Inside each sack was a child with a gagged mouth and bound hands and feet. Upon seeing the Night Watchman in black leather armor, both children started struggling 'mmph mmph' against their restraints.
"Matteo, you stay here and look after the kids."
"Rein and I will immediately go over there, be careful on your own!" Weilun instantly assigned their duties.
"Alright, Boss! You go ahead, I'll be careful," Matteo said while untying the children.
Rein glanced at the two traffickers who had vanished from sight, knowing that this was not the right moment to chase them.
After all, rescuing comrades was more important.
However, when Weilun and Rein arrived at the northwest corner of the town, they found that the crisis had been averted.
The Night Watchman of that area had also encountered traffickers, but this time, the opponents appeared to be strong, managing to break through and calmly leave despite the encirclement of three Night Watchmen.
Additionally, one of the Night Watchmen was stabbed in the right arm during the attempt to stop them.
Although the foes had fled, Rein still had an uneasy feeling that something was not quite right. The group selling children had been too brazen and frequent recently!
This, naturally, infuriated the Flashgold Town security officer Hamilton, who immediately strengthened the night staffing in Flashgold Town.
However...
Since that day, for three consecutive evenings, the area of Rein's night patrol had been peaceful.
It seemed that the swagger of the traffickers had been effectively curbed.
Meanwhile, Rein gradually became familiar with the duties of the Night Watchman.
The Night Watchman of Flashgold Town mainly handled the town's nightly security, fire emergencies, wild beast disturbances, and signaling major dangers, while during the day, this work fell to the town guards.
As the daytime is generally safer than the night, Night Watchmen typically possess combat capabilities one notch higher than town guards.
Of course, the compensation was also better.
A regular Night Watchman's monthly salary reached 8 imperial silver coins, while an elite like Rein received 1 imperial Gold Coin.
In addition, based on the team captain's arrangement, there would be 1-2 days of rest each week.
Not sleeping for a whole night wasn't actually tiring for Rein, who practiced a breathing method for cultivation.
As long as he went back and slept a little, once he awoke again, Rein would be in a spirited and vigorous state.
And he could use the remaining time of the day for other activities, such as practicing the breathing method in his room, improving his horseback riding at John's Farm, or going to the training ground to practice swordsmanship and archery, and so on.
Furthermore, Rein gathered from Captain Weilun through indirect inquiries about something.
The Empire had strict restrictions on commoners learning breathing methods and Extraordinary sword techniques, which was evident from the need to exchange a large amount of Merit Points.
But for the nobility, it was very 'tolerant.'
Nobles could teach their followers breathing methods and Extraordinary sword techniques!
This explained why so many commoners were desperate to become servants or guards of the nobility.
This system had been in place for a long time and had received widespread approval from nobles of all ranks.
On the other hand, it was incredibly difficult for commoners to advance on their own.
Rein briefly assessed the obstacles a commoner would have to overcome to become a Transcendent.
First, one needed to join an official Imperial organization, accumulate enough Merit Points over time, and learn breathing methods and Extraordinary Combat Skills.
Then, continue to collect Merit Points to exchange for an 'Advancement Magic Potion.' If one was lucky enough to become a Transcendent, after being officially acknowledged by the Empire, they could become the lowest level of nobility—a non-hereditary knight.
The only disappointment over the last few days was that Hamilton, as the security officer of Flashgold Town, was incredibly busy.
Rein had planned to ask him for lessons in swordsmanship, along with a chance to farm some 'Experience,' but had not found the right opportunity.
Over three days, Rein's most progressed profession, the costly Dog Trainer, had astonishingly reached lv2 (223/300).
Part of this was because Rein took 'Cookie' for night patrols, which the system recognized as 'walking the dog.'
Rein had calculated before that approximately every fifteen minutes of 'walking the dog,' the Dog Trainer's Profession Level experience would increase by one point.
Thus, through a full night of 'walking the dog,' his experience naturally increased rapidly.
The only thing that made Rein a bit displeased was that, as a member of the Night Watcher's Army in Flashgold Town, there were too few experts in comparison.
