Chapter 26: Dusik’s Awakening

A mole appeared right before my eyes.

It wore a yellow helmet and held a pickaxe in one hand.

A mole?

Its long whiskers fluttered as it tilted its head.

It glanced around cautiously.

Why was it trembling like that?

Its movements were strange.

I carefully approached and touched it with my hand, and its status window appeared.

[ Dudermole ]

[ Rank ] E-D+

[ Preferred Food ] Root vegetables, famine-relief crops

A mole-type monster, Dudermole.

Definitely a creature I’d never heard of before.

Still, its round, plump form was adorable.

“Hello?”

I greeted it awkwardly, puffing out my cheeks.

Bbyak, Somi, and Toto were different.

The three brothers had come over first.

Bbyak was saved after getting lost and exhausted.

Somi hatched from an egg given as a reward, and Toto was caught while trying to steal almonds.

But this time?

I was the first to speak.

In a way, I myself felt awkward.

At times like this, food is the best.

To break the awkward, stiff atmosphere, tempting with delicious food is the best solution.

Let’s see. It likes famine-relief crops.

When I think of famine-relief crops, sweet potatoes come to mind.

I happened to have some dried sweet potatoes in my pouch.

They often came out of the random boxes.

They were meant for today.

“Want to eat this?”

I took out a piece of dried sweet potato and showed it in front of its nose. It sniffed, twitching its nose.

Then, suddenly,

It pounced.

With small paws tipped with sharp claws, it hugged the sweet potato.

It chewed carefully with its tiny mouth.

“Delicious, right?”

Duda!

It nodded happily in response.

But it wasn’t looking at me.

Its gaze was elsewhere.

A vague, unfinished gaze.

It was staring somewhere between its knees and shins.

Could it be?

I opened my palm and waved it in front of the Dudermole.

But there was no response.

As I thought. It must be blind.

Come to think of it, I heard that moles have poor eyesight.

Even magical beasts weren’t an exception.

That was when Somi pulled something out.

One of the many inventions she had made so far.

A pair of glasses.

But not just any glasses.

They were adjusted for the wearer’s size and eyesight.

As expected from the resourceful, ever-efficient Somi.

The more I looked, the more impressive it was.

She gently handed the glasses to Dudermole with her small, fern-like hands, and it tilted its head.

Duda?

Bbiee!

“Duda duda!”

Somi continued her enthusiastic explanation.

Did her efforts work? Dudermole nodded and put on the glasses.

Then,

Duu-uu-da!

Its tiny eyes blinked wide open.

The refraction of the lenses on its pupils was incredibly cute.

Those small, dark, seemingly insignificant eyes were Dudermole’s charm point.

There was a charm that brought a smile to your face.

“Take good care of yourself.”

I patted Dudermole’s head as I looked at it.

Its rough fur was palpable.

Addictive, really.

I wanted to keep touching it.

Familiar yet addictive.

Its fur reminded me of a freshly shaved beard.

Dudermole seemed pleased too, shaking its head lightly.

Maybe because it was a different kind of magical beast than the ones I’d met so far, I felt oddly attached.

It was timid and insignificant—something that made me feel a kinship.

Duda!

Suddenly, it grabbed my hand and pulled me.

As if telling me to follow it.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.”

Without knowing English, I was dragged inside the mine.

A dark tunnel stretched out, without a single light.

Not a single ray of light.

Only muffled sounds echoed around.

At that moment, Bbyak spread its wings wide, and the surroundings brightened instantly.

Hundreds of moles worked wearing yellow helmets.

There were small moles, and occasionally larger ones too.

The tools they used varied widely.

Some pulled carts, others wielded pickaxes.

Among them, the largest mole was using a massive drill.

“Are those all magic stones?”

I pointed to the red gems embedded in the wall and asked. Dudermole nodded.

It was then.

One of the large moles came over.

Duda!

It was furious.

I had seen this kind of face somewhere before.

Faces of friends tormented by Taejin during school days flashed through my mind.

There were bullies even among Dudermoles.

I couldn’t just watch silently.

We all have to get along, why create ranks?

I had to step in.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I warned the mole who was bullying the smaller Dudermole with an angry expression.

Then, the Dudermole I met first stopped me.

Du, duda.

What was that?

Among Dudermoles, being the best at digging was a kind of rank?

A truly mole-like method.

They even had rules.

There was no benefit in interfering carelessly.

At times like this, following their ways is best.

Of course, that didn’t mean I would just stand by.

There was a good way.

I just had to win against the Dudermoles.

The best digger becomes the most powerful here, right?

Perfect.

I could settle this peacefully without violence.

So, who’s the best digger here?

Follow me, down to the roof — no, the underground tunnels!

***

The Hidden Mine, obtained as a reward for collecting 15 golden tickets.

Inside lived magical beasts who had been there before.

They were mole-type monsters, Dudermoles.

Their name said it all.

They looked exactly like moles.

The only difference was the yellow helmets and the mining tools they used.

Even among Dudermoles, there were rules.

The leader of the group had to be the best digger.

It was the most mole-like but fair method.

But like stagnant water turns bad, these long-standing rules caused discrimination among Dudermoles.

By nature, the smaller ones were eliminated.

They lacked strength and speed and had no choice.

But the group leader was different.

