Otaku Translation: The Amber Sword V3C57

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Chapter 57: , Part 8

In truth, there had been little to no spoils from the earlier battle. The experience gained was negligible—Brandon had long since reached a point where defeating monsters below iron rank, or specifically those under level fifteen, yielded almost no benefit. This mirrored his experiences in the game.

However, amidst the rubble, Brandon discovered a ring—an . In , equipment prefixed with "ogre" enhanced the wearer's strength, forming part of a series that spanned levels twenty to seventy. Lower-tier items bore names like “,” while higher-tier ones often used “” as a prefix.

This particular ogre’s ring was at the lowest tier—level twenty—but even so, it far exceeded Brandon’s expectations. Monsters at level fifteen had less than a one-in-a-thousand chance of dropping magical items of level twenty. The highest possible drop, a level twenty-five piece of armor, had odds closer to zero—practically nonexistent according to player lingo.

Yet, given Brandon’s usual streak of bad luck, he couldn’t help but glance at when he picked up the ring, wondering if she too carried the infamous "red hand" aura.

Upon inspecting its properties, the ring increased the wearer’s output strength by 5%. With Brandon’s base strength at 73.4 units, augmented by his ghost knight crystal and Strength Surge, his effective strength neared a hundred. The ring would add roughly five units of output strength—not much, but better than nothing.

However, his slots were already occupied by the , , , and . After a moment’s thought, Brandon decided against swapping any out and instead tossed the ring to the red-haired girl behind him.

Cinnabar caught the ring, momentarily stunned. “…But I don’t have any strength left,” she murmured softly, puzzled.

“That’s only temporary,” Brandon replied. “It won’t be long before you regain it.”

“Really?” Her amber eyes lit up instantly.

Brandon turned to look at her, hesitating for a brief moment before nodding. “When have I ever lied? Of course it’s true.”

A radiant smile spread across Cinnabar’s face. Yet, with a woman’s keen intuition, she detected a flicker of uncertainty in Brandon. After a pause, she blinked and asked, “Is it related to the , my lord?”

Brandon nodded.

“It’s fine,” Cinnabar said after hearing this, unperturbed. She smiled faintly. “Compared to turning into a monster, I’d rather lose my strength. At least then, I can still fight for you, my lord.”

“Shh—” Brandon raised a finger to his lips, gesturing toward the miner trailing far behind them. Fortunately, the man hadn’t overheard their conversation.

Cinnabar nodded, slipping the ring onto her index finger with delicate care, as though handling a precious treasure.

“It’s not worth much,” Brandon felt compelled to remind her. “It’s just a minor magical item.”

Cinnabar chuckled softly. “Perhaps, but as a gift, its meaning is entirely different.”

Brandon was taken aback.

The girl swiftly changed the subject. Glancing at the surrounding rock walls, she lowered her voice. “My lord, do you think the earthquake and these monsters are connected?”

Brandon nodded.

“Did the earthquake bring these creatures to the surface?” Cinnabar pressed.

“Quite the opposite, I fear.”

“Opposite?” The mercenary girl blinked in confusion. “How could such weak monsters cause an earthquake?”

“Weak?” Brandon shook his head. That was only temporary. If this quest truly involved a relic of the , who knew what awaited them next?

With this in mind, they ventured deeper into the fourth level of the mine.

Soon, Brandon found around a corner. Not far from the overman’s left hand lay two mangled , their fatal wounds clearly sword slashes. It seemed Mahan had fought valiantly before meeting his end. Upon examining the corpse, Brandon noted the fatal wound—a clean cut to the neck. Judging by the overman’s skill, Mahan must have been at least iron rank. Yet, the attacker’s strike had been precise and decisive, indicating a far superior foe.

This meant stronger monsters lurked nearby.

Both Brandon and Cinnabar recognized this, and the latter’s expression grew solemn. As for the miner, seeing the overman’s lifeless body sent him into a panic. To him, these overseers were untouchable figures, yet here one lay cold and dead, instilling in him the terrifying realization that he could meet the same fate at any moment.

