I Built a Beast Empire After Reincarnation-Chapter 37: The Miner’s Instinct

The city of Greystone buzzed with activity. With the looming threat of war and the promise of prosperity from the newly discovered ore deposits, every citizen played a part. The forges burned bright, soldiers trained day and night, and the streets echoed with purpose. Among them, Malrick walked with intent, his merchant’s eye scanning the crowds.

Lucas had entrusted him with a critical mission: to gather willing workers to mine the labyrinth and the iron-rich mountains beyond. As a man who valued people as much as gold, Malrick knew this wasn’t a task to take lightly.

He set up a recruitment booth in Greystone’s central square. A large parchment detailed the job requirements and rewards:

"Miners Wanted: Strong, Enduring, and Brave. High Wages. Guaranteed Protection. Housing Provided."

Dozens came forward. Former laborers, wandering adventurers without a calling, displaced farmers—people desperate for stability. Malrick evaluated each one carefully. He asked questions, observed their build, their calluses, and their posture. He didn’t want just any workforce. He wanted a foundation for a mining empire.

But after the first few hours, disappointment began to settle in.

The applicants were either too weak, too inexperienced, or lacked the stamina required for deep-earth mining. One man claimed to have mined a dragon’s lair but couldn’t even lift a pickaxe. Another swore he could smell ore through stone, but the only thing he found was a half-eaten potato in his coat.

Malrick sighed heavily as another unfit applicant slinked away.

"Isn’t there anyone with real talent left in this city?" he muttered, frustration mounting. "I need someone who breathes stone, not stories."

Just as he was about to close the booth for the day, a quiet rustle caught his attention. A large shadow fell across the booth.

A young man, no older than Lucas himself, stepped forward. He was large—muscular but not bulky, with tanned skin and calm, observant eyes. What caught Malrick’s attention, however, wasn’t just his build.

It was the creature at his side.

A mole. But not an ordinary one. It was nearly the size of a dog, with glimmering, crystalline claws and a faint, earthy aura. It looked up at Malrick with intelligent eyes before burrowing a perfect hole into the ground and re-emerging beside the boy in seconds.

The boy nodded. "Name’s Torren. I heard you need miners."

Malrick leaned forward, intrigued. "Tell me about your companion."

"His name’s Brum. He’s a Terra Mole. Been with me since I was a kid. My family used to work the old mines before the Tide attacks drove us out."

"Experience, loyalty, and a rare beast." Malrick grinned. "What else can you do, Torren?"

Torren nodded. "I worked in the pits west of Wyrmfield before the Tide took it. We tunneled through rock and flame. Brum can sense ore veins. I can dig faster than most, and I don’t need much rest."

Malrick’s eyes glinted. "What did you say?"

"I can dig without tiring, sir. My father said it’s a family trait. He called it ’Stoneblood.’"

Malrick pulled out a crystal and scanned the boy.

[Torren Stoneblood - Earthbound Digger]

Level: 21

Class: Miner (Rare Variant)

Beast: Brum (Terra Mole)

Skills:

Ore Sense: Can locate mineral-rich areas within 20 meters.

Endless Endurance: Can dig for extended hours without fatigue.

Tunnel Mastery: Digging is 400% faster. Tunnels are stable and reinforced by Earth Mana.

Just then, Lucas arrived, curious about the crowd. He stepped beside Malrick and glanced at the boy’s status screen.

Lucas whistled. "We just found the cornerstone of our mining guild. Torren, you’re hired. Not just as a miner, but the lead excavator. You’ll guide our teams."

Torren’s eyes widened. "I-I won’t disappoint you."

"I know you won’t," Lucas said. "Welcome to Greystone’s future."

The next day, miners assembled at the edge of the labyrinth. Torren stood at the front, holding a crude map of the mine and a glowing stone given by Lucas that reacted to magical ore.

"We’ll follow the map to the northern cavern," Torren announced. "That’s where the rare deposits are. Brum and I will go first. The rest follow our tunnel path. Don’t wander off."

Brum burrowed ahead with astonishing speed, and Torren followed close behind, hands glowing faintly with earth mana. Soil flew effortlessly behind them. Within minutes, they had opened a ten-meter-long tunnel wide enough for a man to walk comfortably.

The other miners gaped.

"He’s already down to the third layer!" one gasped.

"And look at that soil—it’s firm, no collapses."

They followed carefully, marveling at the craftsmanship of the tunnel.

Soon, Torren paused, closed his eyes, and tapped the ground. The earth around him seemed to hum, vibrating faintly in response.

"Right here. There’s ore. Good stuff. Deep vein."

He started digging again, this time slower, more methodical. Brum joined in, clawing the earth with precision. Shimmering veins of silver, iron, and a strange violet ore began to appear.

The miners gasped again.

"It’s magic-infused ore!"

"Already?! He found it this fast?!"

By the end of the first hour, Torren had unearthed more usable ore than most teams would in a full day. The miners followed suit, using his tunnels as their base, setting up rails and carts as they moved deeper. Brum barked and chittered at the other beasts, forming a rhythm of excavation.

As they worked, the tunnel expanded into a small chamber, supported by natural stone pillars. The glimmer of magical ore illuminated the space like starlight in a cavern.

More miners joined, passing crates and pickaxes, and they couldn’t stop whispering in awe.

"We’ve got a legend in the making."

"Brum might be smarter than most people I know."

"Torren’s like a living drill. We’ll hit the motherlode before the week’s out."

Malrick watched from the rear, arms crossed, a smile tugging at his lips.

Lucas appeared beside him. "Looks like you made the right call."

"He’s more than a miner. He’s the heart of a mountain. With him, Greystone’s wealth just doubled."

Lucas nodded, his gaze fixed on the glowing tunnel.

"Then let’s make sure he never has to dig alone."

The digging continued into the night, the sounds of pickaxes ringing like music in the deep. As the carts filled with raw ore and the air shimmered with mana, the spirits of the miners soared.

Greystone’s veins had been opened. And they bled gold.