On the training ground of the administrative hall, if Rein used the Giant Bear Sword Technique, there essentially wasn't an opponent who could last three exchanges.
Therefore, when Rein sparred with other Night Watchmen, he would use the Bastard Sword combined with Imperial Military Swordsmanship and then take the time to practice archery as well.
A few days passed, and the results were quite good.
The Night Watchman's Profession Level had reached lv3 (247/500), and the Imperial Military Swordsmanship and Basic Archery had improved even more, reaching lv2 (245/300) and lv2 (121/300) respectively.
Before he realized it, three days had passed.
Today, as dawn broke, Rein finished a night of patrol and had not been home long before he received a notification from the guards: Lord Hamilton requested his presence.
Rein thought for a moment, then took his greatsword wrapped in sheepskin, donned the Night Watchman's black standard leather armor, and headed to the town's administrative hall.
In the office, Hamilton handed Rein a sheepskin scroll.
"For this mission, we have to go personally."
Rein took the scroll and skillfully flipped through it, starting with the mission description: multiple miners had gone missing at the Elim Mine, and the three Bounty Hunters who went to investigate had since vanished without a trace.
As of yesterday, the number of missing miners had exceeded ten, and the miners at Elim Mine were all terrified, not a single one dared to go down to work again, forcing the mine to close.
....
"Eh! Elim Mine? I seem to have heard news of incidents there before."
"I didn't expect it to still be unresolved...."
"The current situation, it's clearly gotten more serious!"
Rein immediately remembered hearing related news about the Elim Mine from Hamilton.
Continuing to browse through the case file, the end of the scroll only had one sentence about the mission requirement: What exactly happened inside Elim Mine?
"This is an investigation mission?" Rein looked at Hamilton in surprise.
Normally, the official Imperial forces wouldn't get involved in mere investigations; these are usually handled through bounties, leaving Bounty Hunters to complete them more often.
But this time was different, with the Flashgold Town's sheriff Hamilton himself taking action, Rein faintly felt the significance of the Elim gold mine.
Hamilton's following words confirmed Rein's guess.
"Though the output of the Elim Mine has been declining year by year, its importance to Meister County remains significant. The higher-ups have asked me to figure out what happened in Elim Mine as soon as possible."
"In addition, although this is just an investigative mission, a mysterious event most likely occurred." Hamilton's expression became serious.
"A mysterious event?" Rein pondered these words.
"Correct! The disappearance of the three Bounty Hunters, including one experienced Monster Hunter, can now be classified as a mysterious event. This means it's possible that monsters or some kind of supernatural forces appeared in the mine."
"Lord, if it's monsters, why not offer a bounty for Monster Hunters to take care of it? Of course, I'm just curious, not afraid," Rein asked.
After all, it was Hamilton who told him that if he wanted to buy Berserker Bear meat, he could find Monster Hunters in County Town.
"That's because one of the Bounty Hunters, Nedved, was himself an experienced Monster Hunter. His disappearance has led to no Monster Hunters in County Town willing to take on this task."
After listening to Hamilton explain the circumstances, Rein nodded,
The disappearance of three Bounty Hunters, one of whom was an experienced Monster Hunter, gave him a foreboding sense of unease.
"Lord Hamilton, what do you think might have happened inside the mine?" Rein couldn't help asking, since Hamilton, with his broad experience, would likely have a judgment about the possible situation.
Hamilton pondered for a moment and said, "Initially, I wondered if Gnolls had appeared in Elim Mine, but Gnolls are not strong fighters, and they usually come in large numbers, yet so far, there are no reports of any sightings of Gnolls."
"Furthermore, the disappearance of three experienced Bounty Hunters suggests that the likelihood of Gnolls being the creatures inside is slim."
"Therefore, I suspect that there's a type of monster adept at lurking and ambushing inside the mine."
"For instance, the Venomtail Scorpion excels at stealth and sneak attacks, and it also particularly favors the dark and damp environment of mines. If it strikes a miner or Bounty Hunter during an attack, it can swiftly deliver a fatal blow without a sound."
"Not even a scream would be heard."
"Of course, it could also be other ambush-preferring creatures, such as Troglodytes and so on; it's still too soon to say."
