The Blackrock Mine is located in the southwest of Blackrock City, comprising more than ten mines and covering a vast area.
The mining of shallow veins has hollowed out the surrounding mountains, forming an inward-facing valley. Looking
into the valley, one sees vast expanses of reddish-grey and lead-black rocks. The valley is filled with mine carts and railway tracks, showing that the original lord invested considerable resources in its development. Unfortunately, decades later, it has become a desolate ruin, the mine carts and tracks covered in rust.
Kee and Sunan stood side-by-side at the valley entrance, surveying their surroundings.
Behind them followed more than ten knights and hundreds of soldiers.
Due to the importance placed on the Blackrock Mine, Kee had mobilized nearly half of Blackrock City's forces at once.
Of course, ordinary soldiers wouldn't play a significant role in this operation.
Their task was to guard the retreat route and ensure logistical support.
The main fighting force consisted of Sunan, Kee, and the dozen or so knights.
Are you sure it's alright?"
Jodon glanced at the dark entrance to the mine and muttered with some worry,
The veterans said those Iron-Eating Beasts are very powerful. With just our few men, isn't it too risky to go in?"
Hearing this, the other knights' eyes flickered.
To be honest, they were all surprised when they heard their lord say he wanted to clear the Iron-Eating Beasts from the Blackrock Mine.
The Blackrock Mine was a well-known affair in Blackrock City, and they had heard some rumors.
It was said that several previous lords had tried to resolve the issue, but all had failed, losing many men in the process.
Over time, no one bothered with the Blackrock Mine anymore.
No one expected Kei to suddenly decide to reopen it.
If it weren't for Lord Sunan saying he had a way to deal with the Iron-Eating Beasts, they would have already objected.
Even so, many were still somewhat apprehensive.
"Jodon, if you try to undermine morale again, I'll punish you by forbidding you from drinking for a month when we get back,"
Kei glared at him.
Jodon shrank back, sheepishly remaining silent.
His favorite things were all kinds of fine and strong liquor; he couldn't live without it. Forbidding him from drinking for a month was tantamount to taking his life.
Seeing that Jotun had calmed down, Kee turned back to look at the mine, his heart filled with unease.
After all, he had never seen the Iron-Eating Beasts with his own eyes. What if these monsters were even more terrifying than the veterans had described? That would be troublesome.
However, glancing at Su Nan beside him, Kee ultimately chose to trust his brother and didn't show his worry.
Su Nan touched the scale armor on his body.
This was the only scale armor in Blackrock City, more valuable than a complete set of fine iron armor.
Originally Kee's equipment, Kee, fearing something might happen to him, insisted on putting the scale armor on him and even gave him a longsword.
Although Su Nan's swordsmanship was terrible, it was better than nothing.
"Let's go!"
With Kee's order, everyone lit torches and filed into the mine, leaving only soldiers to guard the entrance.
The shallow veins of the Blackstone Mine had long been exhausted, and several deeper shafts were subsequently dug to mine the lower layers.
The mine shafts crisscrossed beneath the rock strata, and every few hundred meters, an oil lamp could be seen hanging on the rock wall.
However, the oil inside had long since evaporated.
Knights held up leather pouches, poured oil into the lamps, and lit them.
Soon, streaks of light illuminated the mine tunnels, their shadows creating a winding path guiding the group forward.
As they went deeper, the group slowed their pace.
These underground tunnels were uneven, and the dim light meant that a slight misstep could result in a fatal fall.
Although those present were all knights, physically strong, none wanted to suffer a serious injury.
Silence reigned all around; apart from the sounds of their footsteps and breathing, nothing else could be heard.
The cold, desolate underground was devoid of any sign of life; an ordinary person venturing alone in such a place would undoubtedly feel an instinctive chill.
After walking a short distance further, the surrounding rock walls finally changed.
A knight, holding a torch, approached the rock face. By the torchlight, a layer of deep, cold black was clearly visible on the surface of the rock.
"It's black iron ore!" Jordan's eyes lit up.
Without him saying it, everyone present recognized it.
The group immediately became extremely cautious.
Further ahead lay the unexploited mineral vein.
