Chapter 47

The Brussels iron mine is located more than forty kilometers west of Ellington. This distance is not far for Plandar; if it were flat terrain, the people here could run the entire distance in just a few hours at full speed.

Unfortunately, this is a mountainous forest area.

Even the Ellington Guard, once they enter the forest, move very slowly.

On one hand, it's because of the ubiquitous shrubs and vines, and on the other hand, it's because of the magical beasts.

The rainy season had just passed, and the path used to transport the ore was already blocked by newly grown plants. Tang En and his group had to clear the road as they moved forward with great difficulty.

"Speaking of which, if this is a path for transporting ore, why hasn't it been cleared?"

Tang En was speechless: "And you said the rainy season just passed, so why are the fields so dry?"

Elsa explained, "After Hog abandoned the mine, it was taken over by Baron Duvay. The residents of Ellington who used to work in the mine were forcibly conscripted to continue working. This road has basically been in a semi-abandoned state. As for why the fields are so dry... I'm not sure."

Tang En looked up at the Ambrose Mountains not far away and sighed. In fact, he had already discovered the reason after his initial complaint. The Ambrose Mountains blocked the moist air coming from the west, causing all the rain to fall in the Emerald Forest. This forest benefited from it, but Ellington was less fortunate—fortunately, the Emerald River has abundant water, otherwise, farming would be a problem.

"Wait, you said Baron Duvay forcibly conscripted the residents of Ellington?"

"Yes, before Baron Hog came, the mine was still in operation, but there were frequent battles with the magical beasts that had taken over the mine. The foreman in charge of the mine's operations requested support from Hog, but Hog found it troublesome and refused..."

Elsa said worriedly, "Those people conscripted by Baron Duvay are probably in a bad situation."

"Stealing my mine, conscripting my people, very well, very well indeed!"

Tang En was amused by his anger. Hog, the waste of a man, was only interested in making money and couldn't even protect Ellington's assets. It seems killing him was the right choice.

This time, Tang En brought fifty men from the Guard, while the remaining fifty were left behind to guard Ellington. He didn't take Baron Duvay seriously and brought these people only to give them some training.

However...

"Why haven't we seen any magical beasts yet..."

Tang En was puzzled. He thought that encountering magical beasts in the forest would give the Guard a chance to practice their teamwork, but they hadn't encountered a single one yet.

Elsa said, "My lord, you can rest assured. This path has been cleared many times before, so there are fewer magical beasts around, making it relatively safe."

I'm not worried about encountering magical beasts... I'm worried about not encountering any, my dear...

Just as Tang En sighed, he suddenly paused.

"Wait, this way."

Tang En suddenly frowned and pointed to the forest on the right.

Elsa was taken aback, "My lord, that's not the way to the mine."

"There are people in the forest."

Tang En said and walked in first.

Of course, he didn't clarify that there were not only people but also the aura of magical beasts.

"Everyone, be on high alert! Clear the way for my lord!"

Elsa gave the order in a low voice, drew her longsword, and followed.

Not far ahead, Elsa heard the low growls and weak cries for help coming from a distance.

"That voice is..."

Elsa stepped forward to block Tang En, "My lord, it's the growl of a saber-toothed beast. Let me handle it."

Tang En smiled faintly. He, of course, knew what magical beast was ahead. "Don't act yet, let them try."

"This... my lord..."

Elsa was hesitant. She wasn't afraid of the saber-toothed beast, but the others in the Guard were different. They weren't Awakened, just trained ordinary warriors. Facing a magical beast could be dangerous.

"It's just a first-stage magical beast, what's there to be afraid of? If you keep protecting them like this, they will never become strong."

Tang En felt that the main reason why none of the Guard had Awakened was probably because of Elsa's presence.

She was too kind, unwilling to see them in danger, and always took the lead in any situation. With her protection, their sense of danger was much lower.

"Alright, as you wish."

Elsa yielded.

A moment later, they came to a small clearing. In front of the clearing was a steep cliff, and on the branches extending from the cliff, a man was clinging, covered in blood, looking very weak, and probably trapped there for a long time.

On the clearing, three saber-toothed beasts were constantly trying to climb the cliff, but they lacked the ability to do so, which allowed the man to survive until now.

"That person... Rogers!?"

Uncle Depp exclaimed in shock, "That's Rogers!"

"Do you know him?"

"My friend's son. He was ordered by the lord to serve in the mine. After Hog abandoned the mine, we never heard from him again."