Heeding Hamilton's reasoned analysis, Rein nodded, feeling somewhat less worried.
With his experienced superior leading the team, safety shouldn't be a big concern.
"Rein, you were planning to earn more Merit Points to exchange for advanced Magic Potions, right?"
"This might be a good opportunity, as tasks involving mysterious events typically offer three to five times the Merit Points of ordinary tasks, or even more."
"Additionally, if the monsters are easy to deal with, we can eliminate them directly, and that would mean even more Merit Points." Hamilton said to Rein with a smile.
Rein raised an eyebrow at the news and chuckled as well.
In fact, Hamilton needn't have called for him; if Rein had known how rewarding the mission was, he would have volunteered to join on his own.
Rein was very much aware that he didn't need to wait half a year more to accumulate experience as Hamilton had suggested.
If all went well, in about a month or two, he could meet all the conditions for a knight's promotion, except for the "Advanced Magic Potion."
So, Rein was in urgent need of Merit Points to exchange for the "Advanced Magic Potion."
Although this mission entailed a certain degree of danger, with Hamilton, a certified Knight, leading the team, the risks should be relatively manageable.
Rein felt that as long as he was careful, there shouldn't be any major problems.
"That would be best. By the way, my lord, when do we depart?"
"We'll set out once everyone has arrived. The County Town has sent some people over, too; we'll leave together once they're here."
"Also, I've had Weilun and the others prepare some antidotes, ropes, fishing nets, and the like."
"Rein, if you have anything you need to get ready, you still have time to prepare."
"Yes, my lord." Rein nodded upon hearing that others from the County Town would be joining them.
In truth, Rein had most of the gear he needed on him.
However, considering the search in the mine, bringing "Cookie" along might be a wise choice.
After all, dogs' sense of smell and hearing are much sharper than humans'.
So, Rein returned home once more to fetch "Cookie."
When he came back to the town hall entrance, he saw a group of new arrivals, and Hamilton was coming out to meet them.
"Lord Hamilton, long time no see!" A middle-aged man with a goatee, dressed in proper hunting clothes, greeted Hamilton with a slight bow.
Rein could vaguely sense that the man was not weak; though not a formal Knight, he was clearly a Knight's Attendant.
"Steward Schmidt, hello." Hamilton nodded with a smile.
"Lord Hamilton, Viscount Hamadi himself wanted to come, but the Viscount is preoccupied with affairs, so he entrusted me to investigate the situation at the Elim Gold Mine."
"The incidents at the gold mine have greatly concerned both Count Habbs and Viscount Hamadi," said the middle-aged man named Schmidt with a smile.
"This time, in addition to inviting the knowledgeable Wandering Bard—Lord Endri to accompany us,"
"I have also specially recruited three experienced Bounty Hunters in the County Town."
Steward Schmidt gestured to an old man with a goat beard wearing a gray hood and carrying a staff, dressed in a gray robe.
The old man took off his hood, bowed slightly to Hamilton, and said, "Lord Hamilton, I am honored to meet you."
"Lord Endri, hello." Hamilton also nodded in return with a smile.
Rein, intrigued by the introduction of the well-informed Wandering Bard, took a closer look.
"Wondering if the other party might recognize the unknown script from his 'Beast Taming Diary.'"
"Too bad, now isn't the right time or place for his identity."
Then, Schmidt pointed to three men wearing gray leather armor, "These three are experienced Bounty Hunters."
"Lord Hamilton, we, Faruja, Selim, and Aximu, are at your service." The three muscular Bounty Hunters stepped forward and bowed slightly to Hamilton.
"Welcome!" Hamilton nodded slightly.
Although he was leading the team this time, he was well aware that the Night Watcher's Army excelled in cooperative fighting; compared to exploration and searching, experienced Bounty Hunters were more adept.
At that moment, Hamilton saw that Rein had arrived and nodded to him as a signal.
"Now that everyone is here, shall we set out?"
"Of course. The sooner we depart, the sooner we complete our reconnaissance mission." Schmidt nodded with a smile of agreement.
Thus, the twelve elite members of the Night Watcher's Army, plus the five people with Schmidt, mounted their horses and quickly headed towards the Elim Gold Mine, located to the southwest of Flashgold Town.
