The West Canyon was merciless. The wind blowing through the cliffs sounded like thousands of knives being sharpened on asphalt. The air was heavy, filled with iron ore dust, making every breath feel like swallowing shards of glass. The setting sun cast only long, distorted shadows, transforming the rocks into static monsters lurking in the darkness.
Yoe Choin, in the form of Moen Kang Yo, stood at the entrance of a narrow mine shaft. Before him, the dark passage was only about three meters wide, with a low ceiling lined with fragile-looking but sharp stalactites. This was the worst-case scenario for a heavy sword wielder.
"Foreman... this space is too confined for Black Iron's swings," Jin-pyo whispered,
his voice echoing low off the cave walls. He held his broadsword vertically, aware that one wrong horizontal swing could jam his weapon into the rock wall or, worse, collapse the rusted mine support.
Choin activated Blueprint in his eye. Blue lines began to map the density of the air masses and the surrounding geological structures.
"Sector Analysis:
Corridor width 2.8 meters.
Height 3.2 meters.
Air friction coefficient: High.
Risk of collapse: 65%," Choin muttered.
"Hahaha! Foreman, are you starting to be cornered by some piles of rocks?" Moen Kang Yo's voice laughed internally, his tone full of provocation but with a hint of concern he concealed.
"Give me control, I'll tear them apart with my bare hands!"
"Shut up. Fighting in a confined space without structural calculations will only leave us buried alive alongside the enemy," Choin replied.
"This isn't about strength, it's about managing space so we can survive too."
Suddenly, from the darkness of the corridor, heavy, rhythmic footsteps could be heard. Not ordinary human footsteps, but the sound of heavy metal being dragged across the stone floor.
"Who dares bring light to the home of the Black Stone Guild?!"
The booming voice came from a short but very broad man. His name was Krugan, the representative of Elder Granit. He carried two giant mining pickaxes blackened by dried blood and iron oxidation.
Behind Krugan, dozens of miners emerged from the cracks in the wall. They moved with terrifying efficiency in the cramped space, a testament to their years of integration into the underground environment.
"Krugan," Choin said, his voice steady even though he could feel the Qi pressure pressing down on him.
"This area's audit shows that you've been exploiting resources without paying royalties to the main sect. I'm here to collect arrears... and clean up the management."
"Bills?!" Krugan spat, his saliva spraying Choin's shoes.
"Down here, the law is simple: whoever has the hardest bones keeps the gold! DIE, LITTLE MASTER!"
Krugan lunged. His movements were very low, almost touching the ground, avoiding the resistance of the cave ceiling. He swung his pickaxe in a rapid vertical rotation.
TING! TING! TING!
Choin was forced to position his Black Iron Heavy Sword in front of his chest as a static shield. In such a confined space, he couldn't perform his usual storm sweep technique. Every time Krugan's pickaxe struck the blade of his black sword, sparks exploded, illuminating the dark passage for a moment.
"Ugh!" Choin was pushed back a step, his back nearly hitting the rough cave wall.
"Foreman! You're too passive! If you keep bearing the weight without responding, your mental pillar will crack!" roared the real Kang Yo.
"I'm looking for a gap," Choin replied. His glowing blue eyes stared up at the ceiling above Krugan.
"Vector Analysis:
Load hanging at coordinates X-12.
Fatigue point at wooden stake number 4."
Choin didn't attack Krugan. Instead, he thrust straight at the cave ceiling, directly above the miner's head.
CRACK!
The tip of Choin's black sword shattered the decaying wooden stake. A chunk of rock weighing hundreds of kilograms collapsed instantly.
"What?!" Krugan was forced to jump back to avoid being crushed.
Krugan's attack momentum was cut off. Choin used that split-second gap to give instructions to the Demolition Unit.
"Jin-Pyo! Don't swing your club! Use it as leverage! 'Hydraulic Piston' Formation! Take one step forward, push the enemy against the wall, lock their movement!"
