Leave No One Alive

He asked, "Are there any women at the mine?"

The miner's gaze instantly turned strange, as if he were looking at an idiot.

"Missing women so badly you're looking for them in a mine instead of a brothel?" He snorted. Then, as if he'd thought of something, he grew wary and leaned back slightly, instinctively shielding his chest with both hands. "Hey! You're a pretty boy. Don't tell me you've got your eye on me because I'm so sturdy?"

He Xi quickly waved his hands. "I was asking if women ever come to the mine. The miners' families, for example?"

The miner eyed He Xi suspiciously from head to toe. Seeing that he looked sincere, he relaxed a little and impatiently waved him off. "No, no! Where would any women come from? The bosses gave strict orders! No one dares bring their family here! If they come even once, not only will they lose this month's wages, they'll be kicked out on the spot!"

He Xi asked again, "Are those Goblins still at the mine?"

Mention of the Goblins immediately brought an undisguised look of disgust to the miner's face.

"Those little green dwarves?!" He spat. "Don't get me started! The mine reeks of them, and whenever we find a good vein of ore, the foreman sends those beasts in to dig first! We're stuck working in the barren wastelands around the edges!"

"Are your wages based on how much ore you dig up?"

"Of course. If you want to earn what you used to, you have to work even harder. Find a good spot?

"Hah! You get transferred right away. Can you believe that?"

"But I heard there are only a little over thirty Goblins at the mine. And they aren't very strong?"

A flicker of surprise crossed the miner's face.

"There aren't many, sure, but those little green dwarves can work eighteen hours a day! It's maddening! Do they not need sleep?"

He paused, then added gleefully, "Still, it's not all bad. Several Goblins have already worked themselves to death lately. Keep this up, and I reckon they'll all be dead before long!"

Seeing He Xi ask one question after another, the miner grew wary again.

"Listen... what are you doing here, anyway? What's your name? And why've you got a dog with you? Didn't you say you were here to find Matt?"

He Xi had learned enough.

"My name's Galen," he replied casually. "I was going to look for work here, but I think I'll pass. I don't want to deal with those little green dwarves all day."

With that, he turned and left with Bruce.

Night fell.

A dim yellow light spilled from the foreman's cabin nearby, and snores could be faintly heard inside.

He Xi and Bruce reappeared near the mine, their figures as ghostly as specters.

The day's investigation seemed to have pointed suspicion elsewhere.

That didn't stop He Xi from taking the opportunity to clear out the Goblins here.

Keeping creatures like these penned up made him uncomfortable, no matter what.

"The miners should all be asleep by now. The foremen are usually pretty lax at this hour. This is a good opportunity."

He crouched low and gave Bruce his instructions.

"Go. Draw the foreman out. Make a racket, but don't let him catch you."

Bruce understood immediately and slipped silently into the mine.

A moment later.

"Woof! Woof, woof, woof!"

A flurry of barking rang out inside the mine!

Then came a loud clang as Bruce deliberately knocked something over!

"Damn it! Where'd that shit-eating stray come from? Stop right there! I'll skin you and use your hide as a foot rag!"

Bruce's nimble figure raced out of the entrance.

A burly man wearing a leather vest chased close behind him, swinging a short, thick whip.

In the moonlight, the Strongman's fleshy face was flushed, and he was panting hard.

Now.

He Xi took the opportunity to slip inside the mine.

The interior wasn't completely dark.

A cheap Magic Lamp hung at intervals along both walls, casting an unsteady glow over the rock face.

The Goblins' distinctive reek grew stronger in the air.

He Xi followed the tracks deeper into the mine.

Soon, he spotted the Goblins.

More than twenty little green dwarves sat huddled in a relatively open area.

Every one of them wore heavy iron shackles around their ankles, and a thick chain linked them all together, restricting how far they could move.

They were gathered around the corpses of several of their kind, making unintelligible cries as if fighting over something.

The cramped surroundings were practically made for the Earth Spike Technique.

He Xi didn't hesitate.

To finish this quickly, he didn't hold back on his magic.

He locked onto his targets!

Earth Spike Technique!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three thick stone spikes burst from the ground almost simultaneously, forming a triangle!

The jagged spikes crossed through several Goblins at the edge of the group.

Squish!

The sound of flesh being torn apart rang especially clearly through the mine.

Those Goblins didn't even have time to scream before the immense force pinned them to the ceiling.

The sudden attack sent the remaining Goblins into a panic.

Their bulging, dark yellow eyes were filled with terror.

"Gah—?!"

Their shrill, frantic cries rose and fell.

They struggled, instinctively trying to retreat.

But the chains around their ankles held them fast.

The living Goblins stumbled over the corpses of their dead companions. All the little green dwarves fell into chaos, unable to escape the killing ground.

He Xi's gaze was cold as he raised his hand again.

Another triple Earth Spike volley.

The stone spikes pierced the ground like the fangs of the Grim Reaper, precisely reaping the remaining lives.

The screams abruptly ceased.

The mine fell silent once more.

[Earth Spike Technique proficiency +1, Lv. 2 (1/20)]

[You extracted the trait—Bloodline Solidification—from a kill on a Small Goblin]

[Bloodline Solidification: This creature's bloodline has been confined by an unknown force, permanently locking its form at the basic stage. No form of outside interference—including, but not limited to, magical mutation, divine blessings, and abyssal corruption—can alter its Bloodline Power, leaving it unable to evolve or mutate into a higher subspecies.]

Completely unexpectedly, He Xi had actually extracted a trait.

And from these Goblin laborers, no less.

"Bloodline Solidification?"

"Judging by the description alone, this seems like a purely negative effect?"

"Locking its growth ceiling and cutting off all possibility of evolution?"

He Xi frowned, but an idea flashed through his mind.

"But... what if..."

"If I load this trait onto myself when Salamachis's contractual power takes effect half a month from now..."

"Would that mean I could avoid having my Bloodline Power extracted that time?"