He was by no means stupid though, going down was incredibly dangerous, even for someone like him. But these guys. If he was right, were really strong.
They looked unbothered by the fact that they were descending to the second level like it was muscle memory. He didn't know when next he would get such a smooth ride.
Of course, he still had to be cautious
"That's one" the team soon came to a stop in a forked road and Enzo used that time to get a zyrian crystal that was causally poking out of the wall beside him.
[Would you like to store this item?]
As soon as He picked up the crystal, the Ai System in his head resounded. Quickly he nodded and in the next second the space around the crystal wrapped sending it into his necklace.
"Nice!!" He hurriedly focused on it feeling the small space within the necklace where the crystal was causally floating.
His rough estimation was that this item could store at least 10 zyrian crystals. That would be a massive haul of profit per weave.
This thing would really come in handy.
"The signature is coming from the left, we should use that shaft" the bearded Daniel at the front of the group said pointing at the left cave entrance infront which had a hazardous sign on it.
*Do not enter, Collapsed tunnel*
"Hmm!! Open it up" Eliza upon hearing this nodded and signaled for everyone to follow her and in no time they removed the wooden restrictions and tape before moving deeper into the second levels collapsed tunnel.
Seeing this, Enzo couldn't help but frown, but only for a few seconds as he felt his body follow them instinctively.
Collapsed tunnel warnings were all over the mines, as it was common for tunnels to collapse during fights. However, the confidence at which these guys used to enter the tunnels was to say the least worrying.
It was as if they were expecting to go through or encounter one.
*maybe I should just fill the storage and leave, it's not worth it risking my life on a matter that I know nothing of
Enzo thought in his mind, these guys moved with too much purpose, as if they weren't here to just mine. He did not want to be pulled in something too big so as the moved deeper into the collapse tunnel.
He used every opportunity he could get to dig up as many crystals as he could find. It didn't take long for him to fill the Spectal necklace with low grade crystals and additionally place a huge amount in a bag.
After all, he still needed to pay the mine a part of this proceeds.
"Brother, I think it's about time I leave. I've gotten as much as I need" Enzo approached the man with luminescent skin and said while maintaining a steady pace.
If not for him, he wouldn't have come down here and received such a massive haul of zyrian crystals. He had to thank him for it.
"Haha, good for you kid, those should sell well when you get back home." Seeing Enzo's bag filled to the brime, he couldn't help but smile.
He was genuinely happy to have helped Enzo, the kid seemed extremely bright and brave. He would go a long way.
"Thank you" Enzo smiled and nodded.
"Okay, quickly let captain icebreaker know you're departing before we go in too deep" the man with green skin said pushing Enzo forward with his hand.
Seeing this Enzo nodded and went forward moving past the other members of the group before reaching Eliza(icebreaker).
"Hm?"
However Just as he reached her, the group slowly came to a stop infront of a massive wall of stones.
"Miss Seon, welcome."
A group of men in strange atire radiating a frightening aura could be seen infront, all of them simultaneously bowed in the direction of Eliza as soon as they saw her.
"This is the place?" Eliza asked completely unfazed by their bows.
"Yes lady seon" they nodded.
Hearing their confimation, Eliza's gaze panned towards the wall of stones as she slowly walked towards it.
Enzo's conjectures were right, these guys weren't here for a mining expedition like the rest.
A week ago, when this part of the mine was being escarvated by the opening team. A strange incident occurred Causing the tunnel to collapse, and killing off all the miners.
Of course, the sequence of events was quite off from their investigations. Instead of the collapse killing the miners. It was the opposite, the miners were already dead before the collapse and the collapse was man made to seal this place up.
"Step back" feeling the rocks before her, Eliza focused her gaze and commanded. Immediately after, the air around the tunnel became cold, as patches of ice quickly formed around the rocky collapse infront of them.
In little more that a few second, the wall of rocks was engulfed and a second later.
-boom!!!
The rocky wall was blown into fine dust particles completely opening up the tunnel way.
