Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

After more than an hour of trekking, Rein soon found the abandoned mine that the Zaral rebellion forces used as their stronghold, nestled in undulating hills.

Rein had previously engaged in a brief battle, and despite its short duration, the full-throttle explosion along with the use of the secret technique "Earth-splitting Hammer" twice had significantly drained his physical energy.

Now, after another hour of a 'forced march', his physical condition had dropped to about 60 to 70 percent of its peak.

Although Rein already knew that there were no strong figures guarding the enemy, there was an old saying from his past life, "Pride goes before a fall," and furthermore, there was no guarantee that the rebels hadn't made any sudden personnel changes.

Thus, after a moment of consideration, Rein decided to add a point to his Spirit Attribute to quickly recover his physical condition.

As the remaining attribute points dropped from 2 to 1, and his spiritual power increased from 24 to 25 points, a surging heat flow pumped from his heart, rapidly spreading to his limbs and body.

Instantly, Rein felt his condition return to its peak, and the muscle soreness from earlier exertions also vanished.

Since this abandoned mine was the enemy stronghold in the entire Meister county, Rein remained very cautious, meticulously exploring the vicinity of the mine entrance first.

Soon, Rein discovered two guard posts, one overt and one covert, and three hidden traps that could easily ensnare an unwary intruder.

Indeed, the rebels were not some poorly disciplined bandits; their military training might not match that of the Empire's regular army, but they were not devoid of combat ability, roughly between the militia and the City Guard.

Thus, Rein quietly neutralized the two guard posts, bypassed the traps, and then slowly made his way into the mine.

After eliminating two patrols, Rein passed through a dark, damp mine tunnel and arrived at a spacious underground hall.

The hall, three meters high and roughly two to three hundred square meters in area, was likely a former intersection of several mine tunnels which had been further excavated and renovated.

Fires were lit all around the hall, with about thirty burly men dressed as mercenaries huddled in small groups—some chatting, some oiling their longswords, and some wiping shiny matchlock gun barrels.

Part of the group stood around a knight in plate armor, listening intently to him.

Rein's eyes narrowed as he took a longer look at the knight in plate armor.

It seemed this person was the stay-behind knight mentioned by the rebel leader, possessing the capabilities of a seasoned knight.

Seconds later, Rein shifted his gaze from the individuals to the surroundings of the underground hall.

Rein discovered that the hall connected to at least four deep tunnels.

It appeared that Rein was right to have cautiously infiltrated, as his chosen tactic had proven effective.

If he had barged in forcefully, even if he had managed to fight his way here successfully, those in the underground hall might have scattered and fled, and likely many would have escaped.

After all, it was hard to ensure that all four tunnels didn't lead to the outside.

Furthermore, he was alone and couldn't possibly intercept or eliminate dozens of rebels on the spot.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Rein's mind like a bolt of lightning.

Rein gently raised his left hand. Since his chromium armor glove had been damaged in his bout with Salem, he now stood with his bare palm exposed, his gaze focused on his little finger.

There sat what appeared to be an emerald ring, but in reality, it was a ring filled with hallucinogenic poison gas.

Rein had never used this item since he filled it with poison gas at the Bat Market, but he hadn't anticipated such an ideal opportunity to use it today.

Rein remembered, Endri had also used it in the Elim Mine.

The very first time he was going to use it would also be in a mine.

How ironic...

Rein couldn't help but laugh, then shook his head slightly.

Pity that Endri wasn't a hero.

"Otherwise, I would definitely say 'Great minds think alike!'" Rein thought to himself.

After sniffing the antidote in advance, Rein lightly pressed the needle-sized trigger on the side of the emerald ring and with a 'click,' the colorless, odorless poison gas was instantly released and spread.

After estimating the timing, Rein then drew the Glimmering Greatsword and calmly stepped forward.

At the edge of the underground hall, several burly men who saw Rein's sudden appearance, changed their expressions abruptly and yelled:

"Who are you?"

"How did you get in here!"

As these men shouted, all members of the rebellion in the underground hall were alerted.

They all looked up, fixing their eyes on Rein.

Facing Rein, this uninvited guest, they immediately took up battle stances, but as they started to stand, they staggered and fell!

Their faces instantly turned pale!

The veteran knight, after taking four or five steps, wavered slightly, and glared at Rein with a steely gaze, saying:

"Did you poison us?"

Rein nodded and said, "Yes, I did!"

"Despicable fellow, lacking in skill, you resort to such dirty tricks!"