Mice dominate the dungeon

Shinjuku year 233.

On the border of the Kingdom of Anzu, in the ninth level of the Ash Dungeon.

"Clang~~Clang~~"

Calloused hands gripped the pickaxe, striking the mine wall again and again. The flying dust blended into the dim light, then slowly settled down, becoming part of the skin.

George Joestar, 35, is a bronze adventurer who now works part-time mining in the dungeon.

He wore a protective vest made from dismantled old leather armor, with a crooked guild emblem etched on it by charcoal. This was to let other adventurers know his identity and not mistake him for a lowly mining slave.

The only real pocket on his chest was made from the skin torn off a dead rat.

Actually, there weren't many rats in the ninth level of the mine before.

But about six months ago, the Ash Dungeon experienced a magical tide.

Since then, George has discovered that the number of rats has increased dramatically throughout the entire ninth level of the western mine.

Could the demonic tide also cause rats to enter their mating season...? George couldn't understand it, nor did he have the energy to understand it.

As autumn draws to a close, the harsh and terrifying winter is plotting how to claim the lives of those poorly clothed and destitute people living at the bottom of society.

The pickaxe was raised again, and the mine wall swallowed the iron pickaxe with a dull thud.

George mechanically and repeatedly dug into the mine wall in front of him, a numb expression etched on his face.

Only when a strange noise came from the mine wall did a glimmer of light return to his face.

A dim red light flickered in the chiseled crack.

Hematite!

This ore has an iron content of up to 70% and contains a small amount of magic. It is one of the main raw materials for iron smelting and can be extracted through blast furnace smelting.

The borders of the Anzu Empire have long been in conflict with the demon race, and this area is also a gathering place for adventurers, so weapons and armor are consumed very quickly.

Hematite is highly sought after by blacksmiths and adventurers' guilds, and its price is relatively stable.

For George, finding the hematite meant that he could still make a profit today, aside from the adventurer team's guide fee.

After all, given his strength, it was impossible for him to come to the ninth level of the Ash Dungeon to mine alone.

With this in mind, George swung his pickaxe with even greater force.

Half an hour later, George loaded the hematite he had dug into his basket.

"I'll buy some cured meat and cheese on my way home tonight to improve my wife and kids' meals..." George, his energy completely depleted, leaned weakly against the mine wall and began to daydream.

As George's thoughts drifted, he looked at the oppressive and dark walls around him and couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Once upon a time, George, the pride of the village, also dreamed of becoming a courageous and respected great adventurer.

But after leaving the village, the new weapons of other adventurers and the fangs of monsters made George understand.

He was just a mediocre roadside character who barely crossed the threshold of becoming a professional adventurer.

It's just like......

"Squeak squeak squeak~~"

A faint, urgent sound rang out in the dimly lit mine.

George looked up slightly and saw a small hole in the mine wall he had just dug. It seemed that a long, gray figure had just flashed by.

Yes, his life was like that of a gray rat living in a dark mine... George felt a sense of relief the moment he saw the gray rat.

Huh? !

How could there be gray rats inside the mine walls?!

George slowly got up, tiptoed to the mine wall, and peered into the hole.

In the center of the mine wall, there was a cluster of glowing mushrooms, their soft light illuminating the interior of the mine.

The cave was not very large, and there were several bulging linen bags inside.

George could clearly see that the bags were filled with dark red hematite!

What shocked George even more was that there was a group of gray rats in the mine doing something unbelievable!

A gray squirrel pressed its pink little nose close to the mine wall and sniffed carefully.

A moment later, seemingly sensing a difference in smell, it slowly stood up and tapped the mine wall with its short front paws.

It tilted its round head to listen to the echoes inside the mine wall, and then excitedly let out a "squeak".

Dip your little paws in the juice of the glowing mushroom and draw circles to mark it.

Then the two sturdy gray squirrels bared their teeth and began to precisely gnaw at the mine wall with a "crunch crunch" sound.

Their movements were quick and steady, and the debris fell evenly.

Before long, a beautiful piece of mineral with dark red veins was exposed to the air.

Finally, the hematite was picked up by the other gray rats and put into a bag.

"God above, are these gray rats mining?" George thought to himself, dumbfounded.

Just as George's brain went blank and he stood there stunned.

One of the gray rats, with its large ears, seemed to sense something and turned its head to look in the direction George was peeking.

"squeak!"

A sharp scream echoed from inside the mine wall.

The next moment, all the gray mice immediately stopped working and rushed to the nearest mouse hole.

They actually don't know what happened.

But the eldest brother, Tucci, said it.

