Chapter 57: Heist at the Core
The shaft Flynn had stumbled into was not just another branch of the mine. It was the beating heart of Black-Iron Mount.
Here, the stone walls were no longer dominated by common iron and copper. Instead, rich veins of tungsten and silver ran through the rock like buried treasure waiting to be claimed. These were not materials just anyone could extract. Mining them properly required at least a Junior Mining certification, something most players had not bothered to pursue yet.
Flynn, however, had.
While his blacksmithing remained stuck at the Apprentice level, his mining skill had reached Junior long ago. If he had spent any real time at a forge, the two would have progressed together, but he had never cared much for crafting finished goods. Pulling raw wealth straight from the earth was simpler, faster, and far more satisfying.
Two hours passed in steady, rhythmic work.
By the end of it, Flynn’s pack had grown heavy with a full stack of tungsten and nearly two stacks of silver ore. The demand for these metals was not as high as basic materials, but their rarity more than made up for it. On the open market, tungsten sold for around eighty gold per stack, while silver fetched about fifty.
The haul sitting in his inventory was already worth close to two hundred gold.
Satisfied for the moment, Flynn logged off briefly to grab a quick meal. When he returned, the quiet rhythm of mining had been replaced by the presence of the guards once more.
The squad leader spotted him immediately.
"You again, Rogue," the captain barked as he strode over, his expression darkening into a deep scowl. "I told you before, this is no place for your kind. Leave. Now."
Flynn raised both hands in an easy gesture of surrender, his posture relaxed despite the tension. "Alright, alright, I’m going," he said, then paused just long enough to let curiosity slip into his voice. "But before I do... what exactly is down there?"
Up close, the squad looked far worse than before. Their armor was dented and scratched, streaked with grime and something darker. The faint metallic scent of blood lingered in the air, and one of their number was missing entirely.
Flynn softened his tone, letting a hint of concern show. "You look like you’ve been through hell. Maybe I can help."
The captain’s scowl deepened at first, but it did not hold. After a moment, he shook his head slowly.
"I appreciate the sentiment," he said, his voice losing some of its bite, "but you’re too weak. You wouldn’t last ten seconds against what’s lurking in the deep."
There was no mockery in his tone now, only a tired sort of certainty.
"Maybe not me," Flynn pressed, undeterred, "but I’ve got friends. There are a lot of adventurers in the city these days. Strength in numbers, right?"
The captain let out a harsh, humorless breath.
"These newcomers are soft," he said. "Give them time, maybe they’ll grow some steel in their spines, but right now? They’re nothing but fodder for the things below."
His gaze flicked over Flynn’s frame, dismissive but not unkind.
"Look at you. A boy playing at shadows. Whatever’s down there would swat you aside without even noticing. Take my advice. Go back to the city, get stronger. If you survive long enough to become something more... then come find me."
Flynn held his gaze for a moment, then inclined his head in acknowledgment. He knew when to stop pushing. Between the tungsten and silver, he had already made more than enough profit for one trip.
Without another word, he turned and began the long walk out of the mine.
This time, he did not bother with Stealth. The True-Sight Crystals at the entrances would strip it away anyway, and there was no reason to waste the energy. More importantly, he was leaving, not trying to break in. Players moving outward rarely attracted trouble. If anyone questioned him, he could easily claim he had logged in late and was heading back.
The plan worked smoothly as he passed through the territories controlled by Night-Song and Wind-Dance. Their guards barely spared him a glance, only telling him to keep moving and not cause problems.
Then he stepped into Aether-Reach territory. The mood shifted instantly.
The two guards he had bombed earlier had not forgotten him. His description, his class, even the general look of his gear had already been circulated among the security teams. As Flynn approached the exit, five players stepped out from the shadows, weapons drawn and their expressions sharp with recognition and hostility.
Flynn reacted the moment he saw it.
He vanished into Stealth and rolled to the side in one fluid motion. At this level, Rangers did not yet have detection skills, and the Arcanists lacked the kind of wide-area spells needed to flush out a hidden Rogue.
"Seriously?" Flynn muttered under his breath as he slipped into cover. "You guys hold a grudge this long?"
Annoyance crept into his thoughts. He had just wanted to leave, but now the situation had escalated far beyond a simple exit. Aether-Reach had already mobilized nearly thirty players from nearby tunnels, forming a loose perimeter that tightened by the second.
Then a Ranger came running up, clutching a familiar object.
A True-Sight Crystal.
"Box him in!" someone shouted. "Sweep the area with the crystal. Let’s shrink the perimeter until we pin him."
