Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill Chapter 22:The Abandoned Mine

The next few days were filled with chaos.

Healing potions were stocked, weapons were coated with poison, arrows sharpened, and food packed. Ethan picked each item himself, not allowing a single mistake. For this journey, he and Randall would take four n of middle Novice rank and twenty-five of early Novice rank. He knew they could not afford to be careless.

On the morning of departure, Sophia entered the room carrying sothing wrapped in cloth. When she opened it, Ethan froze. It was her father’s armor and sword, polished until they shone. Her hands trembled as she held them out.

"This belonged to my father," she said softly. "It was his most precious possession. Now it belongs to you."

Her voice cracked but her eyes were steady. She stepped forward and began dressing him herself.

Piece by piece she placed the armor on his body, fastening the buckles with careful hands.

Every ti her fingers brushed against the tal, she paused rembering her father.

She admired him silently, the silver shining against his strong figure, but inside her heart bled. He looked every bit like a knight from the old tales, yet all she saw was the man she loved risking his life again.

When the final strap was tied, she stepped back and her lips quivered. "You look just like him," she whispered, her gaze soft. "But stronger... and mine."

Ethan touched her cheek and smiled, though his own heart was heavy.

Soon, the team assembled outside. Horses pawed the ground, ready to ride. Ethan climbed onto his mount, a strong beast that only obeyed him.

He stroked its neck gently before looking at Sophia, who stood holding their two children close in her arms. Her face was pale, but her eyes never left him.

"Sophia, don’t be sad," he said, his voice calm but carrying warmth. "I promise I will co back safe and sound."

Sophia swallowed her tears and forced herself to look at him steadily. "If you don’t co back, I will marry soone else," she said firmly. "I cannot kill myself, and I will not let our children grow as orphans. So make sure you return."

Her words trembled at the edges, but her gaze was resolute.

Ethan chuckled, the sound low and gentle. "Then I must co back. I won’t let you belong to anyone else."

He tightened his reins and turned his horse. The n followed behind, the sound of hooves striking the earth like drums of war.

Ethan’s expression changed as he looked out toward the village. The air was crisp, as the land stretched before him. It had been years since he last stepped out this far. This was no longer a simple journey.

From here on, his true path began. His first step to becoming the Lord of this region had truly started.

....

The mine was just sixteen kiloters away from the main village.

Ethan and his group marched through the dense forest until the trees thinned out and the path opened near a rocky hill. Jagged black stones rose like broken teeth from the ground, giving the place a wild and harsh look. The air around felt strangely heavy, as if even nature wanted to warn them not to co closer.

When Ethan finally saw the abandoned mine, his eyes narrowed. At the base of the rocky hill stood a cluster of broken huts. The thatched roofs had long collapsed, and many of the walls had fallen apart.

Ti and the wrath of storms had left them twisted and unfit for any living thing. What had once been a bustling place now looked like a ghost village.

At the center of it all was the mine itself. A huge cave-like opening lood in the rock, but its entrance had been sealed. Massive stones were stacked and cented together, blocking the path completely. The barrier looked firm, like a prison wall built not to keep people out, but to stop sothing from coming out.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "You really blocked the mine to such a degree..."

The villager beside him nodded, his voice low. "Yes. We made sure whatever was inside could never co out. But looking at it now, if the wall is still in place after all these years, maybe there’s nothing left alive. If there was sothing, it might have already died."

Ethan’s expression hardened. "Let’s not be negligent." He turned to his n. "Set up camp. Prepare for work."

Randall, gathered his squad. With iron rods, hamrs, and other tools, they began breaking the stones. The task was far from easy. They had to strike carefully, controlling their strength, or the pressure could cause the whole mine to collapse from the inside.

It was a slow and tiring job. The n sweated under the sun during the day and worked under torchlight at night. For two whole days the pounding and scraping continued, and slowly, the rocks began to loosen.

anwhile, Ethan kept himself busy. He sparred with his n, practiced his swordsmanship, and ditated to keep his focus sharp.

At last, on the second night, a loud crack echoed through the air.

CRANG!

The final stones gave way, crashing outward with a splash of dust and rubble. The entrance yawned open like the mouth of a sleeping beast.

Ethan tightened his grip on his shield and sword. He gave one last look at his n before stepping forward. The mont he crossed the threshold, a chilling gust of air washed over him. His skin prickled. It felt as if the mine was breathing cold into his bones.

He frowned. "Why is it so cold? Does this place produce ice mana crystals?"

Randall shook his head quickly. "No, my lord. Only normal E-rank crystals were mined here."

Ethan drew in a deep breath. "Light the torches. Be careful. Leave so n outside. If the mine breaks down, they must clear the entrance. Also, place wooden pillars to support the path inside."

"Yes, my lord," Randall answered firmly.

Soon, one torch after another was lit. The flickering flas pushed back the darkness a little, but the mine swallowed the light hungrily.

Ethan and his n moved in together, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls.

.......

Inside, the mine looked like a hollow skeleton. The walls were rough and dark, scraped clean where crystals had once been cut away. Old mining carts stood overturned with their wheels broken.

Rusted pickaxes and shattered helts lay scattered in corners, covered in dust and cobwebs. Wooden beams, long rotted, leaned weakly against the walls, so already split in half. It was a place where ti had stopped.

The group pressed on. Ethan studied the layout. "The outer area was cleared a long ti ago. Mining must have been finished here."

Randall nodded. "Yes, my lord. Only the inner passages remain."

Five tunnels branched out from the main chamber, like dark throats leading deeper into the mountain. Ethan and Randall decided to check each one carefully.

The first passage was silent. Only the sound of dripping water echoed. The second held nothing but broken rocks and piles of abandoned tools. The third was the sa, quiet and lifeless.

But when they stepped into the fourth passage, the air changed.

A sudden drop in temperature bit into their skin. The flas of the torches flickered violently, struggling against an unseen wind. A faint mist curled in the corners, clinging to the stones.

Randall’s instincts scread and his heart pounded.

His voice cracked as he shouted with all his strength.

"MY LORDDDDD!"

But before he could finish his warning, the tunnel shook violently.

BOOOOM!

A blinding beam of light shot toward them, tearing through the darkness like the strike of an angry god.