It was highly likely that the miners of yesteryear encountered the Iron-Eating Beasts ahead, forcing them to halt their mining operations.
In other words, they were about to meet their target. And
indeed, their prediction proved correct.
After walking four or five hundred meters, everyone soon heard a rustling sound coming from ahead, as if something was moving along the ground.
"Be on guard! Prepare for battle!" Ke Yi commanded in a deep voice.
Everyone raised their weapons solemnly, staring ahead with a sense of impending doom.
Soon, one after another, feline creatures emerged from the darkness.
They gracefully traversed the darkness into the range of the torchlight, their grey-gem-like eyes fixed on the uninvited guests.
Iron-Eating Beasts!
Exactly the same as the portraits Su Nan had seen.
More and more Iron-Eating Beasts appeared in the darkness, quickly exceeding ten, while several pairs of eyes gleamed faintly beyond the boundary of light and shadow.
A dozen or so Iron-Eating Beasts formed a semi-circular encirclement, surrounding the group.
"These beasts have quite the appetite; it looks like they want to keep us all here!"
Knight Brad muttered, tightening his grip on his massive steel shield.
He was the second strongest knight in Blackrock City after Kei, just one step away from becoming a high-ranking knight.
Standing two meters tall, he was a master shield user, the best shield-wielding knight in Blackrock City, and a renowned warrior on the battlefield.
Upon seeing the Iron-Eating Beasts up close, Brad could sense that their aura was definitely no higher than that of a low-ranking knight, and he immediately relaxed.
"If that's the case, it's actually a good thing. I was afraid these beasts would escape,"
Kei also noticed, letting out a slight sigh of relief.
Their force was more than capable of handling a dozen or so low-ranking knight-level monsters.
The problem was how to keep these Iron-Eating Beasts here and prevent their escape?
Reality didn't give them time to think; the Iron-Eating Beasts quickly launched their attack, leaping towards the group!
The battle erupted instantly!
The tunnel was instantly filled with the deafening clang of metal clashing!
Brad swung his shield, sending a metal-devouring beast flying more than ten meters before crashing into the rock wall with a thud, sending stone dust raining down.
The beast merely shook its head after getting up and continued its attack as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, Brad's brow furrowed.
Meanwhile, the knights were also locked in a fierce battle.
The metal-devouring beasts' bodies were incredibly tough; even swords imbued with battle aura could only leave faint cracks when struck.
Only a high-ranking knight like Kei could inflict significant damage on them.
If the narrow tunnel hadn't restricted their movement, preventing them from displaying their swift and agile speed, they would have been even more difficult to deal with.
The battle wasn't as easy as they had anticipated, and for a time, it reached a stalemate.
Just then, Su Nan made his move.
He uttered strange syllables and pointed a finger. Instantly, a ball of acid the size of a basketball formed out of thin air at his fingertip and shot out, accurately hitting an Iron-Eating Beast and splattering it across the face.
*Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
* A large amount of pungent white smoke billowed from the Iron-Eating Beast's face. Its body rolled wildly on the ground, trying to wipe off the corrosive liquid.
No offensive spell is weak.
Don't underestimate this acid splash spell just because it's only a zero-level spell; its corrosiveness is even more terrifying than aqua regia.
A ball of acid the size of an egg is enough to completely corrode an ordinary adult human male, leaving no trace!
Even if the Iron-Eating Beast's body is incredibly tough, being hit in a vital area like this would be extremely painful!
*Swoosh!*
A figure flashed in, stabbing the wound on the Iron-Eating Beast's face with a sword. Then, with a burst of force, the Iron-Eating Beast's head exploded. Its headless body swayed a few times before crashing to the ground.
Kee drew his longsword, turning back to glance at Su Nan in astonishment.
The other knights also couldn't hide their shock.
They had personally experienced just how hard the Iron-Eating Beast's body was—no less hard than real black stone iron.
Yet, this incredibly hard body had had half its head corroded away in just a few breaths!
What terrifying power was this?!
What would happen if flesh and blood were struck by such a blow?
Just imagining that scene sent chills down everyone's spine!
Is this what a wizard is like?!