I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#50. Reward Acquisition (2)

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Whiiiiiiiing―

The northern blade wind carved the cliffs of the snow mountain even sharper.

Trudge―trudge―trudge―trudge―

Featherback and Sancho were walking through snow that sank up to their knees.

The path returning to Mörsolt Territory.

However, for some reason, Featherback wasn’t taking the shortcut but was making a long detour.

This was to explore new mine sites to develop in place of the collapsed Beauvoir Mines.

‘Instead of the original mine being buried by the landslide, a new mine was revealed on the opposite peak.’

Since that area was also a new tributary of the Beauvoir Mines, there would be many buried minerals there.

Featherback entered the cave entrance with a calm expression.

A cave newly formed by this landslide.

Looking closely, the cave was pierced straight through, crossing under several mountain peaks.

If done well, it could greatly reduce the time to return to the territory.

“While we’re at it, we’ll also search for new veins.”

“Are you really just doing this ‘while you’re at it’? At this point, it seems like you’re not returning to the mansion but creating new missions to carry out…”

“If you don’t like it, go alone. It’s not too late even now.”

“Oh no, that’s not it! I’ll search thoroughly as we go! Can’t I even give my opinion? I’m just speaking out of loyalty to the Young Master…! Ahem! Ahem!”

Sancho, who had been reading Featherback’s mood, exhaled sharply and entered the cave.

Flicker―

When the torch was lit, the newly pierced mine shaft became visible.

A deep and winding abyss like the throat of a giant monster.

Sancho swallowed his dry saliva.

“This… the terrain seems to have been completely turned upside down.”

Of course.

A massive shock equivalent to a volcanic eruption had risen from deep underground and completely covered the ground surface.

Sancho carefully shone the light.

At that moment.

“Huh!?”

Sancho covered his mouth with his hand.

Reddish geological strata flowing on the wall.

They were filled with minerals that glittered golden.

“C-could all of that be gold veins?”

“It appears so.”

Featherback stroked the wall that glittered with golden light.

An enormous amount of gold that had been preserved intact since ancient times.

Golden veins that no one had ever mined flowed endlessly, endlessly down the cave walls and beneath the floor.

“I, I see. Since no one has ever mined this gold vein until now, there’s this much… No one would have expected this much gold to be buried in a place like this…”

Sancho broke out in a cold sweat as he looked around the cave.

Just mining the gold veins visible now would be enough to buy all the land across the entire Empire.

If they could tap into the gold veins extending beneath the floor, it might even shake humanity’s gold standard system.

However.

“Don’t get excited over mere gold.”

Featherback pointed his finger toward the area beyond the gold vein.

Sancho turned his head in that direction with a bewildered expression.

“No, if a person doesn’t get excited seeing gold, then what should they get excited about… Huh!?”

When he discovered the gold vein, he thought nothing could be more surprising than this.

But that was a grave mistake.

Beyond the golden geological stratum, soil of a new color was revealed.

Purple-glowing minerals scattered mysterious light throughout the underground veins.

Sancho, who had once worked at a blacksmith shop, could immediately tell what it was.

“Mi, mi, mi, mi, Mithril!?”

A metal passed down like legend among all blacksmiths.

A mana superconductor that had been beloved by mages since the Mythical Age.

One of the great metals created by God.

Featherback traced the mithril vein with his finger.

“The reserves seem quite substantial. Not bad.”

In fact, it wasn’t just “not bad.”

The discovery of this mithril vein alone was tremendous enough to suppress the Demon King’s army’s invasion toward the Northern Region for over five years.

Mithril ore that sparkled like starlight.

When they gathered together, it was as if a purple galaxy was spread out before them.

Featherback recalled the time before his regression.

‘The Saint taught me. After regressing, I must expand humanity’s territory to reach this place where the Mithril Mine exists.’

Following those teachings, Featherback now stood in this very place.

Following the advice of old comrades who no longer existed.

‘With this much, I can arm all the knights and soldiers of the territory with mithril alloy. Furthermore, even the new subordinates I’ll gain.’

Featherback envisioned an army armed with mithril.

In the past, when they were being helplessly ravaged by the Demon Army, only the troops armed with mithril alloy could properly face the monsters.

Though they were eventually pushed back due to insufficient numbers… with this amount, the story would be different.

“Let’s go inside. There might be something else there.”

“Ah, yes!”

Even though Featherback had changed his route to the depths of the vein instead of toward Mörsolt Territory, Sancho followed without a single complaint.

“Today I’m witnessing the moment when Mörsolt Territory’s fate changes! I’m excited to see what other amazing things might be down there!”

“Be quiet. The echo is making my ears ring.”

“…Yes.”

Featherback entered deep into the earth cave.

