Chapter 161
Chapter 161. Torpus Rock Salt Mine 2
Guided by the beastkin boy, I turned left at the crossroads.
Gradually, the torchlight faded, and without [Night Vision], I soon couldn't see the path ahead.
But what made me frown more than the darkness was the stench of excrement.
Suppressing the urge to undo [Beast Form], I held my breath and pressed on until I realized the source was a side path up ahead.
I braced myself to resist if we went that way, but the beastkin boy passed it by.
After walking a while longer, he glanced back and flashed me a grin.
"You're shocked, huh? You'll get used to it."
"A waste dump for excrement?"
"It's harassment against beastkin. Oh, right, I never introduced myself. I'm Uluk." "Alan."
"Huh. Sounds like a human name."
Uluk muttered that and ended the conversation.
After passing several more side paths, the surroundings were swallowed by darkness.
Not all beastkin, myself included, could use [Night Vision], but complaining to Uluk wouldn't change anything. I quietly activated [Night Vision].
Once I secured my vision, we soon arrived at a den-like area resembling a human nest.
Countless glowing eyes peered at us from the side tunnels.
There was no hostility, but no welcome either. They were unmistakably beastkin, though…
As I puzzled over it, Uluk walked straight past the beastkin den without a glance and entered a narrow mine shaft.
Using [Presence Detection], I detected multiple presences gathered ahead.
If this were a welcoming party for newcomers, I'd expect hospitality, but this was clearly something else. I doubted they'd summon me just for straying into a human nest.
"Brought him."
In the chamber ahead waited five beastkin.
Uluk announced this to no one in particular, then left me behind and moved to the wall.
Under their collective gaze, I cast [Appraisal] on the five.
Three were clearly combat veterans—around low C-rank and E-rank.
But more importantly—this one's a real deal.
The beastkin seated at the back was B-rank caliber.
Even the soldiers seemed aware of his strength, as his legs were shackled with iron balls. I'd passed plenty of slaves, but none with both legs restrained.
"My name is Sarhas."
The B-rank man introduced himself, fixing me with feline-sharp eyes.
He didn't even nod when I gave my name, simply continuing.
"What's your goal? You're no slave."
"Why do you say that?"
When I countered his assertion, he thrust a finger toward my eyes.
"Your light's weak. You're using [Night Vision], aren't you?"
He saw right through me, and I stifled my inner turmoil.
Casually glancing at the others, they tilted their heads, peering at my eyes. Only someone highly experienced or perceptive could've noticed.
Plus, mages are hard to manage and have better uses. The odds of one being sent to a mine are slim. That leaves demeanor or appearance. No matter how dirty my body or clothes, someone as sharp as Sarhas would sense something off.
Relieved for now, I turned my gaze back to Sarhas.
"Since you've figured it out, I'll switch. It's a bit hard to see."
I deactivated [Night Vision] and cast [Torch].
A flickering flame materialized, illuminating the space.
"You've even mastered fire attributes? Impressive, kid. Now, answer me."
"I don't mind, but why do you care? Planning to sell info to the fort?"
"You little—!"
A one-eyed beastkin half-rose, only for a burly one to grab his arm.
The one-eyed man strained to break free but noticed Sarhas's silent stare and sat back down, face twisted in anger.
No one else stirred, leaving an eerie silence over the chamber.
After a near-soundless pause, Sarhas spoke quietly.
"The person you're looking for isn't here."
"How do you—?"
This time, the words slipped out before I could stop them.
I was shocked. How did he know?
Wait, Sarhas never named anyone. The reasons for infiltrating the mine are limited, and searching for someone is the most likely.
But his tone suggested he meant Yunek—ah, I see.
Recalling my own appearance, I understood.
And why I was summoned.
Did he spot me during my rounds?
We must look alike, but his initiative saved me the trouble of searching.
Exhaling my tension, I met Sarhas's gaze.
"You're the one who let him go."
"Let him go…? You're not here to find him?"
"No. He's—Yunek is dead."
At my answer, Sarhas's expression shifted for the first time.
He looked up at the ceiling, pained, as if regretting something.
"Did he suffer?"
"I think it was instant."
Sarhas nodded, then erased his expression again.
"You share his aura and scent. Brother or kin, I assume. If you're not here to find him—is this revenge for his death?"
The other beastkin stirred at the question.
Even the burly one who'd restrained the one-eyed man now bared hostility, but Sarhas raised a hand to stop them.
Impressed, I answered.
