236 - Beneath the Black Ridge

The supply post at the southern end of Ironfang Ravine consisted of a stone storehouse, a stable, and several buildings occupied by merchants who supplied mining crews. When Subin's group returned before nightfall, the post's commander, a retired B-rank Awakener named Orven, was waiting beside the main gate.

“You went into the ravine?” Orven asked, looking at the blood on their equipment.

“We found several Ironfang Ravagers and an Ironcrest Devourer,” Ara answered. “The Devourer was Level 312. We killed it, and the immediate area around the abandoned camp should be safer now.”

Orven's eyebrows rose. “A Level 312 creature was living that close to the supply route?”

“Apparently,” Subin said. “The mining camp beneath the cliff was abandoned. The eastern passage remains unexplored.”

Orven looked toward the ravine, then shook his head. “The miners reported heavy movement up there, but nobody knew what they were dealing with. I'll send word to the remaining workers and have them avoid the eastern trail.”

“You should also arrange for someone to recover the abandoned equipment,” Yerin said. “Some of it may still be usable, but the route needs to be checked first.”

Orven agreed to organize a recovery team after the upper ridge had been examined. He offered them lodging and a meal, but Subin asked for an early start the following morning. The group spent the evening repairing damaged equipment and preparing for the climb.

At dawn, they approached the ravine from the western ridge rather than entering through the main path. The higher route offered a clear view of the cliffs and the eastern passage, though it required them to cross several narrow shelves of rock.

The terrain became increasingly steep as they moved east. Vegetation disappeared, replaced by dark stone streaked with reddish mineral deposits. Ara occasionally stopped to examine the exposed rock, while Yerin watched the slopes for movement.

Near the highest point of the ridge, they found a trail leading down toward a broad shelf halfway up the eastern cliff.

“Something has been using this route regularly,” Ara said. “The loose stones have been pushed aside, and those marks aren't from ordinary erosion.”

Subin crouched beside a deep groove in the stone. It was wider than the tracks left by the Devourer, but the edges were too clean to have been made by a rolling boulder.

“Could be another large creature,” Jae-hyun said.

“Then we should meet it before it reaches the lower camp,” Liu Wei replied.

They followed the trail.

The shelf opened into a natural terrace overlooking a deep fissure in the ridge. At its centre stood a formation of dark mineral pillars, some broken and others still rising several metres above the ground. A narrow opening between them led into the mountain.

The air coming from the opening was warm.

Ara approached cautiously and held out a mana sensor. Its needle moved sharply toward the entrance.

“There's a concentrated mana source inside. It isn't a gate. The readings are consistent with a natural deposit or a large creature's territory.”

Subin looked through the opening. The passage descended at a shallow angle, wide enough for several people to walk abreast. Scratches marked the walls, and the floor carried traces of old animal remains.

“We go in together,” he said. “Nobody rushes ahead.”

The group entered the mountain.

Beyond the first bend, the passage widened into a cavern filled with pale mineral veins. Some glimmered faintly under the ambient mana, illuminating the uneven floor. The warmth increased as they descended, and a low scraping noise echoed somewhere deeper inside.

They reached a chamber where the ceiling rose high above them. Several broken pillars lay scattered across the floor, and a shallow pool occupied one side of the cavern. The water was clear, but the surrounding stone had been worn into smooth channels by repeated movement.

Jae-hyun pointed toward the far wall. “Those marks look fresh.”

A heavy impact shook dust from the ceiling.

Something moved behind the pillars.

The creature that emerged was shaped like a gigantic armoured lizard, its body covered in overlapping black plates. Thick forelimbs supported a broad chest, while a muscular tail dragged behind it. Unlike the Devourer, it had no horns. Instead, its skull was protected by a raised ridge of dense bone, and its jaws were lined with short, crushing teeth.

Ara's sensor flashed.

Blackridge Ironback — Level 326 — A-rank

The Ironback opened its mouth and released a deep, rumbling growl. Its eyes moved across the group before settling on Subin.

Then it charged.

The creature crossed the chamber in a burst of speed, slamming into the nearest pillar. Stone shattered, and fragments flew across the floor. Subin avoided the impact, but the Ironback immediately swung its tail toward him.

He ducked beneath the blow and cut at the creature's side. His sword struck the overlapping plates and left a shallow groove.

The Ironback turned with surprising agility and drove its shoulder into him.

Subin raised his blade to redirect the impact, but the sheer mass of the creature forced him several steps backward. His boots scraped across the stone before he regained his balance.

Yerin moved in from the side, thrusting at the exposed joint behind its foreleg. The spear penetrated between the plates, drawing a dark line of blood. The Ironback roared and swung its head toward her.

Jae-hyun intercepted it with a heavy strike against the skull ridge. The blow turned the creature's head just enough for Yerin to withdraw before its jaws closed.

“It's tougher than the Ravagers,” Jae-hyun said.

“Then stop hitting the armour,” Subin replied.

The Ironback advanced again, using its broad body to force them toward the chamber wall. Liu Wei attacked the rear leg, but his blade failed to penetrate deeply. The creature kicked backward, forcing him to leap clear.

Ara watched its movements from behind a broken pillar. “Its plates overlap downward along the body. Strikes from above are sliding off. The gaps widen when it lowers its chest to charge.”

Subin had noticed the same thing. The Ironback's defence depended on the angle of its armour. Its back was difficult to penetrate, but the underside of its neck and the joints beneath its shoulders were more exposed whenever it shifted its weight forward.

He waited for another charge.

The creature lowered its head and rushed toward him. Subin moved at the last moment, allowing it to pass close enough for his sword to reach beneath the neck. The cut opened a wound, but the Ironback twisted before he could follow through.

