There were small pieces of stone stuck to the wall.
I approached the material and was certain it was Cosnite.
The size of a corn kernel with a clean white color… all the descriptions matched.
I quickly removed the Cosnite stuck to the wall like white pimples using my pickaxe.
I took off my wrinkled shirt, rolled it up, and tied it around my waist. Then I put the Cosnite I had taken into the rolled-up shirt around my waist.
I only managed to take two Cosnite, even though I had squeezed every last bit of strength from my hands.
When I wanted to take more, I suddenly heard someone's voice from behind.
"Hooaam! Who's disturbing my sleep?"
My breath, which was already heavy from exhaustion, almost stopped completely when I realized there was someone else in this small field.
I quickly dropped the pickaxe in my hand and hid behind a large rock.
My eyes stole a glance toward the source of the sound.
The person who had just spoken was sitting on a large tree trunk. His hand covered his mouth as he yawned.
A steel armor plate covered his chest, while his most distinctive feature was his dreadlock hair.
That person climbed down from the tree and approached the place where I was hiding.
His left hand remained on the sword sheathed at his waist, even though he walked like he was still sleepy.
I knew who he was.
He was Wurm, the boss of the kidnappers.
Most of the time, Wurm stayed inside the only building in the middle of the small valley.
Who would have thought that he would be here at this moment?
As Wurm's footsteps grew closer, cold sweat dripped down my temples.
'What should I do?'
Should I pretend that I had received an order from his minions to take the Cosnite?
I didn't think Wurm was the kind of fool who would believe such a lie.
'Let's hope the Cero Escape skill can save me from his attack.'
Speaking of strength, I was certain Wurm's sword could slice me in half with a single swing.
'Better to take a chance than give up.'
I lifted my heel slightly, preparing to flee.
'Ready, set…'
I imagined myself getting ready to start a race.
'Go—'
GRROOARRR!!!
As I said, GO, in my mind, a loud roar echoed from the sky. The roar shook the entire crystal cavern, causing small stones on the walls to fall.
Wurm, who also heard the roar, immediately ran out of this mini field with a wrinkled face.
Unlike Wurm, who had a dark expression, a smile appeared on my lips.
'You came just in time, Oh My Dragon.'
The roar came from a dragon.
The chaos I was referring to—which would give me the chance to escape—was the arrival of the dragon.
I couldn't just stay here.
I had to get out and escape from this crystal cavern before it was flattened by the dragon.
"Hm?"
My footsteps halted as I realized that the firefly I had been following was circling around my body. Then the firefly flew up to the big rock in the corner of the small field.
I felt as though the firefly was saying, "Look at here, look at here!"
What was on top of the big rock was a single flower.
'Are you telling me to take that flower?'
It was strange because no flower could grow directly on the hard, rough surface of the rock. Unless there was a crack in the rock, moss, or another organic layer.
When I climbed the big rock, I opened my eyes in surprise.
My lips parted slightly as I realized what kind of flower was in front of me.
'With this, it seems I have an ace up my sleeve.'
***
Boom!
Clang!
"Run away quickly!"
"Use the slaves as human shields!"
When I arrived at the small valley, I found that a serious commotion had already broken out.
The slaves were being gathered in the middle of the small valley.
Meanwhile, the kidnappers had raised their swords in the air.
Some kidnappers were circling the slaves in the middle of the small valley, preventing anyone from escaping.
On the other side, there were kidnappers trying to get out of the crystal cavern.
One by one, they walked out while keeping an eye on the slaves.
As the number of kidnappers watching and holding the slaves became fewer, the slaves began to fight back.
Some slaves were still holding pickaxes. It seemed they had just finished mining inside the crystal cavern.
Perhaps because of the dragon's roar earlier, the kidnappers hadn't had time to disarm the slaves of their pickaxes.
Not only were the slaves panicking, but the kidnappers were certainly panicking as well.
Starting with the slaves carrying pickaxes, the other slaves also joined in fighting the kidnappers.
Those without pickaxes tried to fight back with bites, scratches, punches, and even by throwing stones and dust.
The clanging of metal echoed as swords and pickaxes kissed each other.
Even if an elephant is a very large animal, when faced with thousands of ants, it will still fall.
Though the slaves seemed like mere ants, they could still overpower the kidnappers when united.
The older slaves were the first to charge forward. Though they were cut down and met their end, they managed to hold back the kidnappers' advance, allowing the younger slaves to mount a stronger resistance.
Amidst the slaves' struggle, there stood Livia, still standing there frozen. She seemed to be still trying to understand what had happened.
I knew Livia hadn't intended to win the hearts of the older slaves, but her efforts in helping them over those three months had made them willing to sacrifice themselves for her.
'As expected of the main character.'
The chaos between the slaves and the kidnappers made perfect sense when you looked up at the sky.
The arrival of a dragon was clearly visible from the sky.
With each passing second, the dragon's appearance became clearer.
The roar that had initially sounded distant grew louder, indicating that the dragon was getting closer.
Wurm, as the leader of the kidnappers, should have helped his minions calm the slaves' rage. Unfortunately, Wurm could only stand on the roof of the only building in the small valley. He appeared to be preparing for the dragon's arrival.
- The dragon's breath successfully incinerated the crystal cavern.
I was reminded of the explanation in the script about how the arc crystal cavern ended.
And sure enough, when the dragon was directly above the sky, it opened its mouth as if preparing to spew fire.