Coal Mine!
One of the most important mines, essential for fueling the furnace. It lasts longer than wood and requires much less to sustain a fire for a long time.
"Shall we go in?" Lan Sol asked.
Without hesitation, everyone nodded.
As they stepped inside, the darkness enveloped them. Even the lights behind only managed to dimly illuminate the vast space.
Hiss!
Hissing and slithering noise filled the room.
Snakes were everywhere.
The creatures were nearly a meter long, their bodies covered in glowing iridescent scales that shimmered faintly in the darkness. Their slit-like pupils, glowing an eerie blue, locked onto the intruders with unsettling precision.
Their heads were crowned with delicate, spine-like ridges that glinted faintly, adding an ominous aura to their magical appearance.
[Name]: Glimmerfang
[Race]: Beast
[Level]: 3
[Health]: 200/200
[Mana]: 50
[Attack Power]: 5–8
[Strength]: 6
[Agility]: 10
[Spirit]: 5
[Constitution]: 10
[Skills]:
Flame Burst (When activated, exhales intense flame from its mouth, dealing 50% base attack damage, with burn damage (-5 HP per second for 10 seconds). Cooldown: 60 seconds.)
Venomous Bite (When activated, each bite attack contains lethal poison. Deals 30% base attack damage, poison (-1 HP per second for 30 seconds, paralysis for ten seconds, and all stats temporarily decrease by 50% for a minute. Cooldown: 5 minutes.)
[Current Status]: Healthy
[Racial Talent]: Iridescent Shield (Its scales absorb mana, reducing magical damage by 30%.)
[Note]: An agile, smart snake that thrives in dark areas. It prefers to trap its enemies and slowly kill them with venom rather than fight head-on.
Lan Sol read the description instantly.
"Be careful. Don't let them bite you," he said, activating his barrier and rushing ahead.
With the barrier, there was no need to be overly cautious about the Glimmerfangs.
"Natural Shield," Elyris cast her barrier.
A new shield overlapped Lan Sol's, but since the barrier limit was one per cast, only he received the additional protection.
Hiss!
Ssh!
Boom!
Suddenly, one of the Glimmerfangs from a corner jumped out and exhaled a burst of flame from its mouth.
The bluish flame engulfed Lan Sol's barrier.
As the Glimmerfang landed, it attempted to crawl away, but Lan Sol's sword had already pierced it.
With his shield up, the Glimmerfangs hesitated to charge him, but Gol and Gam were not so fortunate. They were surrounded.
From all four directions, Glimmerfangs attacked relentlessly.
"Gaaah! These damn snakes!"
"I will kill every one of them! No more bites!"
Gol and Gam screamed as they stabbed their spears into the Glimmerfangs' bodies at insane speed.
But no matter how fast they were, they couldn't avoid attacks from all directions.
The poison and burn effects had already begun to take hold.
[Your territory member has been afflicted with paralysis! Due to the high constitution, the effect has been nullified.]
[Your territory member has been poisoned. -1 HP per second!]
[Your territory member has been poisoned! -1 HP per second!]
[Your territory member has suffered severe burn damage. -5 HP per second!]
The most dangerous part was that the effect time stacked.
With each additional bite, the poison and burn durations increased. It was extremely risky.
Lan Sol activated Unnatural Rage and Slippery Floor.
The Glimmerfangs, losing their footing on the icy floor, slid uncontrollably, unable to crawl normally.
The Unnatural Rage enhanced everyone's speed significantly, allowing Gol and Gam to fight back more effectively.
"Sacred Purge, Healing Light, Divine Grace!"
Elyris' healing skills removed the poison effect and restored Gol's health, though her healing could only target one person at a time.
Lan Sol, moving quickly, slid across the icy floor, touching both Gol and Gam to heal them completely.
He covered the entire area with ice, ensuring even the walls and ceiling were slippery, leaving no surface untouched.
The Glimmerfangs, unable to maintain their grip, fell from the ceiling and walls. They slid across the floor in all directions.
"Icicle Rain!" Lan Sol shouted.
Icicles rained down, perfectly striking each Glimmerfang. He cast the spell repeatedly, bombarding them with ice until every visible Glimmerfang was exterminated.
He scouted the area to check for any hidden ones. There were none, so he pressed forward.
---
After an hour, the coal mine was conquered.
It wasn't particularly difficult, as they were simply overpowered for the Glimmerfangs, and there wasn't even a boss to contend with.
At the end of the mine, there was a silver chest. Lan Sol felt disappointed to find only one chest.
"Still, it's better than nothing," he muttered as he prepared to open it.
He opened the chest.
[Obtained: 'Battle Priest's Mace x1', 'Mana Potion x10', 'Health Potion x5', 'Snakemen Archer Recruitment Scroll (Rare) x1']
"A mace. Elyris, take it." He called Elyris over and handed her the new mace.
[Name]: Battle Priest's Mace
[Type]: Weapon
[Quality]: Rare
[Requirement]: Priest (Level 5 or above)
[Attack Power]: 100-200
[Effect]: Increases skill power by 50%. Reduces cooldown time of all skills by 30%. Deals 20% more damage when used in physical attacks against enemies.
(Note: Damage dealt = Base attack power + Weapon attack power + (if any other accessories, items, equipment, or skills that increase damage).)
"Eh? This looks nice. But, can I really have it?" Elyris asked, her eyes sparkling.
Lan Sol glanced at her current mace, which was ordinary and lacked any special effects. This one seemed far more fitting for her.
"Of course. We don't have another priest here. If you don't use it, who will?"
