“Iron Earthworm?”
Zoe looked at Vera.
And Vera struggled to search through her Dragon's Heritage for relevant knowledge.
“These are probably Iron Earthworm droppings.”
“Iron Earthworms are special monsters that live in ore veins and feed on iron ore.”
“They digest the iron ore in their stomachs and then excrete droppings with high-purity iron.”
“With a simple smelting process, these droppings can be refined into highly pure iron ingots.”
Iron Earthworm droppings.
Zoe's eyes lit up; these Iron Earthworms were completely beneficial beasts.
At present, the smelting and mining techniques in the Slime Territory were still in their infancy.
Materials that could yield high-quality iron ingots through simple smelting were exactly what they needed.
“Puji.”
“Can we artificially breed and raise Iron Earthworms, feed them iron ore, and collect their droppings?”
An Iron Earthworm farm was already taking shape in Zoe's mind.
“Iron Earthworms cannot be raised in captivity. If they stop consuming soil and ore, they will quickly die.”
“Therefore, they must constantly dig and feed underground.”
“Heh, what an interesting life. To stop is to die... This resolve is recognized by me, the Frost Queen.”
“Puji.”
“Protect the Iron Earthworms in the iron mine. Do not let them be harmed.”
Since they couldn't be bred in captivity, they had to protect the existing Iron Earthworms in the ore vein as much as possible.
“Yes, Lord.”
Zoe continued to inspect the ore and discovered a piece of Iron Earthworm dropping stone with pink patterns.
'A different color?'
“This is...”
Vera stared at the red dropping stone, looking lost in thought.
“This is not the feces of an Iron Earthworm; it is the feces of a Land Dragon.”
“And it's no ordinary Land Dragon.”
Why was everything feces?
Was this even a mine? It felt like a cesspit.
Zoe had never heard of Iron Earthworms, but he had frequently heard of Land Dragons in his past life.
Land Dragons were a subspecies of giant dragons. They had no wings and lived underground.
Powerful Land Dragons could trigger small-scale earthquakes. Their level cap was Lv.45, and a few adults could break through to become High-tier Monsters.
“Puji.”
“No ordinary Land Dragon?”
If there really was a Land Dragon, mining in Mine No. 1 might pose a grave danger.
“This Land Dragon feeds on iron ore and Iron Earthworms, which is why its droppings took on the form of this red-patterned ore.”
“A Land Dragon that feeds on ore from a young age can mutate into a special Ore Dragon.”
“Its body and flesh become just like the ore it has consumed over the years.”
“In addition to consuming ore, Ore Dragons also prey on Iron Earthworms to enhance their own strength.”
An Ore Dragon that preyed on Iron Earthworms.
He had to personally confirm this. It would be best to get rid of this Ore Dragon.
Zoe looked at Vera.
In a narrow mine where she couldn't fly, the role Vera could play would be limited.
So...
“Puji.”
“Vera, please watch over our home this time. Dark Wolf and I will go confirm the situation at the mine.”
“Eh! Vera wants to go too!”
“Puji.”
“Vera, now that the Slime Territory is growing larger and larger, I am truly worried about leaving this place. But the one I trust most is you.”
“Protecting the Slime Territory is an important task. I can only entrust it to my most trusted ally, the future Frost Queen, Vera.”
Vera looked at Zoe's text box, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.
“Leave it to me, Zoe!”
“I will definitely protect the territory well!”
“Puji.”
“I leave everything to you.”
Zoe called out Dark Wolf, who lived in a shaded cave on the mountain, and hopped onto Dark Wolf's back.
In the pitch-black environment of the mine, Dark Wolf could unleash great combat strength.
In case of emergencies, Dark Wolf could quickly turn into a shadow to take him away.
“Lord Zoe, should we wait for the others?”
“Puji.”
“Let's head straight to the mining area.”
Zoe popped up a text box.
“Yes.”
Dark Wolf nodded, and then, swift as lightning, galloped through the shadows of the forest.
This sensation of extreme speed was entirely different from the feeling of flying in the sky on Vera's back.
The wind howled past, and the scenery of the forest retreated rapidly on both sides, offering a more visceral sense of speed.
Traveling at Dark Wolf's extreme speed, it did not take long to arrive at Mine No. 1.
The Minister of the Ore Excavation Department was a kobold. Upon hearing the news from his subordinates that 'the Lord has personally come to inspect,' he hurriedly rushed out of his room to greet him.
Not forgetting to smear a couple of handfuls of coal dust on his face to project an image of personal, diligent effort, he smiled flatteringly at Zoe.
“For you to come in person, Lord, there must be a major matter.”
“No matter what the request is, as long as you speak, Lord, I will definitely stake my life on it!”
Zoe had more or less grown accustomed to the kobold's flattery.
“Puji.”
“Have the miners stop, evacuate the mine, and suspend mining operations.”
“Before I emerge from the mine, do not conduct any mining operations, and do not enter the mine.”
“Yes, Lord!”
The kobold minister swiftly and efficiently gave the order. Under his command, the entire mining site was quickly evacuated, and a head count was conducted.
Once it was confirmed that everyone had evacuated, Zoe gave Dark Wolf a light pat, and they charged into the mine.
Inside the mine, it was pitch-black and dim, illuminated only by the faint light of kerosene lamps.
The further down they went, the narrower the mine became.
