Chapter 539 Deep into the Mine (2/2)

”W-What happened?” Emily shrunk her body nervously.

The deep mine shaft was exceptionally dusky under the burning flames. The private soldiers that Edward had led down with him surrounded them swiftly with their weapons, protecting their employer and guests. Edward turned toward Rhode with a bitter smile. ”Miss Seren, the… the situation isn't looking too good. I think we should leave this place now and discuss later. What do you…”

”Waaaa!”

A series of miserable shrieks erupted once again. Several ashen-faced, bloody miners bolted from the other end, swinging their arms frantically. Emily screamed in fear and the private soldiers moved up to stop the fleeing miners.

”What happened?” The foreman demanded.

The miners totally disregarded the shiny sword blades before them. They looked into the pitch-black tunnel behind them and turned back around, shuddering. ”Monster, Sir. There's a monster! A terrifying monster!”

”Monster?” Edward walked up to them hurriedly. ”What monster? What exactly did all of you see?”

Rhode approached one of the private soldiers and drew his sword hanging on his waist. He took a step forward, pulled Emily from the tunnel wall, and brandished the sword in his right hand!

The solid tunnel wall rippled strangely like a pond of water and a pitch-black, gigantic worm struck out from within. It widened its disgusting, complex-looking mouth and hissed horrifyingly. Rhode dragged Emily to safety and pierced the monster's mouth with the sword.

A dazzling spiritual radiance erupted and the blade airflow blasted the monster far away. Its two-meter long, thick body was slashed into multiple pieces, but there was no blood. Instead, the monster puffed into a cloud of powder and vanished in the air.

”T-That is…” Edward and Emily widened their eyes at Rhode unbelievably.

They had never expected this delicate-looking lady to possess such impressive swordsmanship! Oh, Lord. That's spiritual energy… This young lady is just over 20 years old and she possesses such formidable powers… Is everyone from the Country of Light as powerful as her?

Emily looked at Rhode with glistening, admirable eyes and she had even forgotten about the dangers. Not only was 'Miss Seren' intelligent, but she also possessed exquisite and powerful swordsmanship. Ah… I didn't expect that I would meet someone like her. If I can be as powerful as her, becoming a Travel Merchant won't be a dream anymore.

”W-What is that?” Edward was apparently more concerned about the monster than Emily.

Rhode shook his head. ”It seems like some kind of elemental creature. But I'm not exactly sure what it is.”

Of course, this was a lie. Rhode was sure that this monster was a creature created by the Earth Elemental Spirits. But… Why did it appear here? What exactly was going on?

”Monster! Monster!”

The miners screamed at the top of their lungs and darted off after pushing the private soldiers aside.

”Don't run, be careful…!”

Before the foreman finished his sentence, strange ripples formed on both sides of the tunnel wall. Then, three weirdly-shaped worms struck out and brushed the frantic miners. The three monsters didn't give chase to their prey. Instead, they turned around and hissed at the enemies before them. On the other end of the tunnel, four to five similar monsters had emerged, hissing and surrounding Rhode's group slowly. They were trapped.

Something's wrong!

Rhode scrutinized their movements. Even though pure elemental creatures appeared alive, they could also be considered lifeless. The pure elemental creatures despised humans and would massacre every human as long as they stepped into their territory. Besides, these elemental creatures were abnormally brutal and hard to deal with. This was the reason why the mine in Fiat region was completely sealed after the Earth Elemental creature was awakened. But now, these elemental creatures had let off the miners and turned their attention on Rhode's group? There seemed to be a mismatch of their usual chaotic and straightforward battle style to their movements. Could it be…

Rhode swept a glance at the ashen-faced Edward, who was shuddering from head to toe.

Could it be that these Earth Elemental creatures are being manipulated by someone?