"AHH! This looks wonderful. Thank you for the amazing gift!" She flashed him a beautiful smile as she examined her new mace with excitement flashed in her eyes just like of a child getting gifts.
[Due to your generous gift, Elyris's loyalty towards you has increased! Loyalty increased by 10!]
"Now, only I'm left. When will I get my share of a gift?" Gam whispered from the corner.
Lan Sol ignored him and used the Snakemen Archer Recruitment Scroll.
Suddenly, the entire area glowed. A majestic door carved with various snake patterns emerged.
The door swung open, revealing a beautiful girl with long red hair, fair skin, and two red eyes with slit pupils. Instead of legs, she had a snake's tail.
Crawling out with her tail, she carried a bow and arrows on her back. She stared at Lan Sol and greeted him nonchalantly.
"Snaya from the snake tribe greets my new lord. May the blessing of the Snake God always be on you."
[Name]: Snaya (Changeable)
[Race]: Snakemen
[Level]: 10 (0/91,370)
[Grade]: Tier 2 Ordinary Creature
[Class]: Arctic Marksman
[Health]: 960
[Mana]: 480
[Attack Power]: 45-55
[Strength]: 50
[Agility]: 65
[Spirit]: 48
[Constitution]: 48
[Skills]:
Venomous Strike (Fires an arrow coated with venom, dealing 150% weapon damage and poisoning the target for 10 seconds. Poison deals 8 damage per second. Cooldown: 60 seconds.)
Toxin Immunity (Immune to all kinds of poison. Passive, no cooldown.)
Serpentine Reflexes (Activates heightened reflexes for 8 seconds, increasing evasion by 25% and attack speed by 20%. Can dodge physical attacks and reduce incoming ranged damage by 15%. Cooldown: 30 seconds.)
Frostbite Arrow (Shoots a freezing arrow that slows the target's movement speed by 40% for 6 seconds and deals 120% weapon damage. Has a 20% chance to freeze the target completely for 2 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.)
[Current Status]: Healthy
[Hunger]: 0
[Loyalty]: 78
[Talent]: Snake God Blessings (Increases critical hit chance by 20% and attack speed by 10%. Each critical hit has a 25% chance to restore 5% health.)
---
Another level 10!
Lan Sol was thrilled to see his territory's strength grow.
While she was slightly weaker than Elyris in stats, Snaya's combat potential made her a valuable asset.
"A snakemen. What a rare sight," Elyris commented.
"We are a hidden race that prefers to stay out of the outside world," Snaya responded calmly.
"Another ally, and a strong one at that. Gol, our position will drop at this rate," Gam joked.
"Don't worry, Gam. We are men. Our lord won't forsake us!"
"Really? Does our Lord have soft spots for men?"
"Maybe he likes men."
"Ahem." Lan Sol coughed. "I see you two are saying something rude about me."
"No… No, it's Gol. Not me," Gam quickly deflected.
"What? I haven't said anything. It's Gam twisting my words!"
"Don't worry. You two, I will be gentle," Lan Sol said ominously.
"No… No… Nooooooo!"
After a harsh beating...
The two brothers cried silently. The duo had faced miserable punishment. Surrounded by a slippery floor, they had to dodge 1,000 icicles.
Naturally, it was inhumanly impossible, so they suffered damage that lowered their health by half.
Elyris, barely holding back her laughter, healed them while Snaya, the new member, remained emotionless. She didn't care at all.
After the party exited the mine…
[Congratulations on conquering the mine 'Coal Mine'!]
[No further monsters will spawn in this mine. No other survivors can enter the mine.]
[Coal]: Can be used in heating equipment like furnaces instead of wood. Can be used to craft torches.
Quantity: 100,000
Refresh: Every week.
"Shall we return to the base? I'm tired~" Elyris yawned, stretching her arms.
"You didn't even do that much. Why are you the one tired? For now, let's search for a village. We'll return later, and starting tomorrow, we'll begin the coal mining."
"How rude, lord. I also did quite a few things," Elyris grumbled.
"Let's go." Lan Sol ignored her and started moving.
Snaya followed first, with Elyris complaining and walking alongside her. The two goblins followed at the rear.
Elyris, being an elf, was a perfect guide through the forest. She navigated the terrain carefully, sticking to the safest paths.
They encountered only weak monsters along the way—mostly wolves, pythons, bears, and wild boars. All of them were killed and decomposed, their meat destined for their plates that night.
After an hour of traveling, they finally reached a village.
The village was of considerable size, surrounded by large wooden walls.
However, something seemed off.
"Is it just me, or am I seeing smoke rising from every part of the city?" Lan Sol asked.
"Lord." Snaya looked at him. "There seems to be bandits attacking this village."
"Bandits? This is the first village I encounter, and of course, it's under attack. What shitty luck I have," Lan Sol groaned, placing his palm over his face.
"Shall we save the village?" Elyris asked. "I don't want to walk anymore," she grumbled.
"Hah, let's first assess the situation. If we can handle it, sure. If not, we'll return."
"No way!!! I don't want another hour-long walk without rest."
"Don't worry, lord. If Miss Elyris won't walk, I will carry her." Snaya patted her chest, showing her usefulness.
"What miss? Call me sister." Elyris interrupted. "Let's just kick the bandits' asses!" She rushed toward the village.
"Follow her," Lan Sol ordered. While Elyris seemed reckless, her choices were always calculated. The path she chose would either be the safest or the least populated one.
"Time to be a hero," Lan Sol said excitedly.
Saving a village and becoming a hero.
Isn't that cool?