Chapter 295 The Beginning of Mine Investigation

　The Investigation team, led by <Running Wolves>, left the town early in the morning and went up the mountain road together. After kicking away monsters along the way, Alvin and the others arrived at a mine.

　The place used to be crowded with miners, but now it was a miserable and horrible place.

　The huts where the miners rested were destroyed and shattered, and tools such as pickaxes and wheelbarrows were also scattered and destroyed. Everything in its proper state was gone.

　And the blood spattered on the ground and the bodies of the beastman and human race were left as they were.

「It's terrible....」

　Milis grumbled, even though she knew what was happening. If she really wanted to, she would have buried the bodies, but for now, she had to prioritize the investigation of the mine.

　So, while feeling the anger and grief of the beastman adventurers at their backs, Alvin and the others opened the map of the mine that they had borrowed.

　This map was specially borrowed and was a top secret. It shows how they have been digging and how they plan to dig in the future.

　This way, Alvin and the others could see where the miners were digging that day.

「We'll enter the mine through the reserve entrance that leads to the collapsed main entrance. Then, we'll go to the mining point where we think the monsters overflowed」

「Okay, then we'll take care of the remaining monsters in the mine」

「Please do」

　As planned, Alvin and the others began to move toward the depths of the mine. But at the same time, a number of ant monsters appeared from outside the mine.

　When they spotted the adventurers, the ants began to open and close their maws and make threatening noises. The beastman adventurers responded with their weapons at the ready.　

「Avenge our people!」

「Don't let even one of them escape!」

　The adventurers and the monsters clashed.

　With the sound of battle in the distance, Alvin and the others began to run.

　◇　◇　◇　

　The tunnel was brightly lit thanks to the lanterns hanging on the walls.

　And using Renka's and Freri's <Detection> skills, <Running Wolves> moves forward while slaying the monsters that lurk in the tunnels.

　The tunnel is particularly narrow for the ants, especially since there are many straight places but the tunnel is wide enough for three people to pass through and the height is moderate. As a result, Renka's bow and arrow could not be avoided, and most of the monsters fell to Renka's arrows immediately after the encounter.

　There were no traps in the tunnel, and by following the map, Alvin and the others were able to reach their destination, the end of the tunnel.

「This is....」

　At the end of the tunnel, there was a crack that looked like it had been forcibly opened.

　There was no light on the other side of the crack, and they had no idea what was going on.

「A monster has appeared from behind here...」

　Renka's voice echoed in the tunnel.

「I'll try the <Magic Eye> first」

「All right, Shinji」

　Shinji casts a special spell, <Magic Eye> and an eyeball was created and floated in the air, and according to Shinji's will, it flew into the crack.

　The flying eyeball proceeded into the depths of the crack. Even though it was pitch black, the eye could see through it.

　It was not a narrow tunnel, but a path that was wide enough for an ant monster to roam in all directions. There was no ant monster on the path, and the <Magic Eye> was able to go deeper and deeper.

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（It's a big place.... Did the mine really lead to the monster's nest by accident?）

　The path that led him down was one that seemed to go beneath the mine. And finally, Shinji's <Magic Eyes> led him off the path and into a wide area.

　It was a wide cavern.

　It was so wide that he wondered how such a wide cavern, which was inside the mountain, didn't collapse when it was so empty. However, the true reason for that was it had been created so that it wouldn't fall down due to this ant monster, but Shinji couldn't possibly know that.

　And there was a lot of ant monsters moving around.

　Some of them roamed the walls of the room in all directions, and some even flyed in the air with the wings on their backs. There were holes all over the wide cavern, and monsters were coming and going from them.

　Are they still expanding their nest? Shinji felt so.

「I think there's a nest... in there. There are so many monsters. There's even one that's flying with wings」

「F, flying with wings...」

　Milis shuddered in disbelief as she imagined that scary sight. But Alvin rubbed Milis' back and continued.

「Do you know what else?」

「Well.... Maybe it was just a coincidence that the miners bumped into each other here, I guess...? There are also a lot of monsters coming and going from other holes with ore in their jaws. It's like they're expanding their nest」

「You mean it's still expanding...?」

　<Magic Eye> caught the monster coming in and out of the hole with ores and soil clods in its jaws. What they're doing is the same as mining, only the purpose is different: the people are forging and the monsters are expanding their nests.

　While they are still talking, Shinji’s vision was suddenly cut off.

「It has been hit, huh....」

　Shinji intended to be careful of his surroundings, but his magic eye was destroyed.

　“What will we do next?”, Shinji thinks so but there were too many of them to take them and if they leave them, it's too dangerous because they would attack the people.

　Shinji's head was spinning.