Overwhelmed, the miner began shouting hysterically. With no other choice, Brandon used his Lesser Serpent Ring to force the man to calm down, preventing him from attracting more monsters.

Once the miner calmed down, they resumed their journey. After surveying the surroundings, Brandon decisively chose a northern tunnel. If memory served, this should lead to where he and Koven had separated earlier.

But they hadn’t gone far when two packs of stone panthers surrounded them. These creatures emerged silently from the shadows, seemingly endless in number. Brandon went through two swords in quick succession, and a disturbing realization dawned on him—these beasts were spawning indefinitely.

Cinnabar noticed it too. “We need to break through, my lord,” she whispered. “Let’s find a way out.”

Brandon nodded, though his intentions differed slightly from the mercenary girl’s. A normal person in this situation might resign themselves to fate, and even skilled mercenaries would likely make a similar decision to Cinnabar’s. But Brandon wasn’t ordinary—he was a player.

This endless spawning of monsters was highly unusual, even in the context of the game. Drawing on his experience, Brandon began searching for the leader hidden among the weaker foes. Sure enough, he soon spotted a sleek, obsidian-like feline darting through the darkness. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, Brandon identified it as possessing mid-tier iron rank strength.

This was the creature he sought. Without hesitation, Brandon cleaved through the lesser beasts blocking his path and charged after it.

To his astonishment, the reacted with incredible speed. Before Brandon could swing his sword, the beast spun around and vanished into the shadows. Its speed far exceeded its expected capabilities. Before Brandon could activate his charge ability, the panther disappeared around a corner.

Not only that, but the surrounding lesser panthers retreated like a receding tide. In moments, the tunnel was eerily empty.

What was going on?

Brandon dismissed the notion that his mere presence had scared them off. Elemental creatures lacked emotions, relying solely on basic logic. Yet, the tunnels now felt unnervingly vacant.

“What was that?” Both Cinnabar and the miner had glimpsed the fleeting figure and rushed to ask.

“A leader,” Brandon answered. “The alpha of the pack—or, in this case, the summoner’s proxy. Whether it’s an , , or , even the most skilled caster can’t control an entire army alone. They rely on subordinate proxies to command creatures with rudimentary intelligence—like skeletal wizards commanding skeletons.”

“It’s the same here,” he continued, pointing deeper into the mine. “The question is how extensive this summoning network is. If that obsidian panther is the top tier, we’re in luck. If not…”

“Then we’re in trouble.”

As Brandon spoke, he pressed onward. But Cinnabar grew increasingly uneasy. Everything about this underground realm felt unsettling. While her lord seemed to understand the situation, she disliked the oppressive weight of the unknown.

After a moment’s thought, she voiced her concerns. “My lord, let’s retreat to the third level. Our objective was to locate the guard captain and secure the silver mine. Why risk ourselves against these monsters?”

Brandon shook his head. “That was the plan initially, Cinnabar. But things have changed.”

“Changed?” Cinnabar blinked in confusion.

Brandon nodded. A relic of the Silver Folk was worth far more than the entire silver mine. It was akin to offering an entire gold mine in exchange for the golden apple in Brandon’s possession—a deal he would never entertain.

He didn’t elaborate further, instead continuing inward. But after only a few steps, he let out a soft “Hm.”

“What is it?” Cinnabar asked from behind.

“Come see this.” Brandon stood at the corner, beckoning her forward.

Leaning on her , Cinnabar limped around the bend—and froze. Beyond the corner lay a vast space, now resembling the aftermath of a devastating storm. Under the dim glow of the illumination crystal, fragments of the stone panthers littered the ground, interspersed with shards of black jade-like material glinting faintly.

Unmistakably, this was the remains of another type of monster.

Brandon gazed into the cavern’s depths. “It seems someone beat us to it.”

“A formidable opponent,” he remarked.

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