Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend-Chapter 114: Choosing A Monster

"Are you kidding me? Do you want us to get killed or what?" I scolded Bob.

He had shown me a Super Rare card with a picture of a black-armored humanoid figure with wings.

One glance was enough, I knew this thing spelled catastrophe.

"Why don’t we try the lower rarity ones first? We don’t even know how strong these monsters are compared to the creatures in this world," I said.

Bob sighed. He put the cards away, then held my shoulder and looked straight into my eyes. It made me a little uncomfortable. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Look at me, Alan. We’ve been in this world for nearly two weeks now. And since then, we’ve gone up against all kinds of monsters, even elite ones. Three elites, in fact. Not to mention those black, oily things in that cave. And we beat them all. Don’t downgrade yourself. Believe in your ability. You’re stronger than you think you are," he said.

Suddenly, I was getting a lecture about self-esteem from the last person I wanted to hear it from.

I pulled away from his grip. "Okay, okay, fine."

"Hehehe," Bob chuckled. "Let’s fight this thing, alright?"

---

[Do you want to challenge Gazelle, The Black Wings?]

[5,000 Bond Points will be deducted from your total.]

[You will be teleported to the Colosseum of Might arena.]

[Yes / No]

---

"Wait a minute! 5,000 BP? That’s too much. That’s one-fifth of what we currently have!" I blocked Bob’s hand from pressing [Yes].

Bob rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed with me.

This guy has no sense of managing money.

As an office worker, I used to calculate my expenses every month in my account book just to make sure I knew exactly where my money went.

So yeah, I’m a little cautious when it comes to spending a huge amount of money or points all at once.

I then checked the other cards’ values. It seemed the higher the rarity, the more BP was required to challenge them.

Common was 500 BP, Uncommon 1,000 BP, Rare 2,500 BP, Super Rare 5,000 BP, and finally, Ultra Rare required 10,000 BP.

The cost increased exponentially.

"If we really want to beat this thing, let’s go all out from the start," I said to Bob. I didn’t want to waste BP just to challenge a monster and end up losing.

"Of course, man." Bob was about to press [Yes], but then he paused.

"I think we’d better do this in our room," he said.

"Agreed."

We then made our way and dashed back to our room.

---

Clank, clank, clank.

The sound of metal striking rock echoed through the cave. Dozens of people hammered their pickaxes against the walls, while some rested on the ground, eating their meals. The cave stretched deep into the mountain after months of relentless mining. The most common resource found here was mana stones, used in crafting magical items.

"Hey, William, come here! That’s enough work. You’re just here to escort and protect us, not to dig with us!" shouted one of the old men sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. He had only a few teeth left in his gums. The other miners burst into laughter. All of them wore grimy clothes, their shirts and faces smeared with black dust.

William, who had his sleeves rolled up and his axe resting beside him, stopped swinging his pickaxe. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and temple, then walked over to the group of miners.

"It’s nothing, Old Man Poch. If I do nothing, I’ll just get bored. At least this way, I can build some stamina and strength," William said as he accepted a glass of water.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you’re entering that tournament this year, right? Well, good luck to all of you," Poch said.

"Thank you, old man," William replied with a smile.

"I heard your guild got a new S-Rank. Is that true?" one of the miners asked.

"Yes, and he’s very strong. I think this year, we can finally compete with the top guilds," William said confidently.

"Is that so? Then this year, I’m putting all my bets on Dawnbloom Guild. Last time, I lost a lot betting on Red Eyes Guild. They almost won, though. What a bunch of losers," Poch said, shaking his head.

"Me too."

"I’ll be rooting for all of you!"

The miners cheered and voiced their support for Dawnbloom Guild. William felt a surge of happiness seeing the local people backing their hometown guild. It meant they still believed in them.

Clank, clank, clank, thud!

"Hey everyone, come here!" one of the miners shouted.

"What is it, Van? Can’t you see we’re resting here?" Poch snapped.

"No, you need to see this!" Van kept calling out, urgency in his voice.

With a grunt, Poch stood up and walked over to where Van was.

William followed close behind.

There, just above Van’s hammer marks, was a small opening in the wall, like a hollow space hidden behind the rock.

"Keep hammering, Van," Poch ordered.

Clank. Clank.

The rest of the miners started to gather around, sensing something unusual.

As Van kept hammering, the opening grew wider and wider until the wall suddenly gave in and collapsed near the gap.

Thump!

A cloud of dust burst out, filling the cave. Coughs echoed among the group as they shielded their faces.

After a few minutes, the dust settled... and what they saw left them stunned.

Beyond the collapsed wall was a hidden tunnel, carved deep through the mountain. Darkness swallowed both ends of the passage, making it impossible to tell where it led.

"Is this an old tunnel, Poch?" one of the older miners asked.

"No," Poch replied, frowning. "When I saw the map of this mountain from Sir Edward, there were no tunnels marked at all. We’re supposed to be the first ones to touch this mountain."

As the leader of the mining group, Poch had personally met with the kingdom’s representative to sign the contract for mining rights in this region.

"So you mean... this tunnel is new?" William asked, surprised.

Poch stayed silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then he crouched down, touched the stone walls of the tunnel, and examined them closely. Decades of mining experience sharpened his instincts.

"Yes... this is new. Less than a year old, I believe."

A collective gasp spread among the miners. If what Poch said was true, it could only mean one thing, and they all knew it.

"Someone’s been mining this mountain illegally," Poch finally said grimly.

"Everyone, leave this cave at once! I need to report this to Sir Edward immediately!" he ordered.

Frustration rippled through the group. An early leave meant less pay, and most of the miners came from poor backgrounds who depended on daily wages.

Grumbles and disappointed murmurs filled the air.

"Don’t worry. I’ll pay everyone in full for today," Poch said, noticing the disappointed faces of his workers.

The mood instantly shifted. Cheers broke out among the miners, and one by one, they packed up their tools and began to leave the cave.

William paused, casting one last glance at the end of the tunnel. It was deep, dark, and silent.

Who was bold enough to dig this? And more importantly... where does it lead? And to whom? William wondered.

But deep down, he knew, he might never get the answer for now.