The Mine's Aftermath

Back on the fourth floor yesterday, they had watched from a distance as Bai Xuan hunted that mutant black-armored crawler alone.

Combined with the insect carcasses scattered around, they had already realized then that Bai Xuan was far more than he appeared.

But this time was different.

Because of that skeleton, they had all been pushed to the brink of death. Even Karl...

Owen’s gaze drifted toward Karl’s direction, lingering for a moment before he looked away.

Yet Bai Xuan had charged in alone and shattered that powerful skeleton with only a few strikes of his rod.

Owen had seen many powerful experts, including the captains of the major adventure teams in Blackcreek Town; he had even seen Kaylon from Silver Heart in action.

The sheer dominance Bai Xuan had displayed just now was not inferior in the slightest to those long-established figures.

Back at the post house, he had thought Bai Xuan was just an ordinary healer.

Thinking back now, the man’s strength was likely already on par with the captains of the great adventure teams in Blackcreek Town. A small team like theirs could never hope to keep him.

“Mr. Bai Xuan... is truly amazing,” Kieran whispered from the side, his voice laced with awe.

Owen had originally planned to formally invite Bai Xuan to join the Hammerfall team once the mission was over, even going so far as to think of the terms he would offer.

But now, he suppressed that thought entirely.

With Bai Xuan’s strength, he would either join a top-tier team like Silver Heart or simply start his own. There was no way he would settle for a small, obscure team like theirs.

His gaze swept past Karl’s direction again. His throat tightened, and unable to bear it, he looked away once more.

On the other side, Lily was also struggling to move through the water.

Together with Kieran, she carefully carried the unconscious Jesse to a dry reef, anxiously checking his injuries.

Kieran’s eyes fell upon Karl.

Karl lay motionless on another reef; there was no more blood left to flow from his wounds.

Kieran turned his face away, not daring to look again.

Bai Xuan knelt beside Jesse to examine his condition.

Jesse was deathly pale, and the edges of the wound on his chest were tinged with an eerie black. The curse had taken deep root in his body, and his breathing was faint.

Bai Xuan did a quick calculation of his remaining mana. Recalling the lesson from when he had treated the Guardian, he was afraid that reckless healing might cause more harm.

Thus, he first enveloped Jesse in the golden light of Purifying Severance.

Wisps of grayish-black mist were forced out from Jesse’s wound and the surface of his skin, dissipating into the air the moment they touched the golden light.

Jesse’s brow furrowed, and a muffled groan escaped his throat; he had clearly regained a sliver of consciousness.

Only after the curse was completely purged did Bai Xuan use Holy Light Catalyst.

Warm golden light covered the wound, and the flesh healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Jesse’s complexion gradually regained some color, though his body writhed uncontrollably.

Bai Xuan withdrew his hand and turned to Lily.

Lily glanced at him but said nothing, silently revealing her wounds.

The cuts weren't deep, but the surrounding skin had already turned black, clearly tainted by the curse.

Bai Xuan followed the same process of purifying before healing. When the golden light flared, Lily’s brow tightened instantly, and she gritted her teeth so hard her jaw locked, yet she didn't make a sound.

“Does it hurt that much?” Kieran asked softly from the side.

“Try it yourself and you'll find out,” Lily snapped at him, though her voice lacked its usual vitality. After speaking, she lowered her eyes and fell into a silent gloom.

Bai Xuan then proceeded to treat the wound on Owen’s arm and the minor injuries on Kieran.

Owen kept his head down the entire time, looking at no one. Kieran gritted his teeth and endured, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead, but he never cried out in pain.

Once everyone’s injuries were handled, a heavy silence fell over the mine.

After a long while, Jesse finally opened his eyes slowly.

He scanned his surroundings blankly as memories seemed to return, and he struggled to sit up.

“Don't move, you've just been healed,” Lily said, immediately pressing down on his shoulder.

Jesse lay back down, his gaze passing over everyone one by one before finally resting in Karl’s direction.

His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing, only letting out a soft sigh.

Owen suddenly stood up and walked into the water without a word, heading toward where the skeleton had sunk.

“Owen! What are you doing?” Lily shouted, trying to stop him.

Owen didn't look back; he only quickened his pace.

He reached the skeleton, bent over to grab its arm, and forcefully dragged it toward the shore.