"Wrong again. No blood ties, and it's not revenge. I've no right to blame you either. Just tell me—why send him to the Deep Forest? Did you truly believe he'd reach a beastkin village?"
"Where else? Where in the empire could he flee? As a beastkin, you should know. I had to bet on his talent."
"A terrible bet. Making it would've been a miracle."
"Still, there was no other choice."
Amid the flickering [Torch] flame, Sarhas and I locked eyes.
Die suffering in the mine, or gamble on near-impossible odds?
The latter offered a sliver of hope, but losing meant misery.
At worst, he might've been eaten alive by monsters. Having experienced it, I couldn't call that better than mine slavery.
But in the end—it was his choice.
Even if it was freedom spent in hunger and terror, however brief, if he found happiness in it, who am I to judge?
Shaking Yunek's image from my mind, I refocused.
"My goal is simple. I want to negotiate with the beastkin village."
Sarhas frowned at the sudden proposal.
Then, just as quickly, his eyes darkened with unease.
Smart man. He's already figured it out.
Feigning ignorance, I pressed on.
"If you can't tell me its location, another place will do."
"…Who's your employer?"
"None. I have allies, but this is my decision alone."
"No."
The rejection, laced with hostility, made the hairs on my neck prickle.
I'd considered the possibility that Sarhas had lied about the village to give Yunek false hope.
That's why I'd framed my question assuming its existence—but by saying there was no choice and betting on Yunek's talent, Sarhas had all but confirmed it was real and unreachable.
Realizing he'd been tricked, his response was hostility.
I felt bad, but I didn't have the luxury of playing slave games.
Using a pebble as a catalyst, I cast [Stone Blow].
Catching the falling rock before it hit the ground, I tossed it to Sarhas.
"As you can see, I can use earth magic too. Payment for info is escape from here. If you have people you want to bring, that's fine."
"We can get out!?"
Uluk was the first to shout.
The others exchanged excited glances, but their enthusiasm waned under Sarhas's silent stare at the rock.
His stance hadn't changed—but the fact he didn't refuse outright was progress.
"I think it's a fair deal. Discuss it among yourselves."
With that, I turned on my heel.
◇◇◇◇
Switching from [Torch] to [Night Vision], I advanced alone through the shaft.
My proposal might not have been praiseworthy.
Mine slavery is a death sentence, often punitive. Judging by his actions toward Yunek, Sarhas didn't seem evil, but life is unpredictable. A man of his strength wouldn't be here without good reason.
Still, I'd heard many were deceived into slavery.
The beastkin here felt different from the others, which might be why they'd made their den apart.
Either way, replacing Sarhas would be hard.
Negotiating with someone else might lead to lies born of desperation.
Sarhas, though, was trustworthy. He could've lied to escape, then fled or killed me afterward. Fleeing would've been easy, yet he'd refused outright. A man of principle.
That same principle made him hard to persuade.
If he'd refuse escape so readily, no amount of money or magic tools would sway him.
In that case—I'd have to target his comrades.
Ignoring the odd stares from the den's beastkin, I passed through and returned to the crossroads.
Deactivating [Night Vision], I headed straight deeper into the mine.
With few cards to play, I had to use them well.
The Tepa Turtle that supposedly got in was likely something else. If I could prove it was a more dangerous monster, I might stoke their fear.
The thought made me scoff at myself.
Stoke their fear, huh. I've grown underhanded. My race change—probably irrelevant. Just desperate, really. Since setting off with Lambert and Selene, I've had no chance to rest.
Introspecting, I descended to the bedrock layer.
Whether due to my confident demeanor or luck, no guards stopped me as I reached the shaft Jake had mentioned.
No soldiers, miners, or even slaves were in the passage. At least faint lantern lights at intervals suggested some work was being done. If it were dangerous, they'd seal it off. Must be high-yield.
"Well, no guards is convenient."
Muttering, I stepped into the shaft.
Underground already made it hard to track presences or directions.
Add dark side tunnels—likely trial digs—and faint echoing sounds, and it was worse. Without lanterns, I'd have no idea where people were.
Staying alert, I pressed on until work noises grew louder, and the lanterns ended further ahead.
Light leaked from one side tunnel—the source of the sounds.
Peering in while focusing on [Presence Detection], I detected multiple presences: a dense cluster of about ten, and three slightly apart. Another cluster at the edge of my range. The dense ones were likely slaves, the trio possibly guards.
Entering the side tunnel, I soon reached a wide space resembling an old dig site.
Slaves lined tables, tirelessly smashing hammers against rock salt, bagging the fragments, and stacking them. Probably processing low-grade salt.
