Chapter 87: Interlude – The Extraordinary Life of a Mining Girl
That day, too, I was heading to the mine.
I walked through the morning mine shaft, bustling with miners, aiming for the depths of the general area.
With expansion after expansion, this mine shaft was abnormally intricate.
Each time I passed a fork, the crowd thinned out, and soon I was alone.
“…〖Physical Keen〗”
I sharpened my five senses.
I hadn’t dug anything yet, so there was no worry of being attacked by other miners, but being alone made me an easy target for Demon Beasts.
Avoiding any dangerous presences, I aimlessly walked deeper into the general area.
The 〖Mana〗 concentration in the general area was equivalent to what adventurers called a ‘Lesser Beast Domain.’ However, even within that, subtle variations in concentration appeared.
I had to find a hidden spot with particularly high 〖Mana〗 concentration within the Lesser Beast Domain and dig there.
—Listen, Fiss. The higher the 〖Mana〗 concentration, the better the gems you’re likely to find. But the 〖Mana〗 concentration isn’t on any map. The only thing you can rely on is your own 〖Mana〗 perception. That’s why you have to train your 〖Mana〗 perception to become a full-fledged gem digger.
…
I suppressed the old memories and quickened my pace through the mine shaft.
I randomly chose a fork in the path, following my feet.
My map only showed the main mine shafts, but with my 〖Sense of Direction〗, I wouldn’t get lost.
Today, I had mostly been heading southeast, so if I chose a path to the northwest, I should be able to return.
“…I guess this is good enough for today.”
As I said that, I touched the rock wall. Only that spot, a few steps wide, had a level of 〖Mana〗 one step higher than the other walls.
It was hard to perceive, but I could tell. This was close to the level of a Long Beast Domain.
There were no signs of anyone having dug here recently, so I should be able to find at least a mid-grade Mana Crystal.
I immediately readied my pickaxe.
Quite some time had passed since I started mining.
I sat down on a small rock to the side, taking a break and checking my progress when I suddenly heard footsteps.
Silently, I activated 〖Physical Keen〗.
This allowed me to determine that there were five sets of footsteps.
“…”
Even in the remote areas where people rarely came, this sometimes happened. Other miners would pass by while I was mining.
However, that didn’t mean I would just wait for them to come.
If they had malicious intent, they might try to kill me and steal my findings.
I quickly put on my pickaxe and backpack and headed in the opposite direction—deeper into the mine shaft.
“Ah.”
I passed one fork, walked further, and then realized that it was a dead end.
I hurriedly returned to the fork and entered the other path, but immediately stopped.
I stroked the rock wall. It had a smooth texture.
It was clearly different from a mine shaft dug by humans. It was as if it had been dug with acid—
“—Could it be, a Steel Ant nest!?”
I gasped. Steel Ants were a common Demon Beast in this mine. Each one wasn’t that scary.
But a nest was a different story.
Nests were home to multiple swarms, and often, they were led by a higher-ranking species.
At worst, a huge nest like those in the Twilight Zone might have accidentally connected to the general area.
It was dangerous to go any further—but even if I turned back, there were no other forks.
…I had no choice, I would hide behind a nearby rock.
If they were lucky enough to go the other way, I could escape in that gap.
Even if they didn’t, it wasn’t like they were necessarily bad people.
I held my breath and paid attention to the sounds.
I could tell that they were still far away, and I also listened to their conversation.
“—We’re not getting there, are we? And I heard the Scorching Zone is hot, but the temperature hasn’t gone up at all. Excuse me, but are you sure we’re on the right path?”
“Heh, there’s no way we’re on the right path. I never intended to escort you to the ‘Flame Sea’ in the first place! There’s no one around here, do it, you guys!”
My enhanced hearing picked up that conversation, and then I heard the sound of weapons hitting rocks.
I understood what was happening, but my legs were frozen, and I couldn’t move.
“Tch, I missed.”
“Oraah, you bastard, don’t dodge! Just leave your life and your belongings here!”
“Oh dear, your attacks have no chance of hitting me.”
The sound of metal clashing echoed again and again.
But I didn’t hear the sound of flesh being crushed or cut.
“My unique skill, 〖Paper Dance〗, based on 〖Evasion〗, allows me to dodge attacks with changes in speed greater than my 〖Evasion〗. Don’t think you can hit me just because our 〖Levels〗 aren’t that different.”
“Ugh, this is such a pain! Then we’ll just use an area attack, 〖Wind Mixer〗!”
“How pitifully short-sighted, 〖Paper Knives〗.”
I heard the sound of air being violently stirred and the sound of the atmosphere being sharply cut.
A moment later, a large amount of liquid spurted out, and I heard the sound of a human body collapsing.
“R-Rourke…!? Are you okay!?”
“I forgot to mention, but my 〖Arcana Rank〗 is 〖Fourth Arcana〗. Even if our 〖Levels〗 are close, I won’t lose in terms of magic output.”
“Ugh, uwaaaaaah!?”
The three survivors fled.
Perhaps because they had been surrounding him from the front and back, one ran towards me, and the other two ran towards the entrance of the mine shaft.
“This is troublesome. 〖Book Jump Out〗, hunt down the person who went deeper.”
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps increased.
They were different from human footsteps, the four-legged footsteps of a beast.
