God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

'I can't sense anything living nearby as well.'

This made Cain greatly relaxed. If nothing was alive down here, then there was nothing to kill him. Which means he was free to explore to his heart's content...

Cain kept {Eye of Clairvoyance} active as he walked through these cave corridors. They were just like the ones above. The walls were smooth but hard, and slightly glossy.

He continued until he spotted something with his eyes,

***

{Heavy Black Iron Ore}: Normal

Description: Heavy, yet durable metal found as a result of concentrated deposit veins of metal mana.

***

'Bingo! This is amazing! System, give me a more detailed description.' Cain thought excitedly.

{Replying to host: This metal was indeed created from metal mana-saturated deposits. However, it doesn't have any special magical properties. It is very heavy, hard, and burable}.

Cain nodded, 'It might not seem like it, but it is useful. Now, just how much of it is in there...'

Cain used {Eye of Clairvoyance} to judge that it was a decent deposit of ore. Considering that he had just gotten here, the fact he had actually found some more meant there were going to be more and better options the further down he went.

And as such, he continued. Very soon, he came across another ore deposit...

***

{Vibrant Steel Ore}: Normal

Description: This ore contains very pure metal mana, and requires very little purification. It is very malleable but is not as durable and hard.

***

'Hmm... All these different metals have different properties. There isn't just a single type like the {Black Tungsten Ore}. Rather, it varies depending on the area of the cave you explore.'

There weren't only metals down there. Incredible-looking rocks that had been affected by magic were also collected by Cain after they had been assessed by the system. These gems were unlike mana shards. However, they all possessed special qualities and traits after being imbibed with mana for hundreds of thousands of years.

However, the most intriguing magic gem Caina was able to find, was a gem called {Arcanite},

***

{Arcanite}: Rare

Description: Can be used to temporarily retain a specific elemental mana type, which can be drawn out for use at any time.

***

'System, more info...' Cain said as he held onto the glowing piece of amber rock with intrigue dancing in his eyes.

{Replying to host: Arcanite is a special type of mana stone that be used to intentionally absorb a specific elemental mana. However, it can only do so temporarily. Once all the mana that has been stored within it is depleted, its structural integrity will fall to zero and it will crumple to dust}.

'So one use item, right?'

{Replying to host: Affirmative...}

Cain scratched his chin,

'There doesn't seem to be a lot here. System, what is the carrying capacity?'

{Replying to host: A hundred-gram sample of Arcanite can contain right to ten thousand points of a single elemental mana type}.

'Damn! That's a lot!' Cain gulped.

Although the amount of Arcanite he had mined didn't seem like a lot, it was still more than a hundred kilograms worth of it.

Storing it inside his inventory, Cain continued forward. He found a lot of Normal, Rare, and Special grade mana stones and metals. However, very few of them suited his needs, and the ones that did usually came in smaller amounts.

Still, Cain found himself enjoying his trip. Digging into the hard wall and harvesting ore had easily become his favorite pastime. However, his inventory space wasn't unlimited. There was only so much he could carry back with him.

'My inventory is full. This should be enough for now.'

Cain had a satisfied look on his face. Now, he could get down to business. All this time, he had kept his {Eye of Clairvoyance} skill active. That was the only way he was able to differentiate the normal rock from the special ore and mana stones. The ore and stones usually gave off a distinct glow that became brighter the higher Tiered it was.

That was why Cain's attention was immediately enraptured the moment his eyes caught something that was far brighter than anything he had ever seen.

A lump formed in his throat,

'What is that?'

His palms became sweaty, and greed burned in his eyes. The corridors had high ceilings, and they were very wide. However, that wasn't going to stop him one bit.

'I'll have to go deeper.'

Indeed, whatever it was that was giving this mysterious glow was not in the same place he was. However, its glow was still powerful enough to penetrate through numerous layers of earth to reach him. Cain dashed down the corridor at top speed.

He even ignored all other ores and stones that he noticed along the way as none of them help the same appeal. He wanted to have this one at all costs. Besides, his inventory was already full, so there was no point.

Very soon, Cain got to the area where the glow was brightest. However, he was shocked to see it was a dead end. He could see the glow very clearly. However, there was no ore of mana stone around.

'Its behind the wall.'

Cain didn't waste any more time. A ball of flames spin to life around his fingertips and continued to swell until it was hot enough to melt through buildings and evaporate lakes.

BOOM!

Cain sent the {Imploding Star} flying forward. The spell exploded upon impact with the wall, causing debris and dust to fly around.

When the dust settled, Cain's brows frowned deeply.

Although the wall was damaged, it wasn't significant. All that was created was a bowl shaped depression...

'It's tougher than the rest. And thicker too...'

Whenever Cain found a glowing spot, this is the method he usually used to mine the ore or mana stones. Most of the time, a single blast was enough to reveal the goods. However, this time, it seemed like he would need more than a few tries to get to what he wanted..

Swallowing his impatience, Cain's eyes glowed for a split second. Tens of magic circles manifested behind him, birthing numerous {Imploding Stars}. One by one, they flew at near supersonic speed, ramming themselves into the wall to create frightening explosions that shook the mountain.

A few seconds later, Cain let a stream of curses fly through the air.

"Damn it! After all that?!"

Cain stared at the wall of hard rock with furious eyes. After all that effort, he had barely made a dent in the wall. There were several more bowl shaped indentations on the wall, but it still stood strong.

Cain gritted his teeth as he stirred his mana up. There was no way he would give up now. Even more magic circles appeared behind him as hundreds of {Imploding Stars} impacted against the wall at high velocity. The blasts were continuous, and didn't stop until Cain emptied half his mana pool.

Panting heavily, Cain fell to his knees as he waited for the dust to settle before checked the wall again. This time, he was happy to see that some progress had been made.

'Although it is going to be difficult, I can get it done.'

The fires of determination burned in his eyes as he stood up and continued his bombardment. The explosions continued for a while until he sensed his mana pool reach the twenty thousand mark. Then, he would activate the water enchantment of {Burning Spirit} just so he could recover faster.

This cycle continued for a long time...

As he mindlessly chucked spinning balls of flame at the wall that just refused to fall, Cain went through his inventory, taking account of all the ores and mana stones within.

If he wanted to outfit two hundred and thirty people, he would need far more than this. Exponentially more...

He would need to make shields and armor for the shield bearers as they needed to be properly decked in defensive gear. These beastmen didn't have access to the system, so they were objectively weaker than almost every other being out there.

Their only saving grace, is their affiliation to the Beast God, Pluto. They had acquired superhuman abilities that would at the very least, keep them alive in the terrible conditions of the fragmented lands.

However, it wasn't going to be enough...

He also needed to make strong, long lasting weapons that would make it possible for weaklings like them to break though the tough defenses of the {Blood Abominations}.

It wasn't goijbgbto be an easy task. However, it was something that he wanted to do.

He could had decided not to try saving any one, and would have just left with Hunter and the girls. However, that was takin the easy way out. Plus, he wanted these men to owe him their lives. He wanted them to be eternally grateful to him.

In making this sacrifice today, he would ensure that they would be ready to lay their lives down for him tomorrow to show their gratitude.

That was just the human nature...

Something like a free gift didn't exist. It was all about give and take...

With these thoughts in mind, Cain continued breaking through the rock with vigor. After a few hours of none stop bombardment, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel

The sound of cracks running through the wall echoed through the empty corridor. A grin appeared on Cain's face as he you'll all his remaining mana into the last one.

Smoldering heat licked his arms. However, they did him no harm as he blasted through what was left of the wall.

The wall immediately crumbled to bits...