I Can See the Sword’s Memories – Chapter 63

Chapter 63: The Artisans of the Wasteland (6)

We arrived at the mine by early evening. The Grimmit Mine held no signs of active workers—it was an abandoned site, a closed mine.

Yet, the faded footprints near the entrance hinted that occasional visitors came through.

“Best to be careful, everyone,” Black Light said. “Abandoned mines are rarely visited by people, shielded from rain and wind. They make perfect shelters for monsters. You never know when or where one might appear.”

I nodded. Since becoming a knight, I had rarely faced monsters directly. The Azure Wings’ duties revolved around hunting reincarnators, not dealing with monsters.

As we walked, I asked, “Why was this mine abandoned?”

Black Light replied that he had come here specifically for the iron ore unique to this site.

Usually, a mine was abandoned when its mineral deposits were depleted. If the mine still had resources, there would be no reason to close it.

My questioning gaze prompted Black Light to explain further.

“It’s because the ground here is unstable. This mine could no longer support large-scale mining operations.”

“Then… aren’t we in danger, too?” Envy asked in alarm, her eyes darting around the mine anxiously. Black Light chuckled at the sight of her apprehension.

“Don’t worry! We won’t be going too deep!”

“Ugh…”

With cautious anticipation, we entered the mine. It was surprisingly clean.

The passageways were well-maintained, glowing with lightstones that lined the walls.

Warning signs were neatly affixed to the walls, displaying various safety instructions.

“Wow…”

“What a strange place…”

“This is…”

The three of us—Envy, Shave, and myself—reacted similarly. Being sensitive to mana, we could sense the faint traces flowing through the mine.

‘It’s not much…’

The mana wasn’t strong enough to significantly affect the environment. It likely emanated from the mana-infused iron ore Black Light had mentioned, wafting through the mine’s interior.

“Alright, let’s get to work before the monsters catch our scent!” Black Light urged.

As the de facto leader of the group, no one objected. The small dwarf led the way, with me and the two mages following close behind.

The abandoned mine was filled with intriguing sights. Discarded pickaxes, rotting wooden beams, and the bleached bones of unknown creatures littered the ground alongside broken weapons.

One section of the wall was stained black, likely with dried blood from long ago. There was no lingering smell, but the remnants of a battle were clear. I paused briefly before continuing.

“A lot of people must have died here,” I remarked.

“Of course. The mine is close to the city and still has valuable minerals to offer. Desperate folks would’ve risked coming here, only to be attacked by monsters and killed.”

“There’s a monster-infested area so close to the city, and the kingdom doesn’t do anything about it?”

“They did try at first. They gathered their forces and prepared to march on the mine. But in the end, they didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Hard to say… I didn’t hear the full details. Maybe they wanted the monsters to keep people out of the mine. That would save manpower, wouldn’t it?”

We continued with light conversation as we ventured deeper. All the while, I observed Envy and Shave closely. They occasionally glanced around and scribbled notes in their notebooks.

I couldn’t see what they were writing, as their small statures kept their notes just out of my line of sight.

‘I could jump a little and see…’

But I quickly dismissed the idea. Drawing suspicion was the last thing I needed.

“This is odd… Normally, we’d have encountered monsters by now,” Black Light commented.

Shave glanced at me as if he understood the reason. From the moment we entered the mine, a sharp aura had radiated from me—not from mana, but from the innate force of my being as a living creature.

This primal presence deterred ordinary monsters from approaching.

Time passed quickly, and we eventually reached the location Black Light had aimed for. He set down his pack with a broad smile and spoke with excitement.

“This is the place! I’ll finish the work quickly, so you all just relax!”

Rummaging through his bag with his thick arms, Black Light pulled out an assortment of tools.

Pickaxes, hammers, chisels, and stiff brushes spilled out onto the ground. The first tool he grabbed was a large pickaxe.

The small dwarf hoisted it onto his shoulder, approached the wall, and swung it with all his might.

Kwaang!

The sound of Black Light’s pickaxe strikes filled the mine with a crisp rhythm.

The consistent tone indicated precision and strength, with each swing perfectly controlled.

‘Impressive…’

Even in a seemingly simple task like mining, there were lessons to be learned. I leaned against the wall, watching the dwarf work.

“Hey, dwarf. Aren’t you going to take this?”

Shave’s voice broke the monotony as he held up a small, glittering gemstone picked from the rubble. Black Light glanced over briefly.

“Oh, you can take it if you want. It’s too small and has surface cracks, so it’s not worth much.”

“What’s it called?”

“That one looks like Red Sapphire, and that over there’s Purple Heart…”

The minerals varied in type and hardness, but their uses were limited to ornaments. Losing interest, Shave tossed the gemstone aside.

Black Light had just unearthed a few chunks of raw iron ore when I felt a massive presence nearby. Its aura was overwhelming, strong enough that I didn’t need to extend my senses to detect it.

‘What is this…?’

“Wh-what’s that? A monster?” Envy stammered as she and Shave reacted a moment later. By then, I had already drawn my sword and was scanning the darkness ahead. The tunnel was narrow—swinging my blade freely would be difficult. Worse, the mine’s unstable ground meant the entire structure could collapse during a fight.

