"That should be enough. As long as it's not all stone, with the density of magic stones and materials,"
"Six people should be able to clear it out."
"Go ahead."
Tsubaki nodded.
"Go call your people over."
"Tell them there's great news coming their way."
"Yes!"
Mio's voice trembled slightly with excitement.
She bowed deeply to everyone once more.
"Please wait a moment!"
"I'll go call the Captain and the others right now!"
With that said,
Mio turned and ran.
Her speed was even twice as fast as when she arrived earlier.
...
A few minutes later.
At another tunnel corner.
"Hah... hah..."
Inaba gasped for breath, running all the way back to the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia.
"Inaba?!"
Seeing Inaba in such a breathless state,
Kashima's heart skipped a beat.
"What's wrong?!"
"Did you encounter danger?!"
"Are those monsters chasing you?!"
Chigusa behind her turned deathly pale, nearly dropping the short bow in her hand.
"Quick! Everyone prepare to retreat!"
Kashima issued the retreat order without a second thought.
"N-No!"
Inaba grabbed Kashima's arm, shaking her head vigorously.
On her spirited face, a light bordering on fanaticism was currently shining.
"It's not danger!"
"It's good news!"
"Great news!"
"Huh?"
Kashima froze.
Chigusa and the others nearby were also completely bewildered.
Good news?
In this ghost of a place filled with the corpses of Killer Rabbits and the smell of blood?
What kind of good news could there be?
Kashima frowned, looking at Inaba with deep concern.
"Inaba..."
"You didn't get scared silly, did you?"
"Absolutely not!"
Inaba stomped her foot in frustration.
"Aiya, I can't explain it clearly to you!"
"The commotion over there just now wasn't a monster riot!"
"It was... it was the Heimdall Familia's party grinding monsters!"
"They killed so many Almiraj!"
"And those big ones too!"
Inaba made an exaggerated gesture.
"There are Magic Stones and materials everywhere now!"
"They don't have enough people and want to hire us to help carry things!"
"The reward will definitely be generous!"
"..."
"Heimdall Familia?"
"Grinding monsters?"
"And..."
Inaba took a deep breath.
"That Tsubaki-sama from the Hephaestus Familia is there too!"
"She's a witness!"
"Tsubaki?!"
"That one-eyed master craftsman?!"
Upon hearing that name,
Kashima's expression finally changed.
She was a major figure on the upper floors of Orario.
If even she was there...
Then the nature of this matter was completely different.
"..."
After hesitating for a moment,
Kashima looked at Inaba's determined eyes.
She finally gave in.
"Fine."
"Let's go take a look."
"But everyone maintain vigilance!"
"If anything seems off, forget the Magic Stones, just run!"
"Yes!"
...
Ten minutes later.
When Kashima led the group timidly through the tunnel
and arrived at the entrance of the cavern.
"Hiss--"
A uniform sound of sharp inhalation echoed in the spacious cavern.
Everyone's expression
froze in that instant.
Although Inaba had described the scene before they came,
the impact of imagination versus seeing it firsthand was definitely on two different dimensions.
...
Inside the cavern.
The smell of blood was so thick it was almost tangible.
Kashima Sakura stood at the entrance, his eyes, usually squinted, now wide open like copper bells.
Not just him.
Chigusa, Asuka, and the others behind him covered their mouths, their faces pale.
"This..."
"Can this really be done by Lv. 1s?"
Even though Inaba had given them a heads-up,
looking at the piled-up drops from the Almiraj, and the Magic Stones scattered in the blood pool, emitting a faint purple glow,
Kashima felt his worldview collapsing.
"How is it?"
Tsubaki still stood on the high rock, the single eye holding a helpless smile.
"Are you taking this job or not?"
"Take it! Of course, we'll take it!"
Kashima snapped back to reality, swallowing hard.
Are you kidding?
Who but a fool would refuse such a windfall?
"Chigusa! Asuka! Stop spacing out!"
"Get to work!"
"Hurry up!"
"Don't keep our benefactors waiting!"
"Yes!"
The members of the Takemikazuchi Familia instantly transformed into diligent bees, taking out their backpacks and beginning to scavenge.
...
-------------------------------
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