In the morning, at dawn, five people, including Pierce, left the camp at the foot of the volcano.

Pierce stopped them after they had walked a few miles. His face looked serious. After looking around for a while, he turned to the soldiers behind him.

"William, Godo, you two stand next to each other in the back. George, Mura, you're right behind me. I will clear the way in front. Draw your weapons! The way ahead is not as clean as before. From now on, your training has officially begun!"

Everyone started to get nervous. William put his sword on his shoulder with one hand and started walking to the right. Godo also had his spear on his shoulder. In front was George, the two-and-a-half-meter giant they had trained with for four years. He chose steel for his armor, despite the iron body technique. He used a mace with a shield as wide as he was. It gave the group a feeling of confidence.

Mura next to him was completely average. From the beginning, his appearance was inconspicuous. But everyone knew that he was a quiet person who liked silence. But now, he started to get a little excited. It was clear that he was tempted by the idea of fighting the creatures.

He had a normal sword like William and a small family legacy dagger as an extra.

After walking a few miles, the group encountered their first creature. It was a blue-backed boar. It was still a creature at the level of opening a meridian. Pierce said he had opened his fifth meridian. He said it was weak enough that one of them could handle it.

First, Godo wanted to fight. Although the boar looked as big and wild as a cow, Godo stood out with all his courage.

With his spear in his hand, he jumped into the boar.

The spear was indeed the most suitable weapon for him. While fighting the boar, he could keep his distance and inflict small wounds without getting hurt. But it was clear that he did not know the element of the blue-backed boar. It was a creature with an affinity for water. That's why his healing ability was so high. Godo's plan to tire him out failed. Half an hour later, he was only able to kill it. But he was too tired.

Pierce said to himself, "These idiots need to be taught." He said.

William knew the strengths and weaknesses of this creature from the beginning. But he chose not to speak to see Godo's abilities. To see the reactions of someone fighting the creature for the first time.

When he felt that Godo was not challenged, he wanted to kill the next creature himself.

His wish was quickly granted. Godo had just killed the boar and another one came in its place.

This time, the boar was bigger. It ran towards them angrily like a bull. Its eyes were red. It was probably it was his wife or relative they had just killed. It was probably his wife because the newly arrived boar was bigger in both body and two teeth.

Without waiting for Pierce to speak, William stepped forward. He stepped in front of Godo, who was breathing at his side and yelled at him to run. He wanted to meet the boar head-on.

When he swung his sword, the boar responded with its teeth.

"Ding!"

The sound of metal colliding and tiny sparks flying between swords and teeth. Their strength was almost equal. But the same could not be said for their endurance.

William realized that he had made a mistake when the swords and teeth clashed. He didn't even know the level of this creature. Subconsciously, he thought he was at the Fifth Meridian, just like the other one. But this creature was definitely above the fifth meridian.

However, William did not lose hope. Without moving his sword, he slid his feet to the side. He drew his sword, rubbed, and pressed it between two metal teeth. He had made a cut several centimeters deep in the boar's nose.

Then, as the boar lunged forward in pain to strike again, he bent his knees and leaped into the air. When he had risen about two meters, the boar missed him because William was now in the sky, the boar's blind spot.

As he fell with the acceleration he had gained, he lowered his sword with the strength of his body. He struck so hard that the boar's right side was completely torn open. His intestines and internal organs were visible through it. Despite all this, the boar had not lost its vitality. Even with his intestines hanging down, it attacked again for revenge. Again, William easily dodged and struck the creature in the back of the neck. It was like a butcher slapping an animal on the counter with all his might. The power of his sword wasn't enough to cut bones, but it damaged enough veins to make it bleed to death. He stepped back a little and waited for the creature to bleed out.

The stunned, exhausted creature tried to strike again, but due to the extreme loss of blood, it was unable to regain strength in its body. A minute or so later, it collapsed on all fours. Even as it died, it looked at the other boar as if it were looking for a lover.

Pierce was very pleased with the show he saw. He told the others to follow William's example and learn about the weaknesses of the creatures. After these words, Godo, George, and Mura made William's head swell by asking about the weaknesses of the creatures they had seen all the way.

They had not encountered any major setbacks on their journey. The strongest creature they had ever seen was an Iron Rank, and Pierce chased it away. There was no winner between the two.

The entire team managed to kill a few creatures along the way, with Pierce's protection and William's information.

This journey took three days, deep into the Black Forest!

Upon arrival, they realized that they were no longer in a warm place. The place where they were found consisted of cliffs. Again, they were at the bottom of a large mountain, like a volcano. But this time they couldn't see any cave.

A few miles inland, they entered a valley deep inside the mountain. The team felt more active after coming here. If they meditated here, they would certainly cultivate faster.

They came to a rock that was at least as big as a house in the valley, where there was no life form except rocks. The rock was slightly round. Pierce asked them for help. This rock was too heavy even for him.

