As they entered the cave, Kaito led the group carefully forward. After only one or two meters, faint glimmers of light began to shine from the walls as small stones that were embedded within the rock, glowing softly. Kaito immediately recognized them for what they were Spirit Stones.
Marcus, Elias, Lucas, and Calvin also stared curiously at the glowing stones, wonder plain on their faces. But since Kaito did not stop, none of them broke formation. They followed closely behind him, their attention divided between the path ahead and the shining stones around them.
The deeper they went, the brighter the glow became. The Spirit Stones grew denser, filling more and more of the rocky walls. With them came a steady rise in the surrounding spiritual energy. At first, only Kaito, with his Rank 1 cultivation, could feel it clearly. But as they advanced, even Marcus and the others still unranked began to sense the difference.
The air itself felt heavier, richer, pressing against their bodies with unseen force.
Marcus's eyes widened in excitement. "Wow, what a place! If we practice here, we'd need only two or three days to break through to Rank 1 martial arts!"
Elias and the others nodded in agreement, their faces lit with eagerness.
Kaito did not respond. His eyes remained locked forward, alert and cautious. While his cousins marveled at the discovery, his thoughts were on the dangers that lay ahead. Judging by the density of the Spirit energy, he guessed that this mine had only recently formed. That meant the mine spirits inside would not have had much time to grow strong.
This realization strengthened his resolve. His decision to come now had been the right one. If he had delayed even one or two weeks, the strongest among the mine spirits could have already reached Rank 3, just like in his previous life. Facing them then would have been far more dangerous.
Behind him, Marcus and the others continued whispering their amazement. Kaito understood why. His cousins had been practicing martial arts since a young age, long before he had begun taking it seriously. Before his rebirth, he had often neglected his martial practice in favor of other pursuits. Only after being reborn had he focused his efforts completely on martial cultivation.
Because of their long training, Marcus and the others were already on the cusp of breaking through. Practicing in such a dense environment, it was natural for them to feel they could reach Rank 1 within days. Kaito knew they were not wrong. In fact, with the resources he had already provided to the ancestral estate, they could break through in just a few days even without this place. It wasn't only the younger generation his uncles and elders in the estate would also likely experience breakthroughs soon.
The group pressed deeper, and suddenly Kaito halted. In the darkness ahead, two eerie green lights flickered to life.
His body tensed. He recognized the glow instantly.
"Be ready!" he shouted to the others. His voice echoed sharply in the confined space.
A moment later, a monster emerged from the rocky wall itself. Its body was made entirely of stone, its eyes glowing with green fire. It opened its jagged mouth and let out a low roar that reverberated through the cavern.
The first mine spirit had appeared.
Kaito knew their greatest strength was their defense. Their rocky bodies were extremely difficult to pierce. But he also realized that his speculation had been right as this one was only an ordinary, unranked mine spirit.
Still, there was no time to relax. The creature lunged forward, rocks grinding against each other as it moved with surprising speed. Kaito narrowed his eyes. He had to finish it quickly, before it could alert its companions. Even an unranked mine spirit could become dangerous if too many gathered.
Marcus and the others froze in shock. This was the first time they had seen a monster outside of the ordinary beasts of the Greystone Mountains.
"Focus!" Kaito barked. "There will be more. Stay alert!"
Even as he spoke, more green lights flickered to life in the darkness ahead. One, two, three soon the tunnel was filled with glowing eyes.
Kaito's expression hardened. Just as I thought.
The nearest mine spirit lunged at him. Kaito wasted no time. With a flash, he used Wind Veil Steps to dart forward, his blade swinging in a sharp arc. The sword bit into the rocky body, cracking through one of its joints. The creature roared and staggered.
Turning to his cousins, Kaito called out sharply, "Don't just stand there! Attack! We need to finish them before more arrive!"
His words broke them out of their stupor. Marcus gripped his staff and charged, smashing it down on the nearest mine spirit. Elias kept his bow ready but stayed cautious in the cramped space, while Lucas and Calvin drew their swords and followed Marcus.
Kaito focused on the rank 0 mine spirits that appeared among the unranked ones. They were stronger and required more effort to defeat. Their defenses were thick, and ordinary strikes barely left scratches. Only by targeting their joints where the rocky plates connected could he break them apart. Step by step, he fought with precision, shattering their limbs and smashing them into rubble.
Behind him, Marcus swung his staff with renewed confidence. He had already received some pointers by Kaito earlier in the day, and the improvement was clear now. Each strike of his staff landed cleanly, and the unranked mine spirits crumbled under his blows. What once would have required several attempts now took only one or two decisive strikes.
Lucas and Calvin fought shoulder to shoulder. Years of training together gave them a natural rhythm, their sword techniques flowing in harmony. They cut through the unranked mine spirits with ease, covering each other's movements and leaving no openings.
Even Elias contributed when possible. Though the cramped cave limited his bow's effectiveness, he still managed to fire at vulnerable joints, helping his brothers finish their targets faster.
One by one, the mine spirits fell. Rock shattered against the ground, their glowing eyes dimming as their bodies broke apart into piles of rubble.
At last, Kaito cut down the final rank 0 mine spirit in front of him. His sword pierced through its joint, and with a final shudder it collapsed into fragments. He exhaled heavily and turned.
Behind him, Marcus, Elias, Lucas, and Calvin had also finished. The last of the unranked mine spirits lay in pieces around them, the faint glow of their eyes fading into darkness.
Kaito studied them quietly. They had fought well better than he expected. Their earlier enthusiasm had been reckless, but here, under pressure, they had shown true ability.
He gave a small nod, acknowledging their strength.
The mine spirits could be said to be some of the most useless monsters in existence. Not only did they require a considerable amount of effort to defeat, but once killed, they left behind nothing of value. Unlike other monsters, they did not drop useful materials or resources. The only real benefit of defeating them all was that you might secure control of the Spirit Stone Mine itself.
But even that so-called reward was not guaranteed. If, for example, you were in the middle of fighting mine spirits and another faction arrived, they could easily attempt to seize the mine for themselves. In such a case, you would be caught between the unending waves of mine spirits and the attacks of another faction. The chance of being crushed in such a situation was high, and even if you had managed to subdue the spirits, you might still lose control of the mine entirely.
Kaito remembered clearly from his previous life how countless battles were fought across the Federation for the sake of controlling Spirit Stone Mines. Time after time, factions clashed, spilling blood for the right to own these rare resources.