Chương 162: Chapter 162 - What A Haul!

Lunt's pickaxe rang out steadily against the stone, echoing in the narrow tunnel.

Each strike chipped away at the rock encasing the luxorite, revealing more of the gleaming crystals.

They pulsed faintly in the lantern light, their glow growing stronger and stronger as more of them gained freedom from the dark."

Sonder shifted her feet. The vibrations from Lunt's strikes seemed to ripple outward too strongly, the resonance unsettling the otherwise still air.

She let her mana seep out again, brushing it against the stone to sense its reaction. The earth felt tense, but also too loose.

"Lunt," she said, warning the dwarf boy. "Be careful. I don't think this part of the mine is stable."

Lunt grunted, not looking up. "Don't worry. Dwarves know rocks. Just one more piece..."

He swung harder, his pickax biting deep into the stone. A sharp crack echoed through the tunnel, louder and more ominous than any before it.

Sonder felt the tremors roll beneath her feet.

"Stop!" she shouted, stepping back.

The mountain groaned around them, a low, mournful sound.

Dust and loose pebbles rained from the ceiling as the walls shuddered. Lunt froze, his pickax still embedded in the rock, his eyes darting to the beams supporting the tunnel.

"Oh no," he muttered. "That's bad."

The next moment, the ceiling above them began to give way. Chunks of stone broke loose, falling toward them with a deafening roar.

Sonder acted on instinct, grabbing Lunt by the arm and pulling him close as she shot out her mana.

The pulse acted as a barrier, deflecting the first wave of debris as it crashed down. The rocks shattered into harmless fragments that clattered to the ground around them.

Sweat dripped down her face—she had already expended much of her mana to locate the ore and crystals. Her voice was hoarse as she shouted, 'We need to go! Now!

Lunt didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the largest intact piece of luxorite he could carry, stuffing it into his sack, and sprinted toward the exit.

Sonder followed, pushing away more debris when it came raining down.

The tunnel shook violently, the groaning of the mountain growing louder. Wooden beams snapped like twigs, and the floor buckled beneath them.

"Almost there!" Lunt yelled, his voice nearly drowned out by the chaos.

Sonder's chest burned with every gasp of dust-laden air as she pushed her mana to its limits.

The faint glow of lantern light ahead marked the main tunnel—safety was so close. But her heart sank when she saw that the ceiling above the exit had already started to collapse.

"Keep running!" she shouted at Lunt, planting her feet firmly. She raised her arms and focused all her remaining strength on the collapsing section. A luminous barrier formed, bracing against the falling rocks.

The tunnel groaned, but her barrier held, keeping the exit open.

"Go!" she yelled, shoving Lunt forward.

He stumbled but didn't stop, sprinting as fast as he could. A deafening crash rang out, followed by a thick cloud of dust that enveloped them both.

Sonder staggered out of the dust and dropped to her knees, her mana finally flickering out.

Lunt leaned against the wall, coughing violently as he clutched his sack to his chest. "That," he wheezed, "was a close one."

Sonder glared at him, her chest heaving. "I told you... to be careful."

Lunt winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "You did. And I probably should've listened." He hesitated, then pulled the luxorite from his sack. Its radiant glow remained undimmed, the light dancing across its flawless surface. "But look at this. We got it. Worth the trouble, right?"

Sonder shot him a look that could have melted iron. "Not if we'd been buried alive."

He chuckled nervously, tucking the crystal away. "You're right. Next time, I'll listen."

"Next time?" Sonder groaned, letting her head rest against the cool stone wall.

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