The Elven Cultivator

Thousand Rock Hills, Frost Pattern Silver mining area.

At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun slanted into the valley from the western ridge, dyeing the entire mining area a hazy orange-red.

In a stone house not far from the mine entrance, Thorvin was sunk into the back of his chair, his leather boots casually propped up on the table. He held a flagon, taking large gulps of fiery liquor, utterly content.

Since the Silver Moon Race began hunting Dragon Beasts in large numbers, the Scale Rock Lizards and Rift-Spine Dragon Beasts in the Thousand Rock Hills had become scarcer year by year.

The frequency of Dragon Beast attacks on the mining area had dropped sharply, greatly reducing the pressure on the guards.

These days, his life consisted of drinking when he wasn’t cultivating. He would occasionally take some time to patrol the mining area. Life couldn’t be more leisurely.

When his hands got itchy, he’d head to the alchemy workshop to hammer out a few weapon blanks just for fun. His days were even more carefree than they had been back in Gray Rock Castle.

’He was even starting to feel like he didn’t want to go back.’

’Unfortunately, the vein would one day be exhausted, and he would have to leave this place eventually.’

Thorvin tilted his head back for another swig of wine, his thoughts drifting.

’When he first heard the Silver Moon Race say they were going to tame Dragon Beasts, he’d thought it was a pipe dream.’

’Those things, Dragon Beasts, were untamably wild and had violent tempers. Not even the Dwarves had the ability to domesticate them, let alone the Elves.’

’But who would have thought the Silver Moon Race would actually pull it off?’

Now, the elites of the Forest Guard were even starting to be equipped with Scale Rock Lizards as war mounts.

A few days ago, when a squad of Elf Guards on Scale Rock Lizards swept past the camp, the young Dwarves under his command were so envious their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Thorvin didn’t have any particular attachment to the Scale Rock Lizards; his thoughts ran deeper.

’Successfully domesticating Dragon Beasts... the strategic significance behind it was simply too great.’

’Once the entire Forest Guard is equipped with Scale Rock Lizard mounts, their mobility and combat power will take a quantum leap.’

’Not to mention, the Silver Moon Race seemed to be trying to domesticate the even more powerful Rift-Spine Dragon Beasts.’

’Those things are Silver Tier Dragon Beasts!’

Thinking of the changes he had witnessed in the Silver Moon Race over the years, Thorvin’s expression grew complicated.

Although the Silver Moon Race was secretive about many of its core affairs, the Clan’s rise was plain to see.

’The current Silver Moon Race’s overall strength is probably not much less than that of Gray Rock Castle.’

And almost all of these earth-shattering changes were related to that young Elf.

”If only we at Gray Rock Castle had a genius like Anton...”

Thorvin muttered to himself, then shook his head with a wry smile and drained the rest of the fiery liquor.

The burning sensation of the fiery liquor as it went down his throat suppressed the complex feelings in his heart.

He set the cup down heavily on the table. Just as he was about to pour another flagon, the stone house’s wooden door was suddenly thrown open from the outside.

BAM!

The door slammed hard against the stone wall, shaking dust from the ore samples in the wall niche. The iron hinges let out a cringe-inducing creak.

Thorvin’s wrist jerked, and he nearly spilled his wine.

He frowned and turned, about to curse someone out. But when he saw the grave expression on Grim’s face, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and asked instead, ”What’s with the panic? What happened?”

Grim didn’t dare delay, speaking rapidly. ”A monster appeared in the mine. Several of our brothers were injured.”

’A monster?’

Thorvin froze. ’How could a monster appear in the mine?’

Coming to his senses, he immediately grabbed the warhammer leaning against the table and strode out the door.

”Let’s go. We’ll take a look.”

The two of them ran across the gravel paths of the camp, sprinting toward the mine entrance.

The mine entrance was a wide opening supported by thick pinewood beams. A lantern hanging from a crossbeam cast a dim yellow light, leaving the entrance half-lit and half-dark.

The two men rushed into the mine, following the main tunnel deep inside until they quickly reached the site of the incident.

What should have been a flat mine wall now had a dark, two-meter-high opening, large enough for a person to pass through.

The edges of the opening were jagged, as if something had forcibly broken through from the inside. Rubble was scattered all over the ground.

A few Dwarven Warriors stood guard around the opening, War Axes in hand, staring warily at the dark hole.

Not far away, a massive corpse lay on the mine cart tracks.

Thorvin’s steps faltered slightly, his gaze falling upon the carcass.

It was a creature of astonishing size.

Over five meters long, it looked like an earthworm magnified countless times. Its segmented body was dark brown and covered in a thick chitinous shell.

The most terrifying part was its mouthparts, which opened up in layers like a withered flower. Inside were spiraling rows of sharp teeth, each one gleaming with a murky yellow enamel that made one’s skin crawl.

A viscous, still-wet fluid dripped from below its mouthparts, trickling down the cracks in its shell. It dripped onto a railroad tie with a soft sizzle, and a wisp of green smoke rose as the wood visibly corroded, forming tiny holes.

”This monster came out of that hole?”

Thorvin asked the group of Dwarves.

”Yes, Elder,” one of the Dwarves nodded hastily. ”We were just mining when this beast charged out. It caught us by surprise and injured several of us.”