It was late autumn, and as a group of people gradually moved toward the southwest road of Flashgold Town, the scenery on both sides began to change.
From the originally vast fields of mostly harvested wheat, it transformed into gently rolling hills.
The large swathes of trees on the hills had already turned yellow, shining like a beautiful golden scroll under the sunlight.
Since everyone was on horseback, about an hour later, the official investigation team led by Hamilton arrived at the mid-slope of a hill.
This was the main entrance to the Elim Mine.
At this time, a middle-aged man dressed as a mine supervisor, along with a few miners dressed in half-length coarse cloth jackets and knee-length shorts, had already been waiting at the entrance of the mine.
Rein looked around and saw behind the mine's gate a large area filled with wooden huts, which seemed to be the dwellings of the miners, and faint crying sounds could be heard, presumably from the relatives of miners who had lost their family members.
The dark entrance of the mine was scattered with about a dozen small mining carts, and a metal rail about a meter wide stretched into the mine.
Surrounding them were wooden fences over two meters high, enclosing the entire entrance and residential area of the mine. These fences, made of beech wood, were quite solid.
After Captain Weilun asked a few questions, the disheveled miners indeed did not know exactly what had happened inside; they had only heard strange clashing sounds followed by horrific screams.
By the time they assembled a group and rushed over, they only found some remaining bloodstains.
After several such incidents, they no longer dared to check on the situation.
Especially after the Bounty Hunters came and disappeared without a trace, these miners dared not even enter the mine anymore.
Clearly, these responses provided little help for the investigation team wanting to understand exactly what had happened inside the mine.
Shortly after hearing this, Hamilton decided that they needed to enter the mine to conduct a direct investigation.
So, three Bounty Hunters walked in the front, followed closely by Weilun and Rein along with several Night Watchmen, with Schmidt, Endri, and Hamilton in the middle, and the remaining seven or eight elite Night Watchmen at the back.
The entire team formed a long line, slowly advancing deeper into the mine.
It wasn't for lack of a desire to adopt a more compact security formation, but because the special terrain of the mining tunnel dictated it.
The tunnel at the entrance of the mine was relatively spacious, and after many years of excavation, it was almost wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast, and there were oil lamps hanging on the rock walls on both sides, providing fairly clear lighting, allowing for faster advancement.
But as they went deeper, especially after passing a junction, the tunnels of the mine gradually became narrower, particularly as many of the hanging oil lamps on the tunnel walls were damaged, significantly reducing visibility within the mine.
"That junction just back there leads to the old mine pit, which had been mostly mined out decades ago," said the mine supervisor.
"The tunnel we are now entering was only excavated about twenty years ago. Although its gold reserves are not as extensive as those of the old pit, they are still moderate," he explained.
"The problem is occurring in this new pit,"
As they went deeper, hardly any of the oil lamps were lit.
At this point, the only source of light relied on the torches each person carried.
The alertness of the group gradually heightened to its peak.
"Why aren't these oil lamps lit? Is it out of oil?" muttered one of the Bounty Hunters leading the way.
"These oil lamps... if they're not refilled in time, they can only last two or three days. It's been quite some time since then, so..." the supervisor attempted to explain.
But at this moment, Rein began to sense something was off.
As he delved deeper into the mine, his level 2 danger perception started to frequently warn him, as if something dangerous lurked deep in the mine tunnels, and this feeling was growing stronger.
This made Rein tense his muscles, ready to dodge or attack at any moment.
"Something's not right, look at this oil lamp, it seems like something clawed it directly off the wall," said the Bounty Hunter in the lead, who seemed to notice something.
He raised his torch high, illuminating a side of the rock wall where there were visible scratch marks.
It appeared to be the work of some beast's claws.
As everyone focused their attention in the direction he indicated, suddenly, a large gaping mouth sprang out from the junction of the tunnel floor and rock wall, biting towards a Night Watchman.
"Watch out!" Since Rein was always on guard, he reacted immediately and shouted loudly.
However, his position was behind the attacked Night Watchman, naturally making it impossible to block the attack in time.
