Vol 8 Chapter 7

"What's wrong? Can't break it?"

"If I break it with magic, the range would be too large..."

"Ah. I see. Hey, fraud, move aside a bit. Ugh."

Kion-hyung struggled to come forward while pushing Lucrecian from behind. A commotion arose as the men suddenly had to squeeze against each other in the already narrow tunnel.

"Ah. That hurts. Though I acknowledge my bottom is pretty, being touched like this is rather unpleasant."

"What the hell, you bastard?! When did I touch your... Stop saying disgusting things and get back quickly. Let me break that!"

"If that's what you wanted, you should have said so earlier."

After saying that, Lucrecian suddenly concealed himself and disappeared. At the same time, the darkness in the tunnel deepened and a chilling sensation ran down their spines.

'This feeling...'

"Since I've entered hyung's shadow, there should be more room now. If you're going to break it, hurry up."

Though Kapros wondered if it was alright to hide in someone else's shadow so freely without even asking his opinion, it seemed pointless to question Lucrecian about such things anyway.

"Ugh, annoying bastard. I wonder if he'd take damage if I stepped on his shadow while he's like that?"

"Trying that would be useless."

Lucrecian answered with a chuckle, his sharp ears having heard what hyung had muttered after coming right next to Kapros.

"Kar, step back a bit. The rock... where. Ah, here it is."

While enduring the increasingly chilling sensation in his spine, perhaps because Lucrecian had entered his shadow, Kapros stepped back as Kion-hyung tapped the blocking rock as if knocking, then put his ear against it.

"...Can you hear anything?"

"Hmm..."

After letting out a low groan that was neither affirmative nor negative to Kapros's words, hyung seemed to make up his mind as he stepped back a few steps to secure space, then took a fighting stance by bending his knees, clenching his fists and straightening his waist.

"Though it's quite large, this seems to have been placed here to block rather than being natural. If I hit it in the right spot, I should be able to push it out."

Hyung took a deep breath while lifting his right foot with his left foot as an axis. Instantly the atmosphere sank as cold as thousand-fathom waters while bright light began gathering at hyung's foot.

"Sssup, ha. Here I go! Holy Punishment!!"

The golden light gathered at hyung's foot swirled violently and wrapped around his entire leg like a spiral. Simultaneously, hyung planted a kick in the exact center of the rock, and tremendous power shot forward all at once.

Bang!!

"Cough, cough."

Instantly countless rock dust and debris fell on their heads with pattering sounds. While coughing and narrowing his eyes to see the outside where light was leaking in slightly, Kion-hyung's voice came from the front obscured by dust clouds.

"Broke through well! It's outside, so come out!"

While heading out at hyung's voice, Lucrecian had somehow already emerged from the shadow and smoothly approached right beside him.

"If that person wanted to hide his identity, couldn't he just change his stated job? I really don't understand what part of that strength is priest-like."

"...Though hyung is very good at attacking, he's also good at healing."

Though Kapros had similar thoughts, he couldn't help defending Kion-hyung's priest-like qualities. Though he had only seen hyung heal once so he wasn't sure, he had heard that the white gloves hyung had been wearing since meeting him in Zagreb were artifacts for healing abilities. Lucrecian made a "hmph" sound while brushing back his hair that shone clearly silver even in the darkness.

"He probably does heal. If he didn't even do that, it would just be fighting, how could that be a priest?"

"Kar? What are you doing there? Come out quickly. Where in the world is this place?"

'Huh?'

At hyung's call, Kapros quickened his pace out of the tunnel but stopped in surprise at the outside scenery that spread out as if they had suddenly emerged into an unfamiliar world.

'This is...'

"Rather than outside, it seems we've come down to a deeper place, but I don't know what kind of place this is."

As hyung said, what they saw immediately after emerging from the tunnel was a skyless space made of enormous earth and stone that could only be called an underground world. However, thanks to light leaking from ore half-buried here and there in the ceiling and walls, securing visibility wasn't too difficult.

'Is this really a space carved inside the mountain range? To think such a place existed...'

"This... I know what it is."

Lucrecian, who had been carefully examining here and there, finally seemed to realize something and opened his mouth.

"This is a mine."

"A mine?"

"Yes. More precisely..."

Just as Lucrecian was about to explain something more to Kapros, suddenly someone's silhouette appeared not far away.

"Huh? There were people even in a place like this. Hello."

Kapros wasn't the only one who instantly took a combat stance thinking it might be a monster. While pushing back the Superior staff he had half-drawn, when he looked to the side, Kion-hyung was ready to spring forward with his powerful fist that could send most monsters flying in one hit tightly clenched, and between Lucrecian's fingers the blade of that Shadow Knight's dagger had peeked out before quietly disappearing.

The one who greeted them was clearly a human user, though filthy with black dirt all over his face.

"You all came to mine ore too? They say Orgen mining parties are popular these days... Well, good luck."

"W-wait a moment, could we ask something?"

When they showed no reaction, the user who made a slightly embarrassed expression was about to pass by holding the pickaxe on his shoulder, but Kion-hyung showed quick wit and barely managed to stop him.

"Yes?"

"Uh, so this. Is this really a mine?"

"What else could a place like this be but a mine? Hahaha. You're interesting people. Didn't you come forming a mining party to gather ore?"

The user with his face covered in soot showed his white teeth as he smiled.

"Hmm. So we... no, we..."

"We came to hunt in the Orgen Mountains and found an unfamiliar cave, so we kept going in and ended up here. We didn't know it was a mine."

Lucrecian continued with a much smoother tone, cutting off the pondering Kion-hyung. Fortunately, the user didn't seem to care who was speaking.