Seeker 157

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Chapter 157. Harpy And Mining

Emerging from the shadows of the cliff were three monsters with wings.

They had the appearance of human women combined with that of large eagles.

Their upper bodies and heads were those of naked human women, their arms transformed into wings, and their legs took the form of raptor-like talons.

However, even calling them naked human women would be inaccurate, as their faces were grotesque enough to be worthy of the term monstrous.

Their round eyes glowed red, and their mouths extended to their ears.

"Harpies! Eslyn-san and company, step back!"

I yelled as I increased my magic power in preparation for spellcasting.

Right beside me, Yuzuki and Kazane-san were also enveloping themselves in the magic shine.

"Ugh, even though they're monsters, they've got big breasts. They're quite the eye-catcher for you, senpai."

"It's not like he asked for them to be naked. Daichi-kun, you shouldn't let yourself be entranced by that."

"Well, I won't be swayed. I'll defeat them before their [Enthralling Melody] even arrives."

"I'll leave it to us then. O Flames of Ending Calamity, incinerate all with [Explosion]!"

As the three monsters entered our range, Yuzuki unleashed her specialty, an area attack spell.

The flaming sphere that shot forth from the tip of her staff exploded right in the middle of the frozen monsters.

After a moment, as the magical flames subsided, the three monsters vanished into black mist.

"Alright! Took them all out in one shot!"

Yuzuki pumped her fist, and Kazane-san and I released our magic preparations.

The battle had ended swiftly.

"It was even more anticlimactic than I thought."

"Yes, according to the data, it should have turned out this way."

The three monsters Yuzuki defeated were named Harpy. 

They were supposed to possess a troublesome special ability called the [Enthralling Melody], but it was meaningless when we could defeat them instantly upon encountering them.

Considering Harpies had stats similar to the Forest Floor's Death Spider and were around the same level, it made sense for Yuzuki's [Explosion] to obliterate them in a single hit.

"Wow, impressive! Taking down C-rank zone monsters all in one shot, huh? Looks like you guys are the real deal after all."

Eslyn-san exclaimed in awe.

There was an implication in her use of the word "are", but that was entirely our fault.

With that said, having easily defeated the flock of Harpies, we continued ascending the mountain path.

Afterward, without encountering any more monsters, our mountain climbing proceeded smoothly.

Around 2 hours into the climb, we reached the abandoned mine halfway up the mountain.

The abandoned mine was like a large cave that had opened up in the sheer cliff face.

Aged wooden frames were evenly spaced from the entrance into the cave, which extended deep inside.

Eslyn-san and I illuminated the path with our lamps, and everyone stepped into the cave depths.

One of Eslyn-san's followers was holding a birdcage containing a small bird.

After a while, we reached a dead end.

When we shone our lamps on the wall, we could see a mysterious luminescence of green and purple hues scattered throughout the rocky surface.

"Ah, so this is the mining area for the desired ore. Well, we'll be conducting mining operations here for a while. During that time, adventurers, could you keep an eye out for any approaching monsters?"

"Understood. But considering this is Griffon Mountain, we haven't seen any griffons yet."

"Yeah, true. Well, as long as we aren't attacked, it's all good. You guys will be making quite a profit from the rewards too."

I gave a vague smile in response to Eslyn-san's words.

For us, it would be troublesome if no Griffons appeared.

We couldn't gain the experience points from the mission we had intended to complete.

It would be nice if they showed up on our way back.

For the next while, we kept watch over the mining operations inside the abandoned mine.

Eslyn-san's burly followers swung their pickaxes against the walls, creating a rhythmic clang that echoed throughout the cave.

The mining operation, which lasted for several hours with frequent breaks, seemed to have worn out even the resilient followers. 

Towards the end, all three of them were exhausted, clearly indicating the strenuousness of the work. 

Observing this, Eslyn-san crossed her arms and looked troubled.

"Well, this ore mining is proving to be more challenging than I anticipated. We don't even have half the amount we can load onto the cart.

"Oh, Big Sis Eslyn, we're sorry for being inadequate. But these walls are incredibly hard."

"Yeah, I know. Everyone's pretty much at their limit, and given this amount, I suppose we'll have to settle for what we have. My help wouldn't make much of a difference either way. But it's disappointing after coming this far."

Eslyn-san paced back and forth while lost in thought. 

Then, she glanced my way.

Our gazes met—Eslyn-san's and mine.

The female merchant smiled warmly, her expression inviting.

"Hey there, adventurers. It's a bit different from your usual job, but would you mind helping with the mining? An extra reward of one gold coin each. What do you say?"

Indeed, a merchant always adapts swiftly. 

It's the flexible mindset of using whatever is at hand.

For us, there's no particular inconvenience.

"Sure, that's fine. Watching out for monsters all the time was getting boring anyway."

"I want to try too!"

"Hehe, despite being weak, we're adventurers too. We're free right now, so we want to get moving."

And so, the 3 of us borrowed pickaxes from the muscular followers and began the mining work.

As we struck the walls with the pickaxes, the walls started to crack immediately.

Eventually, a section of the wall turned into chunks of rocks and fell with a thud.

"Whoa, amazing! We brought it down in no time."

"So, this is the power of adventurers."

"Ugh, we struggled with something that wouldn't easily break even with our muscles, but to do this so effortlessly. It's envy-inducing. But it's a relief."

Amid the followers' praises, we progressed through the mining much faster than they did and soon filled the cart with ore.

Phew, we worked up quite a sweat.

With sweat glistening on their foreheads, Kazane-san and Yuzuki also wore refreshing smiles.

"Well, thank you. You saved us. Looks like you two aren't just a lovey-dovey couple. I was wrong to doubt you."

We received Eslyn-san's words of gratitude.

We managed to shake off the unwarranted suspicion we brought upon ourselves.

Having finished the mining work, we left the abandoned mine.

All that remained was to return to town—so I thought.

Little did I know that what we were seeking would encounter us next.