It was chasing the one who was running alone.
“Grrrrr!”
“Uwaaaaaaaah, ah, ga…”
“…!”
It caught up near the fork, pushed him down, and then…—I bit my lip and held my breath.
It was the first time I had felt a human death so close. I desperately suppressed the trembling of my heart and body.
“Ah, it was a mistake to rely on humans after all. They only caused more trouble. Since I have the map, I’ll just search on my own.”
Behind the beast’s hunt, another hunt was taking place.
The two who ran towards the entrance were killed before they could even go ten steps.
Their power was too different.
Judging by their movement speed, the two thugs should have been at least mid-level adventurers, but they were instantly killed.
“Grrr…”
“Oh? Is there something over there? Hmm, the smell of humans…”
Crap, I’ve been noticed.
How!? I haven’t made a single sound…!
“There’s no need to be afraid. I only killed them because they tried to kill me. It was self-defense. This Demon Beast won’t attack people either, so please come out.”
If I stayed here, it was only a matter of time before I was found.
Besides, from what I heard, his claim of self-defense was understandable.
It would be better to come out quickly rather than anger him.
I cautiously stood up.
I saw a man holding a book in his right hand, wearing a ceremonial robe that seemed out of place in the mine shaft, and giving a gentle smile. Memories flooded back.
This man was the one who had been giving a street sermon for the Demon God Cult a while ago.
The Demon Beast beside him was probably being controlled by some evil ritual of the cult.
“Oh my, it was such a small young lady. I’m sorry for scaring you. I’d like to apologize, so please come here.”
His voice became even more gentle, and he held out his hand as if inviting me.
I would do as he said.
—First step. I took a clumsy step forward.
I was scared, but it seemed like it would be scarier if I didn’t obey here.
But then, I noticed something.
—Second step. I swayed and put my other foot forward.
Would such a suspicious group like the Demon God Cult, especially one who controlled Demon Beasts and had been seen killing people, really let a witness go?
Wouldn’t they try to silence me to ensure they left no evidence?
—Third step, I pretended to take it, but then turned on my heel.
I ran back the way I came at full speed!
“〖Physical Boost〗!”
“Oh my, 〖Paper Knives〗.”
As I ran away and activated my body enhancement magic, a magic attack was immediately launched at me.
I had learned a lot about this slashing magic from the sounds. I knew its properties to some extent.
“Ugh!”
The moment the 〖Mana〗 behind me surged, I had used the movement of my shoulder to fling my backpack up.
This caused the backpack to take the slash aimed at my neck instead. The backpack was torn apart, and the minerals inside scattered.
Multiple slashes had been launched, so I wasn’t unscathed, but I had avoided a fatal blow.
My legs were cut, and I lost my balance, but I immediately healed them with magic and ran.
“〖Physical Recovery〗!”
This magic that healed my body consumed a fair amount of 〖Mana〗. But I still had to use it.
The beast that the man was controlling was already running after me.
“At that distance, my magic can’t reach it. Very well, I’ll leave the capture to you.”
While frequently glancing back at the approaching Demon Beast, I ran through the tunnel for my life.
If it catches up, it’s game over. With that size and speed, it’s a Greater Beast, there’s no way I can win.
That’s why I ran. Moving my magically enhanced body with all my might.
Towards the depths of the Demon Beast’s nest.
“Gichichii!?”
“Ugh!”
While running desperately, I noticed two ant-type Demon Beasts in my path. They were about waist-high, so probably Lesser Beasts.
And the one chasing me now is a Greater Beast. I can’t stop.
“Tch…!”
Without slowing down, I charged forward and leaped over them.
The ants’ gaze followed me, then turned towards the beast.
They must have forgotten about the prey that escaped and are now trying to hunt the Demon Beast in front of them.
I prayed for the ants’ valiant fight.
But the difference in Beast Rank was cruel, and the two ants were instantly killed.
After that, I encountered Steel Ant Lesser Beasts many times.
Each time, I somehow managed to get past them, and as I was chased, I went deeper into the nest.
“Hah, hah, hah…”
After going on for a while, when I entered an area with a Mana concentration higher than the Long Beast Domain, I suddenly stopped encountering ant-type Demon Beasts.
While wondering why, I kept running. There was no other choice.
“Hyuu, kohyuu…”
My stamina was already depleted. When I was caught once, I took an attack and my pickaxe was shattered to pieces.
To make myself even lighter, I threw away all my other belongings.
Maintaining the body enhancement magic was all I could do with my Mana.
Even so, as I desperately ran, the Mana became even denser.
I’ve never been there, but I wondered if the Ferocious Beast Zone or the Twilight Zone had this kind of concentration, thinking irrelevant thoughts. It was an escape from reality.
It hurt just to breathe.
My vision was flickering and unfocused.
I could taste blood in the back of my throat.
The Demon Beast also seemed quite tired, but the distance was only a few steps now.
I could just stop running and it would be easier. I shook off that thought and kept running.
Was it enough, an hour, a day? I lost all sense of time, and then, suddenly, I was enveloped in a floating sensation.
Did I finally fall? No, I realized in the corner of my hazy consciousness that the ground had collapsed.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!?”
Even though I was so exhausted, I was surprised that a person could make such a sound, thinking about it as if it were someone else’s problem, and then I lost consciousness.