Chapter 98: The Hundred-Armed Beast

Chapter 98: The Hundred-Armed Beast

Bred was highly efficient.

The next day, the investigation results were presented to Koy.

According to the findings, the attack on the village was most likely carried out by a beast horde. The scene was littered with animal fur, broken claws, and jagged fangs.

Once this was confirmed, Bred immediately organized a search party, expanding outward from the village to track down the beasts' lair.

It didn't take long for him to find a trail of disordered footprints and bloodstains.

Following these clues, he eventually discovered a cave deep in the forest.

However, while investigating the cave, they were ambushed by a monster and had to retreat temporarily.

Leaving a few men to secure the cave, Bred rushed back to report his findings.

"This is the monster Bred and his men encountered in the cave."

Koy pointed to several sketches on the table.

Su Nan picked up the top sketch and his eyebrows shot up.

This was a Ragerat!

Ragerats are a variant of the Rager beast family, known for their ferocious attacks and speed. They use their sharp incisors to gnaw and crush their opponents.

However, in reality, a Ragerat's strength is comparable to that of an ordinary human. A cautious adult male could handle one.

The real threat lies in their tendency to travel in large groups, often numbering in the hundreds.

Additionally, they carry various diseases, which can infect humans with conditions like Rot Fever and Plague.

Even knights often avoid confronting a Ragerat horde due to these risks.

The second sketch depicted a creature with a toad's head and sturdy limbs.

"An Underfrog!"

Su Nan was genuinely surprised.

If it were just Ragerats, he wouldn't be too certain, as they could appear in many places. But Underfrogs are only found in the Underworld. Could it be that the cave connects to the Underworld?

Su Nan couldn't help but pause in thought.

He had recently been pondering where to find an entrance to the Underworld, and now it had been brought right to him without any effort.

Was this good luck or bad luck?

"Do you know this creature?" Koy asked.

Su Nan nodded. "This is an Underfrog, a monster that lives in the Underworld. I suspect the cave's deeper sections likely connect to the Underworld."

"The Underworld?" Koy's confusion deepened.

"It's a vast and extremely dangerous place, home to many powerful and terrifying monsters."

Koy's expression grew grave upon hearing this.

"Will it threaten Flash City?"

Su Nan pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "It shouldn't."

"Creatures from the Underworld are accustomed to living in the dark and can't adapt to the surface environment. They might occasionally venture up to raid, but they won't launch full-scale attacks on towns."

Koy's expression relaxed, but he still frowned. "So, those monsters might continue to attack other villages?"

"That's possible."

"Then what should we do? Seal the cave?"

"No, leave this to me," Su Nan waved his hand.

Finding an entrance to the Underworld was no small feat, and he wasn't about to seal it off just yet.

At the very least, he needed to explore it first.

"Have your men secure the forest and the cave to prevent the monsters from escaping and harming others. Also, keep civilians away. As for the cave, I'll handle it."

Seeing Su Nan's determination, Koy agreed.

Half an hour later, Flash City's army mobilized, sealing off the northern forest and prohibiting entry to non-essential personnel.

Su Nan arrived at the forest with the army.

"Sir, this is the cave where the monsters appeared."

Deep in the forest, Bred pointed to a dark, gaping entrance in the mountainside.

"Have men guard the entrance and kill any monsters that emerge."

Leaving this instruction, Su Nan entered the cave alone.

Torches hung on the walls, left by the soldiers who had explored earlier. However, they only illuminated the area near the entrance, leaving the deeper sections in darkness.

Su Nan picked up a stone and cast Light, causing the dull rock to glow like a torch, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

As he moved forward, he observed the surroundings.

It was clear that the cave was not naturally formed but had been artificially excavated.

If his guess was correct, it was likely the work of the Underworld's inhabitants.

Ragerats and Underfrogs clearly lacked the ability to do this, so it must have been a humanoid creature, such as a Kobold, a Gray Dwarf, or a Myconid.

Continuing deeper, Su Nan soon discovered a silver vein.

This discovery added more weight to his theory that the cave connected to the Underworld.

After all, the most abundant resource in the Underworld was undoubtedly its mineral veins.

Chapter 99: The Hidden Threat

Screech!

