"Monsters?"
Alex stopped in his tracks, staring at a group of rock-like creatures that had appeared not far ahead. Their size was comparable to the fifth-tier Rock Fiends he had encountered before.
Cautiously moving closer, the information about these rock monsters appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Earthrend Guardian]
[Race: Elemental]
[Rank: Fifth-tier]
[Strength: 190]
[Constitution: 188]
[Agility: 77]
[Spirit: 125]
[Skills: Rock Smash, Boulder Toss]
[Description: Guardians of the Elemental Lands, formed from the essence of the earth. Possesses immense strength.]
As expected, just like the rumors said, the monsters here were all fifth-tier. Reading the description, Alex felt a pang of confusion. If he remembered correctly, the Elemental Lands should belong to elemental-type territories. Why was this place called the same? It was strange.
Still, these Earthrend Guardians were not to be underestimated. Their attributes were on par with the Rock Fiends, both being powerhouses. Of course, their weakness was equally obvious—their speed was abysmal, likely due to their massive size.
Alex counted ten Earthrend Guardians blocking his path. The cave was wide enough for his plant units to maneuver freely. After observing his surroundings, he directed his plants to spread out and quietly approach the wandering guardians.
The Pink Enchantress's vines slithered across the ground, using the rocks as cover, and soon reached the feet of the guardians.
"Now! Attack!"
At Alex's command, all the plants surged forward. Vines instantly wrapped around the bodies of the Earthrend Guardians, while River, leading the spellcasting units, waved her staff. Countless Wooden Spikes shot out from all directions, piercing through the monsters' bodies.
The three Wood Drakes activated their Phantom Dash skill, turning into blurs as they lunged at the nearest monsters.
Crack!
In just one exchange, eight of the Earthrend Guardians fell under the ferocious assault, crumbling into piles of rubble. The remaining two broke free from the vines and conjured massive boulders in their hands, hurling them toward the Pink Enchantress.
They could use ranged attacks!
Fortunately, the two Treant Chieftains reacted quickly, stomping over to shield the Pink Enchantress. With a deafening crash, the boulders slammed into them, forcing them back but causing little damage. As the tankiest units in Alex's arsenal, they were more than a match for these rock monsters. Their injuries were soon healed by the Wood Sprites.
Before long, the last two Earthrend Guardians were overwhelmed by the plants and reduced to scattered rubble.
[Fifth-tier Earthrend Guardian defeated. 48 Mana obtained.]
[Fifth-tier Earthrend Guardian defeated. 50 Mana obtained.]
[Fifth-tier Earthrend Guardian defeated. 46 Mana obtained.]
Fifth-tier monsters yielded around 50 Mana per kill. These ten Earthrend Guardians had provided Alex with nearly 500 Mana. He estimated that even this first wave of monsters would be too much for most lords to handle. Not only were they incredibly strong, but they also had ranged abilities. A single misstep could lead to disaster—or even a total wipeout.
If it weren't for River's aura, which boosted all plant attributes by 10%, Alex might have struggled as well.
What he didn't know was that the commotion from the battle had reached the ears of those outside, causing quite a stir.
"Did you hear that? It sounds like fighting."
"Probably ran into the fifth-tier monsters inside."
"From the noise, there must be a lot of them."
The crowd buzzed with speculation about what was happening in the cave. But before long, the sounds of battle abruptly ceased.
"Strange, why did it stop so quickly? Did the fight end?"
"Maybe they were killed by the monsters?"
"Very likely!"
"I think we should leave. If those monsters come out, we're done for."
As they spoke, the crowd quickly dispersed, fearing that the monsters might burst out and drag them into the fray. In no time, only a handful of people remained, watching from a distance but too afraid to venture inside.
Inside the mine, after dealing with the first wave of monsters, Alex continued deeper. As he moved, he alternated between fighting monsters and collecting ore, eventually gathering over eighty units of copper ore, nearly filling his Personal Storage Space. Not to mention the Mana—over 2,000 points, pushing his total past the 5,000 mark!
"Hmm? What's that?"
Suddenly, Alex noticed something lying at a corner up ahead. Moving closer, he saw it was a corpse—a human corpse. Judging by its condition, it hadn't been dead for long. Though the body was mangled, the blood hadn't fully dried.
Could this be the fifth-tier lord who had ventured in and never returned?
Alex hadn't expected to find another lord's corpse in such a place. To have made it this deep, this lord must have been quite powerful. Yet, in the end, they had met their demise here.
With a sigh, Alex had his plants pile rocks over the body, creating a makeshift grave. He carved a simple tombstone from a nearby rock and stood silently before it, lost in thought.
If given the choice, who would want to die in a place like this?
"May you find peace in your next life, far from this world," Alex murmured to the tombstone before turning away. He quickened his pace, leading his plants further into the mine.
The discovery of the corpse gave him an important clue: the monsters here might respawn. The lord who had made it this far must have cleared the entrance, yet when Alex arrived, the monsters were back. This suggested that the monsters regenerated, and their respawn cycle was short.
To avoid any surprises, Alex had no choice but to speed up his exploration.
Half an hour later, after defeating the last Earthrend Guardian, Alex finally reached the deepest part of the mine—a massive underground cavern.
"Finally, the end," Alex said with relief, hurrying toward the cavern to see what lay inside.
But as he reached the entrance and peered in, he was stunned by what he saw.
The cavern was enormous, filled with the ruins of an ancient structure. And at its center stood a towering rock monster, nearly eight meters tall, radiating an overwhelming aura of power.
A sixth-tier monster!?
Alex instinctively stepped back, ready to flee at any moment. But then he noticed something unusual.
Two massive chains were pierced through the monster's chest, binding it firmly to the cavern floor.
What... is going on?
Alex's face filled with astonishment. Summoning his courage, he moved closer, and the monster's information appeared before him.
[Name: Earthrend Sovereign]
[Race: Elemental]
[Rank: Sixth-tier]
[Strength: 400]
[Constitution: 400]
[Agility: 220]
[Spirit: 315]
[Skills: Crushing Smash, Boulder Barrage]
[Description: Once a regular Earthrend Guardian, it was trapped here for unknown reasons. Over time, it absorbed the earth's spiritual energy and evolved into the far more powerful Earthrend Sovereign.]
A sixth-tier monster! Alex's pupils contracted.
Now he understood why there had been roars echoing from the mine. It must have been this sixth-tier monster all along.