They pushed gently. Pierce stepped in after making an opening wide enough for a man to pass through. Others followed.

They had come to a pitch-black cavern. As they entered, they saw that the rock they had forcibly moved had several metal protrusions. With these protrusions, they were able to move it back more easily.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Pierce lit five torches and handed them to everyone. "Don't go too far away from me," he said.

The cave was completely silent and dark. Even the torches in their hands could illuminate no more than ten meters.

After walking a few kilometers, they began to hear the sound of flowing water. It was so loud that it was as if there was a waterfall in front of them. The cave narrowed as they approached the sound.

The last time they turned to the right, the sound of the water became clearer and they came to a stone gate, similar to a castle gate. Above the gate were two guards. They had aimed their bows at the team approaching the gate. William would not have been able to see them if not for the glow at the tip of the sharp arrow.

The guard on the right yelled. "Who are you? Why have you come here? Identify yourself or we will attack!" she said.

It was a female voice.

Peirce immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out a seal as he showed it to George.

"We are Baron Theo's men! Please don't attack! I'm Pierce!" he shouted. Then he threw the seal in his hand to the woman at the door.

After she caught it, she looked at it as if she could see even in this darkness. After a while, she yelled, "Open the door!

Pierce told the team to follow him and keep quiet.

The group moved silently through the black-clad people. After a while, they came to a large area.

What they saw here shocked them.

There was a castle as big as their Barony!

Balls of light floated around the castle, illuminating it as if it were a tourist attraction. People were constantly coming and going through the gate of the castle. When Pierce and the others arrived at the door, they entered, again showing the same seal.

When they saw the guards at the entrance and the people entering, they thought they were seeing one of their fairy tales. These people had long ears and dark skin! They were dark elves!

Pierce didn't seem surprised. He continued on his way. The others followed after they had calmed down quickly.

Next to the castle entrance was a small hut. An elf, taller and more built than the other elves they had seen, stepped forward to greet them.

He was as strong as Pierce. He opened his arms wide and said, "My old friend Pierce! Welcome!" he said.

"You haven't been around for a long time? What wind blew you here?"

Pierce also smiled and returned the hug.

"'Which wind will it be?" He gestured to the quartet behind him.

"I'm here because of those brats. Anyway, don't hold me back. We'll meet in the evening at the usual place." He said.

"Ahaha! Okay, don't worry. Drinks are on me." Then he looked at the four of them.

"Brothers! Don't waste this opportunity! This is heaven for you!" he said.

Pierce took one last look at him and said, "See you tonight, Torman."

The team left Torman and went deeper into the castle.

Torman looked back at them, lost in thought. He knew why they were here. Baron Theo and the leader of this outpost had made a deal. Theo was a clever man. He traded the resources on the surface of the forest for the resources his men needed to become stronger here. He knew that those dark elves couldn't get to the surface of the forest for some reason. And he had done a good job of using that as a bargaining chip. Every year he sent a few soldiers here who were skilled in the metal elements.

Torman returned to his hut after they left. He was the deputy captain of the castle guard. He could not delay his work.

After a while, the team came to a large stone house with a garden where various grasses grew.

An old man was tending to the grass in the garden. Unlike anyone he had ever seen, this man looked weak. He greeted them with a smile and invited them inside.

The team sat on the sofa in the great hall, which was decorated like a normal house. The old man offered them some tea.

As Pierce took his first sip, he pointed to William and said, "Uncle, this is William." He said.

The old man was very surprised when he looked at William. When he saw him, he couldn't picture an eight-year-old. He thought he was a gifted newcomer to the team because he looked at least fourteen years old.

"So you're William." He said smiling.

"Yes sir!"

"You don't have to call me sir. I'm no better than an old senile man. You can call me uncle." He said.

"As you wish, Uncle."

The old man was happy to call him uncle.

Meanwhile, Pierce spoke. "This senior of you is a comrade-in-arms of the great Baron Theodo, you may call him Humir. Hurim is his younger brother. He was a soldier under him. Now he helps Baron Theo." Then he turned to old Humir. "Uncle, where are the others?" he said.

Humir answered slowly as if he were in no hurry. "They found a bronze-level creature. If we're lucky, we'll have some tasty meat for dinner tonight." He said and after taking a sip of his tea, he continued.

"You're just in time, a few days later the manager will open the cave entrance." Then he looked at the quartet who were listening to him with all seriousness. "If you are lucky, you can open some meridians and join the others in the hunt." He said.

Pierce started to explain after he had finished.

"This place used to be a large mine. So it is rich in metallic elements. There is a special ore chamber near here. These ores collect the metal element throughout the year, and the chamber is opened once a year for those close to the metal element. Baron Theo bought this opportunity in exchange for resources on the surface. Sixty-three people currently train here. Most of the creatures are metal-based, and ten people are allowed to enter the training room once a year."

William understood, but one question remained in his mind. Before he acted, the greedy Godo asked, "If it's such a good thing, why don't they make swords or armor out of these ores?"