Just then, a horde of Ragerats burst out of the darkness ahead, surging towards Su Nan like a tidal wave.

There were at least a hundred of them.

Su Nan remained calm, extending his palm with the palm facing the rat swarm.

Flame Hand!

Whoosh!

A torrent of flames erupted instantly, nearly covering the entire cave passage.

The charging Ragerats collided with the scorching flames, instantly turning into blazing fireballs that rolled and screamed on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the entire horde of Ragerats was annihilated.

A few Underfrogs, which had been driving the rats from the rear, froze in place, seemingly shocked by the newcomer's ferocity.

By the time they reacted, six fist-sized projectiles were already hurtling towards them.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The projectiles pierced through the heads of three Underfrogs, then through their hearts, leaving behind two gruesome holes.

In a single moment, the three Underfrogs collapsed, turning into lifeless corpses.

Su Nan slowly retracted his hand.

Underfrogs, while not particularly powerful, generally had the strength of a low to mid-level knight. A few elite ones could reach high-level knight status.

In the dark, a sudden attack by multiple Underfrogs could even catch a grand knight off guard.

However, for Su Nan, who relied on mental perception rather than visual observation, the Underfrogs were no match.

Without even glancing at the corpses on the ground, Su Nan continued forward.

The deeper he went, the wider the cave became, and the more silver veins were exposed on the walls.

Su Nan felt a slight thrill of excitement.

It seemed the silver ore deposits here were substantial. If he could mine them all, it would be a significant income.

Moreover, many silver veins often contained gold deposits. If he found gold, he would be set for life.

Along the way, more Underfrogs and Ragerat swarms kept emerging to attack Su Nan, but he dealt with them effortlessly.

Eventually, Su Nan grew impatient and released over a dozen Blackrock Leopards to handle the monsters.

As puppet creatures, Blackrock Leopards had innate dark vision, making them at home in the dim cave. They were also skilled at coordinated attacks, perfect for dealing with Underfrogs and Ragerats.

After his experience infiltrating the Storm Army's camp, Su Nan now habitually kept dozens of Blackrock Leopards and Stone Golems in his synthesis cube, ready for any emergency.

Not long after, Su Nan discovered some bones on the cave floor, stained with blood.

It was easy to identify them as human remains, still fresh. They were likely the missing villagers.

Su Nan sighed. It seemed those who were captured had met a grim fate.

After walking another three hundred meters, he heard a faint sound ahead.

It sounded like the barking of puppies.

Su Nan's expression changed, and he cast Comprehend Languages on himself.

The moment the spell took effect, the strange sounds ahead became a clear, unfamiliar language.

"Don't slack off, you idiots! Dig faster!"

"The food is almost gone. If you don't dig enough ore to trade for food today, I'll feed you to the master!"

It was the language of Kobolds.

Su Nan looked down and indeed saw many paw prints on the ground.

"I see."

Su Nan's understanding grew clearer.

Earlier, he had wondered why omnivorous creatures like Underfrogs and Ragerats, which should have plenty of food in the Underworld, would risk coming to the surface to hunt. Now, seeing the Kobolds, everything made sense.

Kobolds were common humanoid creatures in the Underworld, breeding like rats.

They were natural miners, often used as slaves by other races.

This suggested that there was likely a mastermind behind the recent attacks.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Su Nan formulated a plan.

At the end of the tunnel, the cave opened into a wide basin.

A group of Kobolds were swinging pickaxes, grunting as they mined.

Their heads resembled dogs, with two small pale horns, bright eyes, and tails like rats.

Not far away, a campfire burned, surrounded by their makeshift tents. The ground was littered with mushrooms and unknown meats, and the air was thick with the smell of feces, indicating that the Kobolds had been living and working here for some time.

In a corner, piles of mined ore glinted with silver and specks of gold.

"It seems this silver mine does indeed contain gold deposits."

Su Nan's heart leaped with excitement, and he gave the order.

The dozen Blackrock Leopards at his side immediately charged out of the cave, pouncing on the Kobolds.

"There's an intruder!"

"Black leopards!"

"Can we eat them?"

Kobolds had low intelligence and often acted on instinct.