But Rein reacted quickly, forcefully kicking the attacked Night Watchman.
This kick narrowly allowed him to dodge the deadly bite!
The next second, a chorus of shouts erupted from the group.
In the flickering torchlight, one of the Bounty Hunters shouted in a horrified tone, "It's a Crystal Stone Lizard!"
"There's a Crystal Stone Lizard here!"
Thanks to Rein's Dark Vision, he could clearly see the full appearance of the attacker.
This creature known as the Crystal Lizard was three to four meters long, with thick skin that felt like dotted with mineral grains on its body. When it lay at the intersection of the ground and the rock wall in the gold mine tunnel, it was incredibly hard to distinguish!
No wonder 'Cookie' just now was completely unaware of its presence.
At this moment, he was barking furiously at the Crystal Lizard.
Although Rein kicked the Night Watchman companion aside, the Crystal Lizard swung its long tail, striking fiercely at the Night Watchman's lower back.
With a 'crack', the Night Watchman was flung away, crashing heavily against the mine's rock wall, seemingly with a serious spinal injury, writhing in pain on the spot.
At that moment, the two nearby Bounty Hunters quickly reacted, aiming their bastard swords at the Crystal Lizard and delivering several thrusts.
"Ding! Ding!"
Sparks flew, but to little effect!
The layer of skin on the Crystal Lizard's back, with its mineral-like texture, had a defensive power that probably didn't lose out to a stone of the same thickness; the Bounty Hunters' attacks seemed no more than tickling it.
"Be careful! The Crystal Lizard's back has the strongest defense, target its eyes or belly,"
an elderly voice called out from the middle of the group. It was the knowledgeable and experienced Wandering Bard, Endri, offering a reminder.
But knowing and being able to execute were two different things.
At this moment, only a few, including the Knight being squeezed in the middle of the group, Lord Hamilton, could do it.
Rein also had a tough time, as using a dual-handed greatsword to poke eyes was incomparably more difficult than using a one-handed sword.
In the dim and narrow mine tunnel, the Crystal Lizard moved not slowly; though not as fast as a cheetah, it was not much different from a wild boar in speed.
Trying to hit the creature's walnut-sized eyes with the longsword in hand was easier said than done.
As for the belly, that was even harder.
It required flipping over the entire Crystal Lizard.
Considering its length was not long, but its muscles were tight and its skin tough and thick, it probably weighed quite a bit; Rein estimated its weight to be no less than six or seven hundred pounds.
So even though they knew who the opponent was and its weak points, the three Bounty Hunters at the forefront had no way of dealing with it for the time being, allowing the Crystal Lizard to continue inflicting injuries on two elites of the Night Watchmen.
After a bit of chaos, everyone began to regain their senses and started to draw their longswords, aiming at the Crystal Lizard,
Seeing that its sneak attack had failed, and there was no opportunity to exploit at this moment, the Crystal Lizard swiftly turned 180 degrees and, flicking its tail, escaped deeper into the mine.
"Chase it!"
"Don't let it get away!"
If the Crystal Lizard managed to escape successfully, considering its ability to hide, it would be extremely difficult to find it again.
Rein, at the front of the group, leaped forward and slid his fine steel greatsword under the Crystal Lizard, then with both hands, he gave a hefty heave, actually flipping the six or seven hundred pounds of the Crystal Lizard into mid-air.
The force of this heave was skilfully managed by Rein, flipping the body of the Crystal Lizard just at ninety degrees, exposing its soft, gray-white underbelly in front of Rein.
If anyone could see the Crystal Lizard's front at this moment, they would notice the rare panic in its walnut-sized eyes.
And its strong limbs, now quite helplessly flailing in mid-air.
"Swoosh!"
A silver arc flashed by!
The relatively soft belly of the Crystal Lizard was slashed open, leaving a narrow gash over a meter long.
A stream of pale green, fluorescent blood gushed out instantly!
Right after, the Crystal Lizard heavily crashed to the ground, a large pool of pale green fluorescent blood spreading beneath it. It struggled a few times before becoming motionless.
This scene caused the three Bounty Hunters to look at Rein with newfound respect.
