The entrance to the mines loomed ahead, a yawning black maw that seemed to breathe unease into the air. Sael adjusted the straps of his gear and glanced at Lyra and Rhea. They nodded, resolute, before stepping inside. The first thing that struck him was the smell—a metallic tang mixed with the darkness of the underground.

  The mine’s interior was dark, but faint glimmers of light came from crude metal forges scattered throughout the tunnels. The reptilian humanoids had clearly repurposed the mine into a functioning base. Piles of jagged weapons—crafted haphazardly from the mined metal—lay scattered around, along with heaps of raw iron and steel. Sael crouched near a pile, inspecting the crude craftsmanship.

  “They’re intelligent enough to forge weapons, but not skilled enough to make them usable for long,” he muttered. Lyra nodded, her eyes scanning the tunnel walls.

  “The metal’s good quality, though,” she said. “We should take the raw materials. The weapons are useless to us.”

  Sael didn’t need convincing. He opened his storage system and began stowing the raw and forged iron and steel ingots. The weightless system made quick work of it, and soon the pile had vanished.

  As they moved deeper, the air grew heavier, and the tunnels twisted unpredictably. Lyra whispered a spell, her light magic illuminating faint tracks and claw marks. “They’ve been busy,” she said.

  Sael used the opportunity to practice his magic. He shaped small boulders with his Earth Magic. His accuracy was improving. One boulder struck a creature square in the chest, sending it sprawling to the ground with a guttural cry. Another smashed into a weapon-wielding reptilian’s arm, disarming it before Rhea leapt in to finish it with her claws.

  “Nice shot,” she said, her tone encouraging as she dodged around another attacker with the help of her Mirage Vest. Her movements were fluid, her opal claws tearing through scaled hides with precision.

  Sael nodded but felt the strain on his mana. “I’m low,” he admitted, drawing his sword—the Celestial Fang—from its sheath. The blade shimmered faintly in the dim light, its blue-laced steel and green handle a sharp contrast to the crude weapons of their enemies. His Mirror Shield was strapped to his left arm, ready to deflect incoming blows.

  The confined tunnels made the battle intimate and chaotic. Sael’s sword slashed through the air, cutting into one creature’s side. Another lunged at him, but he raised the Mirror Shield in time to deflect the attack, the reflective surface briefly blinding the assailant with a flash of light. Sael countered with a downward strike, ending the creature.

  Rhea darted around him, a blur of motion as her claws left glowing arcs in the air. She was relentless, her strikes precise as she dismantled the reptilian foes. Lyra, staying further back, unleashed sharpened boulders and bursts of light magic to disorient the enemies.

  As they descended, the tunnels opened into a vast chamber. The scale of the nest became apparent. Heaps of crude weapons were piled along the walls, and dozens of reptilian humanoids milled about, their guttural communication echoing through the space. The group’s presence did not go unnoticed.

  The first wave of attackers funneled into the hallway leading to the chamber. Sael positioned himself at the front, sword and shield ready. “This is going to get messy,” he said, bracing for the onslaught.

  The battle that followed was grueling. The reptilians charged in waves, their crude weapons glinting in the dim light. Sael’s sword arm grew tired, but he pressed on, his movements becoming more instinctive. His shield deflected blow after blow, and each counterattack cut down another enemy.

  Rhea stayed mobile, using the narrow hallway to her advantage. She weaved between enemies, her Mirage Vest creating illusory doubles that confused the attackers. Her claws flashed, finding weak points in their defenses. One particularly large reptilian swung a heavy club at her, but she dodged effortlessly and retaliated with a devastating strike to its throat.

  Lyra, standing at the rear, demonstrated her mastery of magic. She conjured sharpened boulders, launching them with deadly accuracy. When a group of enemies clustered together, she unleashed a concentrated blast of light magic, blinding them and leaving them vulnerable to Rhea and Sael’s attacks.

  Despite their efforts, the reptilians kept coming. The hallway was soon littered with bodies, but the group’s stamina was wearing thin. Sael gritted his teeth, his movements slowing as the weight of his armor and the repeated strikes took their toll. Lyra’s mana reserves were running low, and Rhea’s breath came in heavy pants.

  Finally, the last of the enemies fell, a sharpened boulder from Lyra piercing its chest. The group stood amidst the aftermath, the echoes of battle fading into silence. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and sweat.

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  “That was… intense,” Sael said, leaning against the wall to catch his breath.

  Lyra nodded, her face pale but determined. “This isn’t over. There’s no way this many creatures organized themselves without a leader.”

  Rhea wiped her claws clean, her eyes narrowing. “If there’s a leader, we’ll find it. And we’ll take it down.”

  They steeled themselves and pressed forward, deeper into the nest, the promise of a final confrontation looming ahead.

  The air in the mine was tense as the group caught their breath. The bodies of the fallen reptilian humanoids littered the tunnel behind them, and Sael could feel the weight of exhaustion in his limbs. But amidst the aftermath, his system chimed, glowing notifications appearing in his vision.