The three were indeed guards, lazily monitoring the work. The distant presences came from beyond the chamber.
The chamber was vast, its corners unlit, but I'd be spotted before crossing. Sneaking through seemed impossible.
Withdrawing, I returned to the main path.
No suspicious presences or traces of monsters so far.
With victims reported, the area beyond the chamber was suspect.
But if another dig site had been abandoned after an attack, they'd have sealed it. The lack of such measures suggested the main path. I'd check there first.
As I turned my gaze, my beastkin ears caught footsteps—five or more. Relief crew?
Ducking into a dark side tunnel, I held my breath as miners leading slaves passed and entered the work area.
Trailing them at a distance, I saw the new slaves struggling with large bags. Not relief—a retrieval team.
While the slaves wrestled with bags, the miners chatted with guards until one suddenly called deeper into the site.
A delayed reply came, and two slaves emerged hauling another heavy bag. So they mined salt deeper in, processed it here, then others carried it out.
Odd, though. Salt production is cheap enough for street stalls. Even if the deeper area's narrow, is this worth the risk?
Maybe mixing it with natural salt? Lord Fasden might do that. Not that I've met him.
Regardless, this was my chance.
The miner questioned the digging slaves about progress, then dismissed them when assured all was well.
As everyone's attention turned to the bags—I activated [High-Speed Movement] and leaped.
One guard spun at the air displacement, but before his gaze reached the wall, I used [Leaping Rabbit] to land silently.
He scanned suspiciously, but when his colleague glanced over, he shrugged and shook his head.
Waiting by the wall for the miners and slaves to leave, I slipped deeper into the site.
Past this point, no trial digs meant only support pillars for cover.
I could evade the guards' sightlines, but if miners called more slaves, I'd be caught.
They likely wouldn't return soon, but time wasn't on my side.
Expanding [Presence Detection] in all directions, I used [Tracking] to search for monster traces.
Nothing. The dig site showed no anomalies either.
Returning to the midpoint, I paused.
A Tepa Turtle—or any monster—should've left traces. Maybe a dead end.
Returning empty-handed rankled, but the main path was—wait, there's still a possibility.
Monsters aren't always large. Ant-sized ones might leave negligible traces. Annoying, but plausible.
Alternatively… spirits?
Spirits often have skills to move freely within their element—earth for earth, wind for gusts, ice for frost. Not too useful except for earth, though—
"Ah, they're here."
I cast [Summon Earth Spirit: Merlock] with [Multi Casting], summoning twelve Merlock.
Ordering them to scout via [Stone Dive], I received immediate acknowledgment before they slid into the ground.
Merlock' [Stone Dive] works on rock and most minerals, not just soil.
Their downside is poor physical offense, but as spirits, they're hard to injure. Even if they encountered an unknown monster, these Merlock could escape unscathed.
Reports trickled in as I waited in the shaft.
All were dead ends, with nothing noteworthy.
A disappointing result, but it confirmed no Tepa Turtles or similar monsters here.
Small monsters might've slipped through, but with twelve searching, it's safe to rule them out.
No earth spirits either. The Merlock sensed distant dungeon presences. A wandering kin would've been noticed.
That left the main path.
"Hm? What's this?"
As I recalled the Merlock, one seemed confused.
It had found something but hesitated.
Puzzled, I ordered it back. A hole opened in the shaft floor.
[Stone Dive] only affects the caster. If it canceled, it must've brought something.
The Merlock emerged awkwardly, offering its tiny hand.
At first, it seemed empty, but a closer look revealed a grain of sand.
"That is?"
At my question, the Merlock looked up, troubled.
Dumb question—if it could answer, it wouldn't be hesitating. Apologizing, I examined the grain.
Black with a jagged surface. Some kind of ore…?
Activating [Appraisal], I read the result—then my eyes widened, and I leaped back in alarm.
Name: Zoptum
Traits: A type of magical metal.
Extremely brittle, often found mixed with rock or other ores.
Highly toxic to living beings, nicknamed "Dwarf Killer."
Properties: Unknown
So this is Zoptum—
I'd heard of it from Nalvano and Katy. A magical metal that reacts to internal mana, crystallizing and expanding.
The crystals grow into razor-sharp blades, slicing and piercing organs, causing excruciating pain until death. Healing potions are temporary fixes—the only cure is extraction.
But this world relies on potions, leaving surgical skills underdeveloped.
Few doctors can perform laparotomies, and even if found in time, constant potion or magic healing between injuries is agony. Only wealthy nobles or merchants could afford it. The rest died in torment.
