Chapter 31: Leave None Alive

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Leave None Alive

He asked, "Are there any women at the mine?"

The miner shot Hesia a strange look, as if he were looking at an idiot.

"Are you that desperate for a woman you’ve gone mad? Why come to a mine looking for one instead of a brothel?" he scoffed. Then, as if a thought struck him, his expression grew wary. He leaned back slightly, instinctively crossing his hands over his chest. "Hey! You’re a pretty boy, all clean-cut. You’re not checkin’ me out ’cause I’m built, are you? You got some ideas about me?"

Hesia quickly held up his hands. "I just wanted to ask if women ever come to the mine? Like miners’ family members?"

The miner eyed Hesia up and down suspiciously. Seeing his sincere expression, he relaxed a bit and waved his hand impatiently. "No, no! What women? The higher-ups gave a strict order! No one’s family dares to come! If they show up even once, not only can you forget about that month’s pay, you’ll have to pack your bags and get the hell out!"

Hesia asked again, "Are the goblins at the mine still here?"

At the mention of goblins, the miner’s face immediately twisted with undisguised disgust.

"Those Green-skinned Dwarves?!" He spat on the ground. "Don’t even get me started! Never mind that they make the whole mine reek of their foul stench! Every time we find a good spot with a rich vein of ore, the foreman makes those beasts dig it first! We’re stuck with the worthless scraps on the side where a bird wouldn’t even shit!"

"So you’re paid based on the amount of ore you mine?"

"You bet. If we want to make our usual wage, we have to work harder. And if we find a good spot?

Hah! We get reassigned immediately. Now tell me, isn’t that infuriating?"

"But I heard there are only thirty-odd goblins at the mine. They aren’t that strong, are they?"

A flicker of surprise crossed the miner’s face.

"There aren’t many, no, but the problem is those Green-skinned Dwarves can work for eighteen hours a day! It’s insane! Don’t they need to sleep?"

He paused, then added with a hint of schadenfreude, "Still, it’s not all bad. A few of those goblins have already been worked to death recently. If they keep at it like this, I reckon it won’t be long before they all drop dead!"

Seeing that Hesia’s questions were endless, the miner’s suspicion returned.

"Look... what are you really up to? What’s your name? And why’d you bring a dog? Didn’t you say you were here to find Matt?"

He had gathered enough information.

Hesia replied casually, "My name is Galen. I was thinking of finding some work here, but now I think I’ll pass. I don’t fancy dealing with those Green-skinned Dwarves all day."

With that, he and Bruce turned and left.

...

「Night fell.」

The foreman’s wooden cabin, not far off, cast a dim, yellow glow, and the faint sound of snoring could be heard from within.

Like phantoms, Hesia and Bruce reappeared near the mine entrance.

His investigation during the day seemed to point the suspicion elsewhere.

But that wouldn’t stop Hesia from taking the opportunity to clean out the goblins here.

In any case, the idea of keeping these creatures penned up like this made him deeply uncomfortable.

’The miners should be resting by now, and the foremen are usually lazy at this hour. Now is a good time.’

He crouched down and gave Bruce a command.

"Go, lure the foreman out. Make a big scene, but don’t let him catch you."

Bruce understood perfectly and slipped silently into the mine.

「A moment later.」

"AR-ROO! WOOF WOOF WOOF!"

A series of frantic barks erupted from inside the mine!

It was followed by a loud CLANG, as Bruce deliberately knocked something over!

"Dammit! Where did this shit-eating mutt come from! Stop! I’m gonna skin you alive and use your hide as a doormat!"

Immediately after, Bruce’s agile form bolted out of the mine entrance.

A burly man in a leather vest was in hot pursuit, brandishing a thick, short whip.

Under the moonlight, the burly man’s face was fleshy and cruel, and he was panting heavily.

Now.

Hesia seized the opportunity, slipping into the mine.

The cavern’s interior was not completely dark.

Low-quality Magic Lamps were placed at intervals along the walls, casting a flickering light that made the rock face seem to shift between light and shadow.

The air grew thick with the acrid stench unique to goblins.

Hesia followed the tracks deeper into the mine.

Soon, he saw the goblins.

More than twenty of the Green-skinned Dwarves were sitting in a circle in a relatively open area.

Without exception, heavy iron shackles were fastened around their ankles. A thick chain linked them all together, restricting their movement.

They were gathered around the corpses of several of their own, letting out unintelligible shrieks as if fighting over something.

This cramped environment was the perfect stage for his Earth Spike Technique.

Hesia didn’t hesitate for a moment.

To end the fight quickly, he didn’t hold back on his Magic Power.

Locking on!

Earth Spike Technique!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three thick Earth Spikes erupted from the ground in a triangular formation at nearly the same instant!

The jagged spikes crisscrossed, impaling the outermost goblins.

SQUELCH!

The sound of tearing flesh was exceptionally clear in the cavern.

The goblins didn’t even have time to scream before the immense force pinned them to the ceiling of the mine.

This sudden attack threw the remaining goblins into a state of extreme panic.

Horror filled their bulging, dark-yellow eyes.

"GAAAAH—!?"

Sharp, chaotic shrieks rose one after another.

They struggled, instinctively trying to retreat.

However, the chains on their legs held them fast.

The living goblins tripped over the corpses of their dead companions, and the whole group descended into a chaotic tangle, completely unable to escape the killing ground.

Hesia’s eyes were ice-cold as he raised his hand again.

Another volley of three Earth Spikes.

The spikes tore through the ground like the fangs of Death itself, precisely harvesting the remaining lives.

The screams stopped abruptly.

The entire mine fell silent once more.

[Earth Spike Skill Proficiency +1, Level 2 (1/20)]

[By killing a small goblin, you have extracted the trait—Bloodline Solidification]

[Bloodline Solidification: The creature’s bloodline is shackled by an unknown power, permanently locking its form in its base stage. No external intervention—including but not limited to magical mutation, divine Blessing, or Abyssal corruption—can alter its Bloodline Power, thereby eliminating any possibility of evolution or mutation into a higher subspecies.]

Hesia was completely surprised. He had actually managed to extract a trait.

And from these goblin laborers, of all things.

’Bloodline Solidification?’

’Judging by the description, this seems like a purely negative trait, doesn’t it?

’It locks your growth potential and cuts off all possibility of evolution?’

Hesia frowned, but then a thought flashed through his mind.

’But... what if...’

’What if I apply this trait to myself in two weeks, when the power of Salamakis’s contract activates...?’

’Would that mean I could resist that bloodline extraction?’