The ore stones were abruptly embedded in the rock wall, some appearing as irregular blocks, while others extended like slender veins. They shimmered with a dazzling array of colors, many possessing a dark golden sheen.
Other sections glowed with an eerie blue luminescence, as if they harbored mysterious energy within.
The ore’s rough, uneven surfaces reflected scattered points of light, making them seem like stars plucked from the night sky and scattered within the dark mine.
These exposed ores were a bounty from nature, patiently awaiting discovery in the silent, shadowed depths of the mine.
Such an immense quantity!
It rivaled the spoils of several dungeons combined.
Aya Tone’s eyes glinted with the light of avarice.
If all this ore were sold, it would fetch at least several million.
What a pity the grade wasn’t higher.
If it were, then… haha!
Becoming rich overnight wouldn’t be a dream!
****
However.
The moment they stepped into the central cavern, dozens of eyes snapped open from the gloom.
Their gazes fixed intently upon the newcomers.
“They’re here!”
As Li Hongxiang’s voice fell, a series of tremors reverberated throughout the mine.
Unable to withstand the vibrations, rocks from the ceiling broke free from the rock face, plummeting towards the ground.
The impact caused the rocks to explode violently, sending shards of stone flying in all directions.
Immediately after.
From the darkness, several humanoid golems charged at the group.
Each step sent powerful tremors through the ground.
Their massive forms, far from being a hindrance that slowed them, seemed to grant them unnatural speed.
On the contrary, their movements were swift as phantoms.
In the blink of an eye, they closed half the distance.
Li Hongxiang calmly directed his subordinates to engage the enemy.
“Teacher Aya, get ready,” he instructed, simultaneously directing two of the golems to the rear.
Meanwhile, he raised his sniper rifle, aiming at the steel golems held at bay, delivering headshots with every round.
Though his damage lacked the power for a one-shot kill, with teammates holding the front line, if damage was insufficient, quantity would compensate!
As several magic bullets struck a single point simultaneously, even the steel golems’ hard heads couldn’t withstand the assault.
Their heads eventually exploded.
The headless body did not immediately collapse; it continued to flail its fists, pounding against the massive shield.
With each strike, a clear weakening could be felt in its power.
Only several minutes later did the headless body, as if finally acknowledging death, collapse into a pile of rare materials, scattering across the floor.
“It’s your turn,” Aya Tone said, slowly retreating and yielding the battlefield to the others.
She found a vantage point overlooking the entire situation, remaining vigilant.
Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure of the full extent of Lin Ling and the others’ abilities.
The four of them were special individuals who couldn’t be judged by normal standards.
Should anything go awry, she would intervene immediately.
After all, they had tested their strength that morning, and sweeping through E-rank dungeons was no issue for Lin Ling and her companions.
And the newly spawned C-rank monsters in this resource dungeon were merely the lowest tier before fully maturing.
Watching two steel golems charge towards them, the three women telepathically drew the aggro of one, leaving the other for Fire Wushuang.
Just as Aya Tone wondered if Fire Wushuang might be overestimating herself by facing a C-rank monster alone.
Fire Wushuang wielded her magic whip, striking hard against the steel golem’s tough hide, producing only a faint sound.
It hadn’t even breached its outer defense…
‘Is she overestimating herself?’ Aya Tone mused, her cute brows furrowing as she pondered Fire Wushuang’s motives.
‘Abandoning the advantage of summoning monsters to engage in physical combat… why?’
She wasn’t entirely sure, as Fire Wushuang was not the type to act without thought.
‘So what exactly is she… doing?’
“Submit to me!” A clear, cold command echoed abruptly through the mine.
When the voice truly registered in Aya Tone’s ears.
She finally understood what Fire Wushuang intended to do.
‘Good heavens, she’s trying to transform the dungeon monsters into her obedient subordinates!’
A truly insane idea.
But if it succeeded…
Aya Tone stroked her chin. ‘Wouldn’t that be a foolproof hypnosis artifact?’
‘Because controlling monsters isn’t the key; the key is her ability to control living beings.’
‘In other words, she could control humans, turning them into her slaves.’
‘Whip, s*ave…’
‘Oh, I’m good.’
The steel golem, struck by the magic whip, clearly faltered, and the light in its small, square eyes briefly flickered out.
But then.
“AWOOO!!”
A roar of defiance.
Its eyes reignited, and the steel golem, as if it had forgotten everything that just transpired, continued its charge towards Fire Wushuang.
“Did it fail?” Fire Wushuang murmured softly.
She didn’t show much disappointment, however.
Given her current strength, forcefully controlling a C-rank monster was still a bit of a stretch.
In that case.
She tossed out several pebbles she had picked up earlier with her left hand, while her right hand whipped the air.
The magic whip, like a venomous serpent’s tongue, instantly snapped onto the pebbles.
A surge of potent magic erupted from the unassuming stones, transforming them in a flash into stone golems several zhang tall.
The moment the golems landed, their simple, small eyes locked onto their target, and they immediately assaulted the steel golem.
“Awoo~”
Aya Tone pressed a hand to her forehead. ‘What in the world was that sound?’
Her gaze then shifted to Lin Ling and her two companions.
Compared to Fire Wushuang, their battle appeared far more subdued.
The steel golem had gravity magic cast upon it, and its heavy frame immediately slowed its movements.
Its once agile speed now moved like a snail.
Under the trio’s playful harassment, it became disoriented and soon lost its two primary attacking arms.
Without its arms.
It could only rely on its body’s brute strength, charging wildly in an attempt to crush the small figures before it.
‘Hmm… not bad.’
‘Solid work.’
‘Though the methods are a bit too cruel, not quite aligning with the magical girl’s ideals of love and peace.’
‘I’ll have to find some time to properly educate them.’
Aya Tone stroked her chin, already imagining the scene.
‘As righteous magical girls, how can they toy with enemies like villains?’
‘Villains die from talking too much; we absolutely cannot follow that example.’
‘We must learn to kill in one strike, leaving no room for the opponent to breathe.’
It was at this moment.
A familiar magic vine suddenly snaked into Aya Tone’s vision.
‘No need to look; it’s another one of Fire Wushuang’s seeds, God knows where she dug it up.’
Using tentacles against a steel golem, a blunt, purely physical attacker, was simply its natural bane.
As Aya Tone expected.
In just a few moments, the steel golem, brimming with life just moments before, became nourishment for the magic vine.
Its body was tightly enveloped by the vines, resembling a battle-scarred mecha weathered by years.
While the four women successfully hunted down two steel golems.
On the other side, Li Hongxiang and his team had annihilated the remaining steel golems and were now collecting their remains.
Monsters like the steel golems, which consumed ore, were themselves a type of rare material.
Their shells after death were essentially refined rare materials.
“It seems I underestimated you,” Li Hongxiang said, holding his weapon as he strode towards the group.
“Those two steel golems you defeated are yours.”
“Thank you, Uncle!” Hearing that the materials were theirs, Lin Ling happily ran back to where they had fought.
The two arms were nowhere to be seen; she would have to search thoroughly.
She heard these things could fetch a good price.