarding the production batch of Purification Necklaces designated for the Zootopia Guild’s hunters. Ever since the city was assaulted by the Dungeon Break, the count of injured and poison-afflicted hunters surged with each passing day. Purification Necklaces, already highly prized by Craftsmen, had consequently evolved into an absolute necessity.

Just as their discussion reached the critical juncture of determining fabrication quotas and necessary raw materials, the door to the office flew open.

“Clark! Linda! Long time no see!”

Thunder strode inside, his hearty laughter echoing across the entire chamber. His auburn hair bristled like leaping flames, and his thick leather vest was caked in the dust of the road. He looked precisely like someone who had just wrapped up a lengthy journey yet still retained excess energy to spare for laughter and conversation.

Clark set his paperwork down, staring in astonishment at his younger brother.

“What brings you to Ji-pong City? Didn’t you swear when you left Ji-pong that you’d never return here again?”

Thunder didn’t answer immediately. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small object and dropped it straight into Clark’s open palm.

“Take a look at this ore sample for me, big brother.”

Clark lowered his gaze. The welcoming smile upon his face vanished instantly, superseded by genuine shock. He rolled the ore specimen between his fingers, studying the unprecedented metallic veins crisscrossing its surface.

“This is…”

He brought it closer to the lamp’s illumination. The ore possessed a deep grayish hue, interlaced with sparkling streaks of pale-blue radiance as though liquid mana were coursing just beneath the outer crust.

“A novel mineral deposit? Where on earth did you dig this up?”

Thunder retrieved a secondary specimen that had undergone preliminary processing, laying it flat upon the desk.

“A miner delivered it to my shop in Dong-san City for me to inspect. She claimed this ore was extracted straight from an S-rank Dungeon right here in Ji-pong City.”

Clark surveyed the second sample, his expression turning grave.

In this world, mining wasn’t an occupation suited for just anyone. To harvest minerals within a Dungeon, one required an awakened individual possessing specialized skills capable of detecting mineral veins, extracting them, and processing the raw loads amidst an environment swarming with ravenous monsters. It was a perilous profession, yet it yielded staggering financial rewards.

Ji-pong had been selected by the Zootopia Guild as its primary headquarters not merely due to geographical convenience. The surrounding Dungeons contained abundant zones rich in rare metallic ores. Miners flocked here from all corners of the globe, driving a thriving, rapid expansion of the extraction and weapon-crafting industries.

Thunder, too, had previously plied his trade in Ji-pong City. Yet he detested nothing more than high-rank hunters continuously hounding him to custom-forge bespoke weaponry. Ultimately, he ditched the bulk of his workload and fled to Dong-san, a quieter locale where he established a shop and settled down.

“Who handed this over to you?” Clark inquired, though a strong suspicion already formed in his mind.

“Emma.”

The mere utterance caused Thunder’s expression to soften for a fleeting fraction of a second.

Emma was an SS-rank miner. If miners maintained an independent ranking hierarchy, she would undoubtedly claim the crown as the premier miner on the globe. Despite being a woman, her combat prowess and extraction proficiency yielded to no one. Above all else, Thunder had harbored a secret, long-standing affection for her across many years.

Yet he elaborated no further on that matter. The lingering smile upon his lips withered away, replaced by an unmistakable shadow of bereavement and dread.

“After delivering this ore sample to me, Emma dropped out of contact.”

Clark stared at his brother. “When did she lose contact?”

“Several days ago. She was scheduled to return from that Dungeon long ago.” Thunder clenched his fists tight. “I tried reaching out to her squadmates, but not a single person answered.”

Silence blanketed the room.

Clark stared down at the ore sample resting upon the desk. A novel discovery should have arrived as a joyous tidings for the Craftsmen and the Zootopia Guild. Yet at present, it merely amplified Thunder’s underlying panic into agonizing clarity.

“An S-rank Dungeon…” Clark muttered. “How could that place possibly pose a fatal hazard to Emma?”

Even operating strictly as a miner, Emma wielded combat capabilities matching any combat-class SS-rank hunter. She was amply formidable to safeguard herself against the vast majority of threats lurking inside an S-rank Dungeon.

Thunder offered no reply. He merely stared fixedly at the ore specimen, as though the answer might manifest straight across those unfamiliar mineral veins.

And the grim answer to that silence was that following that very day, Thunder himself had vanished without a trace.

With Clark finishing his account, the chamber fell dead silent once more.

Kei locked eyes with Clark. “So you want me to help you track down Thunder?”

“Thunder came looking for me because he wanted to verify whether this ore sample could be utilized to fabricate gear,” Clark tapped a trail of ash neatly into the ashtray. “Yet the moment Emma went missing, his sole obsession became hunting her down. I tried stopping him, but he refused to listen to reason.”

Lowering his gaze, the heavy hesitation resurfaced across his features.

“You’re traveling alongside Black Dragon Kai. I’m well aware the two of you possess the strength to aid Thunder, but I also know this request risks dragging you straight into a life-threatening crisis.”

Kei remained silent for several seconds.

“You suspect Emma is still trapped inside that Dungeon? And you’re wondering if Thunder, missing for a full week now, is even still alive?”

“I have no idea,” Clark clenched his fists. “All I know is that Thunder won’t give up until he finds Emma. As for this ore sample… it might be the catalyst that dragged her into danger, or it might be entirely unrelated. But I can’t sit idly by and watch my younger brother throw himself blindly into that death trap and vanish just like her.”

Kei dropped his gaze back to the ore sample. An undocumented mineral deposit, unearthed from an S-rank Dungeon, followed immediately by the disappearance of the miner who discovered it.

If it were merely an ordinary accident, Thunder wouldn’t have been driven to such a state of desperate panic.

“Do you happen to know which Dungeon it is?” Kei asked.

“Yes. I’ll provide you with every piece of information Thunder left behind.” Clark locked a gaze of deep, stirring appreciation straight onto him.

No mass release, New book is coming.

1 castle – 5 chapters bonus