"Rustle, rustle!"
In the western reaches of Saga Kingdom, before an ancient abandoned mine overgrown with wild grass, the half-man-high brush shook for a moment before a figure in a black cloak slowly came to a stop before the mine entrance.
"So this was the place..."
The newcomer murmured, then slowly pulled back his hood, revealing the horrifying face beneath. It was Galil.
However, compared to when his hand had been severed, his right hand had long since been reattached. Thanks to the Beastfolk's natural recovery ability, it had healed completely. Aside from a thin white scar at the break, it looked no different from an ordinary hand at a glance.
He examined the map in his hand, recalled the information John had given him over ten days ago, and a determined look flashed through his eyes. Then he headed straight into the depths of the abandoned mine.
"Clack, clack!"
His leather boots echoed through the empty tunnel, occasionally splashing through uneven puddles.
About half an hour later, Galil slowly came to a stop.
Straight ahead, a massive boulder blocked his path, making him frown slightly.
But he had prepared for this possibility. He took out a mana bomb he had bought at great expense from the Beastfolk black market, placed it before the boulder, activated it, and retreated.
As a massive amount of mana gathered within the mana bomb and swelled, firelight burst forth, followed by an unprecedentedly violent explosion.
"BOOM!"
The terrifying blast shook the entire tunnel. Countless shards of stone shot outward like bullets, but under Galil's airtight barrage of silver scimitar strikes, they were all reduced to fragments that scattered across the ground.
"Clatter!"
As the surging wind of mana blew away the dust, a huge hole had been blasted through the once-solid stone wall, exposing