Originally, when they had first entered the mine, they assumed that Rein, with his youthful face, must be a new Night Watchman, inexperienced and knowing very little. Hence, the trio felt no desire to engage in conversation with him and had hardly spoken to Rein throughout.
But an expert is revealed as soon as they act!
If it were them, trying to flip a 600 to 700-pound Crystal Lizard with a double-handed lift would be impossible, even with pre-accumulated force, not to mention doing so with the swiftness and grace that Rein did.
It was clear that this young Night Watchman was no novice but a highly skilled master.
At this moment, Hamilton, Endri, and Schmidt finally squeezed from the middle to the front of the group.
Upon seeing Rein kill the Crystal Lizard on the spot, Hamilton couldn't help but smile, stepping forward and clapping Rein's shoulder, "Well done!"
Schmidt looked Rein up and down, then smiled and said to Hamilton, "Lord Hamilton, could we consider this investigative mission concluded? It seems that the culprit behind the incidents at Elim Mine has been found and taken care of by one of your men!"
"I can return to County Town as soon as possible and relay the good news to the Earl and Baron!"
The Wandering Bard, Endri, holding his wooden staff, approached the Crystal Lizard. He squatted down to take a closer look and said, "So it truly is the exceedingly rare Crystal Lizard. No wonder many of the miners fell victim without even a chance to cry out."
"Crystal Lizards generally lie in wait silently before ambushing their prey; they prefer environments like this human mine."
"They have a strong sense of territory; generally, you'll find only one in any given mine."
"However, it's become rare to see these creatures nowadays. This Crystal Lizard could fetch a very nice price. Lord Hamilton, the blood of the Crystal Lizard is of some use to me, may I purchase some?"
Hamilton glanced at Rein, seeing no objection from him, he smiled and said, "Of course, Master Endri, no problem at all. But, as Schmidt has mentioned, shall we leave the mine first?"
"Haha, of course!" Endri laughed heartily.
So, four elite Night Watchmen carrying the Crystal Lizard led the way, Hamilton and the others remained in the middle of the group, and Rein was warmly engaged by the three enthusiastic Bounty Hunters.
The contrast between before and after was astonishing!
The party slowly made their way back through the winding tunnels of the mine, spirits high due to the smoothness of the expedition.
Moreover, according to what the Wandering Bard Endri said, the Crystal Lizard was quite valuable. Whether for the elite Night Watchmen or the Bounty Hunters, this journey could yield a generous share of the spoils or remuneration.
Despite two of the elite Night Watchmen being injured, it was much less damage than they might have expected.
After all, Lord Hamilton had made it clear before departure that this was a mysterious incident!
The difficulty of such mysterious incidents was something all the elite Night Watchmen were well-prepared for.
...
What nobody noticed,
was that up on the rock wall of the mine tunnel, a pair of fist-sized yellow eyes suddenly opened and were silently observing Rein and his party as they passed by.
Rein, while responding to the enthusiastic Bounty Hunters, started checking the system notifications:
[Your skill Giant Bear Sword Technique has improved, Experience +145]
[You have been through a battle, Night Watchman Professional Experience Points +76]
The battle was extremely short. Although Rein only used thirty percent of his 'Strength Burst' and swung his sword twice, each strike was an excellent combination of his current level of strength and skill.
Therefore, the experience gained was considered quite substantial.
Meanwhile, the three Bounty Hunters beside him were now engaging Rein eagerly, a stark contrast to their indifferent demeanor when they had first arrived, as if they had completely changed their faces.
"Did a troll appear near Flashgold Town?"
"I personally saw Haral, that 'little giant,' accept this task in County Town."
"..."
Listening to the Bounty Hunters talk about that 'giant' who had left a deep impression on him, Rein immediately thought of the day that group of Bounty Hunters entered Flashgold Town.
And the barbarian girl with the large shield who was the last in line.
Rein naturally wanted to learn more about the barbarians and trolls.
Especially since several days had passed, and he seemed to have heard no news about them from anyone else.
It seemed like the barbarian Bounty Hunters had waited at the Beech Hotel for a few days before setting out after receiving confirmed news about the trolls.
