David, who was standing below stealing ore, heard the entire conversation. His mouth couldn't help but twitch a few times, and his expression nearly crumbled.
There was no helping it; that's just how greenskins were. That's just how their brains worked.
By now, he had already obtained a full six stacks of raw iron ore.
Because the furnace's smelting speed was too slow, he only had two stacks of iron ingots. To save inventory space, he had specifically compressed the two stacks of iron ingots into iron blocks.
Logically, David actually had enough iron, and the best move right now was to evacuate.
To be honest, David was getting a bit carried away; this feeling of being fully loaded was just too satisfying.
Moreover, the mine above didn't just yield iron ore; there was also plenty of coal. If he waited a bit longer, who knows, he might even sift out some diamonds.
Since he was already here, he couldn't leave empty-handed. With this mindset, David continued to stay below, stealing ore.
"Don't run, you damn gretchin!"
"Catch him! We're having an extra meal tonight!"
Two Boyz were shouting and hollering as they chased a gretchin.
The gretchin let out a shrill wail, scrambling and crawling in a blind panic.
Seeing the distance between them closing, it recklessly dove into a crevice at the base of the mine.
"Curse it, where did that little brat go?" The two Boyz circled around the crevice.
"Stop shouting, let me pull him out." One Boy lay down and thrust his arm into the crevice.
"I got him!"
Just as he was about to succeed, a massive shadow loomed over the two of them.
It was that sturdy greenskin Nob. "You two useless gits aren't working! What the Zog are you doing here?!"
The two Boyz froze, silent as cicadas in winter.
The gretchin in the crevice took the opportunity to crawl out and immediately hugged the Nob's thick mechanical leg. "Boss, they wanted to eat me!"
The Ork narrowed his small eyes. Before the two Boyz could explain, a fist the size of a casserole dish swung heavily into their faces.
The two Boyz screamed as they rolled on the ground, nosebleeds and broken teeth flying everywhere.
"Hrrrgh… zoggin' useless. Proper useless."
The Ork shook his head, tusks grinding in disgust.
"All ya know 'ow ta do is leg it after gretchin all day!" he roared. "Ya ain't never gonna be nuffin'! No fightin', no krumpin', no glory—just a waste o' good teef!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he got. "A propa Ork needs a propa opponent! Only by usin' the hardest muscles to krump the hardest bones can you get stronger, bigger, tougher, and more Waaagh!"
"But didn't that man kill us until we had to hide underground?" the Ork on the ground said timidly, clutching his swollen face.
"Hide? How many times do I have to say it? This isn't hiding! Orks are never afraid! This is for the plan—a Great Plan!"
Rage rose in the Nob's heart as he swung the warhammer that was taller than a man.
"Since you lot won't learn yer lesson!"
The warhammer smashed down. The two Boys were scared out of their wits, scrambling to dodge.
The hammer missed its target and, following its massive momentum, slammed solidly into the side of the mine.
Rumble!
The earth shook and the mountain trembled as dust soared into the sky.
Under the gaze of the Ork Nob and all the nearby Boys, the mine that should have been incredibly solid collapsed inward.
The Ork Nob's eyeballs nearly popped out.
I fink this mountain was supposed to be solid! How could it collapse with one hit?
Something's wrong. Very wrong.
"There's a thief! Someone hollowed out our mountain!"
The entire underground cavern was ignited. Roars, the clashing of weapons, and the sound of chaotic footsteps merged into one.
"Thief!"
Feeling the vibrations from the ground above, David knew his secret was out.
He swept everything from the chest into his backpack, not even bothering to recover the hopper.
An impact came from above. A surge of brute force smashed a large hole through the cave ceiling, and many green faces poked in.
"What's down there? Tell me what's down there right now!" the Ork Nob shouted angrily.
"It's a human! There's a little hummie down there!"
"Skinny arms and skinny legs! Catch him!"
Countless Boys poured in through the opening like dumplings being dropped into a pot, jostling to get through.
David's face had turned as green as it could get. He didn't know if it was the reflection of the greenskins' skin or something else.
He turned and jumped into the hole beside him, landing precisely in the water puddle he had placed beforehand to cushion his fall.
Without stopping for a second, he immediately retrieved the water source and sprinted along the secret passage he had come from.
The sound of bone-chilling impacts came from behind him.
Splat! Splat!
Several Boys, completely disregarding the height, jumped straight down. The fall from such a distance turned them directly into meat paste.
Even more greenskins survived by stepping on the remains of their comrades. They shook their heads as they climbed up and surged toward the direction David was fleeing.
Calling it a charge was an understatement; there were so many Boys that they had filled the passage. The so-called charge was more like squeezing toothpaste as they pushed through the tunnel toward David.
Come on, legs, faster, faster, even faster! David utterly hated that he only had two legs.
As he ran for his life, he placed cobblestones behind him to create obstacles.
Up ahead, the ladder finally appeared.
David grabbed the ladder and shot upward, his legs kicking so fast they almost left afterimages.
The exit was right above.
He was out! David poked his head out, only to see a giant warhammer obscuring his vision.
"Die, little hummie." A hint of boredom flashed in the Nob's eyes.
He could already see this little hummie being turned into a pile of meat paste.
Sigh, how boring. What's the point of an opponent like this?
block!
David raised his [Shield] in front of him.
The warhammer slammed solidly into the wooden Shield, and then... it stopped.
The expected dull thud of flesh and bone turning to mush didn't come.
The scene was too shocking. He had not only blocked a hammer larger than himself, but he hadn't even retreated a single step.
Every greenskin present, whether it was the Nob swinging the hammer or the Boyz crowding around to squeeze up, froze in their actions and shouts for a moment.
"He blocked it?"
"He blocked it!"
"Hahahaha! Interesting little hummie! Again!"
The boredom in the Nob's eyes was replaced by a long-lost excitement.
Ever since the Warboss fell in battle and he was forced to lead this group of Boys to hide here and carry out that long, tedious plan...
It had been far, far too long since he had encountered an opponent who could give him a satisfying fight.
The tedious digging and waiting had almost dulled his battle-hungry nerves. But now, this human who blocked his strike... He opened his maw wide and let out a wild laugh, his muscular green arms swinging the warhammer once more.
A full-power strike!
Crap! The force of the Nob's previous attack was so great that it had directly caused a Shield-break effect.
The Shield in David's off-hand was now in a white cooldown state, temporarily unusable.
Too fast! The speed of the Nob's full-power swing far exceeded his previous one. He couldn't dodge.
The warhammer landed squarely on David's body. David felt as if he had been hit head-on by a heavy truck.
His first injury in the Warhammer Universe.
His entire body shot backward, and David slammed heavily into the solid rock wall behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"As expected, you're different." The Nob narrowed his small eyes. He didn't pursue immediately; instead, he shook his wrist, carefully savoring the feedback from that hammer strike.
The impact felt completely different. An ordinary hummie would have long since become a puddle on the ground under a full-power strike like that.