They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 181: Silverpoint Mine
The journey to Silverpoint Mine was exactly what I’d hoped for...
We left Thornhaven by the northwestern gate around midday, following the main trade road for about an hour before branching off onto a smaller path that wound through increasingly dense forest.
The weather cooperated. Clear skies, mild temperature, enough breeze to keep things comfortable despite the hiking.
Tessa maintained an excited running commentary for the first two hours, pointing out plants she recognized, asking questions about everything she didn’t, occasionally stopping to examine something interesting that caught her eye.
Scarlet walked ahead of us, her senses alert, occasionally glancing back to make sure we were keeping up.
I stayed in the middle, my debug vision scanning periodically for threats, Oathstorm at my hip a reassuring weight.
By late afternoon, the forest had grown thicker, the path less maintained. We were well off any regular travel route now.
"We should make camp soon," Tessa said. "Another hour and we’ll be navigating in the dark."
I checked the map from the mission packet.
"There’s a clearing marked here, maybe twenty minutes ahead. Supposed to be near a stream. Good place to stop for the night."
We reached it just as the sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon.
The clearing was exactly as described, open space maybe thirty feet across, relatively flat ground, a stream running along the eastern edge providing fresh water and ambient sound.
Perfect.
"I’ll gather firewood," Scarlet said, already moving toward the tree line.
"I’ll set up the tent," I said, pulling our camping supplies from the pack.
Tessa immediately claimed the stream. "I’m getting water and washing up. Don’t peek."
My eyes twitched. "Wasn’t planning to."
"Sure you weren’t~" She grabbed the water containers and headed off, humming to herself.
By the time full darkness settled, we had a proper camp established.
Small tent for sleeping, cramped, but it would fit all three of us if necessary. Fire pit with a good blaze going. Supplies organized. Perimeter checked for threats.
And Tessa had taken over cooking duty with the kind of authority that suggested arguing would be pointless.
She’d brought ingredients from her shopping spree, vegetables, spices, some preserved meat that didn’t taste like leather.
The smell coming from the pot over the fire was making my stomach actively complain about the wait.
Scarlet sat across from me, her glamour still active but her posture more relaxed than I’d seen it in days. She was sharpening her knife with methodical strokes, her eyes occasionally flicking to the pot.
"How much longer?" she asked Tessa.
"When it’s ready. Stop rushing me."
"I’m hungry."
"You’re always hungry."
"Because your so-called fiancé can’t cook worth a damn and I’ve been eating garbage for days."
I felt my eye twitch. "I can hear you."
"Good. Maybe you’ll learn something." Scarlet didn’t even look up from her knife. "Seriously, how does a noble not know how to cook basic food? Didn’t anyone teach you anything useful?"
"I know how to use a sword."
"Wow. Amazing. So useful when you’re starving because you can’t figure out how to boil water."
Tessa giggled from where she was stirring the pot.
"That really was impressively bad," she agreed. "Like, I didn’t think it was possible to ruin stew. It’s literally the easiest thing to make. You just throw ingredients in water and heat it."
I shifted, suddenly uncomfortable with that topic.
"Ugh!"
"And somehow made it taste like you were actively trying to poison us." Scarlet finally looked up, grinning. "That takes talent. Terrible, horrible talent."
"At least I tried—"
"Oh yes, we should all be grateful you tried to kill us with your cooking. Very noble of you. Literally." She snorted. "No wonder you ran away from your family. They probably couldn’t take another meal."
I’m going to throw her in the stream.
Tessa laughed harder, nearly dropping her stirring spoon.
"Okay, okay, stop bullying Jin." She said it while still laughing.
"The food is ready anyway."
She ladled stew into bowls and handed them out.
I took mine, determined to enjoy it.
One bite and I had to admit... it was good. The vegetables were cooked properly, the meat was tender, the seasoning was balanced.
This is what food is supposed to taste like.
Scarlet was already halfway through her bowl, eating with the single-minded focus of someone who’d been genuinely hungry.
"See?" Tessa said, settling down next to me, close enough that our shoulders touched. "This is what happens when someone competent handles cooking."
"I noticed," I said dryly.
"You should appreciate me more. I’m B-rank and I can cook. I’m basically invaluable."
"Your humility is truly inspiring."
"I know, right?" She bumped her shoulder against mine, grinning. "You’re lucky to have me."
"Debatable."
"Mean!" But she was still smiling.
