Chapter 117 - 116: Unexpected Discovery

Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Unexpected Discovery

The flames at the cave entrance quickly died down, and the thick smoke dissipated faster than expected.

The group cautiously stepped into the cave, instantly relieved they hadn’t chosen to charge in recklessly.

Although the entrance was three meters high, the passage became lower and narrower the deeper they went, with some branching paths not even one and a half meters tall.

As Hesia walked through the passage, he could clearly feel wind pouring in from the entrance.

He realized there must be other vents deeper in the cave system; no wonder the thick smoke had filled the entire cave so quickly.

As they went deeper, the light was almost completely blocked out, and their surroundings plunged into darkness.

[Light Technique]!

A soft ball of white light ignited at Hesia’s fingertips, dispelling the darkness ahead.

"Hey, this is really convenient!" Belte grinned, putting away the torch he had prepared. "It’s great having a Mage on the team. We even save on lighting."

Hulk, however, did not relax. He used the light to inspect the rough cave walls. "Don’t get careless. These tunnels were mostly dug by kobolds. The height is perfect for them, but for us, it’s an obstacle at every turn. Everyone, watch your heads and your step."

The main tunnel wound downwards, and the air was filled with the smell of tar, blood, and the distinct, foul stench of some kind of reptile.

Bruce’s black nose twitched nonstop. He stopped and looked toward the depths of the main tunnel. "WOOF! The smell of blood is coming from this way!"

After about five or six minutes, they passed through a narrow gap only about two meters high, and the view before them suddenly opened up.

A spacious, natural cavern appeared before them.

The ceiling was much higher than in the tunnel, and several even smaller branch tunnels connected to it from all sides.

On the walls, distorted, dragon-like totems were crudely painted in some dark red pigment. A few wild boar tusks and small, unidentifiable skulls were embedded in the cracks of the rock walls as decorations.

In the center of the cavern hall was a relatively flat boulder, clearly styled to be a kind of "throne," silently proclaiming that this place was once the center of authority for that Dogman Mage.

And right next to this "throne," a crude leather bag lay toppled on the ground. Its mouth was loose, and several pigeon-egg-sized red gemstones, which seemed to have flames flowing within them, had rolled out. Under the glow of the [Light Technique], they refracted a tempting light.

"Rubies?" Hulk was the first to exclaim in surprise.

Everyone hurried into the main hall.

Belte’s eyes lit up. He excitedly ran over, carefully picked up the scattered gemstones, and counted them along with the ones still in the bag.

"Guys! Thirteen in total! Looks like we’ve struck it rich!" he said in an excited whisper, his face beaming with the joy of an unexpected windfall.

The appearance of the Rubies instantly turned what was supposed to be an ordinary extermination mission into something extraordinary.

Laila calmly scanned their surroundings, assessing potential risks; Hulk gripped his sword and shield even tighter in vigilance; Hesia’s heart also pounded at the unexpected wealth, but he was more concerned about the source of the heavy scent of blood.

Bruce ignored the inedible gemstones. Following the scent, he came to the mouth of a particularly low tunnel on one side of the main hall.

He barked into it, "The smell of blood is thickest here!"

This tunnel was extremely narrow; even Hesia had to duck his head low to barely squeeze through.

The deeper they went, the thicker the smell of blood became, so much so that it was almost tangible. They no longer needed Bruce’s guidance; everyone could smell it clearly.

Hulk, who was walking at the very front, silently tightened his grip on the Kite Shield in his hand.

After passing through the oppressive tunnel, Hulk, who was leading the way, froze at the opening.

He didn’t enter immediately. Instead, he raised his shield in front of him and was silent for a full few seconds before his low voice came back: "No living things for now. But the situation... you should come see for yourselves."

Hesia struggled through the last narrow passage, and the sight before him made his breath catch in his throat.

It was a mining cave, smaller than the main hall, and the floor was littered with the bodies of kobolds lying in disarray—at least twenty of them.

Pickaxes were scattered everywhere, and the walls on both sides were covered in fresh, messy pick marks, clear evidence that kobolds had been working here not long ago.

A few Fluorescent Stones embedded in the walls provided a faint source of light.

In the center of the cave, there was a simple, crudely molded clay statue shaped like the head of a Giant Dragon.

But the most eye-catching thing was a figure lying prone on the ground.

He was wearing a set of archaic, dark-colored Plate Armor. His build was exceptionally large and broad, but the armor was shattered in multiple places, revealing wounds beneath. Blood soaked the ground under him, and it was impossible to tell if he was dead or alive.

Not far from his right hand lay a single-bladed battle axe inlaid with dark red scales.

Hesia stared at the armor and the battle axe, a faint sense of familiarity stirring within him.

The figure’s legs were pointed towards one of the cave’s rock walls, where there was a huge hole that had clearly been smashed through from the outside with immense force!

The rock around the edge of the hole was jagged and full of cracks.

With a trace of confusion, Hesia walked forward.

He looked out through the hole.

Outside the hole was not the mountainside or another tunnel as he had expected, but a deep, viscous fog. A heart-pounding, sinister chill seeped in from the mist in wisps, causing the temperature in the entire mining cave to drop by several degrees.

Just then, his teammates squeezed in one after another. Seeing the scene outside the hole, their expressions all turned grim.

Hulk’s brow was tightly furrowed, his tone more serious than ever. "Something is wrong with this cave, especially this hole... We can’t go any deeper. First, let’s check on the person on the ground."

He and Belte worked together, carefully turning over the heavy, plate-armored body.

When the face was exposed to the light of the [Light Technique], Hesia’s pupils contracted—he had seen this man before! The first time was at the Adventurer Guild, a figure like an Iron Tower; the second time was outside the Four Seas Currency Shop, when he heard someone else call him...

"Zande?" Belte cried out the name at almost the same time, his voice filled with shock.

Judging by the expressions on the others’ faces, it was clear they all recognized the warrior lying on the ground.

Seeing Hesia’s questioning gaze, Belte quickly explained, "Zande, a famous Adventurer in Rose Town. A true Professional Warrior! I heard from Hain that he might be the strongest warrior in town." He briefly examined the wounds on Zande’s body. "Caused by a sharp weapon... very deep slash wounds, not something a kobold’s weapon could inflict. But from the looks of it, it seems like he’s the one who cleared out the kobolds here."

Hulk made an immediate decision. "Help me get his armor off."

Removing the heavy Plate Armor was a technical task, and very time-consuming.

Laila and Belte stepped forward to help, the three of them working in perfect coordination.

Laila undid the helmet’s leather straps and removed the heavy helm; Belte took off the leg armor and greaves; and Hulk used a dagger to cut the leather cords on the inside, finally separating the blood-stained breastplate from the backplate.

Beneath the armor, the thick gambeson was soaked with blood and sweat. A gruesome wound stretched from his abdomen all the way to his ribs.

And with all the armor removed, Hesia finally got a clear look at the true face of "Rose Town’s Strongest Warrior"—grayish-brown skin, a coarse face, and lower canines that protruded like tusks. Even unconscious, he exuded a fierce aura that seemed to come from his very bones.

This was a Beastman.

Unlike Half-Beastmen, Pure-blooded Beastmen were not common in human society. They mostly appeared as slaves or mercenaries, as their culture glorified Power and battle. Their belligerent nature made it difficult for them to integrate into human society.

"A Beastman, huh..." Trist stroked his chin, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "I’ve never tried one of those... The meat is probably quite tough and stringy, maybe similar to a goblin? It would probably need to be stewed for a long time to..."