“Don't touch it, the source of pollution is still on it,” Bai Xuan’s voice came from behind him.

Owen’s movements paused. He looked back at Bai Xuan, then pulled the cylindrical device from his coat. “I know.”

He pressed the device firmly against the skeleton’s chest.

The eerie light hidden among the shattered bones seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. It began to float out slowly, twisting and struggling in the air, before finally being entirely sucked into the device.

The device emitted a faint hum, the patterns on its surface flashing with light before returning to stillness.

Owen gripped the device and stood frozen for a few seconds before carefully tucking it back into his coat.

Watching this, Bai Xuan understood. This device was indeed no ordinary mana tracker. From the very beginning, Owen’s only goal had been this source of pollution.

“You knew what was here from the start, and this device was specifically meant to find it, wasn't it?” Bai Xuan asked.

With his back to him, Owen remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly. “We had an agreement. This thing belongs to me.”

Bai Xuan did not press further.

Indeed, they had reached an agreement before setting out. He was not one to go back on his word.

Lily, however, could not remain calm.

“You knew all along?” Her voice was trembling, not from fear, but from suppressed rage.

“Then why didn't you tell us? Aren't we teammates? You kept everyone in the dark, and now Karl is dead—”

The words caught in Lily’s throat. She snapped her head away, looking toward Karl. Her lips were pressed tight, and her eyes were rimmed with red.

Kieran stood by, looking at the two of them helplessly. He wanted to mediate but didn't know what to say, eventually just lowering his head.

Owen was silent for a long time, long enough for Lily’s emotions to gradually settle. Finally, he spoke. “I have my reasons. I can't say.”

“You can't say?” Lily turned to glare at him. “Karl is dead, and all you give us is ‘I can't say’?”

“Lily,” Jesse’s voice suddenly cut in. Though weak, it was exceptionally firm. “Enough.”

Lily looked at him. Jesse lay on the reef, his face still pale, but his eyes were calm.

“The dead cannot be brought back. Arguing about this now won't bring Karl back to us.”

Lily opened her mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing. She simply turned away, her back to everyone, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Silence fell over the mine once more, broken only by the sound of water gently lapping against the reefs.

Kieran stood there blankly for a while before remembering something. He turned to collect the Magic Cores from the fallen undead.

Grade 3, Grade 2, and the Magic Core dropped by the Heavy Armored Skeleton—he picked them up one by one, wiping away the water and grime before carefully placing them into a bag.

No one watched him, and no one spoke. He did it all in silence, as if this were the only way to ease the heavy weight in his heart.

After an unknown amount of time, Kieran tied the bag of cores and walked back to the others.

“Let's go. It's time to head back,” Owen finally said, his voice so raspy it was almost unrecognizable.

He walked over to Karl, knelt down, and gently adjusted the cloth covering Karl’s face.

Then he stood up and, together with Kieran, lifted the makeshift stretcher.

The journey back felt exceptionally long.

Kieran carried the front of the stretcher while Owen followed at the back, his head lowered the entire time, not saying a word.

They encountered several other groups of adventurers on the way. Seeing the state of the team, the others silently moved aside to let them pass.

Bai Xuan walked in the middle of the group, his gaze sweeping over their faces. No one truly knew the desperate struggle they had endured in the depths of the mine.

When they stepped out of the dungeon rift, the sky outside was still that of late afternoon.

A few vendors in the market looked up as they passed. Their movements slowed for a moment, their expressions showing a look of grim familiarity.

The hall of the Adventurer’s Guild was as lively as ever, but as they pushed the doors open, the chatter gradually died down.

Most eyes were fixed on them, especially on the cloth-covered stretcher.

The young clerk at the front desk looked up and froze for a long moment before slowly whispering, “...My condolences.”

Owen said nothing. He simply walked to the counter and slammed the commission scroll down. “Submitting the quest.”

The young clerk nodded without asking questions, recording everything quickly on paper. “Wait a moment. The White family steward will be here shortly.”

Owen gave a slight nod, standing at the counter with his gaze still fixed on the floor.

The steward arrived quickly. The moment he entered, his eyes fell on the stretcher. Without asking questions, he led them into a small side room and closed the door.

“Tell me, what was the situation inside?” the steward asked in a steady voice as he sat down.