Seeing the Blackrock Leopards, their first reaction was to rush forward and try to kill these sudden invaders, wondering if they could be eaten.

Bred was highly efficient.

The next day, the investigation results were presented to Koy.

According to the findings, the attack on the village was most likely carried out by a beast horde. The scene was littered with animal fur, broken claws, and jagged fangs.

Once this was confirmed, Bred immediately organized a search party, expanding outward from the village to track down the beasts' lair.

It didn't take long for him to find a trail of disordered footprints and bloodstains.

Following these clues, he eventually discovered a cave deep in the forest.

However, while investigating the cave, they were ambushed by a monster and had to retreat temporarily.

Leaving a few men to secure the cave, Bred rushed back to report his findings.

"This is the monster Bred and his men encountered in the cave."

Koy pointed to several sketches on the table.

Su Nan picked up the top sketch and his eyebrows shot up.

This was a Ragerat!

Ragerats are a variant of the Rager beast family, known for their ferocious attacks and speed. They use their sharp incisors to gnaw and crush their opponents.

However, in reality, a Ragerat's strength is comparable to that of an ordinary human. A cautious adult male could handle one.

The real threat lies in their tendency to travel in large groups, often numbering in the hundreds.

Additionally, they carry various diseases, which can infect humans with conditions like Rot Fever and Plague.

Even knights often avoid confronting a Ragerat horde due to these risks.

The next sketch showed a creature with a toad's head and sturdy limbs.

"An Underfrog!"

Su Nan was genuinely surprised.

If it were just Ragerats, he wouldn't be too certain, as they could appear in many places. But Underfrogs are only found in the Underworld. Could it be that the cave connects to the Underworld?

Su Nan couldn't help but pause in thought.

He had recently been pondering where to find an entrance to the Underworld, and now it had been brought right to him without any effort.

Was this good luck or bad luck?

"Do you know this creature?" Koy asked.

Su Nan nodded. "This is an Underfrog, a monster that lives in the Underworld. I suspect the cave's deeper sections likely connect to the Underworld."

"The Underworld?" Koy's confusion deepened.

"It's a vast and extremely dangerous place, home to many powerful and terrifying monsters."

Koy's expression grew grave upon hearing this.

"Will it threaten Flash City?"

Su Nan pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "It shouldn't."

"Creatures from the Underworld are accustomed to living in the dark and can't adapt to the surface environment. They might occasionally venture up to raid, but they won't launch full-scale attacks on towns."

Koy's expression relaxed, but he still frowned. "So, those monsters might continue to attack other villages?"

"That's possible."

"Then what should we do? Seal the cave?"

"No, leave this to me," Su Nan waved his hand.

Finding an entrance to the Underworld was no small feat, and he wasn't about to seal it off just yet.

At the very least, he needed to explore it first.

"Have your men secure the forest and the cave to prevent the monsters from escaping and harming others. Also, keep civilians away. As for the cave, I'll handle it."

Seeing Su Nan's determination, Koy agreed.

Half an hour later, Flash City's army mobilized, sealing off the northern forest and prohibiting entry to non-essential personnel.

Su Nan arrived at the forest with the army.

"Sir, this is the cave where the monsters appeared."

Deep in the forest, Bred pointed to a dark, gaping entrance in the mountainside.

"Have men guard the entrance and kill any monsters that emerge."

Leaving this instruction, Su Nan entered the cave alone.

Torches hung on the walls, left by the soldiers who had explored earlier. However, they only illuminated the area near the entrance, leaving the deeper sections in darkness.

Su Nan picked up a stone and cast Light, causing the dull rock to glow like a torch, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

As he moved forward, he observed the surroundings.

It was clear that the cave was not naturally formed but had been artificially excavated.

If his guess was correct, it was likely the work of the Underworld's inhabitants.

Ragerats and Underfrogs clearly lacked the ability to do this, so it must have been a humanoid creature, such as a Kobold, a Gray Dwarf, or a Myconid.

Continuing deeper, Su Nan soon discovered a silver vein.

This discovery added more weight to his theory that the cave connected to the Underworld.

After all, the most abundant resource in the Underworld was undoubtedly its mineral veins.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end