Uncle Depp gripped his longsword tightly, "My friend was killed by Buck. Now his son is my son. I must save Rogers!"

"Since that's the case, no need for further talk."

Tang En said, "Whether we can save him depends on how well you work together."

Elsa said solemnly, "These are first-stage saber-toothed beasts. They are a family of three. Killing them would be difficult even for three Bronze-stage Awakened. Do you have the confidence to defeat them?"

"Yes!"

"Ellington Guard, invincible in battle!"

"Kill them!"

The Guard's shouts alerted the saber-toothed beasts. They turned around, their eyes scanning the Guard members, and then focused on Tang En. They suddenly trembled, their eyes filled with fear.

The instinct of the magical beasts made them fear the man in front of them.

Tang En looked at them calmly, his无形的气势压迫着它们。

The saber-toothed beasts soon realized they couldn't escape. No matter which direction they fled, they would be killed by this human.

There was only one path, the path leading to the group of people in front, that was safe!

The saber-toothed beasts were restless. They knew rushing forward was a dead end, but it was their only choice, and they had no say in the matter.

The only way to survive was to fight!

"Roar..."

The saber-toothed beasts growled at the Guard, their sharp teeth gleaming, trying to intimidate them and force them to clear a path.

Tang En's lips curled into a mysterious smile. He secretly snapped his fingers, and a few small sparks appeared behind the saber-toothed beasts. The sudden attack snapped their nerves, and they roared as they pounced on the Guard!

"Be careful!"

"Let me handle it!"

Uncle Depp raised his iron shield in front, and with a loud "bang," he was pushed back several steps by the impact.

"Kill!"

The young and spirited Danny took the opportunity to dart out and slashed a bloody gash on the saber-toothed beast's front leg!

"Ao!!!"

The saber-toothed beast's killing intent boiled over, and its massive jaws bit directly at Danny's head.

"Move!"

Danny was pushed aside by a comrade, but the one who saved him had several gashes torn into his back by the saber-toothed beast's teeth, blood gushing out.

"Tom!"

"Less talk!"

Tom shouted, "Kill it!"

"I'll take care of it!"

Enraged, Danny leaped up, raised his longsword with both hands, and struck the saber-toothed beast's front leg with all his might!

"Damn! The blade is stuck!"

Danny exclaimed as the saber-toothed beast shook him off, sending him flying.

Tang En, looking helpless, released a wind vortex to catch Danny.

"I, I'm fine!"

After landing, Danny was surprised. He hadn't felt the impact of landing; instead, it felt soft, as if there was a cushion beneath him.

Tang En couldn't stand it anymore. Without his magical assistance, the Guard's combat ability was truly lacking...

However, what surprised Tang En was that their teamwork was quite good. At least they didn't abandon their comrades.

If their combat ability could improve and they all Awakened, becoming Awakened, these three saber-toothed beasts would be no match for them.

Tang En watched them fight the saber-toothed beasts. In a short time, almost everyone was injured. They trusted each other, protecting and supporting each other, ensuring that the injuries were evenly distributed, so no one suffered fatal wounds.

On the other hand, under the exchange of injuries, the three saber-toothed beasts also accumulated many wounds.

Now both sides were rapidly exhausting their strength, but it was clear that the Guard was consuming their energy faster.

In terms of stamina, humans are naturally inferior to magical beasts.

However, Tang En was already satisfied. Although the Guard's combat ability disappointed him, their spirit of unity and cooperation was worth his help.

"Elsa, it's enough. Finish them off."

Tang En signaled Elsa to act, but she shook her head, "No need, my lord. They are about to win."

"Really?"

Tang En was taken aback. The current battle situation didn't look like they were about to win.

Seeing Tang En's confusion, Elsa explained, "My lord, you haven't fought saber-toothed beasts before. You might not know that their weak points are their abdomens and waists. When Uncle Depp was defending, the others took the opportunity to injure their vital points. They look fierce now, but it's just a futile struggle."

Tang En was greatly surprised. After watching for a while, he realized he had underestimated these people.

As Elsa said, the fierce attacks of the saber-toothed beasts only suppressed the Guard for a moment. Soon, they were pushed back.

The Guard, on the other hand, fought with increasing courage. The injuries on their bodies seemed to act as a catalyst, adding more killing intent.

After a while, all three saber-toothed beasts were dead!

Tang En was very surprised. Without his help, they had actually killed all three saber-toothed beasts!