"What the hell??" Enzo's eyes widened with shock at this scene from behind as he watched this unfold.
Opening up a collapsed tunnel in a mine was months worth of work, slowly grinding away at the rocks until successfully opening it was hard, extremely hard.
However, Eliza here just opened it up with a swing of her hand? What kind of monster was she? More important, what the hell had he gotten himself into?!!
This was clearly more than meets the eye.
Without a second thought after seeing this display, Enzo stepped back into the group behind him and walked away.
This was way above his pay grade, he didn't even bother asking for her permission anymore, he was leaving here immediately.
"Let's go" Eliza of course didn't notice him, he was too insignificant of a figure to her, rather she focused on the task at hand. Her family's mission had to be completely at all costs.
.
.
.
.
.
"It's so dark in here" meanwhile, Enzo who had created enough space with the main group was struggling with the darkness of the tunnel infront of him.
When he was previously moving with the group they had specilzed lanterns allowing them to see through the thick darkness that was the collapsed tunnel.
However this did not mean that he regretted leaving them, no, far from it.
The group mission was too vague, the appearance of the men in strange clothing and how they referred to Eliza like a noble.
Miss Seon.
If this was a situation with an infulental family of organization, these were not people he could mess with else he would be sure to not make it out of there alive.
Those groups liked to keep their things very secret and he did not want to die right now.
So leaving was the best option….
However, the farther he went the more unease he felt in his gut. The tunnel was eeriely quiet. Although he was here alone it still felt strange….this numbness.
"I can hear my heart beating through my chest?" Enzo frown. But as he focused he realized that was not the case.
"No, the rhythm is different…fighting?"
It made sense, since he had pulled out of the deeper end of the tunnel it made sense for him to hear the fighting from the other miners. That meant he was close.
But
As he stepped one foot forward a crash resounded from the wall beside him, suddenly he felt a cool breeze blow across his back.
^
A few seconds after Enzo left the group, Eliza and the rest stepped forward and crossed the area where the collapse had happened and began their investigation.
They were quickly greeted with rotten bones and decayed matter from the miners who were here previously.
Death in weave-form destroyed the soul, so these people had unfortunately become deceased in real life and here. But what could have caused this death?
"Arm yourselves!!" Eliza barked materializing a sword in her left hand as she peered into the darkness infront. There a pair of white luminous pupils could be seen gazing at their group from within.
^
"What the hell?" Enzo taken aback by the crash and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he recognized the figure that had been thrown into the tunnel wall.
"Eliza?"
She was bleeding from her arm, and forehead while she struggled to get up. A look of indignation painted all over her face.
"Fucking creature!!" She cursed raising her sword and causing ice to form.
"Miss Seon, please save me!!" A distressed voice resounded from within the darkness, the voice was filled with pain as it screamed.
Soon Enzo was besieged by a mutitude of excruciating screams coming from the team. Wherever was inside there was ripping them to shred as they tried to run away.
"Thousand Year Ice Codex!!"
While Enzo was trying to make sense of what was going on Eliza's voice resounded once more, as she activated a strange terrifying power that engulfed the surrounded in a chilling cold.
-Roar!!!
As if noticing her battle aura pointed at it the thing from within the shadows, a blurry humanioid shadow raged. letting the body in its hand fall to the floor before blasting forward into the ice domain, slashing at Eliza with its claws.
For the first time, Enzo saw the horride creature clearly. It had scaled inky-black skin, razor sharp teeth, claws that seemed no different from those monsters. But at the same time it looked human…
-cling
-cling
-cling
The second after the creature appeared infront of Eliza, a barrage of attacks was exchanged between both parties. Each trying their hardest to kill the other. The flashes of light left Enzo stunned.
This level of fighting….these two were high level, extremely high level.
(I have to get out of here!!) a single thought echoed in Enzo's mind, a desperate thought of escape. He realized now that Coming here was a serious mistake.
Unfortunately…..even running away was futile at this point as he reached the edge of the ice infested zone, a frozen wall of ice stopped him from moving.