If one was strong, they could protect the weaker friends.

Those under protection had to repay in other ways.

This was a world where they lived symbiotically.

Yet, they often fought, bullied, and neglected each other.

Just like humans.

This mine was Dudermoles’ society.

Still, I couldn’t just watch.

If something was wrong, it had to be fixed.

A sort of revolution.

It was time to decide the new leader of the mine.

“Dusik, you can do it.”

I gave a name to the Dudermole I met first.

To give a friendly feeling and a strong impression, I named it Dusik.

Because Dusik was especially small among the Dudermoles, it suffered a lot of bullying.

Meeting me outside the mine had a reason.

It had run away, unable to endure the torment.

Then it met me by chance and tried to give me its most treasured gift in return for the dried sweet potatoes.

But luck wasn’t on its side.

Though it sneaked in quietly, it got caught by the Dudermoles with sharp hearing.

And on top of that, the bully was someone who often tormented Dusik.

That was actually good.

It was time to put a stop to it.

Du, Dudermole.

Dusik looked at me with a trembling voice.

I clenched my fist and cheered it on.

On the other hand?

Its opponent had the cheers of all the Dudermoles behind him.

His large size was matched by an equally impressive pickaxe.

Its destructive power rivaled an electric drill.

No wonder it was the leader.

Of course, it wasn’t a match for our Dusik.

Why?

How dare a pickaxe stand against Somi’s special invention!

[Ultra-Strong Mining Electric Drill] A powerful mining drill that uses magic stones as fuel. It boasts a maximum of 2,000,000 RPM and is equipped with high-output cooling technology to prevent overheating.

An unbelievable rotation speed per minute.

It could be adjusted depending on the situation.

If you just want to dig quickly?

Simply crank it to max power and go.

Dusik and the leader Dudermole stood in front of a small rock, waiting for the judge’s signal.

The tense moment was silent.

Two chunks of stone crashed down, and the contest began.

The leader Dudermole, utilizing its biceps and triceps, dug at a fast pace.

The sturdy soil crumbled under the skilled pickaxing, and a path was carved.

Then how about our Dusik?

Still at the starting line.

It was starting up the drill.

At that moment,

The drill finally roared to life.

“Whoaahhh—”

With a tremendous roar, it started moving forward.

Dirt clumps poured out.

Because Dusik started late, the outcome was in doubt.

Who would be the winner?

The leader Dudermole with excellent physical strength?

Or Dusik, the righteous Dudermole using Somi’s invention?

Amidst the rising dust, the winner’s silhouette appeared.

The gigantic Dudermole.

The winner was none other than the leader Dudermole!

No, it was Dusik who boldly took the helmet in front of him.

It was a fierce battle unlike expected.

But against Somi’s science, the opponent didn’t stand a chance.

Du, Dudermole.

The leader Dudermole looked devastated, as if unable to believe it, with a resigned expression.

People and moles were surprisingly alike.

Even the arrogance of never losing to someone they despise.

But this was a fair competition.

The result must be accepted.

The leader Dudermole bowed his head low, waiting for his fate.

He seemed aware of what he had done.

But still, he was beneath a human.

He accepted the defeat coolly and even apologized first.

He didn’t ask for pity.

He accepted the fair outcome with dignity.

He recognized Dusik.

Dusik, in turn, showed mercy.

He walked over and extended his hand.

Du, Duda.

The leader Dudermole was moved by Dusik’s forgiveness.

Dusik then approached and hugged him tightly.

It was a scene you couldn’t watch without tears.

The birth of a new leader.

All the Dudermoles clapped at the emotional sight.

Clap, clap, clap—

With everything settled, Dusik soon became the leader of the Dudermoles.

Everyone awaited Dusik’s first words.

Raising its pickaxe with its short front paws, it shouted.

Duda!

Clap, clap, clap, clap—

What could it have said?

Well, all’s well that ends well.

Dusik would surely be a good leader.

***

After everything ended, on the way back home.

Dusik hurriedly followed at a quick pace.

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

It seemed restless, wanting to say something.

When I bent down to its level, Dusik handed me a small key.

“What’s this?”

Du, duda.

The leader’s key?

Why was it giving this to me?

Duda!

It said it was all thanks to me.

This was all it had to give as a reward.

Well, I should accept it out of courtesy.

Let’s see. What was this key for?

[Mine Storage Key] A storage key for the Hidden Mine. It holds all the magic stones mined by the Dudermoles.

The key’s identity was the storage key.

Right.

I needed magic stones.

Caught up in the rivalry between Dusik and the leader Dudermole, I’d completely forgotten.

The magic stone warehouse.

Since it was a gift, I accepted it.

“Thank you.”

We exchanged small words of gratitude, and since I was at it, I decided to check the warehouse.

A wooden door right next to the mine.

This was the warehouse entrance.

When I brought the key to the keyhole, it began to open smoothly, revealing piles of magic stones as far as the eye could see.

“Is this all magic stones?”

An enormous amount of magic stones.

One after another.

At a glance, the entire five floors were filled with magic stones.

[Notice] You have acquired ownership of the Hidden Mine warehouse.

[Notice] 2,532,298 KG of magic stones are now bound to you.

Over 2,000 tons of an astonishing amount of magic stones were now mine!