Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking-Chapter 584: Gilderoy’s Adventure III

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The father and son gingerly made their way down the house they're in.

They felt wary despite the kindness they received so far; they were at a stranger's house, after all, so it's understandable they felt this way.

Upon arriving downstairs, they felt the gaze of two people on them.

The father and son never knew them before this, but they do look and feel kind, at least. It's rare to see creatures with flesh and blood in this world due to its unique atmosphere, yet it's also because of this that the older Crystal Sprite didn't dare to slight them.

"Greetings to you, Sir and Madam. We, father and son, thank you for your saving grace. If there's any way we can repay this kindness, please don't hesitate to tell us; we'll do everything in our power to satisfy you." The pair bowed deeply and subserviently to express their message.

"Oh, there's really no need for that, and don't be so formal; we mean you no harm. We helped because we could," the lady replied with a gentle tone.

Perhaps it's because they're energy lifeforms born from nature itself that they felt safe and friendly towards these two even though they're total strangers of flesh and blood.

The father, albeit not that well educated, still heard stories from his fellow miners from time to time about other races. He's aware of 'The Six' and met one at a distance in a distant past. He wouldn't forget their aura, and the lady in front of them carried the same aura, and hers was even purer and more formidable than the one he remembered.

As for the gentleman, who should be her husband,he has never seen someone like him before.

"How do you two feel?" The gentleman asked; his voice was deep yet gentle. It resonated to their core in a baffling manner, as if urging them to respond to him in a subconscious manner.

"Better than ever, sir. We, once again, thank both of you deeply for saving us from our predicament."

"Mn, that's good. Come, sit with us. And if you don't mind, can you tell us how you ended up injured?"

The pair, as if moved by an unknown force, found themselves taking a seat at the same table as the couple. The father placed his son, who's obviously still guarded yet also grateful, on his lap so as to not take more space than necessary.

"I work as a crystal ore miner, sir." The older Crystal Sprite stated, "It's not much, but it's an honest job. It pays enough for both of us to live just fine. My son also helps out, but of course his workload is lighter than the adults."

Then, the father smiled wryly and helplessly: "That started as any other. We started working just as usual, but then, out of nowhere, a collapse occurred."

"It shouldn't have happened since we made sure to prioritize our safety as we mined. We established strict regulations to prevent accidents like that, and anybody who defied their orders will be punished heavily."

"But as it turns out, the collapse wasn't caused by us. It's because the noises we made disturbed a slumbering Nightmate Crystal Worm."

Upon mentioning the creature, the younger crystal sprite shivered on his father's lap. The terror he felt didn't escape the sense of the couple.

"Nightmare Crystal Worm...that's a creature that feeds on mineral ores. The more they eat, the bigger and deadlier they get."

"Yes, sir. That's it, exactly."

Well, that's not totally it. In truth, Nightmare Crystal Worms are the bane of mineral-rich worlds like this one.

This worm boasts incredible stamina, endurance, and devouring capabilities. Moreover, their growth ceiling is only ever limited by the amount of mineral ores they devour.

See, these creatures had an innate ability to sense mineral ores nearby, and this ability grows stronger along with their growth. Additionally, these worms are extremely tenacious and durable. They could take an insane beating and still have enough energy to escape. And once a Nightmare Demon Worm reaches a certain level, they will have the ability to devour an entire world.

"How big was it?" Allura asked curiously.

"I'm sorry, Madam, but I'm unable to tell," the older Crystal Sprite apologized. "It was too chaotic back then, and it moved too fast for me to roughly estimate its size. It also injured me rather severely, and my focus was to save my son and get out of there before we were both eaten whole."

"Though, I'd say that it's big enough that its accursed maw was big enough to swallow me whole without needing to chew while still having enough space to fit at least ten more of me at that."

Recalling this caused the older crystal sprite to sweat coldly. He knew that he was incredibly lucky to have survived this accident at all because even if he wanted to, he's not at all qualified to even fight that thing.

The memory of his colleagues being swallowed whole by that thing was still fresh, giving him conniptions. He was truly fortunate to still be alive at this point.

"I see..." Gilderoy muttered, his face not betraying his thoughts. "...well, what's your plan next?"

"I—..." The older crystal sprite hesitated. He looked at his son and blanked out.

'Yeah, what now, huh? 'He thought to himself.

The mine was ruined. And even if it's still intact at some points, it has become completely unsafe. Unless somebody could kill that worm, miners like him will never be able to feel safe enough to go back to the mines.

But without the mines, how are they supposed to survive? One must know that Crystal Sprites also feed off of mineral ores...well, not exactly the ore itself but the energy contained in them, but that's the same thing.

To them, the Nightmare Crystal Worm was their fiercest competitor for food. One that they're powerless to stop. This means that this was an existential crisis for their kind.

The older crystal sprite can't afford to stop going into the mines. He didn't save up any spare ores from his salary not because he doesn't want to but because he couldn't. His earnings are only enough to sustain both of them, and that's even with the bonus of having his son help out in the mines too. He could only blame his poor mining skills for this, but pointing fingers now doesn't solve anything.

As a Crystal Sprite, they are incapable of consuming flesh and blood. Their sustenance is energy, and no, absorbing it from the air wasn't enough. Creatures like them need to consume them from energy sources, and in this world, that would be the mineral ores.

Without mineral ores, they could only live for a week at most before dying miserably.

"For now, I suppose we'll return there first just to see how bad the damage is and then move on from there," the older crystal sprite stated after thinking. He stroked his son's head gently as if reassuring him.

"Do you not plan on returning home?" Allura asked curiously.

"The mines were our home." The father smiled wryly. "The place we were staying at was located near the entrance of the mines. Miners like us usually set up homes like that for convenience. Before I lost consciousness, I remember seeing our home destroyed by the worm, so..."

In truth, Crystal Sprites couldn't really go far from their food source. The weaker they are, the more they rely on sustenance for survival. This is why miners like him set up temporary homes near the mines. It wasn't just simply for convenience.

As for cultivating, that might as well be forgotten. The secret of life evolution was meant for wealthy Crystal Sprites, and that's just the initial requirement. Moreover, life evolution manuals for creatures like them were very rare, so even if someone does have it, how can they possibly share it with others?

Becoming a strong Crystal Sprite is just wishful thinking for many. They might as well spend their time being realistic and focus on how to survive the next day.

"Well, at the very least, let us accompany you there," Gilderoy suggested, much to the shock of the pair. "We don't really feel comfortable letting you two return there by yourselves. Who knows what will happen? If we're with you, at the very least we can act if things go bad."

"Oh, no! Sir, Madam, we're incredibly grateful, but you don't really have to. We're already indebted to both of you for healing us. We couldn't possibly impose on your time anymore than we already have."

"Psh, don't mind it." Gilderoy waved his hand. "It's fine, really. Besides, we haven't gone out that much since we arrived here anyway, so we might as well see what's going on."

"That, well..." The older crystal sprite still felt hesitant, yet he also knew that there's no stopping these two, so he could only agree. "Then we'll be troubling you further, sir or madam."

"Oh, believe me, it wouldn't be trouble." He chuckled. "By the way, my name is Gilderoy, and this is my wife, Allura. Nice to meet you two."