Hanma was still pondering on what to do if the old man would run out of ore. Those materials were unmissable and he could buy them at a fairly cheap price as well. Other merchants would ask at least fifty percent more. He was lucky the old man sold to his father, but that’s not the only reason he could get a discount. The old man’s brother had a small mining company that worked in the Cairn Mine. Which meant he almost got ore for free hence why he could sell them for a low price.

The Cairn Mine was a special place, unlike any other mine this one regenerated ores even quicker. With the Tsutharoth company, the owner being the old man's brother, owning the deepest parts of it everything fell right into place. Cheap prices and an everlasting supply. Now that this was being threatened Hanma began to slowly worry more and more as he was on his way home.

Maybe I should check out the mine for myself. The dungeon entrance is guarded by explorers. I can’t accidentally walk in. If I could assess the status of it myself I could make better decisions should the time come I run out of cheap ore. The dungeon should have spawned fairly deep inside. Why wouldn’t the miners be able to gather the ore?

Instead of following the wide dirt path which led right to his home he took a right turn at a T intersection. This went through a lush forest with trees as high as five-story buildings. They were thick and fairly close to one another. Maneuvering through the trees seemed like an almost impossible job. It took the workers who cut this path eight months to clear it just so that carts could transport the material coming out of the mine. His father always used to tell him stories about how this town and its surroundings came to existence.

He was told this forest was planted by a giant to hide the mountain it lived on. It spanned all the way around it. He planted the trees as close as possible to each other so none other than him could find a way in and out of the forest. It was fairly accurate as there was only one small path you could move freely on to the base of the mountain. This was the path that was eventually cleared and led straight to the mine.

It was fairly quiet. And because of the shade of the trees, the path was nice and cool. Hanma wished he could stay here all day and enjoy it until fall. Fall was his favorite season. He liked the color of the trees and the rustling of leaves beneath his feet as he walked. The temperature was just about right until the start of winter and it was rather quiet at the shop. He’d make enough money in the warmer seasons of the year to be able to live off it in the colder seasons.

Lost in thoughts he found the end of the forest and a big mountain came into view before him. A couple more minutes of walking and he would find the entrance of the mine. When he did he was surprised. There were guards standing in front of the entrance. This meant that the whole mine was turned into a dungeon. Something like that rarely happens. Usually, they form at the end of a cave which creates an even more complex cave system. But if it spawned at the entrance it would mean that the mine was fully unable to operate. It was truly out of commission.

Stolen story; please report.

One of the guards suddenly spoke. “Hello young man, we cannot allow you to enter this mine without an explorers badge. Would you care to show it to us? Don’t worry, you can enter the dungeon with a copper badge.” The guard knew who Hanma was. But not if he was an explorer or not. Even if he knows, asking for badges was mandatory. If he let in any normal citizen and something were to happen to them it would cost his job, and maybe even his life.

Hanma didn’t have one though, he wasn’t an explorer. “I just came to check upon the status of the mine. My merchant gets his ores from here. I didn’t think the dungeon would engulf the whole mine though...”

“It happened overnight. Luckily only one of the Tsutharoth’s team was working at the time. They all escaped but barely. As soon as it happened we were stationed here. The next day was quite a debacle as they all still wanted to enter. They said they wouldn’t go deep but they also hadn't realized the entire mine became a dungeon.”

Then the other guard spoke as well. “Either we have an explorer clear it for us or we wait until the dungeon vanishes. But that could take years according to the guild. I heard they were quite busy with other Dungeons popping up as well. This is sure doesn’t seem to be a priority. We haven’t seen any explorer try and clear it.” The guard walked back to one of the chairs and sat down. Knowing Hanma wasn’t trying to go in making him at ease.

“Sure is a shame. That was all I wanted to know. Thanks for your help. Stay safe!” Hanma turned around and was about to walk away but the guard said something else.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a try? You seem like a strong person, the dungeon is only at copper level. If you gather a team for an expedition it shouldn’t be that hard.”

“No thanks.” Hanma continued to walk down to the forest. Why does everybody always tell me to go exploring? Maybe they knew my dad? I really wish they would stop. It’s a nuisance.

In the meantime, Garth was still following Hanma. He hid behind a tree but if you actually took a good look you would spot him in an instant. He was lucky Hanma had more pressing things on his mind. Not that he would care, but Garth’s ego would take a dent for a couple of seconds if he were to be spotted. Somehow this man never seemed to mind emotional abuse as well. He was just too stubborn to notice it happening.

Making his way back to the store Hanma threw the bag with ore next to a big looking furnace. The sun was beginning to set and he didn't feel like doing much more today. Just as he was about to head to bed he noticed a white figure looking through one of his windows.