But today, it had been two or three days since they left the inn at Flashgold Town, and by counting the days, they should have been back by now.
However, for some reason, Rein had not heard any news of their return.
Could it be that they went straight back to County Town?
Possible.
Perhaps these three Bounty Hunters from County Town knew something.
With that thought, Rein also nodded slightly, replying somewhat reservedly, "Yes, that team of barbarian warriors is very strong."
"Yes, but, Rein, I see that you're so young and already possess such strength. In no time at all, you will..."
Just as that Bounty Hunter was eagerly talking, a kind of high-frequency Shock sound, inaudible to human ears, seemed to permeate the air.
Buzz buzz buzz!
A trembling presence suddenly descended, making everyone feel something was off.
"Crack crack crack!"
Before everyone could look around, Rein and the others felt the ground shake, and the ceiling of the mining tunnel began to drop various sizes of rocks, causing everyone to stagger and struggle to maintain their balance.
"Could it be an earthquake?" many exclaimed.
'Cookie' started barking frantically behind them, and Rein's mind instantly rang alarm bells.
"Not good, it's an attack!"
But before Rein could turn around, he felt a huge gust of wind hit him from behind.
Rein immediately rolled forward on the spot, dodging the attack from behind.
But the two elite Night Watchmen following closely behind Rein could not dodge in time.
"Pop!"
The sound of a hammer forcefully striking a watermelon rang out!
The heads of the two elite Night Watchmen burst open like exploded watermelons, instantly splattering blood and white brain matter everywhere.
His colleagues, who had been conversing cheerfully just a moment ago, were now dead on the spot!
Rein quickly turned around, and only then did he see that their attacker was a giant creature standing three meters tall, its head nearly touching the top of the mining tunnel.
It resembled a giant, with a pockmarked and uneven body surface, wielding a stone mallet over two meters in length.
That horrifying strike had been delivered by swinging that stone mallet.
But what Rein could not fathom was how such a massive creature, which they had not noticed upon their earlier arrival at the tunnel, could remain unnoticed; they had passed through this area upon entering.
Moreover, logically, a creature of this size and build should produce a sound from its movement in the tunnel that Rein could have felt from dozens of meters away, yet the attack had been so sudden and stealthy.
Furthermore, this time he had 'Cookie' with him; a dog's hearing and smell are dozens of times better than a human's, but even so, they only detected something was amiss a moment before the attack.
Truly bizarre!
At this moment, Captain Weilun was already red-eyed with rage. The two who had just died were his direct subordinates, with whom he had been through numerous tasks and battles, creating a bond unlike any other.
Unexpectedly, they had perished here.
Instantly, Weilun used all his strength to deliver an exceptionally swift striding thrust at the creature's chest.
It seemed... the creature was too slow to react.
Just as Weilun thought his strike would be successful,
"Ding!"
Everyone was shocked to see that when Weilun's thrust hit the creature's body, sparks flew.
By then, because of the falling rocks and dust, and the sudden attack, many people's torches had fallen to the ground, and the whole mining tunnel was flickering between light and dark, with most people only able to see a towering humanoid figure attacking them.
But Rein, with his Dark Vision, immediately noticed that the creature's irregularly surfaced body was entirely made of a special type of rock, and in terms of defensive power, it was even stronger than the Crystal Stone lizard they had just encountered.
No wonder Weilun's thrust, even though successful, was futile.
At that moment, the monster seemed to react, swinging its huge stone mace towards Weilun.
"Be careful!!" Hamilton, positioned in the middle of the team, bellowed.
Just as he turned around, he saw two of his men killed with a single blow from the mace, a double kill.
Now, even Weilun was about to die at the enemy's hand, which made Hamilton nearly uncontrollable with anger!
Weilun quickly retreated, but the speed of the mace was incredibly fast, and seeing the massive hammer about to crash onto his head, Weilun had already closed his eyes in despair.
"It's over!"
"He was about to follow the footsteps of those two underlings!"
He hadn't expected the monster to be massive but not slow in its attack speed.
The monster swung up its stone mace, as if it were an extension of its own arm, even faster than imagined.
