To some extent, Kreyn found himself caught between two fires. To the west, the Wurhen Family awaited him, with an entire town and mansion under their complete control. To the east was Boneveil Village, with limited resources and the only escape route from the region.

Kreyn had no intention of running away; his heart desired victory, and for that he needed as many trump cards as possible.

He had neither the time nor the opportunity to seek help anywhere else except one place—the Worm Mines.

The Worm Mines were a valuable asset of the Wurhen Family thanks to the Worm Crystals, which were not only worth a lot of money, but were also an energy ore suitable for creating Artifacts.

But the Worm Mines were a dangerous place, primarily because of the Arakta Worms. Neither the prisoners nor the guards had any way of dealing with these monsters. The best they could hope for was to use dynamite to distract the monster.

Every month, up to ten prisoners died because of the Arakta Worms. They were usually newcomers, and the Wurhen Family immediately found new souls to replace them, thus constantly renewing the prison population.

One of the few prisoners who worked constantly in the Worm Mines and had remained alive for several years was Daren, for which he received his nickname, the Seeker, as well as special conditions.

Well, even the best conditions in prison could not compare to freedom, even if it sometimes meant returning to his past life and risking everything.

Thrust.

Kreyn plunged his blade into the Arakta Worm's head, already five minutes into trying to carefully cut out one of its large teeth.

"Come on, get out already!" Kreyn gripped the tooth tightly with both hands and pulled it out with a sharp movement.

It was just one tooth, but it was the size of a bull's horn. The Arakta Worm's size was incredible, especially for such a low-level region.

Kreyn looked at the tooth he was carefully holding with both hands so as not to cut himself on the sharp edges.

"Great, that should be enough."

...

Click. Click. Click.

Daren opened and closed his old lighter, wondering when it would come to an end. He stood near the mine entrance, waiting for his partner.

"Are you sure about this?" Daren looked up. "What's more, I still don't know what your plan is."

"Well, that's part of the plan too." Kreyn waved his hand as he walked forward, the worm's tooth on his back. "We don't need anyone else, just you who knows the mines and me. If anyone else comes with us, it's an unnecessary risk."

Daren closed his lighter and took two torches from the wall. The torches were doused with oil infused by the Worm Crystals. It wasn't anything worth mentioning, but thanks to the tiny amount of energy in the oil, the torches would burn brighter and longer, and their flames would be not crimson but ghost-green, the same color as the eyes of the Arakta Worms.

"Got it."

Thus, they both disappeared into the depths of the mine, following their last card.

Several girls watched from the prison windows.

"Are they leaving? Daren looks so cool. I can't imagine how anyone could understand the behavior of these monsters."

The blonde girl next to her nodded several times.

"Ughum, I heard he knows all the ways straight to the Crystal Brink!"

A voice came from behind:

"Crystal Brink?"

The girls turned around as they saw Groza. She had a scowl on her face; she was unhappy that Kreyn had only taken Daren with him to the team. What's more, he hadn't even explained why.

"Yep, I've never been in the mines, well, except for those times when we were forced to unload minecarts full of ore, but that was right at the entrance. The Crystal Brink is something like a dividing line, as far as I know."

The blonde girl nodded again.

"I heard that it's at the very end of one of the mines, the deepest one. It's a line that people aren't allowed to cross, even the Wurhen Family decided not to try their luck, so they started digging mines in other directions."

"Hmm?" Groza raised an eyebrow. "Is there something there that even the Wurhen Family is afraid of? What lies beyond the Crystal Brink?"

The girls exchanged glances as if they were afraid to reveal this secret.

"There..." The girl looked into the depths of the mine. "They say that besides many monsters and the Arakta Worms, there is something else, something much more dangerous."

"The Elder of the Arakta Worms, they say it is watching over the Crystal Brink and anyone who tries to enter the free caves."

Her friend leaned on her hands. "I wouldn't want to encounter such a monster. I don't know why Kreyn and Daren decided to go into the mines right now, but I hope they don't encounter any monsters."

"What about the Elder?" Groza approached them. "Could it attack them?"

"Hey! We don't know that much! All you hear are rumors, very interesting ones!"

"Well..." The other girl lingered. "If they don't go near the Crystal Brink, as far as I understand, everything should be fine. However, ordinary Arakta Worms and monsters are still too dangerous."

When the green flame disappeared into the shadows of the mine, the girls sighed and turned away, leaving.

"Where are you going?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't you know?"

Groza was puzzled.

"Azura ordered us to prepare dynamite, as well as break blades and cover them with explosives. Well, that's our job, the others are repairing the passages, bringing all the supplies, and doing everything necessary for defense."

"Yeah..." The blonde girl yawned. "Did you see that bitch from the Wurhen Family? Damn, I want to tear her face off."

"Hahaha! This is going to be fun! That's what those pigs deserve! We'll get revenge for everything!"

Groza was speechless.

It reminded her that she was no longer the leader of the noble knights' guard in her world. She was in a prison full of inmates whose souls had long been dark and poisoned either before prison or during this cruel life.

She was just lucky that they were on the same side; these were not the kind of people with whom she could establish a real connection.

Well, luckily for her, Kreyn knew how to find common ground with them, and his journey to the mines would change their game.

Or, it would all end with his death here.

He was willing to take that risk.

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