Chapter 151: A-Ranked Quest
[A-Ranked Quest!]
[Quest: Mine the Cold Iron]
[Details: Mine ten tons of Cold Iron and deliver it to the Arcane Smithy.
Required party size: 1 or more members
Rewards:
Team leader: 1000 credits
Members: 700 credits per team member
Deadline: Thirty days ]
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"You may put the iron ores into these storage pouches," the guard standing outside the tunnel said, handing three hand-sized pouches to Seraphina. He pointed at the tool rack on the other side of the tunnel, filled with sledgehammers, pickaxes, chisels, and other mining tools. "Choose any tool you like and submit your storage rings before entering."
The Cold Iron mining quest was the first A-Ranked Quest that Seraphina had decided to complete. Along with Raphael and Vlad, she arrived at Ironhill, one of the numerous hills on the Academy’s campus. It was Vlad’s second time visiting these hills. Previously, he had come here with Max to collect the Thunder Lilies.
The trio submitted their storage rings to the guard. It was a precaution to ensure that the miners would not steal the ores. Vlad grabbed a hammer and a pickaxe from the tool rack.
"Senior Raphael, Miss President, aren’t you taking any tools?" he asked as the two of them walked toward the tunnel empty-handed.
"You expect a noble lady such as myself to swing a hammer?" Seraphina asked, sounding exasperated. She merely shook her head at Vlad’s foolish question before walking inside.
"I am a mage. Physical labor doesn’t suit me," Raphael added, adjusting his monocle as he followed Seraphina.
"Don’t tell me these two are going to make me do all the work?" Vlad let out a weary sigh.
After walking through the dark tunnel for several minutes, illuminated by glowstones embedded in the ceiling at regular intervals, they reached a large cave filled with dense geo elemental mana. The Cold Iron walls radiated a white icy mist, while the air carried a metallic scent. The temperature was bone-chilling, causing Seraphina to wrap herself in her pyro mana.
Coming here in her academy uniform with its knee-length skirt no longer seemed like a wise decision.
"You and I will mine the ores," Seraphina ordered Vlad. "Raphael will collect them into the bags."
"Understood," Raphael said, taking a few steps back from the wall.
’Oh, so I’m not mining alone,’ Vlad sighed inwardly before replying, "Got it, Miss President."
Seraphina looked over her shoulder at Vlad with a sharp glare.
’What’s wrong with her?’ Vlad wondered inwardly. ’She has been giving me death stares since yesterday.’
"Come here," Seraphina ordered, beckoning him over.
Once he stood beside her, she asked in a tone low enough to ensure Raphael couldn’t hear them, "Have the five years in the Inner World gotten into your head?"
"What have I done now?" he asked with a sigh.
His obliviousness only caused Seraphina’s pink eyes to narrow further, her crimson brows furrowing.
"Calling me Miss President over and over as if I’m a stranger to you. Have you forgotten me completely after the time you spent in your enlightenment?"
’Is this why she is mad?’ Vlad blinked.
"You were the one who told me to address you formally when we aren’t alone," Vlad reminded her. "You’re confusing me now, Sera."
Her eyebrow twitched slightly upon hearing her nickname from his mouth after so many days.
"D-don’t talk back to me, commoner!" she snapped, stomping on his toe with her heel.
’What has he done to end up on Lady Cendral’s bad side?’ Raphael wondered, shaking his head with a hint of concern for Vlad.
"Y-you can address me as Lady Seraphina," she murmured, twirling a strand of crimson hair around her index finger with her eyes lowered. "Miss President feels very annoying!"
"So it’s Lady Seraphina even in private?" Vlad asked, wanting to avoid any misunderstandings.
Her expression sharpened again, her brows knitting together.
"You are an idiot, commoner!" she declared before pivoting on her heel and walking to the opposite side of the cave.
"Hah... I guess that was a no then," Vlad sighed.
He decided to focus on the task at hand, gripping the hammer with both hands.
The reason such a seemingly simple task as mining was an A-Rank quest was because the metal they needed to mine was Cold Iron. It could only be mined using Sword Aura or at least Three-Ring spells. The stone dummies Chloe trained with also had Cold Iron mixed into them, making them impossible to break with Mana Blade alone.
As Vlad poured mana into the hammer, instead of his Sword Aura wrapping around the entire tool, the hammerhead absorbed it, illuminating with a blue glow.
"Eh? My mana was absorbed by the hammer?" Vlad raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"These tools are specially designed for mining," Raphael explained from the center of the cave. "Try striking the wall."
Vlad nodded. Tightening his grip on the shaft, he swung the hammer in a wide arc and slammed it into the wall.
Boom!
An explosive sound echoed throughout the cave as dust and debris flew everywhere. When the dust finally settled, Vlad stood there with his entire body covered in gray dust. Before him, a massive crater had formed in the wall, with chunks of Cold Iron ore scattered all across the cave floor.
"Cough... cough..."
Dust spilled from his nose and mouth.
"Senior, that wasn’t a nice prank," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"I-it wasn’t my intention," Raphael said, flabbergasted by the destruction caused by Vlad’s single swing. He had only wanted to show him how the tools converted Sword Aura into explosive energy for mining the ores. He hadn’t expected Vlad’s Sword Aura to be so dense.
"Does anyone have water?" Vlad asked as he turned around, revealing his dust-covered face and clothes.
Seraphina instantly burst into laughter the moment she saw him.
"Serves you right for annoying me!"
After laughing for several seconds, she walked over to him, rose onto her toes, and gently wiped the dust from his face with her handkerchief.
"Jokes aside, with your barbaric strength and my spells, we can finish this quest within a few hours."
Once his face was somewhat clean, she handed him the handkerchief before turning around.
"You may keep it."
’I can’t figure out whether Lady Seraphina hates him or not,’ Raphael thought, shaking his head in confusion before returning his attention to collecting the ores scattered across the ground.