  System Updates:

  [Shield Mastery - Lv.3]: Enhanced proficiency with shields. Further reduces the force of impacts and improves countering techniques.

  [Sword Mastery - Lv.2]: Increased proficiency with swords. Improves attack speed and precision with slashes and thrusts.

  [Earth Magic - Lv.4]: Greater control over soil, stone, and terrain. Allows for larger and faster manipulations with significantly reduced mana cost. Enhanced ability to create dense, durable projectiles.

  Sael dismissed the notifications with a slight smile. “Not bad,” he muttered. Despite their progress, the air ahead carried a sense of foreboding. The tunnel sloped downward, leading to what they could only assume was the heart of the nest.

  “Stay sharp,” Rhea said, her claws flexing as she adjusted the Mirage Vest. “If there’s a leader, it’ll be down there.”

  Lyra nodded, her staff glowing faintly with residual light magic. “They’ve been stockpiling too much to be ordinary scavengers. Let’s see what’s waiting for us.”

  The group moved cautiously, their steps echoing in the narrowing tunnel. As they entered a vast, dimly lit cavern, the scale of the reptilians’ operation became clear. Metal ingots, raw ores, and stolen supplies from raided caravans were piled haphazardly along the walls. In the center of the chamber, three hulking figures stood, larger and more imposing than any they’d faced so far. Their scaled hides gleamed with a hard metallic sheen.

  The largest of the three hissed, its jagged teeth bared as it hefted a massive, crudely forged axe. The others brandished equally menacing weapons—a spiked mace and twin serrated blades. They weren’t just brutes; their movements were calculated, their postures disciplined.

  “These aren’t like the others,” Sael said, raising his Mirror Shield. “They know what they’re doing.”

  “Good,” Rhea replied, a predatory grin spreading across her face. “I was getting bored.”

  The battle began with a roar from the largest lizard, its axe swinging in a wide arc. Sael braced himself, intercepting the strike with his shield. The force of the impact reverberated through his arm, but the Mirror Shield held firm, its reflective surface dazzling the creature momentarily. Sael countered with a slash from the Celestial Fang, the blade biting into the lizard’s armored hide and drawing a hiss of pain.

  Rhea darted to the side, using the Mirage Vest to create illusory doubles that confused the other two lizards. She struck with precision, her opal claws slashing at their legs to hinder their movements. One of the lizards growled in frustration, swinging its mace wildly at the illusions while Rhea danced out of reach.

  Lyra stayed at a distance, her staff glowing as she channeled Earth Magic. She conjured a sharpened boulder and launched it at the twin-blade wielder, the projectile striking its chest and staggering it. Without missing a beat, she cast a burst of light magic to disorient the enemies, giving Sael and Rhea openings to press their attacks.

  Despite their efforts, the lizards fought with surprising coordination. The axe-wielder forced Sael back with relentless strikes, while the twin-blade user deflected Lyra’s boulders and closed the distance toward her. The mace-wielder, though slower, proved resilient, shrugging off Rhea’s attacks and countering with heavy swings that forced her to stay on the defensive.

  “We’re losing momentum!” Sael called out, his breath coming in heavy pants.

  Rhea growled in frustration, narrowly dodging another swing. “We need to end this fast!”

  Sael’s mind raced. They couldn’t keep this up for much longer. “Cover me!” he shouted, stepping back and summoning the bear-shaped exosuit. The magical construct materialized around him, its cannons gleaming with stored mana.

  The lizards hesitated for a moment, their glowing eyes narrowing as they assessed the new threat. Sael didn’t give them a chance to act. He fired the exosuit’s cannon repeatedly, blasts of concentrated energy slamming into the axe-wielder and the mace-wielder. The force of the explosions sent them flying, their massive forms crashing into the piles of metal with bone-crushing force.

  The twin-blade user lunged at Sael, but Rhea intercepted it, her claws raking across its exposed side. Lyra followed up with a sharpened boulder that struck its head, dazing it long enough for Sael to fire another cannon blast. The cannon blast struck true, and the creature crumpled to the ground.

  The cavern fell silent, save for the faint hum of Sael’s exosuit. He deactivated the suit and put it back in storage, its mana crystal running low. The three leaders lay motionless, their crude weapons scattered around them.

  “That… was intense,” Rhea said, brushing sweat from her brow.

  “We did it,” Lyra added, her voice tinged with relief. She leaned on her staff, visibly drained.

  Sael nodded, his gaze shifting to the piles of loot the lizards had been guarding. Among the ingots and ores were trade goods—bolts of fabric, barrels of preserved food, and crates of various supplies. “Looks like they’ve been raiding caravans. This will help a lot of people.”

  “And us,” Rhea said with a grin. “We earned it.”

  They began gathering the loot, stowing the valuable materials in Sael’s storage system. Despite their exhaustion, there was a sense of accomplishment among them. The nest had been cleared, and the roads would be safer because of it. But in the back of Sael’s mind, a question lingered—what had driven the lizards to organize like this in the first place?