Pierce knew that he didn't have enough information. So he wasn't angry. "Even though it is called ore and absorbs the metal element, it is just a crystal. It has no use for blacksmiths. That is why it is used as a resource for the cultivation of young people."

The group understood. Pierce told them to go to their rooms and rest. After that, they had to do a lot of meditation. He said that this place was rich enough in metal, dark, and water elements.

The team was already very grateful for this opportunity. As they tried to meditate, they felt the power of qi surrounding their bodies. Cultivating the Iron Body Technique here was almost twice as effective as it was outside.

They started meditating as much as they could. In the evening, Pierce went to an inn to have the drink he had promised.

There he met Toram and some other dark elves. The bitter black beer of the elves cheered Pierce up. They began to chat happily. After a while, Pierce made a serious face.

"When will it open?" he asked.

Toram also stopped laughing.

"There is no exact date, but the manager will be back in a week. It got chaotic when the king changed." He said.

"Hasn't this game of thrones always been like this? I'm sure there must be a bloodbath in your capital right now."

Toram let out a long sigh. "Another beer for me!" he called and turned to Pierce.

"How are things over there?" he said.

Pierce also sighed, "We don't know. That's why I came here. There are rumors, but nothing is clear. Maybe in a year, in a few decades, but the day will come." He said.

They talked vaguely about everything, but they could understand each other. Some old friends had a drink today.

...

A few days later, in the morning, Pierce hurriedly picked them up. During this time, they also got used to the sunrise and sunset underground. The lights circled the castle constantly, and most of them went out at night. Therefore, they didn't have much trouble.

In the past few days, they also met the soldiers who were already here. When they saw them, they could not help but be astonished. At least fifteen of them were at the Iron Level. They had the same strength as Pierce. Most of the others had already reached the Death Meridian level. Only four of them had not yet opened the Intelligence Meridian.

They quickly got dressed and followed Pierce. On the way, they were joined by the other four soldiers who had not reached the Death Meridian.

After walking quickly for a few kilometers, they came to a metal door. There were about twenty other dark elves. They stood silently, not speaking.

After a while, three people appeared. The person in the middle of the trio wore a black robe with gold embroidery. He looked middle-aged and wore round, gold-rimmed glasses. He could only be described as 'handsome'. The two men with him were loyal bodyguards, with armor of gold and spears of silver.

When the man arrived, Pierce immediately stood up and walked over to him. Two guards blocked him with their spears, but the man waved his hand and stopped the guards.

Pierce immediately gave the classic noble gesture and began to speak.

"Sir, this is Pierce. I serve Baron Theo. I've brought some people here today."

The man replied coldly. "Hmm...how many people?" he said.

"Sir, eight regulars and myself." Said.

"Oh, Theo is really smart, he must have known that you would count for two." Said.

"Yes, sir, but not as smart as you." Said. He did not hesitate to praise him from time to time.

The man waved his hand at Pierce. "Okay, I'll open it soon, you can come in with everyone." He said.

Pierce bowed respectfully and stepped back. The reason he respected this man was that he was a mage at the peak of the first level. Otherwise, he has the same status as Theo.

Besides, he was not sure if he would be accepted or not. Because their agreements only included those who were at the stage of opening the meridian. Theo had thought of that. For a few years, he had been watching those who entered thanks to his men. After thinking for a while, he came to this conclusion by calculating the metal elements he could absorb.

He took the opportunity to let Pierce advance to the middle level of Iron Level.

After Pierce retreated, the man made his way to the door. When he reached the door, he began to read a spell.

The door began to glow with a yellow light. Then it opened with a slight creak. It was only one man wide.

Then the man shouted. "Everybody in! Now!"

Everyone got in quickly, taking turns. Pierce, the 'human', and the crew were at the end of the line. When William finally stepped through the door, it closed with a creak.

William was fascinated by the sight he saw as he entered. A group of crystals, large and small, glowed with a purple light. The spiritual energy inside was so great that a rainbow-colored mist formed.

All the dark elves immediately took turns sitting next to the crystals. The space inside wasn't that big, so they felt a bit cramped. There was either a human distance between them or not.

Since the 'human' team entered last, they sat next to the door with relatively less spiritual energy. But they were happy with that. After all, they were now fully enjoying the blessings of the strangers.

When William began to meditate, he felt that he could absorb the spiritual energy he had gained from meditating for the past week in just one hour. This place was truly heavenly.

Almost the entire team opened the pain meridian in a short time. There was a reason why this meridian was called the Pain Meridian. The pain they experienced after opening it, the pain of feeling their bodies change, drove them crazy. But none of them dared to scream. They knew that the dark elves were powerful and numerous enough to kill them instantly in the opposite situation.

They should stay here for seven days. They didn't even need to eat from the abundance of spiritual energy.

They took full advantage of this excellent opportunity.

...

Note: Please leave a review.