The most important thing when traveling is to be careful and cautious; your life is at stake!

No matter what the situation, hide first, then observe the situation carefully.

During the escape, a recruit transporting gray rats was so nervous that he lost his aim when rushing into the rat hole and crashed headfirst into the top of the hole, immediately passing out.

The big-eared gray rat that gave the signal carefully moved out of its burrow and dragged the unconscious recruit rat back into the burrow.

Then, several openings emitted short squeaks, as if they were communicating with each other.

Before long, the gray squirrels seemed to understand the situation. Seeing that things were not tense, they each did their part and smoothly carried the bag containing the hematite into the squirrel hole.

The evacuation was ultimately successful!

-------

Rat trails.

Nine bends and eighteen turns.

But for the gray mice, the route was already familiar, so getting lost was not an option.

After walking another kilometer, you can see a cave entrance half-hidden by fuzzy vines, like a natural green velvet curtain.

The mining rats emerged from their burrows and landed in a wide open space.

This is a natural cave that was quietly requisitioned. The walls of the cave are ochre-colored, and the corners and the dome are inlaid with shiny minerals.

The entire cave was filled with rustling and bustling sounds, as dozens of mice of different colors and sizes were scurrying back and forth in a naturally formed burrow.

They appear chaotic and scurrying about, but upon closer inspection, one can discover order within the disorder, and the mice's eyes gleam with a bright, sparkling light.

Every mouse has work to do, and every mouse is fulfilling its own value!

It was as if an invisible hand was directing them.

The mining rats were already used to this; they first went to a shallow underground spring next to the entrance of the burrow.

They put down the hematite, lined up, and used their tiny paws to dip in water, carefully washing their faces and beards.

Wash away all the dust and mineral dust from your body.

Only after all the mining rats had finished cleaning did we officially enter the rat enclosure.

They shuttle through the front of the park and pass through the central area of ​​the park.

In the center stands a large base camp built of wood and ore.

It is yellowish-brown in color, has two layers, and has a chimney at the top from which wisps of white smoke rise.

A sign hung in the center of the headquarters:

[General Command]

As the mining rats were heading towards the warehouse, they stopped squeaking as they passed their base camp, their steps becoming lighter and their bodies slightly hunched over.

They seemed afraid of disturbing the boss's peace and quiet.

But just then...

A long-haired golden hamster with pale yellow fur, about the size of a human hand, emerged from the base camp.

This long-haired golden hamster has thicker and shinier fur than other hamsters, clear and reserved eyes the size of black beans, and a crown made of wood and thorns on its head!

This rat is the leader of the mining rats and the lord of the entire rat park!

Twitch!!

Upon seeing Twitch, the mining mouse immediately put down the ore it was holding and raised its hands high, making a loud sound.

Squeak! (Boss)

Tuchi, who was leaving the base camp to relax his mind, smiled upon seeing this.

But just as he opened his mouth to say something, the words got stuck in his throat.

He had forgotten the name of the gray squirrels in front of him...

Now that the park has been upgraded to a Level 3 base camp, there are more and more mice, and he can no longer remember all of them like he did when he first arrived in this world.

Twitch was too lazy to rack his brains to remember the names of the gray rats, so he simply clicked on the corresponding panels.

[Name: Scout Number Thirteen (Note: Big Ears)]

Race: Gray Rat

[Class of Soldiers: Reconnaissance]

[Level: LV15]

[Health volume: 94]

【Strength: 5】

[Agility: 7]

【Intelligence: 7】

【Spirit: 10】

【技能：撕咬LV2、挖洞LV2、闪避LV2、负重LV3、夜视LV3、寻食LV3、急行LV3、危险感知LV3......】

【Protection Effect:】

Tracking marker: Locates the current position.

Lord's Blessing: Unlocks Intelligence, Knowledge Sharing, and removes level cap. (Lord Twitch)

Swarm Consciousness: After being blessed by the lord, one can enter a sea of ​​collective consciousness that has also been blessed, and communicate through telepathy.

[Status: Startled, nervous, slightly hungry]

Oh, it's you... Tucci remembered the gray rat with big ears in front of him.

Tucci quickly greeted them briefly, then asked:

"With all those bags and packages, are you going mining?"

The big-eared gray squirrel, acting as the leader, quickly picked out the most translucent hematite from the bag and held it up proudly.

Twitch took the hematite and glanced at the panel displayed on it.

[Ore: High-purity hematite]

Tucci's eyes lit up, and he licked his lips.

Immediately, in front of the gray rats, he threw the hematite into his mouth.