We had to move.

“Black Light!” I shouted.

“Wh-what…?”

The dwarf finally snapped out of his work trance, sensing the tension in the air. Without hesitation, he stuffed a few scattered ore chunks into his bag and rushed over.

“Wh-what’s going on? A monster?”

“A strong one,” I replied firmly.

The four of us started running, but the pace was slow. I glanced back at the others. I could escape on my own, but abandoning them wasn’t an option. Adjusting my speed to match theirs, I kept moving.

Then it came. A gust of air swept through the tunnel, thick with hostility. The overwhelming aura froze Envy, Shave, and Black Light in their tracks. They weren’t deliberately stopping—the monster’s killing intent had paralyzed them.

I had seen this before. Novice warriors often froze on their first hunt, their bodies locking up in fear.

What they needed was a small shock to snap them out of it. It didn’t have to be gentle—just enough to jolt their stiffened muscles into action.

I halted my run and spun around, pivoting on my right leg. As a cloud of dust swirled around me, I channeled mana into my left leg and stomped hard.

Boom!

The ground shuddered slightly as I lowered myself into a ready stance, my sword pointed downward, grazing the floor. Frosty energy swirled around me, the chill intensifying as I gathered my focus.

The paralysis broke. My companions regained their mobility as I barked out an order.

“Run!”

Illuminated faintly by the glow of the lightstones, the creature emerged—a massive wolf. But it wasn’t an ordinary wolf. It stood upright on two legs, its upper body heavily muscled, with thick fur barely concealing its form. Its claws were razor-sharp, resembling blades, and its entire body was a weapon.

A werewolf.

[Grrrr…]

With a guttural growl, it began to charge. Though it had stood on two legs initially, it now sprinted on all fours, moving with the speed and agility of a regular wolf.

Every hair on my body stood on end. This was unlike any monster I had faced before—its raw, primal strength far surpassed anything I had encountered, even reincarnators. It wasn’t a refined blade but a tidal wave of wild power crashing down on me.

Swish!

I evaded its slashing claws with fluid precision, parrying its follow-up strike with my blade.

The impact revealed its strength, which was on par with mine. Its speed was slightly superior, but that could be compensated with skill.

“Saeorin! I’ll help you!”

Hearing Envy’s voice, I twisted my body, vacating the space just as an explosion erupted where I had been moments before.

Boom!

“I said run!” I shouted.

Envy might have had her reasons for staying, but to me, it was an unnecessary risk. Feeling the trembling ground beneath my feet, I shouted a warning.

The explosion had kicked up a dense cloud of dust, obscuring visibility. While I could sense the werewolf’s movements, the inability to see it clearly was a significant disadvantage.

Then, through the haze, I caught sight of swift motion. The beast, towering over two meters tall, moved with alarming speed. As it brushed past me, I swung my sword in its direction.

Swish!

Too shallow. The feedback from my blade was faint, barely grazing the creature. Without hesitation, I spun on my heel and hurled the White Dragon Sword with all my might.

Swiiiing!

The mana-charged blade shot forward in a straight line. The werewolf, which had been charging toward Envy, immediately shifted its focus and changed direction.

I caught a glimpse of Envy’s face. She wasn’t planning to flee; her expression was stubborn, her mana visibly gathering as she prepared a spell.

Meanwhile, I sensed Shave’s presence returning from the distance, drawn back by Envy’s actions.

I couldn’t protect two mages in this confined space against an opponent faster than I was. If they were at least in the same spot, I might have managed. I gritted my teeth, pushed off the ground, and drew my second blade.

Shiiing—

The moment I gripped it, the weapon greedily absorbed my mana. As the Mage Slayer Sword revealed its dark blade, the mana in the air fluctuated violently.

Kaang!

The dull blade clashed with the werewolf’s sharp claws. Unlike before, I had the upper hand in strength. Putting more force into my wrist, I managed to shear off part of its elongated claws.

Clang!

Just then, I noticed something peculiar. The werewolf’s right arm twitched, its muscles rippling unnaturally.

I braced myself for another attack, tension coiling in my body—but the arm didn’t swing at me. Instead, it reached behind its back.

‘What is it doing?’

In the fraction of a second that followed, the werewolf’s hand reappeared, gripping a gleaming blade.

‘A sword…?’

The sight was so unexpected that my reaction was delayed. I leapt back, wrapping my left arm around Envy’s waist to pull her away.

As the warmth of her body pressed against mine, a silver slash tore through the space where we had been standing.

Swish—!

The distance wasn’t enough—several strands of my silver hair were sliced clean off.

With Envy in tow, I launched us both backward, pushing off the ground.

At that moment, Envy, who was tucked under my arm, shouted triumphantly.

“Take this, you bastard!”

Bzzzt!

An enormous surge of mana gathered in an instant, far greater than anything she had summoned before.

The air grew unbearably hot as shimmering heat waves rippled outward. Then, in front of the werewolf, a massive explosion erupted.

BOOOOOOM!

The shockwave shook the entire mine. Cracks spread across the ground, walls, and ceiling as debris rained down in all directions.

The structure groaned ominously under the strain, threatening to collapse entirely.