novelI will confront it with confidence! (3)
| ← Ch.031 | Ch.033 → |
In front of Titan Valley's Northern Gate!
"There are more people than I expected."
There were a total of 39 people including myself.
I had anticipated about 28. That was the number of 'bodyguards' I had made until now.
Jose and the rest of the beginner miners in Tunnel 99-1, the 12 miners under Gildeon, and the couple miners I got to know through Jonnan.
I had made all of them into my people.
The method was easy.
I was already someone the miners were calling 'hero, ' and I also held the record for most daily profits.
Because of that, even if I was just standing around, people want to get close to me.
So once we shared some alcohol a couple times, the term 'our family' started to naturally come out.
Of course it was too soon to label them as 'bodyguards. ' They have simply promised to go with me no matter where I go. Plus, those promises were made while they were drunk.
But the development of the Northern Mines will serve as the means to make our relationships a bit more clear. The leader of the group, and the followers who listen to that leader.
"Alright then, shall we head out?"
I took the lead.
Batoom, Goultan, Jonnan, and Gildeon followed closely behind me.
But none of them really had a bright expression. They were trusting me and coming with me, but the Northern Mines had a really bad name.
Gildeon's expression was especially dark.
"Are you really confident?"
Surprisingly, I actually liked him like this even more.
Gildeon was not worried about his own safety. He was considering the safety of his fellow miners.
He definitely has the character necessary to be a leader. In fact, in that aspect, he is probably better than me.
"If I was not confident, I would not have started at all. Plus, there is no reason to get the miners nervous by saying something like that when we are already here."
"I understand. I will just trust in you."
That's what I like to hear.
And he will have no other choice in the future.
But this is harder than I thought! Why is the terrain so rough?
The Northern part of Titan Valley was pretty much the territory of gods. The natural condition itself made it difficult for people to approach it. There is probably nowhere else in the entire continent that is as dangerous as this Northern part of Titan Valley.
There was a path to transport the minerals, but the terrain was extremely rough, and since it has been abandoned for such a long time, you couldn't tell whether this was a road or a mountain slope. It will take a lot of work to make it easy to transport minerals through here.
We had been walking like that for probably about 1 hour? Suddenly a flat area that opened up your vision appeared. It was probably wide enough to make two large soccer fields.
"We are here! This is the Northern Mines!"
Even without Jonnan saying that, it was easy to tell that this was the Northern Mines. At one end of the plain was a man made cliff, with a couple holes that looked like abandoned tunnels. In front of that were abandoned mining equipment as well.
Even though it was the middle of the day, it looked kind of dark and creepy.
The miners let out worried sighs.
"Sigh, finally......"
"I suddenly feel really cold."
"We've finally reached this point!"
They all looked like they were in front of the gates of hell or something.
But I was just the opposite. My heart was pounding with excitement.
'There are a ton of Jewels of Luck packaged in here. '
Even in the game, the Jewel of Luck was worth quite a bit. Just selling it got you between 3, 000, 000 won to 6, 000, 000 won per jewel. Of course it was in game money.
It was also a very useful jewel to not sell and use myself. It increased the chance of receiving a good item from hunting monsters.
But now, it was worlds beyond that level. I can use it in the real world just like the Jewel of Creation.
I've already even decided where I was going to use it.
If I use the Jewel of Luck properly, I can even become omnipotent in the real world.
And that's not it. Gold, mithril and other expensive minerals are all over this place as well. The Northern Mines was pretty much a treasure.
Maybe that was the reason, but the Northern Mines looked extremely beautiful in my eyes.
*Sound of water crashing*
On one side of the cliff, there was a small waterfall with a small pond created underneath it. It wasn't really much of a sight, but it will be an important resting ground for the miners.
Next to the water flowing from the pond was a fertile looking grassland. If I have the time, it might be good to turn it into a herb garden or something.
I turned my eyes and looked toward the bottom of the mountain and could see the entire Titan Valley and a gorgeous view.
Well, I really don't have the time to enjoy this view right now.
"Let us hurry."
"Please prepare your assigned task by team. The fence team can go this way, the residence team over there, meal prep team to the left......"
All of the commands came from Gildeon's mouth. If you considered the age, experience, or social status, it would make sense for Batoom or Goultan to lead the team, but they all just closed their mouth and followed Gildeon's command.
For now, they were just moving as members on the team.
It was because of my request.
"From the moment we arrive at the Northern Mines, Gildeon will be the only one to issue commands. It is not easy to raise a new leader. Please think of it as raising his confidence and take a back seat."
Well that was what I told them at least.
The real reason was a bit different.
Should I say it is the same reason I want to make Jonnan, Batoom, and Goultan into Best Miners?
These are people who will be mining the Jewel of Luck for me. That means that they must be active in the mine and swinging their pickaxes.
For that to happen, Gildeon needs to be in charge of the mine.
Of course everybody agreed with my opinion.
"That is a good idea."
"Gildeon definitely has what it takes."
With that, the jobs were divided under Gildeon's supervision. Each team put in a lot of effort to complete their tasks.
"It should be good once we break that rock."
