At the Orazit Mines, there were three types of tunnels: A, B, and C. This depended on how deep each mine extended underground, and the C-Mines were the deepest, with Mine C11 being the latest attempt to reach more valuable ore deposits.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Gukard patted Kreyn on the shoulder, maintaining a broad smile.
"Don’t worry, kid. If that beast attacks you, I’ll show them what it means to mess with an old man with a shotgun!"
Kreyn gave him a strange look.
"You know, there are only two Hunters in our squad. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Leora and I are supposed to protect you."
"Pha! Even if that’s true, I won’t stoop to hiding behind a kid like you! No offense, Kreyn, but this is our mine!"
Gukard turned around, raising his shotgun.
"Am I right, guys?"
"Yes, boss!"
While Gukard boosted their morale, Leora didn’t waste time on what she considered sentimental and useless things. She moved forward confidently, looking more and more like a pure-blooded assassin than a mine leader.
’Hmm, these miners are pretty friendly, and Nario, though annoying, doesn’t seem like a bad person. But I must not forget that at the same time, many slaves are working here against their will, and I could have become one of them.’
Kreyn understood that the only thing that had saved him and Groza was the fact that they were Hunters. If they were ordinary people, they would already be striking rocks with pickaxes until their palms bled.
He remembered this and was not willing to forget it.
Step. Step. Step.
Step by step, they descended deeper and deeper into Mine C11. The tunnel led deep downward, and so far, nothing foreshadowed danger: only torches, rails, and a few half-filled mine carts.
Everything could keep working as usual, but a problem lurked nearby, standing in the way.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Pebbles crashed down from the ceiling, causing several men to turn around, their faces turning pale.
"It’s... It’s them!"
"Boss! What are we going to do?"
Click.
Gukard prepared his shotgun and gestured for the others to form a semicircle. They had guns, so they had to ensure the safety of the others, at least for a while.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of stomping came from above, as the Rahta Beasts were clearly right above them, choosing who would be their first victim and when.
Kreyn had to prepare for the inevitable battle. He looked at his arms but didn’t activate his mutation, Leora didn’t need to know everything he was capable of, not yet.
While the miners were on edge and frightened, and curiosity was evident in Kreyn’s gaze, Leora was completely focused on her target.
CRASH!
Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed.
Debris crashed down in front of one of the miners, a young man who shuddered with fear, and for good reason.
"Grh!"
A low growl came from the shadow hidden behind a cloud of dust.
"Ek!" The man hurried backward as the monster’s red eyes glowed.
STEP!
Leora’s step shook the ground as she appeared to the left of the purple beast. Before the monster could react, her fist slammed into its jaw, sending the beast crashing into the wall.
The mine shook from the impact as the beast scrambled to free itself from the wall, but Leora was already standing before it. Her arm was outstretched with her palm open.
Electric discharges raced along the golden wires as a barrage of lightning struck the beast, turning the monster into charred flesh in a matter of seconds.
The miners exchanged glances as Gukard laughed out loud:
"Hahaha! Now that’s what I call the power of the Hunters! Did you see that, guys? As long as she’s with us, we’ve got nothing to worry about!"
They nodded slightly to one another. No matter how terrifying the Rahta Beasts were, if someone even more dangerous was on their side, the situation immediately looked better.
"Come on, we have to keep moving." Leora turned around as she glared at Gukard. "You said you saw them in the distant tunnels, right?"
Gukard nodded, his expression suddenly turning serious.
"Yes. I think that when we blew up the wall last time, we got close to their nest. As soon as I saw the shadows of five of them, my guys and I ran away as fast as we possibly could."
"Got it. Then that’s where we’re headed. Maybe today we’ll finally find some truly pure Orazit."
Kreyn, in turn, looked at the slain Rahta Beast.
’So this is what they look like?’
The Rahta Beasts had muscular bodies covered in taut purple skin, beneath which their bones and spine were visible. They had two red eyes and a powerful, broad jaw. Their paws, however, were quite slender and equipped with curved claws suited for digging.
But Kreyn noticed something else.
’Leora and Groza... They both use electricity to attack, but their fighting styles are different. If Groza were here, she would have torn this beast to pieces, but Leora burned it to a crisp.’
"Hey," Kreyn called out to Leora. "Do you mind if I take its gene?"
Leora raised an eyebrow.
"Will the genes of this trash be useful to you? Though... Given your abilities, I can guess why you want it."
She waved her hand, continuing to walk forward.
"Do whatever you want, just don’t hold the others up."
Kreyn smirked. "Sure."
As soon as a faint light emerged from the Rahta Beast’s body, he absorbed its gene.
[Rahta Beast, Worker
[Tier: I
[Rarity: Common
[Quality: High
[Features: None.]
For a moment, Kreyn’s eyes widened.
’Huh... So these aren’t special monsters at all, it’s just a Common Rarity, but it’s High Quality? Interesting, so there are a lot of them, but they’re all pretty strong, right?’
However, neither of these parameters particularly interested Kreyn, since he absorbed this gene for one purpose only.
He followed the group so as not to draw attention to himself, but at that moment he was busy with something else.
’I want to begin the Mutation Unleashing process.’
[Accepted. First stage - Saturation.]
[Once the process has begun, it will not be possible to change the decision, and passive mutation removal will be discontinued.]
’Sure. I’ve decided what I’m going to do. Send this gene to Saturation.’
[Accepted.]
Kreyn understood that the mines were not only a source of Orazit Ore. They were also hunting grounds on the Rahta Beasts.
So, he needed to find out how effective hunting the Rahta Beasts would be in achieving his goal.
[Mutation Saturation - Eye of the Hungry Scar.]
[Progress: 1.5%.]
Kreyn’s pupils widened for a split second.
He expected the worst.
’Is it all because the quality of their genes is so high? Well, that—’
Thump!
Suddenly, he crashed into something hard and immovable.
Leora’s stern gaze met his.
"Daydreaming, little one?"
Before he could say anything, she jerked her head forward.
At the bottom of the cliff was a descent to the end of Mine C11, and before their eyes lay the blasted passageway Gukard mentioned.
Now, more than a dozen Rahta Beasts were roaming around it, guarding the breach in their nest.
"Do you think you can handle the third part?" Leora asked.
The corners of Kreyn’s mouth turned up.
"Yeah... That many... That’s just what I need."
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