There, bubbling geothermal heat was rising up.

Bubble bubble bubble bubble…

When they went down below the cave, they could see underground water boiling.

Seeing the vigorously boiling underground water, Sancho said.

“Come to think of it, boiling hot spring water was also bursting out from the collapsed Beauvoir Mines. This water vein probably originates from the dragon’s lair.”

“Hmm.”

Featherback stroked his chin.

Then suddenly he began stripping off the leather scraps that Sancho had put on him.

Featherback placed the removed leather scraps on the floor and said.

“Guard the clothes here.”

“What? Where are you going, my lord?”

“I’m going to dive down below.”

“What!?”

Sancho’s mouth fell open.

What did he mean by diving into that vigorously boiling hot water?

“N-no, my lord. What are you trying to find that you would go inside that…”

But Sancho didn’t have time to finish his question.

Splash—!

Featherback threw his body into the water that filled the bottom of the cave.

* * *

Gurgle gurgle gurgle…

Featherback swam down through the vigorously boiling hot water.

Perhaps because he had consumed the Ice Dragon Core, he didn’t feel hot at all.

Featherback continued descending into the cave.

The vigorously rising steam and gradually thickening darkness welcomed Featherback.

This cave created by the landslide and earthquake felt like a trap maliciously drilled by some transcendent being.

The moment Featherback entered this underwater cave, he felt an eerie sensation as if his connection to the surface had been severed.

‘Is it because this is a dragon’s cave? The aura permeating this place is certainly extraordinary.’

Beyond the bubbles rising up with a gurgling sound, there was definitely something there.

Featherback had sensed that and dove down to this place.

‘Let’s see. What is lurking here?’

Following the dragon claw marks carved into the walls, Featherback swam and swam again.

The cave gaped open like a pit leading to a deep abyss.

The dark cracks and crevices scattered across the walls were dark and ominous, as if leading to the end of the world.

Eventually, a wide cavern appeared.

On the ceiling and floor of the cavern filled with hot water, countless stalagmites had sprouted.

They looked like the remains of living beings that had suffered and been deformed over long ages.

The rock surfaces were grotesquely distorted, forming shapes like painfully twisted limbs that had hardened, and the wrinkles that had been melting from heat but stopped halfway multiplied the hideousness.

‘….’

Featherback continued to descend along the cave wall.

Just when he was getting short of breath and thinking he should start going back up.

‘!’

Featherback came face to face with a floor he hadn’t expected to find.

A dwelling where Ice Dragon Adara had clearly once resided.

That place was now filled with boiling water and darkness.

And at the end of it, Featherback discovered something.

…Glint!

Featherback reached out his hand, forgetting that he had little time left to hold his breath.

‘This is…’

* * *

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Sancho was stamping his feet outside the water.

“R-right. This is my lord who survived even within Dragon’s Breath. Water like this would just be like slightly warm hot spring water to him.”

Sancho couldn’t take his eyes off the surface of the bubbling geyser.

However, even after one hour passed, two hours passed, three hours passed, Featherback did not return.

“Uuugh…”

Sancho kept his position while sweating profusely.

Steam hot enough to cook flesh was steaming Sancho like boiled meat.

But Sancho did not leave his post even as his consciousness grew distant.

Just then.

Splash—!

The hot water surface split apart as Featherback burst out.

“Lord!”

Sancho lifted his head with an expression of overwhelming emotion.

But then.

“Huh? L-Lord. What is that at your side?”

At Featherback’s side that Sancho was looking at, there was a large sphere tucked under his arm.

A crimson smooth hard-looking oval.

Featherback set it down on the ground and spoke casually.

“It’s a dragon egg.”

“Yes, an egg… wait, no! A dragon!? You said dragon!?”

Sancho started nodding then suddenly shouted.

Featherback frowned and said.

“You’re loud. Speak quietly.”

“Y-yes… but wait, what did you just say? An egg? A dragon egg? Could it be from that Ice Dragon you slayed, Lord?”

“Probably so. It was deep inside its nest.”

It seemed Ice Dragon Adara had made its nest here not simply to grow its own body.

Featherback had dived down to the deep chamber of the nest where Ice Dragon Adara had once dwelled and discovered this egg there.

‘An unexpected spoil indeed.’

This was a war trophy that even Featherback had never anticipated.

Before his regression, he hadn’t even known that Ice Dragon Adara had been incubating an egg.

Featherback gestured toward Sancho with his chin.

“Wrap it in leather clothing. We’ll need it to carry on our shoulders.”

“Ah, should I carry it? Oh, but then what will you wear, Young Master…?”

“Use your clothes.”

“…”

At Featherback’s words, Sancho’s face turned into a tearful expression.

It was winter.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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