"You sure he’s still here?"
"Positive. His movement speed is halved while cloaked. We locked down the exits the second we saw him. He’s not getting out."
A high-pitched voice cut through the tension, practically vibrating with excitement. "We’ve got him! Like a rat in a cage!"
Laughter rippled through the group.
"Look at you, using metaphors. Someone’s been reading."
Flynn crouched low in the shadows, as his mind worked quickly. If he stayed still, they would eventually sweep over him. It was only a matter of time.
Waiting was not an option.
His gaze settled on the Ranger holding the crystal, and something cold sharpened in his expression.
’That thing is the only reason they can track me’, he thought. ’Take it away, and this whole setup falls apart.’
A faint smile touched his lips as he began to move.
Slowly, carefully, he trailed the Ranger from just outside the crystal’s detection radius, watching the faint violet glow sweep across the ground. He had already tested its range earlier. Three meters, no more.
When the Ranger turned to retrace his steps, Flynn made his move; he lunged.
The moment he crossed into the crystal’s range, it flared violently, bathing everything in a sharp violet light.
"Found him! He’s right—"
The shout cut off abruptly.
The Ranger found himself staring into Flynn’s eyes, the calm, almost mocking expression freezing him in place for a fraction of a second. Pain flashed through his wrist, his grip failed, and by the time he looked down, the crystal was gone.
Flynn had already pocketed it.
The theft immediately flagged him for combat, locking him out of Stealth, but it did not matter. The damage was done.
The Ranger stood frozen, staring at his empty hand as his heart pounded wildly in his chest. The True-Sight Crystal was not just equipment. It was a valuable guild asset, rare and difficult to replace.
And he had just lost it.
For a brief, stunned moment, he did nothing, then the rest of the guild reacted.
Spells and arrows flew.
Flynn moved instantly, already knowing he could not withstand a full barrage from thirty players. There was no room for hesitation. He poured everything into offense, targeting the weakest link; the Ranger.
Keen Strike, Rupture, and three bombs in rapid succession.
The Ranger, barely Level 12 and dressed in a patchwork of low-grade gear, never had a chance. He dropped before the third bomb even detonated.
Flynn blinked once, caught off guard by how quickly it ended.
"...Why was he so fragile?"
He did not realize that most of Aether-Reach’s strongest players were out grinding elsewhere. The ones left behind were mid-tier at best, undergeared and overconfident. The Ranger had not even filled all his equipment slots. Compared to Flynn, his health and defenses were pitiful.
But that brief kill had bought the others time.
A Warrior charged forward, activating Charge and closing the distance instantly. Flynn tried to evade, but the skill locked on. The impact hit hard, stunning him in place for three seconds.
That was all they needed. Duelists and Rogues surged in, surrounding him.
The moment the stun wore off, Flynn drank a health potion and a Potion of Fury in quick succession. His daggers came alive in his hands, flashing as he struck back, twisting and shifting to avoid incoming blows.
Seven, eight melee players pressed in on him, but none of them committed fully. Every attempt to push closer was met with sharp, punishing counters that carved chunks out of their health bars.
"Watch it!" one of the Duelists shouted. "This guy hits like a truck! He just took a third of my health in one swing!"
"A third?" someone barked back. "You serious? The elites are supposed to be at the leveling zones. What is a player like this doing in the mines?"
They had reason to panic.
Flynn’s Keen Strike had landed as a critical hit, nearly gutting the Duelist outright. One more clean strike would have finished him, but the moment slipped away as a soft white glow washed over the battlefield.
The healers had finally caught up.
"...Right. Healers," Flynn muttered under his breath.
The earlier kill had been too fast for them to react, but now the fight was stabilizing. The group might not have been top-tier, but they were coordinated enough to become dangerous. In the backline, Arcanists and Rangers were beginning to find clearer angles.
Then a frustrated shout rose from behind them.
"Move, you idiots! We can’t get a lock with you all standing in the way!"
In this world, ranged combat was not as simple as pointing and firing. Without a clear line of sight, even a locked spell could miss its target or strike an ally instead.
And right now, Flynn’s greatest advantage was the chaos they had created themselves.
—-
Author’s Note:
Four Chapters today. Hope you enjoyed them.
I really hope this book picks up soon. A lot of people have added it to their library, but not many are unlocking Chapters yet. It feels like it’s off to a slow start, and that affects how much support it gets.
If things don’t improve, NovelFire won’t push it, and I may have to stop writing it. I don’t want that to happen, so if you’re enjoying the story, please support it however you can.
Thanks for reading.