"I wish to partake in this, Your Majesty."
The man stepped forward, moving into Sylus’s line of sight.
Sylus and his subordinates were especially shocked by the man’s size.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the man’s hand could cover Sylus’s entire head.
’This man registered as a worker?’ Sylus couldn’t help but think, a single drop of sweat forming at the side of his face.
Zani and Sophia had the same reaction.
"Are you sure?" Sylus asked the man.
The man, his black hair completely covering his face, replied, "I am. I want nothing more than to help you, Your Highness."
Glaring at the man for a while, Sylus decided to activate his divine blessing.
[You are currently using the Divine Blessing of Information.]
Special Skill: Strong and hardworking
’Oh, I was wondering why someone as big as him would choose to work at a mine; looks like he doesn’t have a star blessing.’
"Thank you for your help. I truly appreciate it."
Kul nodded, a bold expression instantly playing on his face.
Right after that, another individual stepped forward.
"I would like to join as well."
"Can I join as well?"
It turned out a lot of people were willing to enter the untouched cave with Sylus, more than he expected.
Unfortunately, not all of them were qualified.
An exploration would take people with survival instincts and strength to back it up.
This was the selection process Sylus used to pick a few from the many people willing to go with him.
He had initially intended to pick just two people from the workers, but in the end, he chose four individuals instead.
While he and the selected group explored the cave, the rest would carry out the plans Sylus had set for them.
He had already given them the necessary tools, some of which had been shipped from the main capital, and also granted them permission to cut down trees.
In addition to that, they had Aria with them to do all the heavy lifting.
Having prepared everything, Sylus and the group began exploring the mining cave.
From the moment they stepped in, they noticed a change in the atmosphere. The air was denser, and there was no light to guide them; instead, they had to walk around with torches to see the path ahead.
There was also the issue of the narrowness of the path, only wide enough to fit two people at a time, which forced them to walk in a straight line.
At the very front were Sylus and Zani. Sophia had already begun resting inside her master, while the soldiers followed behind.
Aside from the dense air, there was another issue to note...
"My lord..." Zani called out, hinting at the strange phenomenon.
Sylus glanced down at his hand.
One of his fingers had begun to change color, turning dark and pale.
’The mana in this place is too corrupt; it’s attacking the flow of mana inside our bodies, and it’s only getting stronger the further down we go.’
"What should we do? It isn’t having much effect on us because we have an abundant mana supply, but I can’t say the same for the men behind us," Zani said.
Her concerns were valid.
Sylus took a quick glance behind to see the men, and it was obvious many of them had begun to panic.
Some already had their entire hands covered in a dark hue.
Sylus suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at them.
"Listen, from this point on, I will be heading forward. You guys can turn back now. Any further, and I can’t guarantee your safety."
"Your Highness, you’re having the same reaction to this place. It’s not a big deal; we can continue," one of the soldiers insisted. The rest seemed to agree as well.
Zani glared. "His Highness is saying this because you might end up being burdens later on if you fall ill or worse. You should listen to him."
’Ahh, there she goes again, no filter.’
"We promise not to be a burden. I’m willing to give it my all," another soldier said.
"Uhn?" Zani raised a brow. "Why are you all so determined to waste your lives? It’s not like you know what lies inside the cave."
They didn’t say anything, but their pale expressions and somber eyes hinted at a lot.
Sylus sighed; he still had a soft spot for people who were willing to work hard regardless of the situation.
He raised a finger and said, "Fine. If you wish to continue, then you must do everything I tell you."
The men’s expressions lit up; one might think the prince had promised them land or titles.
Zani, on the other hand, was obviously curious as to why Sylus gave in so easily. Left to her, she would have sent them back.
"I will use a technique called Mana Expansion. It’s a way to manipulate one’s mana and share it across multiple sources. Using my mana, I might be able to shield us all from the harsh atmosphere, but maintaining a link with this many people will be difficult. So, I need everyone to let out their mana in one direction," said Sylus.
"My lord!" Zani shouted, grabbing Sylus’s hand and moving closer to whisper.
"You shouldn’t be doing this. You’ll deplete your mana. We don’t even know how far this cave goes. I strongly advise against this."
Before Sylus could reply, Zani already shot the men a sharp glare.
"As for you people, why are you still standing around? Go on, leave the cave already," she muttered, Sylus’s hand still close to her chest.
None of them seemed to pay attention to her. Their eyes were fixed solely on Sylus.
"No way, Your Highness can manipulate mana like that? That’s so cool!"
"OHHH, now I really want to see how that looks!"