Toypus Mine (4)
"Let's call it a day and head back."
I called out to the Holy Knights maintaining their vigilant stance ahead of me. Only after hearing my words did they finally relax their intense gazes and approach.
"Phew... No monsters showing up makes it even more exhausting."
"Tell me about it. Not knowing when they might appear just keeps us on edge unnecessarily."
Tecus and his subordinate's words. I agreed to an extent. It was now the third day of exploring this mine.
On the first day, we'd scouted the entrance and planned the internal exploration. The second day involved probing the main passages, verifying if my map of the mine's interior matched the actual layout. Today, we'd checked the smaller side tunnels branching off the main paths.
Experiencing it firsthand, I can see just how haphazardly it was dug. Tsk.
Not that I'd say it out loud, but Father, how could you dig it like this? Assuming the map was accurate and there were no issues like monsters, the mine wasn't in terrible shape. The mining had been thorough, leaving no topaz ore behind—like ants burrowing relentlessly into an anthill, right up to the limit before the walls would collapse. It showed how desperately the mine's owner had thirsted for profit.
That said, the map I had didn't detail the finer sections of the current mine. Thanks to that, we'd spent double the time charting unmapped paths as we went. We'd also thoroughly checked all the small western passages from the main routes and entrance, but no monsters or deep sand had appeared. As Tecus said, the prolonged tension was mentally draining.
"Phew... Tomorrow, let's search the east. Monsters don't linger in shallow sand for long, so it won't be far from the entrance. High chance they're in the eastern passages."
I mentally erased the western section from the map. The thought of spending yet another day in this tense state inside the mine made me want out as soon as possible.
"I hope you're right. This kind of exploration is new to me too, so I'm not used to it."
Tecus sincerely hoped I was correct. As we headed back to the mine entrance, I struck up some small talk with him.
"I hear monsters in the North just charge straight in."
To be precise, it wasn't hearsay—it was from the original story.
"That's right. They keep pouring out from what's called the Monster Forest. Especially the dumb brutes like orcs and trolls that just barrel in mindlessly."
"Different from desert monsters, huh."
Listening to Tecus, I mentally compared desert monsters to their northern counterparts. Northern ones were like barbarians from a battlefield—massive, muscle-bound beasts charging south with no strategy whatsoever. Sure, there were various types beyond orcs and trolls, but the rest weren't any smarter. Most just lunged to bite any human they saw.
Western monsters, on the other hand, had triggers. They were like invisible landmines. Detect a vibration or sound, and they'd erupt from deep sand—or even nearby shallow sand—in an instant. Leaping up to crush their prey on landing, or bursting from below with mouths agape to swallow whole.
Well... the common point is that most monsters are fiercely hostile and dangerous to humans.
A few oddballs existed, but they were rare enough to ignore.
*Poke, pull.*
As I walked, I stabbed my rod into the ground and pulled it out repeatedly. Unlike a normal rod, mine had a shallow dish-like scoop at the tip—a tool I'd devised to quickly check for deep sand. Digging by hand was tedious and time-consuming. But stab this in and pull it up, and the dish collected sand. Check if it was red sand and how deep it sank, and you could gauge the boundary.
Sudden drops into deeper red sand mark the boundary.
Anyway, this rod helped cut down the extra time spent on mapmaking.
"Rest up good tonight, and let's fight on tomorrow."
"Got it. Everyone, fighting!"
Tecus thrust out a fist energetically to his comrades in response.
"Uh, shit... what the hell."
The next day. After finishing the eastern passage search from the entrance, I spat my first curse in front of the Holy Knights. But no one called me out on it—not even Gaban, who hated my guts. He wasn't glaring at me with disdain; his face was grim. Tecus was the same.
Because there were no monsters in the eastern passages either.
There was deep sand. The rod had detected points where the red sand plunged deeper. But no monsters.
"Did they all die off naturally...?"
Otherwise, how could both east and west passages be completely monster-free?