Clang! Clang!
I was also taking part and went next to a pretty large tree. Then I used all of my strength to swing an axe.
But it was really odd. Rather than the sound of a tree, it sounded like I was breaking a rock.
Clang! Clang!
"Hey, that is a Fir Tree. It is too sturdy to chop without having a lot of strength. Go chop that Oak Tree over there."
"I know. But it is important that I chop this tree."
One of the upcoming quests will require me to chop this Fir Tree on my own.
I can't come all the way back here to chop a tree after receiving the quest from Avangarde. That'd be a total waste of time.
I need to take care of it now when I have the opportunity to do so.
Clang! Clang!
While I was wrestling with the Fir Tree, people were busy with their tasks as well. One side was clearing the ground while other side was chopping trees. Another group was working hard to create a wooden fence to prevent monsters from invading the space.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Thanks to everybody hurrying, we were able to create a temporary fence before it got dark.
The darkness finally started to spread across the area.
The deeper you are in the mountains, darkness spreads much faster. The moment we felt like it was about to get dark, it started to get dark very quickly.
By the time we were finishing dinner, it was pitch black.
For humans, darkness has always been a source of fear.
It was especially bad in the Northern Mines. It wasn't as bad during the day, but once it got dark, people couldn't help but think about words like 'monster' and 'ghost' that they were trying really hard to forget.
Even though we made a large fire, it wasn't easy to push away the fear. No matter how big the fire was, it was just a tiny speck in the middle of the vast darkness.
Looking around, it felt like everybody was afraid that the darkness might jump at them at any moment.
"Will it really be okay?"
"I'm not sure we will safely make it past the night."
Everybody gathered inside our quickly made wooden fence.
A couple of them were relying on me.
"I have faith in our tunnel supervisor-nim. Right supervisor-nim?"
Jose was especially like that. I worked really hard to keep my chest up and show a confident demeanor.
"What do we have to worry about when we are with our Tunnel Supervisor-nim? I'm not afraid of anything."
He seemed to know the kind of atmosphere I was aiming for. So he was working hard on my behalf to help make it happen.
He feels like a perfect sidekick right now. I like what he's doing. At least for today that is.
In situations like this, I really need to show them a confident demeanor. If there is someone you can confidently rely on, it is easy to push the fear away.
I put my hand on Jose's shoulder as I spoke in a confident voice.
"Just trust me. I will catch that ghost tonight and show you just what he looks like."
It wasn't all talk. I got right up from my seat and started to leave the fenced area alone.
"Are you really going?"
"But why is he going empty-handed?"
"Shouldn't he at least take his pickaxe?"
That's because you don't know the monster that is here. If you take a weapon with you, rather than monster hunting, you won't even see the tip of its fur.
I just tapped the magic bag on my side.
"Everything is in here. Don't worry and just wait for me to return."
"Sooob. Master!"
Jul Goo grabbed my hand and started to cry. Is he trying to show concern for me as his master?"
"Did someone die? Just go to sleep you punk!"
I lightly tapped Jul Goo's head. Then I left the fenced area and walked into the darkness.
'Shall I start making some allowance money?'
My surroundings were already completely dark. There seemed to be a lot of clouds today that there wasn't even a source of light from the moon or the stars. It was so dark that you couldn't even see your feet.
Well, of course that was the case for everyone else.
I was able to clearly see through the darkness. It was thanks to the 'Owl's Eye' I received from the god Hades.
I looked back and saw the wooden fence that was built at the opposite end of the cliff. Right underneath it was the slope down.
I headed as far away from the fence as I could.
While walking for a while like that, I quickly arrived right underneath the cliff.
The ground around the cliff was really rough. There were many boulders popping out of it as well.
'This should be enough!'
There were large boulders and trees growing however they want that it looked to be a completely different place than the rest of the world.
If I was a monster, and I enjoyed hunting stealthily, this would be the greatest hunting ground.
I laid down on my back. Although it was painful because of the rocks underneath my back, it wasn't unbearable.
I slowly opened my bag and put the secret weapons I bought from Avangarde in my hands.
It was a bit smaller than a tennis ball and kind of squishy.
I kept my senses alert as I quietly waited.
He will definitely show up tonight and attack me.
I was waiting for that moment.
Huuuuuuuuuuuuu!
The Northern Mines, which was located at a high elevation, was always windy. The wind wasn't necessary strong, but as it whirled around the rocks and trees, it made quite an eerie moaning noise.
Swiiiish.
How much time must have passed? At least two to three hours must have gone by. If it was any other day, I would have already fallen asleep, but thanks to the rough rocks underneath me, I managed to not fall asleep.
A long while continued to pass.
Sshh. Sshh.
'......!'
I could feel a presence. The movement that didn't seem to follow a pattern was clearly different than nature's moan.
'It's here!'
Last chapter for the week.
Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance?? [Kobato usually updates the donation amount, but I haven't heard from Kobato in a few days. Current status is $35/$75!
Translator: Miraclerifle
Proofreader: Miraclerifle
| ← Ch. 031 | Ch. 033 → |