Hearing that no one had died, Thorvin breathed a small sigh of relief.

’Dwarves are tough-skinned. A few injuries are nothing to worry about.’

’At worst, they could just be sent to the healing hall in the Silver Moon Forest for treatment.’

’The flesh-regenerating potions and Life Spring Water there are very effective.’

With his mind at ease, he finally had a moment to examine the corpse carefully. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.

’Where have I seen this before?’

After concentrating for a long moment, a flash of insight struck Thorvin as he finally dredged up a corresponding image from the depths of his memory.

”A Burrowing Worm...”

Thorvin murmured under his breath, his expression instantly turning grave.

He had seen an image of this monster in an ancient tome in Gray Rock Castle.

The Burrowing Worm, a giant insectoid creature that lives deep underground.

They have no visual organs, instead relying on sensing vibrations, tracking heat sources, and locking onto prey by scent. They can travel silently through rock strata and are adept at surprise attacks, bursting through the ground directly beneath their prey. Their mouthparts can spew a highly corrosive acid.

The combat power of an adult Burrowing Worm is generally between the lower and upper ranks of Black Iron.

A few individuals that survive for many long years can reach Black Iron Peak.

Thorvin naturally wouldn’t be concerned by this level of strength. What truly alarmed him was that the Burrowing Worm was a creature of the Dark Nether Realm.

These creatures naturally dwell deep underground, usually living hundreds or even thousands of meters below the surface.

’They shouldn’t be appearing here!’

At this thought, Thorvin’s expression turned ugly.

He slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on the dark cavern that resembled the silent, gaping maw of a great beast. He felt a shiver run down his spine.

”This place... it doesn’t lead straight to the Dark Nether Realm, does it?”

...

”The Dark Nether Realm?”

Anton stared at Darian in astonishment, almost doubting he had heard correctly.

Darian nodded with a wry smile.

In fact, when he had first heard the news, his reaction had been much like Anton’s. He had even suspected the Dwarves had made a mistake.

That was until he went to see the site for himself.

”I’ve confirmed it. The monster that came out of the ground is indeed a Burrowing Worm.”

Darian’s expression grew serious as he said solemnly:

”Burrowing Worms are native creatures of the Dark Nether Realm. They don’t appear on the surface easily.”

”Although there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance that the Burrowing Worm was just an isolated case that got lost and the tunnel doesn’t connect to the Dark Nether Realm... we can’t bet on that luck.”

Anton nodded slightly, his brows furrowed.

He certainly understood Darian’s concerns.

’The Dark Nether Realm is no paradise.’

It is a vast subterranean world located beneath the surface, composed of countless caves, tunnels, and gigantic caverns.

It is not a single kingdom, but a three-dimensional ecosystem with an extremely harsh environment, filled with danger and the unknown.

It is inhabited by a large number of deformed and ferocious creatures, the most notorious of which are the mortal enemies of the surface Elves—the Dark Elves.

The Dark Nether Realm and the surface world are usually separated by vast distances and, in most cases, are not connected.

However, under certain geological conditions—such as intense tectonic activity, volcanic eruptions, or erosion by underground rivers—it is possible for fissures leading directly to the surface to be torn open.

Furthermore, it’s not unheard of for large burrowing creatures like the Burrowing Worm to accidentally open a passage while digging upward through rock layers in search of food or during migration.

In any case, a fissure connecting to the Dark Nether Realm is a catastrophic hidden danger for any surface power.

It would be one thing if only those ferocious underground monsters came out. The truly terrifying possibility is if a subterranean race happens to live near the fissure...

The environment of the Dark Nether Realm is barren and cruel, with an extreme scarcity of fresh water and food.

The subterranean races are in a constant state of war with one another over these scarce resources.

To them, the surface, with its abundant water and food, is nothing short of paradise.

Once they learn of a direct passage to the surface, they will undoubtedly attack at all costs.

At that point, the mining area would become a battlefield for a grueling war against the subterranean races.

Forget about normal production; whether they could even hold the mining area would be in question.

For a moment, Anton was at a loss for words.

’They were just peacefully mining, so how did they end up digging a fissure all the way to the Dark Nether Realm?’

Now, they could only hope that their worries were unfounded—that the Burrowing Worm didn’t actually come from the Dark Nether Realm, and that the hole didn’t lead to that barren, cruel underworld.

Without delay, Anton and Darian left the Silver Moon Forest and headed straight for the Frost Pattern Silver mining area.

When they arrived, they saw that the three elders and Cedric were already there.

Anton subconsciously glanced at Cedric and keenly sensed that the Magic Power leaking from his body had weakened considerably, to the point of being almost nonexistent.

In its place, however, was a profound, mountain-like presence.

Just standing there, he seemed like an ancient mountain, giving off an unshakable sense of weight and permanence.

Anton understood at once.

’Cedric had, in all likelihood, broken through to the Second Transition of Force. He had probably absorbed almost all of his Magic Power.’

’He just hadn’t fully adapted to the changes in his body yet, causing his aura to leak out.’

’After a little more time, he’ll probably be able to control it at will.’

Noticing Anton’s gaze, Cedric gave him a slight nod.

Anton returned the nod before turning his attention to the monster’s corpse on the ground.