Mike didn’t dwell on Ace’s cryptic words. He had just sold a hundred pounds of ore for triple the price!
What a steal!
As for the rest of the ore he had given Ace, Mike hadn’t even bothered to properly inventory it, only roughly estimating the weight.
Accounting could wait until after they won.
If they lost, well, money wouldn’t be of much use to a dead man.
Before entering the Ninth Abyss, Mike had instructed Bilbo to ramp up ore production.
The Mysterious Mine was a hive of activity, with mining drills operating at full capacity, pushing them to their breaking point. Several had already malfunctioned and been scrapped. These drills were designed to last for 5-10 years under normal conditions.
But these weren’t normal conditions.
Every available worker, regardless of their previous occupation, had been reassigned to the Mysterious Mine.
Except for Master Fool, no one was idle.
Even Bilbo, after organizing the workflow and shift schedules, had joined the front lines.
Goblins possessed an uncanny knack for machinery. They could pick up any device and operate it with ease.
With all hands on deck, ore production had skyrocketed.
The ore Ace had taken would buy them some time, enough to last until the next resupply.
Before entering the Ninth Abyss, Mike had anticipated various scenarios.
His current situation, venturing alone into the heart of the enemy territory to sabotage the Abyssal Core, was all part of the plan.
Given his unique status, operating solo was the safest option.
With Ace gone and the demon army diverted, the pressure on Mike eased considerably.
He would occasionally pause, unleashing devastating area-of-effect spells like Lightning Storm and Meteor Fire Rain, thinning out the horde and keeping them at bay.
Slowly, the tide turned in his favor. It was no longer a desperate chase but a leisurely stroll with a few million demon beasts tagging along.
Of course, this temporary reprieve didn’t make Mike complacent.
He knew this was just the beginning.
The true objective of the demon god orchestrating this chaos remained a mystery.
The Ninth Demon God, the Fifth Demon God, the mysterious entity from the Supreme Abyssal…
The entry requirement for this game of chess was level 995!
The true players were beings of unimaginable power.
Mike picked up the pace, heading towards the Abyssal Core.
Soon, he arrived at a massive underground lair, leading his ‘entourage’ of millions straight into the heart of the enemy’s domain.
Following the Eye of Truth’s guidance, Mike navigated the labyrinthine tunnels, exploiting weaknesses in the defenses and reaching the core chamber.
But that was as far as he could go.
The Abyssal Core was a vital nexus, heavily guarded.
The Eye of Truth provided a timely warning.
[The Ninth Abyss possesses twelve Abyssal Cores.]
[The core ahead is the weakest. Destroying it will reduce the Ninth Abyss’s demon beast forces by 0.73%.] ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
0.73% it was.
Mike pondered his options.
The underground tunnels had temporarily slowed down the demon army, but he couldn’t afford to linger.
If he disappeared for too long, the horde, deprived of their target, would turn their attention towards the human defenses.
He needed to destroy the Abyssal Core quickly and then continue to lead the demon army in parkour.
The problem was… two Nine-Star Lord tier demon guards stood watch over the Abyssal Core. Even with a surprise attack, Mike wasn’t confident in his chances of victory. It was too risky. He might alert the enemy and attract even stronger reinforcements.
He had one ace up his sleeve: Shadow Three!
If Shadow Three intervened, everything would be fine.
Concealed in the shadows, Mike whispered, “Shadow Three, want to do me a favor and kill two demons for free?”
“My duty is to protect you,” Shadow Three replied, his voice a deep rumble. “According to the Guardian Shadow’s rules, I cannot initiate combat against demons.”
Within the Guardian Shadow, only Shadow Nine had the authority to bend the rules.
After all, Shadow Nine’s word was practically law.
So, Mike wasn’t surprised by Shadow Three’s refusal.
But he had anticipated this.
He stepped out from his hiding place, revealing himself to the two Nine-Star Lords.
“Am I seeing things? A human?”
“What’s going on out there? Did our boss switch sides?”
“Spare us, hero!”
Instead of attacking, the two demon Lords took a step back, wary of the lone human standing before them.
The sudden appearance of a seemingly weak human in their inner sanctum was unsettling.
Had the Ninth Abyss fallen?
They quickly established contact with the outside world, learning of the current situation.
Their expressions turned savage.
“This is still our territory! Kill him!”
“Save the corpse for me. I’m going to make a trophy out of it!”
As the two demon Lords prepared to strike, Mike cleared his throat.
“Gentlemen, hold your horses. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Thor.”
Thor?
The demon Lords exchanged confused glances. The name sounded familiar…
“Holy fuck! He is Thor!”
“Kill him! We’ll be rewarded with supreme demon god!”
Tendrils of demonic energy erupted from the ground as the two demon Lords lunged at Mike,
their intentions murderous.
The previous conversation had been a mere delaying tactic.
Upon learning his identity, they were willing to burn their very essence to land a fatal blow.
Locked in their sights, facing imminent death, Mike remained calm. He even had the audacity
to gesture towards Shadow Three.
“Shadow Three, if you please.”
Shadow Three’s duty was to protect the potential Supreme Being, Thor.
These two demon Lords had just identified him as Thor.
They were attempting to kill Thor.
According to the Guardian Shadow’s rules, in a life-or-death situation, a Shadow could
intervene to protect their assigned target.
Therefore…
*CRACK*
*CRACK*
Two sickening crunches echoed through the chamber as the demon Lords’ heads exploded like
overripe tomatoes.
Shadow Three, his bone club dripping with blood and gore, returned to the shadows without a
word.
Mike gave him a thumbs-up.
“Shadow Three, good job!”