Vol 8 Chapter 8

"Ah, I see. Unless you're users who specialize in mining ore, it's not well known, but actually there are countless entrances leading to internal mines while wandering around the mountain ranges. You seem to have newly discovered one of them."

"Then you too...?"

"Yes. I've been mining ore here for several days too. Since Orgen's mines are so vast that finding people is like catching stars in the sky, it's nice to see other users after so long. Haha."

No wonder he seemed rather chatty - he must have been glad to meet people after a long time.

"If you're not going back right away, since you've come down here anyway, try mining some ore before you go. Well, enjoy the game."

"Ah, uh. Thank you."

At Kion-hyung's flustered greeting, the man who showed his white teeth again in a grin adjusted the strap of his pickaxe and disappeared somewhere again. Though they could more or less see thanks to the light flowing from ore embedded in the ceiling, it was still dark and the outlines of paths were hard to make out, like optical illusions, with nothing but similar-looking piles of dirt and rocks everywhere.

"We couldn't find it up in the mountains... To think such a huge mine existed below."

Kion-hyung frowned while looking at the mine so vast that one couldn't tell where it began or ended. Kapros called up his map window again to compare his current location with where he needed to go.

"...But this time I think we've found the right place."

"Thought so. When you say dwarves, they do have the image of being active in a place like this."

"Since it seems to be connected like a maze, I think we'll only arrive after getting quite lost."

Lucrecian tapped the wall while raising his red lips crookedly.

"Saturn really does love mazes an awful lot."

'Come to think of it, where I first met this guy was also an underground maze.'

Back then, Lucrecian had been coming up empty for months unable to find the reward item's location until Kapros arrived. Seeing the face of someone who could be called a living witness to struggling in quest traps, a slight uneasiness began welling up suddenly.

'Since the destination's location is shown on the map, surely we won't wander here for days.'

However, Kapros soon learned that this was just wishful thinking.

"...This is another dead end."

"Let's go back."

Kapros sincerely admired their fortitude watching Kion-hyung calmly declare a dead end and Lucrecian turn back nonchalantly.

They had been wandering this vast mine for a week already. He had recently learned while searching that this place was famous for no MIST-related communities having produced a 100% complete map yet, not only because the mine was vast but because its paths were too intricately tangled.

In this infamous place where you had to die to escape if you got lost since you couldn't find the exit, they were continuing to move looking for a path to their destination without even thinking about the exit.

"Kar. Why do you look so down?"

Worried about Kapros's silence, Kion-hyung patted his back and offered words of comfort.

"If you're worried because we haven't found the way yet, don't worry. This is nothing. When I was doing my quest before, you know, there was a time when I only got the proof of completion after wandering one place for three whole months. Just me and that Palton guy, just the two of us. It was quite a sweaty time..."

Seeing hyung's eyes grow deeply nostalgic as if recalling that memory, Kapros felt he could vaguely understand where his current enlightened-looking attitude came from.

"That's right, hyung. This is just a battle of persistence, you could say. If you wander around without thinking, your head gets dull and it starts feeling like nothing."

"...No..."

Kapros shook his head while hearing Lucrecian's chiming in, unclear whether in agreement or cursing.

"We're almost there. Since three days ago the destination point and current location have gotten quite close but we can't reach it..."

After hesitating briefly whether it was alright to say this, Kapros continued.

"I was just thinking whether this place would collapse or not if I broke through everything with magic."

"..."

Seeing Kion-hyung's jaw drop and Lucrecian blinking with round eyes, Kapros thought perhaps he had suggested something too reckless.

'Still, if we're not destroying everything but just breaking through walls in a straight line here and there, it seems quite doable...'

"Hehehe. Look at this kid. Hehe."

Kion-hyung, who had finally closed his mouth, suddenly let out empty laughter while ruffling Kapros's hooded head enough to make it look like a bird's nest.

"Right, you were this kind of bold guy from the start. I had forgotten."

"Mine explosion. ...That would be quite fun."

Lucrecian spoke while pulling his hat down even deeper.

"If it's that scale, I could lend a hand too. You've seen it before, right hyung?"

Looking at Lucrecian's dangerous smile, Kapros recalled the various poisons he had seen in his video. And among them, that final poison of chemical weapon level that had the most powerful effect.

'If we use that poison that melted that huge tree in one hit here...'

"...That probably won't be necessary."

"Ahaha. Let me know if you need it."

When Kapros quietly shook his head, Lucrecian waved his hand with a cheerful laugh.

'Now that I have their agreement, shall we try?'

"Kar. If it's something I can break through too, can I help?"

Since Kapros already knew well about Kion-hyung's appropriate destructive power, he readily nodded.

"Here. ...We'll break through a tunnel big enough for us to pass from here."

The two examined the ordinary stone wall Kapros had pointed to.

"A tunnel... That should be no problem. Surely it won't collapse from that much?"

"That's right. It might be more doable than we thought."

If you have the power to do it, it's obviously easier to break through walls to the destination rather than finding paths. Fortunately, Kion-hyung and Lucrecian seemed to understand this point too.

Kapros had started thinking of this method while recalling the narrow cave that had served as their entrance when they came here. According to the mining user they first met, this huge mine had over dozens of entrances. If so, conversely, it seemed unlikely that making one more similar tunnel from the inside would cause any major problems.