Its tail struck the ground and sent him stumbling away.

Yerin seized the opening, driving her spear into the wounded area. Jae-hyun attacked the opposite shoulder, while Liu Wei forced the creature to turn away from Subin.

The Ironback responded with a furious series of charges. It smashed through the remaining pillars and drove the group across the cavern, but each attack left it briefly unbalanced. Its armour protected it from direct blows, yet the repeated changes of direction were beginning to slow its movements.

Subin watched its forelegs.

The creature always planted its left foreleg slightly ahead of the right when preparing to turn. The difference was small, almost invisible beneath the armour, but it gave him the timing he needed.

When the Ironback charged again, Subin stepped toward its left side instead of retreating. His first cut struck the joint as the leg took its weight. The blade passed through the damaged tissue, and the creature's front half dipped sharply.

Before it could recover, Subin changed his grip and drove his sword beneath the neck.

The blade penetrated deeply.

The Ironback roared, twisting hard enough to tear itself away from the sword. Subin released the pressure and moved clear as the creature staggered toward the pool.

Yerin struck the exposed wound, and Jae-hyun followed with a powerful cut across the shoulder. Liu Wei attacked the rear leg again, finally forcing the creature down onto one side.

Subin approached from the front.

The Ironback tried to raise its head, its jaws snapping at him. He waited until the movement slowed, then delivered a precise thrust through the gap beneath its skull ridge.

The creature went still.

For several moments, the chamber remained quiet except for the sound of their breathing.

Jae-hyun rested his sword against his shoulder. “I would like to point out that I helped.”

“You did,” Subin said.

“Without sarcasm?”

“You helped without getting yourself killed. That deserves recognition.”

Liu Wei laughed, and even Jae-hyun accepted the answer with a grin.

Ara approached the carcass with her sensor. “Its core is considerably denser than the Ravagers' cores. Whatever brought it here, this chamber has probably been its territory for a long time.”

“Can we tell whether it was guarding the mineral deposit?” Yerin asked.

“Not from the creature alone. It may have been attracted by the mana concentration, or it may simply have chosen the cavern as a shelter.”

Subin examined the walls. The mineral veins continued beyond the chamber, branching into narrow fissures. He had no reason to assume the creature had been deliberately placed here or that the formation served some hidden purpose. The cavern offered shelter, warmth, and a concentrated source of mana. That was enough to explain why a powerful monster might settle in it.

They collected the Ironback's core and several valuable plates before exploring the remainder of the chamber. The passage narrowed beyond the pool, leading into a series of natural hollows. Some contained old bones, while others were empty. They found no additional large monsters, though several smaller creatures fled through cracks too narrow for the group to follow.

At the deepest accessible point, the passage ended at a collapsed section of rock. The debris was old, and the remaining gap was too small to enter safely without proper excavation.

Ara checked the mana sensor once more. “The strongest reading comes from the mineral veins around the chamber, not from beyond the collapse. I don't think we need to dig through this.”

Subin agreed. They had found a high-rank monster, a valuable mana core, and a natural deposit worth reporting to the Association. There was no reason to risk a collapse for the possibility of finding another chamber.

They returned to the surface in the early afternoon.

From the upper ridge, the ravine looked different than it had the previous day. The Ironfang Ravagers had been dangerous predators, and the Ironcrest Devourer had made the abandoned mining camp unsafe. The Ironback had occupied a separate cavern, drawn to the conditions inside the mountain. Their presence explained the recent losses without requiring a larger hidden threat.

The eastern passage would still need to be surveyed before miners could return, but the immediate danger had been reduced.

At the supply post, Orven listened to their report and agreed to send a specialist team to examine the mineral deposit. He also promised that no mining crew would enter the cavern until the route had been assessed for structural stability.

“You've done more than we expected,” he said. “The workers will be grateful when they hear the Ravagers are gone.”

“We didn't clear the entire ravine,” Subin replied. “Keep patrols on the eastern trail until the survey is complete.”

“I will.”

Orven arranged payment for the recovered monster cores and the salvageable plates. The reward was substantial, particularly for the Ironback's core, which could be used in high-grade equipment production.

That evening, the group rested at the supply post while Ara updated their regional map. The next major settlement lay beyond the eastern hills, and reports from its local Association branch mentioned a large monster population along the old trade road.

Jae-hyun looked over her shoulder. “Another hunt?”

“Possibly,” Ara said. “The reports are several weeks old. We'll need current information before deciding.”

Subin sat near the open window, cleaning his sword. The fight with the Ironback had forced him to adjust his approach rather than rely on raw cutting power. Its armour had been formidable, but careful observation had revealed the weakness he needed.

He wanted more opponents that could make him think.

Yerin sat beside him, setting her spear across her knees. “You looked pleased during that last fight.”

“It was a good opponent.”

“You say that about anything that survives more than one strike.”

“Not anything.”

She gave him a doubtful look.

Subin sheathed his sword. “The Ironback made me change my timing. That matters.”

Yerin considered his answer, then nodded. “Next time, leave something for the rest of us to fight.”

“I'll try to be considerate.”

“You won't.”

“No,” he admitted. “Probably not.”

Outside, the supply post settled into the quiet of evening. Beyond its walls, Ironfang Ravine remained a rugged stretch of dangerous country, but the worst of the immediate threat had been dealt with. By the following morning, the first recovery workers would be able to approach the abandoned camp under guard.

Subin and his companions would move on soon, leaving the mining crews to reclaim what they could. The eastern hills waited beyond the road, and with them came another opportunity to test the sword against stronger enemies.