At that moment, Rein had just rolled up from the ground and, seeing this, was too late to rescue Weilun.
"Clang!!"
Weilun only felt a deafening clash of metal next to his ear, but the next second he realized he hadn't died.
Suddenly opening his eyes, he saw his boss Hamilton, whose arm muscles swelled dramatically, stubbornly holding a steel shield in front of him. However, Hamilton's cheeks were already so red they were nearly bleeding, clearly almost at his limit.
It turned out that when Hamilton saw Weilun was also about to die under the monster's hammer, he burst out in rage, knocking several people aside, and rushed from the middle of the team to Weilun's side, blocking the monster's strike just in the nick of time!
"Run!!" Hamilton roared.
The next second, Weilun, red-faced and embarrassed, turned and ran towards the back, clearly, his impudence had forced his boss Hamilton to bear the brunt of the monster's attack.
But competing in strength with a three-meter-tall stone monster was obviously a foolish act.
Even if Hamilton was a full-fledged Knight at full power, he couldn't withstand it.
It was a difference in species!
At that moment, Rein keenly noticed that after taking a hit from the monster, Hamilton's thick arms were constantly trembling, and the steel shield now had a deep dent.
If not for its good quality and toughness, it would have probably cracked!
The monster seemed surprised too that this rather small fellow could actually withstand its hit.
But soon, a tint of annoyance revealed itself in its earthy large eyes, as it swung the hammer from low to high fiercely at Hamilton again!
"Pop!"
This time Hamilton couldn't hold on anymore; the moment the stone hammer hit the shield, he was blasted away like a cannonball at high speed.
Then, with a 'thud,' he violently crashed into the stone rock wall!
At that moment, the fire finally illumined the monster's body.
'Ugly, pitted stone surface' 'humanoid creature'
Seeing this from the rear of the team, Endri immediately showed a look of shock and shouted, "This is the legendary Tunneling Stone Monster!"
"Damn it, this kind of creature was supposed to be extinct hundreds of years ago; how could one appear here!" Endri said incredulously.
Immediately after, his eyes showed deep longing, or rather, greed.
Endri continued to shout, "Everyone be careful, it's incredibly strong and covered in special rock, don't fight it head-on!"
"However, if we can kill it, we might get the 'Heart of the Stone Monster,' which is a treasure worth a fortune!"
When mentioning 'Heart of the Stone Monster' and 'worth a fortune,' Endri's voice was particularly high and motivational, carrying a hint of seduction.
When Rein heard Endri mention the 'Heart of the Stone Monster,' he immediately remembered the advanced Magic Potion that Hamilton had mentioned to him the last time.
Bmecause the core of the advanced Magic Potion was the so-called 'Transcendent Oddities.'
A special item that many transcendent beings, including ferocious beasts, might form at a certain probability upon death.
These "oddities" could never be found within the bodies of these transcendent beings while they were alive.
But once a transcendent being died, their transcendent traits might condense into 'Transcendent Oddities,' thereby being preserved, worth a fortune.
Certainly, the 'Heart of the Stone Monster' Endri mentioned must be this kind of 'Transcendent Oddity.'
As soon as the three Bounty Hunters beside Rein heard the words 'worth a fortune,' they licked their dry lips, eyes radiating an intense glow.
The trio instantly exchanged glances and decided to engage immediately.
Although this Tunneling Stone Monster was incredibly strong, its attack speed didn't seem much faster than a normal person, and they, with their superior agility, could easily dodge its attacks.
Rock Guard?
With axe and chisel, after a few strikes, they didn't believe the monster's Rock Guard would hold!
"Go!"
One of the Bounty Hunters, looking furious, pushed off with the tip of his foot and charged forward, brandishing a short-handled battle axe.
The other two exchanged looks, gritted their teeth, and also immediately followed suit, rushing forward.
Seeing this scene, Rein couldn't help but marvel internally.
"It perfectly illustrates the saying, men die for wealth as birds die for food!"
The Bounty Hunter in the lead, truly skilled, agilely slid under the Tunneling Stone Monster.
Immediately after, he expertly swung his axe directly at the stone hips of the beast, delivering a powerful chop!
"Clang!!!"