Scarlet made a gagging sound from across the fire.
"Can you two stop being disgusting? I’m trying to eat."
"We’re not being—" I started.
"You absolutely are," Scarlet interrupted. "It’s nauseating."
Tessa’s cheeks colored slightly, but she recovered quickly.
"At least I’m trying. Unlike someone who just sits in the corner being grumpy and antisocial."
"I’m not antisocial. I just don’t like people."
"That’s literally what antisocial means."
"No. There’s a difference." Scarlet pointed her spoon at Tessa accusingly. "If you’re going to insult me, at least use the right words, farm girl."
"I have a name!"
"And I have standards. Guess we’re both disappointed."
I finished my stew while they bickered, the familiar pattern almost comforting in its predictability.
This is normal now.
Then closed my eyes and exhaled.
This is what my life is.
Traveling with a tsundere fox girl and my fake fiancée who seems determined to make it less fake.
Could be worse.
After dinner, Tessa insisted on sitting even closer, leaning against my side while she stared at the fire.
"This is nice," she said quietly. "Just... being out here. Away from everything."
"We’re being hunted by multiple people and are constantly broke."
"I know. But it’s still nice." She tilted her head to look up at me, the firelight catching her features. "Better than being stuck in Oakmere doing the same things forever."
She’d rather be hunted and poor than safe and bored.
Insane.
But I didn’t move away when she rested her head against my shoulder.
Scarlet made another disgusted sound but didn’t actually comment, just moved to check the perimeter one more time before settling in for sleep.
We took turns keeping watch, two-hour shifts, standard procedure.
By the time my shift came around in the dead hours before dawn, everything was quiet except for the stream and the dying fire and Tessa’s soft breathing from inside the tent.
Tomorrow we reach the mine. Do the survey. Make some money.
Simple. Straightforward.
Nothing should go wrong.
...I really need to stop tempting fate like that.
---
Morning came with mist rising from the stream and birds announcing the dawn.
We broke camp efficiently, packed everything, and continued northwest following the map.
The mine entrance appeared around mid-morning, a dark opening carved into a hillside, reinforced with timber supports that had weathered five years of abandonment but still looked structurally sound.
A sign posted nearby read...
SILVERPOINT MINE - CLOSED BY ORDER OF MINING GUILD
"Well," Tessa said, looking at the entrance with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. "That’s not ominous at all."
"It’s just a mine," I said, pulling out the mission details to review the survey requirements. "We go in, check for remaining ore deposits, assess structural stability, take samples. Nothing complicated."
"In the dark. Underground. In an abandoned mine that was closed for mysterious reasons."
"It was closed because the main vein played out. That’s not mysterious, that’s economics."
"Still ominous."
Scarlet was already at the entrance, examining the timbers with a critical eye.
"Support structure looks solid enough. No obvious water damage or rot. Should be safe to enter."
I joined her, activating my debug vision to scan deeper.
[STRUCTURE_SCAN]
stability: 78% (ACCEPTABLE)
air_quality: BREATHABLE
visible_threats: NONE_DETECTED
mineral_deposits: SCANNING... → iron_ore: TRACE_AMOUNTS → silver_ore: MINIMAL →
unknown_signature: PRESENT
I paused.
Unknown signature?
I focused my scan, trying to get more detail.
[UNKNOWN_SIGNATURE: ANALYSIS]
classification: UNCERTAIN
mana_based: CONFIRMED
natural_occurrence: UNLIKELY
threat_level: UNKNOWN
location: DEEPER_IN_MINE (estimated 200m)
That’s... not supposed to be here.
"Jin?" Tessa had noticed me staring. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing. Probably nothing." I dismissed the debug vision. "Just being thorough."
We’re here to do a survey. Find anything interesting, we report it and let someone else investigate.
No reason to worry.
Yet.
"Let’s go," I said, pulling out a light orb from my pack. "Stay close. Watch your footing. If anything feels wrong, we leave immediately."
"You’re really not selling this as safe," Tessa muttered, but she followed anyway.
Scarlet took point, her senses sharp in the darkness.
I stayed in the middle with Tessa close behind, the light orb illuminating maybe twenty feet ahead.
And we descended into the abandoned mine, following the main shaft deeper into the earth.
Not knowing what we’d find.
Just do the survey. Make the money. Get out.
The darkness swallowed our light, and the mine welcomed us with silence.
