As they moved forward slowly, Leon didn’t forget to examine the surrounding rocks—after all, the purpose of this trip was mining.
So whenever he ca across copper-bearing rocks, Leon would take out his pickaxe and smash them. At those tis, Abigail would automatically stop and wait for him to finish before continuing.
By the ti Leon had dug out a staircase leading to the next level, Abigail still hadn’t seen a second monster appear, and she was a little displeased.
“Why are there so few monsters in the mine?”
“If the mine were full of monsters, how would you get any mining done?” Leon quipped.
Truth be told, Leon knew exactly why the monsters were scarce—luck.
That was why he only ca here when his luck was good. Not only did it make finding gemstones easier, but it also ant more copper ore, quicker discovery of staircases, and fewer monster encounters.
After all, that first trip into the mines had left a deep impression on him. He was here to mine, not to enjoy combat. Anything that hurt his mineral yield was a nuisance in his eyes.
Abigail stuck out her tongue sheepishly. She had been too excited and had forgotten Leon’s main goal here was mining.
Following the staircase down, the thirty-second floor was just as dark as ever. Thankfully, the torch provided enough light to keep them from bumping straight into rocks.
Leon descended first, torch in hand. While waiting for Abigail to follow, he scanned the torchlit area.
Near the edge of a rock, there was a conspicuous bump in the ground. Its color didn’t match the surrounding terrain at all.
Leon raised an eyebrow. When Abigail ca down, he said casually, “You go first.”
“Okay.” Abigail nodded and headed deeper into the mine. With Leon subtly guiding her path, she drew closer and closer to that suspicious lump in the ground.
When she was less than half a ter away from stepping on it, Leon sighed and coughed lightly.
“Watch your step.”
“Huh?”
Abigail froze for a mont before realizing what he ant. She quickly backed up several steps and drew the longsword at her waist.
Thanks to Leon’s warning, she now noticed the oddity—a protrusion completely out of place with its surroundings. A little attention was all it took to spot it.
But her earlier focus had been on the ceiling, rembering the big bat they’d encountered before. She had subconsciously assud danger would only co from above and ignored the threat below.
Thinking of that, Abigail’s face grew a little embarrassed. She didn’t dare et Leon’s gaze.
“The monster you’ve been looking for is right in front of you. Aren’t you going to test its strength?” Leon urged when she simply kept her distance without doing anything.
“Oh.” Abigail snapped back to herself. She stepped forward carefully, and when the sword tip touched the bump, she gave it a light poke.
Leon sighed again. If it were him, he would’ve gone all in. Who cared whether it was an ambush or just strange rock—better to slash hard and end it. If it was a monster, problem solved. If it was just rock, no harm done.
Abigail’s gentle prod barely counted as an attack. It didn’t even leave a mark.
The stimulus from her sword tip, however, caused the lump to grow. A human-sized creature began to take shape, its body made entirely of gray-brown rock. Its facial features were blurry, except for its eyes, which glowed an eerie green.
Leon recognized it instantly—a Stone Golem, a signature monster found between floors thirty-one and thirty-nine.
“Yah!” Startled by the sudden transformation, Abigail took two steps back. The fully ford Stone Golem began to shuffle toward her, arms raised in a zombie-like fashion.
“Slash it already!” Leon shouted from behind, giving her a push as she backed right up to him.
“O-okay!”
The push made her step forward, but she still hesitated, her hands unmoving.
Leon had had enough. He grabbed her sword arm and thrust the blade forward into the golem’s chest.
Clang!
The tip t heavy resistance, as though striking solid rock, but it still pierced an inch in.
Pulling the blade free, Leon guided her arm again—this ti stabbing straight into the golem’s glowing eye. With no resistance at all, the blade punched clean through, snuffing out its life instantly.
The Stone Golem slowly crumbled to dust and rged with the ground. Leon shot Abigail a glance and said dryly, “Slow to act, decent durability, but really just a turtle. Keep your distance and it’s an easy kill. Why didn’t you dare attack?”
“I like animals… I didn’t want to hurt a turtle.” Abigail’s answer made Leon roll his eyes.
“Does that thing look like a turtle to you?”
“No…” She lowered her head, voice small. “Sorry. I got scared. I wasn’t even thinking. My mind went blank.”
Leon didn’t reply right away. He simply reached out and gently ruffled her purple hair.
He could understand. She was a girl, and an ordinary one at that. This was a normal first reaction to encountering a monster.
Still, if she couldn’t overco that instinctive fear of strange creatures and take action, then the next ti she talked about going on an adventure, he’d make sure she understood the truth—sharp words like a quick blade.
Abigail felt both nervous and happy. She had expected Leon to mock her weakness, but instead he comforted her. It felt odd, but… nice.
What a gentle guy, she thought.
Her opinion didn’t last.
“Next ti you face one of these and still hesitate, I’ll knock you out myself and feed you to it as a snack. I’m not joking.”
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