However, both Zoe and Dark Wolf could alter their physical forms, turning into slime or shadow respectively, allowing them to pass through the narrow mining shafts.
As they ventured deeper, Dark Wolf sniffed the air in the mining shaft.
Shadow wolves possessed an excellent sense of smell to track prey.
And the Shadow Wolf King's sense of smell was far superior to that of ordinary shadow wolves; he would hardly miss even the slightest scent.
Soon, guided by Dark Wolf, Zoe found a living creature in the mining shaft.
It was a slender figure several meters long. Its entire body was composed of iron ore, making it look less like a living creature and more like a piece of iron ore that had come to life.
'Is this the Iron Earthworm?'
Zoe clearly realized just how incredible the Ore Dragon's teeth must be.
And the Iron Earthworm also paid absolutely no attention to the appearance of Zoe and Dark Wolf. It merely continued to squirm slowly, gnawing on the ore.
“Puji.”
“Can you pick up any scent other than the Iron Earthworm?”
“It's very faint. The source is still deeper underground.”
Dark Wolf sniffed the surrounding air and replied.
“Puji.”
“Then let's keep going down.”
As they continued to descend along the narrow natural mining shafts, the temperature of the air gradually rose.
Gradually, Zoe could feel the slight, rhythmic vibrations of the surrounding rock walls.
It felt as though they were conducting the heartbeat of some creature deep underground.
They squeezed down further through the cracks in the rocks until they reached a massive underground cavern.
The cavern was filled with scorching air, and semi-solid lava flowed through it.
Crawling upon a patch of semi-solid lava that radiated a fiery red glow was a bizarre monster.
It was covered in rust-colored, rough iron ore scales, and its body reached a staggering ten meters in length.
On its back grew thick rock layers of iron ore, and the end of its massive dragon tail was a giant ore ball covered in sharp, jagged edges.
And atop the Ore Dragon's head, there was actually a rusty sword with a crossguard, fused together with the dragon's head.
The blade and hilt of the rusty sword had already corroded away, leaving only the red crossguard carved with acanthus patterns.
Its magical power aura was already three times Zoe's total magical capacity.
Its level was probably around Lv.30, likely not having broken through to Lv.31, meaning it was still in the same tier as Zoe.
Even among Mid-tier Monsters, there were two distinct combat power brackets.
The brackets of Lv.21 to Lv.30, and Lv.31 to Lv.40.
Zoe's current level was only Lv.23, which belonged to the first bracket of Mid-tier Monsters.
The Shadow Wolf King's level, judging by his magical aura, was around Lv.26.
This was winnable.
Moreover, the Ore Dragon was still fast asleep, so they could launch a sneak attack first.
“Puji.”
“Use your strongest attack to strike first.”
Zoe popped up a text box.
The Shadow Wolf King nodded his wolf head, and the dark energy within his body began to charge toward his maw.
Zoe, on the other hand, gathered all the corrosive gas in his body and compressed it with all his might.
This Ore Dragon likely possessed extremely strong resistance to fire and Dragon Flame. For Zoe, using Dragon Flame consumed too much magical power; if he couldn't land an effective blow, it would be too disadvantageous.
Thus, it would be better to use a fully charged Corrosive Gas Slash.
As they continued to charge their attacks, the sleeping Ore Dragon seemed to instinctively sense that something was wrong.
A pair of eyes slowly opened, and its body began to tremble slightly, causing ore debris to flake off from its surface.
Seeing that it was about to wake up, Zoe and Dark Wolf launched their attacks without hesitation.
The fully charged Corrosive Gas Slash was spat out by Zoe. In an instant, it tore through the air with a sharp shriek, slashing straight toward the Ore Dragon's neck.
Meanwhile, Dark Wolf spat out a pitch-black shadow bullet, blasting it right onto the Ore Dragon's forehead.
“GROOAR!!!”
The newly awakened Ore Dragon let out a wail as a massive wound was sliced into its neck, and boiling-hot blood gushed out from deep within.
Corrosive gas coiled around the wound, constantly eating away at the flesh made of ore.
The shadow bullet shattered the surface ore on the Ore Dragon's head, causing its newly risen body to stagger and collapse back to the ground.
Acid Bullet Rain!
Zoe took the opportunity to spit out a large number of acid bullets, which rained down on the Ore Dragon like heavy droplets.
The Ore Dragon's pupils contracted as it forcefully suppressed the pain in its body.
Or rather, the pain had already jolted it from its sleep into a state of absolute alertness.
It lifted its dragon head and spat out a massive amount of lava, covering its body.
The scorching lava quickly solidified on its body, blocking the corrosion of the Acid Bullet Rain while also sealing the wounds on its neck and head, stopping the bleeding.
'It actually has lava armor!'
The Ore Dragon began to charge like a heavy tank.
With its massive body clad in thick lava armor, every step it took caused the earth to shake with a rumbling roar.
Dark Wolf swiftly carried Zoe aside to dodge.
Unable to brake its massive body, the Ore Dragon simply rolled on the ground and seized the opportunity to spit out a searing beam of lava.
As the scorching lava poured toward them head-on, Dark Wolf stayed low to the ground and left several afterimages behind, dodging the lava.
Zoe took the opportunity to condense his acid and aimed it at the Ore Dragon.
Acid: Heart-Piercing Bullet!
Rate on N.U.
