It wasn't until now that Lawson truly acknowledged Lister's strength.
His father's judgment had been correct all along.
Lawson's mentality shifted quickly. He no longer viewed himself as the "main carry" of this team.
He stepped back several paces, ready to play his part as a controller instead.
The vines on the battlefield writhed and tightened, drinking deeply from the Cyclops's open wounds, keeping the bleeding going.
"-11, -12, -11…"
Compared to earlier, the bleed damage was nearly five times higher—a brutal synergy with Lister's bladework.
From the guttural groans echoing from the monster's throat, even without understanding its language, anyone could feel the Cyclops's agony.
But that just made them tense up more.
A Tier 4 Elite-class monster wouldn't go down without a fight—and dying monsters tend to lash out.
Just as expected—
The Cyclops's pain-filled growl abruptly cut off as its giant eye began to glow.
Three laser beams launched without warning.
Simmons, the Shield Warrior, didn't even try to dodge.
Dodging wasn't part of his combat script.
He planted his shield in front of him and took the hit head-on.
BZZZZZT!
The paralysis effect kicked in instantly.
The Cyclops, seeing Simmons immobilized, clenched both fists—muscles bulging like cords under its leathery skin.
Then—
BOOM!
Its fists came crashing down in a massive overhead slam.
Simmons caught the blow with his shield, but his face twisted from the sheer impact.
Even for him, this thing hits hard.
It wasn't just powerful—it was more dangerous than anticipated.
He braced for another strike—
THUD!
The second punch connected, and Simmons was sent flying back several meters, crashing to the ground.
Before he could recover—
The third and final smash was coming.
The Cyclops's signature combo:
Triple Laser → Triple Smash.
If not for Simmons's sheer durability, Lister would've been crushed already.
But just as the final strike was about to land—
SLASH!
A flash of silver cut the sky.
Lister was already airborne, his blade gleaming like a crescent moon.
He struck with pinpoint precision—right into the Cyclops's eye.
[CRITICAL HIT – Damage: 2,309]
[HP Remaining: 1,898 / 10,313 – Bleeding]
The Cyclops screamed in agony, staggering.
Lister didn't pause—he spun and slashed again, this time slicing deep into the beast's thigh.
At this point, his basic attacks were nearly as strong as his skills.
He didn't even need to use Draw Slash anymore.
His every swing now commanded attention.
But the Cyclops?
It could no longer react.
Though a rare-tier Elite enemy, it was still just a D-Rank Mini-Boss.
It lacked the complex phase transitions of later bosses.
And with Lawson's vines still binding its legs…
Lister wasn't about to let Lawson steal the kill.
He surged forward, blade plunging deep into the beast's chest.
[Enemy Slain – Gained 33,981 EXP]
Way more than Karina had given.
Four times as much, in fact.
The battle was over.
Lawson and Simmons regrouped and moved toward Lister.
"Here," Lawson said, tossing over a white-glass vial.
[You've received: Mid-Grade Church Healing Potion]
Item Info – Mid-Grade Church Healing Water (E-rank):
Restores 20% HP over 3 hours (slow regen).
"Thanks," Lister nodded. "But I'm still good."
Despite fighting two intense battles, he was virtually unharmed.
Their team composition had been perfect.
He handled damage.
Lawson controlled the battlefield.
Simmons tanked.
He stepped forward and retrieved the glowing Companion Crystal embedded in the Cyclops's right hand.
"Drink it anyway," Lawson said seriously.
"We don't know what's waiting inside that mine.
And your damage output is irreplaceable."
His tone was different now—respectful.
The shift was obvious.
From mild skepticism at the start, Lawson now spoke to him as a true equal.
In the end, no alliance mattered more than actual power.
They took an hour to rest.
Mostly for Simmons.
He'd taken brutal hits from both Karina and the Cyclops.
At his lowest point, his health had dropped below 30%.
If they'd tried to wear down the Cyclops slowly with vines, it might have worked—
But Simmons wouldn't have survived.
The original baronial castle had collapsed into ruin.
They spent over two hours excavating the remains, working carefully.
Too much force, and the entire underground structure could collapse again.
Fortunately, all three were professionals, and Simmons in particular had a good sense for structure and terrain.
Eventually, they carved out a narrow passage just wide enough for one person to pass through.
As they ventured deeper, faint green glimmers began to appear on the stone walls.
Turquoise.
Still sparse, but growing more frequent.
And then—
They broke into a new tunnel, likely part of the original mining system.
Unlike the crude tunnels dug by the Cyclopes, this one had clearly been constructed by the old Ray baronial house.
The walls on both sides were coated in glowing green light.
Ahead, a long vertical shaft plunged deep underground, glowing faintly green all the way down.
Lister could feel the pressure shift—but it was Lawson and Simmons who reacted first.
Their breathing hitched.
Especially Simmons—his eyes went wide, face full of disbelief.
"T-This… this is all turquoise?"
"With this purity? Lawson, sir, this… this has to be at least a mid-tier vein, right?!"
Lawson was already scanning with magic—his expression rare and unguarded.
His usual sternness replaced by visible excitement.
"…Whew."
Several minutes later, he canceled the scan, exhaling deeply.
Then looked at the other two.
"No.
Based on what we've uncovered so far…
This vein isn't mid-tier."
"It's definitely large-scale.
And based on the structure, we haven't even hit the bottom.
There's still a huge section that's unexplored."
"Even if we ignore the uncharted sections…
What we've found already is far beyond expectations."
Lister blinked, trying to grasp the scale.
"How valuable is it… really? Based on the share I agreed to—"
"—Could I support, say… ten combatants?"
He knew little about mine classifications.
He wasn't greedy—he'd taken the Companion Crystal and a smallest share of the mine.
He just wanted to support a few loyal retainers.
That would've been enough.
After all, the Merrick family needed to rebuild.
He couldn't carry everything alone forever.
"Ten?" Lawson actually laughed.
He shook his head and gestured for Lister to try again.
"…What, a hundred?" Lister asked, straightening his posture to look less clueless.
Even a hundred combatants—that was pushing it.
Even his current quest reward—a mid-tier copper mine—probably couldn't sustain that many.
He didn't want to look like some bumpkin who'd never seen wealth before.
But Lawson still smiled faintly, saying nothing.
That silence?
It made Lister's breath catch.
Only now did he start to realize—
This mine…
This isn't just big.
This is monstrous.
Lawson finally spoke.
"Based on what we've confirmed so far—"
"—this one vein could support every combatant in the entire Will Duchy."
Boom.
The words echoed louder than any explosion.