Owen gave a brief account of the events.

From discovering the black mist upon entering the mine to encountering the mass of undead, and finally meeting the Heavy Armored Skeleton at the water source. He only said the source of pollution had been destroyed, deliberately omitting the matter of the Magic Soul Seed fragment.

Kieran listened from the side. Once Owen finished, he pulled the metal fragment from his coat and placed it on the table. “We found this in the mine. I don't know if it's useful.”

The steward picked up the fragment, holding it up against the light from the window to examine it closely. His brow gradually furrowed.

He turned it over several times before setting it down. “The markings are blurred, but I can make an educated guess as to which family this belongs to.”

He didn't explicitly name the family, and the group tactfully didn't ask.

The steward tucked the fragment away. “I will hand this over to the master. If it's confirmed to be useful, the commission reward will be increased.”

“As for the curse in the mine, I will send people to verify it. If it has indeed been cleared, combined with this fragment, the total reward will be raised to twenty gold coins.”

He looked at the group. “However, it will take some time. Go back and rest for now. Come to the guild tomorrow morning, and you should have the final result.”

Owen nodded without further comment.

The steward stood up, glanced toward the stretcher, and after a moment of silence, pushed the door open and left.

The group stepped out of the guild into the somewhat blinding sunlight.

Lily stood at the guild entrance, her gaze fixed vacantly toward the dungeon rift, her feet seemingly rooted to the spot.

“Lily, we should go,” Jesse said softly.

Lily snapped back to reality, lowered her eyes, and silently followed the team.

Bai Xuan watched their receding backs. He didn't follow them, but instead turned and walked in the opposite direction.

The door to the blacksmith shop was half-ajar, the rhythmic clanging of a hammer audible from a distance.

Bai Xuan pushed the door open gently to find the blacksmith standing at the anvil with his back turned.

With every rise and fall of the hammer, it slammed against a glowing red block of iron. Occasional sparks flew, landing on the floor and dying out instantly.

Sensing the visitor, the blacksmith stopped and slowly turned around. When he saw it was Bai Xuan, the hammer held high paused in mid-air, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

A look of resignation quickly appeared on his face, his expression carrying a sense of weary familiarity.

“You're back again?” the blacksmith said, his tone carrying a hint of helpless teasing.

His gaze then naturally fell on the iron rod in Bai Xuan’s hand, which was clearly in bad shape. “What is it this time? Did something else break? Or did this rod finally give out?”

Bai Xuan didn't waste words. He walked straight to the counter and placed the iron rod gently on the table.

The rod was no longer the straight, orderly tool it had once been. The body was twisted and deformed, with a clear split near the upper-middle section as if it had been smashed open by immense force, leaving jagged edges.

In addition, the rod was covered in several dents of varying depths. The entire thing looked crooked and battered, but fortunately, it hadn't snapped completely.

Bai Xuan looked up at the blacksmith and asked, “Can it be fixed?”

The blacksmith picked up the rod, weighing it in his hand to feel its heft. He then held it up against the light from the door, examining it closely, his expression growing serious.

He squinted, his rough fingers repeatedly rubbing the bent sections. He tapped the rod lightly, tilting his head to listen to the sound it produced before slowly setting it back down.

“The materials in this rod are a bit of a mess,” the blacksmith began, his tone carrying a hint of difficulty. “There's a lot of different metals mixed in there. I don't even have some of these materials here. I can't guarantee a proper repair.”

“Even if I manage to fix it, it might not be durable. It could break again after only a few uses.”

Bai Xuan was silent for a few seconds. His gaze fell on the battered rod, a trace of imperceptible melancholy flashing in his eyes.

This rod had been with him since Blackcreek Town. It had smashed undead and battered mutant beetles, accompanying him through several difficult battles.

While it wasn't a fine weapon and was even a bit crude, it was comfortable to use and had long since become a familiar partner.

After a moment, he shook his head slightly and said in a flat voice, “Forget it, then. No need to fix it.”

The blacksmith wasn't surprised. He nodded, placed the rod back on the counter, and casually advised, “It's still barely usable for now. Just take it easy with it. If it really snaps, there's nothing I can do.”

Bai Xuan didn't respond. He simply turned around slowly, his gaze sweeping over the various weapons hanging on the walls, and a thought immediately began to form in his mind.