Jin-Pyo caught Choin's drift. He didn't swing his club, but instead held the handle with both hands and thrust it straight forward like a pounding block. The Demolition Unit students followed suit, pressing their shoulders against each other, forming a linear line that left no room for the mine thugs to maneuver on the flanks.
The battle turned into a slow war of attrition. Every inch of ground in the tunnel had to be won with shoulder thrusts and elbow strikes. The sound of labored breathing and furious growls filled the oxygen-poor room.
"Young Master... my breathing... is getting heavy," whispered a student in the back row.
"Focus on rhythmic breathing! Don't waste energy shouting!" Choin ordered. He himself was now facing Krugan, who was growing increasingly angry.
Krugan realized that his troops were being pushed back by the Evernight "machine" formation. He gathered all his Qi into his arms, making his muscles bulge until his veins looked like protruding tree roots.
"Granite Breaker Technique: Absolute Vertical Smash!"
Krugan's pickaxe fell with a force capable of slicing through steel. Choin knew he couldn't dodge to the side because the cave walls were closing in on him.
"Now, Foreman! Use that technique!" Kang Yo's voice gave permission.
Choin took a deep breath, concentrating Internal Finishing Level 3 into his right palm. He released his grip on his sword and let the black blade rest on his shoulder for extra support.
TWOO ... The members of the Black Stone Guild, seeing their representative fall, began to lose their "moral integrity." They slowly retreated, but the passage behind them was also filled with rubble from the battle.
"Young Master... the bridge support ahead is starting to crack!" Jin-Pyo shouted.
Choi looked up. The vibrations from the Krugan technique and the impact of his sword had reached the cave's safe limit. The crackling, crackling, sound of the wooden supports grew more intense.
"Demolition Unit! Retreat in order! Don't run, maintain formation!" Chooi gave his final order.
He stood at the forefront, holding a cracking wooden pillar with his own hands, channeling his Qi to temporarily support the weight of the cave ceiling so his men could escape safely.
"Foreman! What are you doing?! Come with us!" Jin-Pyo shouted, his face full of genuine concern.
"Follow the evacuation SOP, Jin-Pyo! That's an order!" Choin roared. "I'll follow once the last pillar is stable!"
Jin-Pyo hesitated for a moment, but then he saw Choin's unwavering blue eyes. He immediately pulled his students out of the danger area.
When the last student had made it out, Choin released his grip and darted out just as the passage collapsed with a rumble that shook the entire canyon.
Dust billowed from the mine shaft, now sealed shut by millions of tons of rock. Jin-Pyo and the students stood frozen, holding their breath until a black-robed figure emerged from the cloud of dust, coughing softly as he brushed the dirt off his robes.
"Foreman!" Jin-Pyo quickly approached, his eyes glistening with tears. "You... you're absolutely insane. Holding back a mountain collapse just for us?"
Choin stared at Jin-Pyo, then smiled faintly. A smile that made the real Moen Kang Yo inwardly snort but secretly feel proud. "A good foreman wouldn't let his best 'pillars' crumble over a trivial matter like a cave collapse, Jin-Pyo. You're an asset I can't replace with any material."
The bonds between them that night became as hard as the granite they were fighting against. The Evernight disciples now knew that their leader wasn't just a cold genius, but a protector willing to risk his life for the safety of his "workers."
In the distance, the remaining surviving members of the Black Stone Guild stared out from the darkness. They no longer saw a ragtag prince; they saw a new force that couldn't be destroyed even by the narrowness of space.
"Message to Elder Granite," Choin said to one of the trembling thugs. "Tell him, the field audit has just begun. And today, I just tore down his front door. Tomorrow, I'll tear down his entire empire if he doesn't hand over his mine ledger to me immediately."
Night descended on the Western Canyon, bringing a piercing chill, but in the hearts of the Demolition Unit, the fire of loyalty burned brighter than any torch.