"Maybe... monsters that roam shallow sand, or small ones..."
"No records of that..."
All documented desert monsters lived in deep sand. They could surface to shallow areas, but their limbless bodies limited mobility. That's why they avoided shallows. Small monsters existed, but they were proportionally weaker. They couldn't have collapsed the entrance and wiped out Father and his troops.
"My lord, what now? Check elsewhere? Or head back? Fortunately, we finished earlier than yesterday."
Tecus awaited my decision. I closed my eyes briefly, thinking it over. My conclusion:
"Let's head back for now. Need to sort the situation and brainstorm possibilities."
An unexpected snag without prep time was a straight path to annihilation. Maybe that's what killed Father. If I died, this territory was truly doomed. That couldn't happen. So, retreat, regroup, and theorize on the mine's monster situation.
"Everyone, we're heading back. Once more: watch for noise and vibrations."
"Yes, sir."
Gaban replied to Tecus. As he said, yelling or stomping here could summon monsters—which would actually benefit us, if this were just a random tunnel. But if it collapsed like the entrance, it'd be near-certain wipeout. We couldn't let them detect us before we found them.
And so we returned to Toypus Earldom. For the first time, we walked in complete silence.
"Haa."
Back at the territory, the Holy Knights dispersed to their rooms to shake off the tension and fatigue. I alone remained in the office, scribbling possibilities on paper.
Successor to the shattered desk: a small table. Actually a dining table, now littered with sheets.
"As I said, new or small monsters? Ruling those out for now..."
Small recorded ones were unlikely, so excluded. New ones? Hoping not, excluded. No shallow-roaming monsters in Toypus records. But if new ones? Or small but overwhelmingly strong? We'd have to abandon the mine. I couldn't stomach that. Wouldn't. Hence, excluding them.
So, other possibilities. Verify tomorrow.
Please. Goddamn it, just not that.
You've already given me a hardcore life. I won't ask for much—just no new monsters, please.
I prayed to some nameless god. Morning came.
"My lord...! You haven't slept...?"
Tecus saw my face and asked worriedly. Fair enough—my morning mirror check showed dark circles.
"I slept. Just late."
"......"
"But I've got a lead. Took a bit 'cause my brain's not the sharpest."
"That's... good to hear."
"I'll explain en route. Let's move out."
Tecus stopped fretting. He knew my resolve, silently resuming his guard at my front.
Once more, our five crossed the not-yet-scorching desert to the mine entrance. Without hesitation, we headed northeast. Pausing briefly, I shared my theorized possibilities with the knights. They agreed, and we advanced slowly into the passage.
*Poke.*
Stab and pull the rod.
*Poke, pull. Thunk.*
Multiple times. Red sand clings.
Hm, not clinging—scooped into the dish. Same diff.
Serious, cautious situation. But thrusting this rod felt oddly suggestive. Blame Geumtaeyang instincts and past-life memories overlapping. Seemed I was alone in that; the Holy Knights' eyes were dead serious. Seeing that, I shed the Geumtaeyang persona. I was here as lord.
Our 'four'—wait, five—pressed on through the winding, narrow tunnel. It gradually widened.
*Poke.*
Confirming that, stab and pull.
No red sand.
The dish held plain sand. I spoke quietly.
"Halt."
"...!"
"......!"
The knights near me froze at my word. I stepped forward slightly, stabbing again.
*Puuuush.*
Deep pull; a bit of red sand in the dish.
"Looks like... my second guess was right."
"...Then..."
"Yeah. Beyond this corner is the real deal."
We whispered our judgment.
And cautiously rounded the bend.
...Bingo.
A cavity lay revealed. Not huge, but with this size and deep sand, plenty of room for monsters. No further paths extended from it.
I gazed at the cavity, recalling what I'd told the knights at the passage mouth.
Possibilities... so, my guesses: three scenarios for the monsters inside.
Three situations I'd wrung from my mediocre brain. Fortunately, one hit the mark.