Chapter 14
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Barbarian Mine Mining
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The plan to conquer the abandoned mine proceeded without a hitch.
I spent three days in the tribe selecting the five members with the highest combat prowess—no, more precisely, the highest "survivability."
This operation was a strategy that could be handled with 100 members acting as a screen and a small elite squad of five to carry out the actual mission.
Me, Karack, Batu, Aila.
And joining us was a new barbarian warrior named "Monta."
"Hehe, nice to meet you, Kel Bark. I'm Monta."
"……."
I eyed Karack beside me with suspicion.
"Hey, Karack. Is this guy really the best at surviving? He looks like the village idiot."
"Hehehe, Monta is an idiot, yeah."
"…See? He's admitting it himself."
In response to my question, Karack thumped his chest and bellowed.
"Monta is an idiot! But! Monta never dies! He survived being stepped on by a rock troll!"
"……Is that for real…?"
His frame was a head taller than Karack, who was over two meters tall.
And on top of that, rather than looking like a rough barbarian…
'A bear…?'
His soft, honest face and the ample belly protruding generously.
His features were squished like glutinous rice cakes, giving him an oddly cute impression compared to his massive bulk.
"Hehe, Monta lives well. And eats well. Loves honey. Hehe."
His giggling speech was straight out of a giant teddy bear screaming "I'm harmless."
These guys sure have distinct personalities….
"……Alright, got it. Like I said again, no need to push too hard. Our target is just one guy, the kobold boss. Got it?"
Krack, Batu, and Monta answered in turn.
"Got it! I'll bring back the boss's head!"
"Got… it…."
"Yessir! Hehe!? Do we get lots of food?"
Watching this ragtag bunch give completely mismatched responses made my head throb, but even Aila vouched for him—"Monta? That guy's a real monster. His durability defies imagination, looks aside"—so I decided to trust it.
The next day.
The four elite members I'd selected, along with 100 warriors to serve as the screen, headed to the abandoned mine entrance.
"Woooooh!! It's time to march!!"
Fierce cheers and horn blasts tore through the desert silence, but truthfully, these 100 had little to do today. Just stand there.
The abandoned mine was half a day's ride from our oasis on dromas.
Perfect distance. Nice and commutable.
Me and the warriors lined up in front of the mine.
"Alright! Everyone, line up! Straighten those ranks!"
Thanks to my hygiene drills and such lately, the warriors understood "line up" and started mimicking soldiers, forming neat rows.
Nice. See? They can do it if they try. Teaching has its rewards.
That's when Aila approached with a worried look.
"You're… really going to do that?"
"Of course. Charging straight in like this would cause heavy casualties."
Back in my days rolling in the empire's back-alley gutters, I learned one unshakeable truth the hard way.
Swinging your own fists and sweating for pocket change is third-rate thug work.
Second-rate guys manage territories through underlings and collect tribute.
But the real top dogs, the ones who truly rule the alleys, never lift a finger.
They know how to wield the "system."
Instilling overwhelming fear and discipline so the rats come crawling with tribute on their own.
No blood on their hands, the cleanest, most elegant, and most sustainable way to profit.
That's true domination.
What I want isn't a pile of kobold corpses.
It's their excellent talent as miners, that permanent production engine they possess.
"Heh heh heh."
I stared into the darkness beyond the tunnel swarming with kobolds, curling my lips slyly.
"Cut off the head. Once the head's down, the body follows on its own."
I shouted to the warriors.
"Your role today is simple! Block this entrance and kill every single kobold that tries to flee—no exceptions!"
The 100 regular warriors roared back.
"Kel Bark! Tahu!"
"Good. Holrent, you keep the warriors in check. Don't let a single one slip through."
A veteran warrior named Holrent, an older guy who actually listened, stepped forward and replied. He was pretty reasonable.
"Understood, Kel Bark! Not even an ant pup will escape!"
I turned to Aila.
"Once you mark it this one time, you'll know where it is from then on, right? For sure?"
Aila nodded confidently.
"Tracking spells like that are basic."
"Good. Then we're off. Just tough it out for today. Everyone ready?"
The elite members, led by Karack, bellowed.
"Karack! Ready! We'll sweep 'em all! Kra hahaha!"
"No, don't sweep 'em all. Just the boss. Got it? Boss only! Alive! Keep that in mind! Don't kill him!"
I hammered it home, then told Aila.