Still, this is trouble. Monsters are preferable.
The Merlock watched curiously as I kept my distance.
Spirits don't breathe—Zoptum's horrors mean nothing to them.
I instructed it to stay put and cast [Operate Soil] on the Zoptum grain.
Mana flow was poor, but I managed to control it. Safe for now.
The floating Zoptum gleamed in the lantern light.
It was indeed brittle—some particles were dust-like. The slightest vibration could scatter it.
Without squinting, even [Appraisal] barely worked. Expert miners would miss it underground. The "Dwarf Killer" moniker fit.
Carefully manipulating the Zoptum, I redirected the Merlock.
Immediately, discovery reports flooded in.
They'd found more but deemed it harmless, so hadn't reported it.
Greeting the returning Merlock, I glanced toward the hammering sounds.
When the first victim died, the miners must've realized it was Zoptum.
Normally, such a discovery would prompt a shutdown and countermeasures.
But the Torpus mine was Lord Fasden's lifeline. And this was edible salt—the worst combination. Even if removable, the price would plummet.
So Lord Fasden silenced the miners, using slaves as disposable tools.
If it's hard to detect, let them absorb it. Keep sending slaves to mine until every Zoptum grain is gone.
◇◇◇◇
"My answer hasn't changed."
After using Merlock to distract the guards and slipping back to Sarhas's group, I was met with instant refusal.
They'd apparently discussed it in my absence, his comrades now looking down guiltily. Sarhas's heightened hostility likely stemmed from the false hope I'd given.
Bad timing, but I'd have to stir things up again.
I floated the Zoptum on my palm.
Including what the other Merlock brought, I'd collected a fingertip's worth.
Sarhas frowned at the lantern-lit grains.
"What's that?"
"Zoptum."
The name drew blank stares from Sarhas and the others.
"Never heard of it? Miners or blacksmiths would know."
I explained Zoptum's properties and where I'd found it.
But it just looked like sand.
Sarhas doubted me until one beastkin hesitantly spoke up.
"If that stuff gets inside… does it make you cough blood?"
"This is my first time seeing it too. No idea how much it grows. But given its nature, coughing blood wouldn't surprise me."
At my reply, the beastkin stiffened, turning to Sarhas.
"I saw it. A slave dragged from that shaft, vomiting blood, screaming as he died. I've accepted dying here. But… not like that."
His trembling plea made Sarhas lower his gaze.
Then, barely audible, he muttered:
"…How much Zoptum is there?"
"Not much, I think, but there's no clear lethal dose. It depends where it grows and pierces. If someone inhales a lot, it might vanish faster. Lord Fasden's counting on that. But it's scattered, so it won't be that easy. No telling how many will die before it's all gone."
Pausing, I summoned a Merlock.
The sudden appearance of the small spirit made the beastkin tense.
"You'd ask anyway, so here's the answer. This is an earth spirit, Merlock. They found and mapped the Zoptum's spread. If I'd searched alone, I might've been at risk too."
The non-combatants were merely impressed, but the ex-adventurers—especially Sarhas—looked stunned.
"Spirit magic too… What are you?"
"Not an enemy to beastkin. That's all you need for now. I didn't want to reveal spirit magic, but it was the only way to convince you."
Even Sarhas silently conceded.
Showing one's hand takes resolve, especially with rare magic like spirit arts.
Perhaps that resolve swayed him. Surveying the group, he finally nodded.
"We'll take your deal. But the villagers decide. Don't resent us if negotiations fail."
"That's enough. Who's coming?"
"Everyone here. Those tricked into slavery or discarded. No serious criminals."
"Understood."
The sudden agreement left the beastkin bewildered.
Then, as it sank in, their faces lit up.
Amid their joy, I approached Sarhas for a handshake—only to be hastily stopped.
"Deal with the Zoptum first."
"Ah, right."
Of course. If I lost focus, I might inhale it myself.
Bury it somewhere? A fingertip's amount wouldn't affect the overall deposit.
As I searched for a spot, the one-eyed beastkin approached.
"By the way, how are we escaping? Digging out with magic?"
Hearing the question, the others quieted.
Magic would be safest. Using [Earth Wall] to reinforce the tunnel as we dug would minimize collapse risks. With Merlock guiding us, we wouldn't get lost.
I nearly said so—then stopped.
After a moment staring at the Zoptum, I scanned our surroundings.
"We'll destroy the Torpus Rock Salt Mine."
My words left Sarhas and the others speechless.