"Alright, now cast the stealth spell."
"One more time: if you do anything attention-grabbing, it'll break instantly. This isn't full invisibility—it just blurs your presence. It only works on monsters."
I'd originally planned to storm the mine interior with Karack and the others, but Aila had some surprisingly useful spells, so I adjusted the strategy.
Smart over brute force. That's my style.
"It's enough. Get on with it."
"Fine…."
Inside the mine.
"This is wild, Karack. Kobold dog-heads are walking right past us and not noticing."
"Shh! Quiet. You'll get us caught."
Me, Karack, Batu, and Monta strolled through the tunnels leisurely, like we owned the place, searching for the kobold boss.
I'd brought the whole crew out of paranoia, but with performance like this, I could've come alone.
That's when it happened.
"Found it."
The spot Aila pointed to was at the deepest part of the tunnel, behind a shabby throne made of bones and hides.
"Oh, that's him? Smaller than I thought."
Aila nodded.
"Yeah, definitely. Head a full size bigger than the other kobolds, red dot on the forehead. He's been leading this mine's kobold pack for ages. Rules more by cunning than strength. Kinda like you."
"……?"
"You're cunning too, and that's why you're our tribe's chief."
Can't argue with that logic.
I nodded at Aila's reasoning.
I whispered to Batu.
"Batu. Knock that guy out. Quietly, without a sound."
Batu vanished like a shadow without a word.
Moments later, he popped up behind the boss and smashed his fist into the kobold's jaw.
Crack–!
With a dull thud, the kobold boss's head twisted grotesquely.
He passed out without so much as a squeak.
Wait, isn't it usually a light chop to the neck in stealth scenes?
Twisting the jaw like that…
The kobold boss lay there with his tongue lolling out, eyes rolled back, out cold.
"……He's not dead, right?"
Batu shook his head indifferently.
"Exactly… knocked… out."
"Looks like his jaw's dislocated too? He's drooling."
"No order… for that… Chief."
Right… my fault for not being specific.
As long as he's alive, it's fine.
That makes 80% of my plan complete.
But then.
"Kee-eeek!!"
One of the boss's attendant kobolds spotted us.
"Damn! Run!"
I slung the limp boss over my shoulder like a sack of rice and bolted.
Something felt off, though.
Shouldn't stuff be flying at us?
I glanced back while thinking that…
And beheld an astonishing sight.
Kobolds' thrown daggers, hand axes, poison needles—all blocked by Monta, none reaching us.
Ting–
Ting–
Pong–
Weapons bouncing harmlessly off Monta’s thick layer of fat in a bizarre display.
'What…? How is that even possible?'
But in a world with swordmasters who split mountains and seas, this was nothing.
I decided not to overthink it.
Thanks to Monta, we easily reached the spot where 100 barbarians waited with gleaming axes.
In the midst of that menacing lineup, I hurled the kobold boss to the ground.
Splat!
Faced with 100 arrayed barbarians, the kobold pack stopped chasing and just stomped in frustration before retreating into the mine.
Looks like they decided to cut their losses on the boss.
Don't worry, we'll send him back soon.
Moments later.
I doused him with cold water, and he sprang up sputtering—puhaak!—looking around.
"!!!!"
Kieeek?!
He opened his eyes to find 100 muscle-bound barbarians over two meters tall leering down at him, licking their chops.
Kobolds were only human-teen size, so the terror must've been unimaginable.
The kobold boss seemed unable to tell if this was hell or reality, slapping his own cheeks in denial.
I squatted down in front of him and smiled gently.
"Hi there?"
Then, instead of talking, I raised my fist.
"Let's take a beating first."
Thwack!
Wham!
"Kyaaang! Kyung! Kya-gaang!"
I beat him like a dog on a hot summer day.
Enough not to kill, but to make the pain sink into his bones.
Just before he foamed at the mouth and passed out again, I dangled a mana stone in front of his eyes.
"Now, take a good look. See this? This is your lifeline. Got it?"
No way he understood the words, but survival instinct kicked in, and the kobold nodded frantically.
"Good. Smart guy."
An ironic situation where being smart was his downfall.
Then I turned coolly to the warriors.
"We're pulling out."
"……Pardon? Already? Aren't we killing the rest?"
"Nah, no need. Everyone, withdraw."
The warriors looked baffled, but I walked out without looking back.
Fear was planted. Now it was time to imprint it.