Chapter 973: Battle for the High Tower (Part 7)_1

After the tour of the minefield, Shiller and Batman were not thrown back into that filthy, dark prison cell. Instead, they were each allocated a separate dorm room. What surprised Batman even more was that his dorm room was single occupancy.

The mine they visited was the largest and most central mine in the whole minefield. Beside it lay a fort, strikingly similar to a Middle-Age fortress meant for stationing troops.

The hallways here were narrow but the rooms were large. The four floors above ground housed the guards while the six floors below ground hosted the miners who worked in the central mine.

The dorm room assigned to Batman was on the second floor below ground. The room was only about two or three square meters, accommodating only a straw mat. A torch on the wall, powered by magical energy, provided light.

However, despite its size, the room wasn't cold. Batman suspected that there might be a magma layer beneath the minefield's surface, which is why the whole building felt warm and dry.

There was also a water basin placed in the corner of the room. The water inside never ran out, providing some dampness in the dry room and could also be used for cleaning.

If there was one flaw about this dorm, it would be the lack of soundproofing barrier. Everyone was penned into these tiny cages, thin-walled and very close together. Just as Batman was thinking about sitting down to rest, he heard mumbled cursing from the next room:

"Damn it, my ankle... hurts like hell. That damn Magma Demon, he did it on purpose, trying to get me to fall into the magma while mining... Oh, it hurts so bad..."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Batman knocked on the neighboring wall to ask. The creature on the other side seemed startled by his voice. After a scream and a momentary silence, Batman spoke:

"I'm a new miner who just started today. I am not familiar with this place. Can you tell me where we are?"

"I knew it..." the voice on the other side sighed. His voice was a bit shrill, but his words were clear, "Another unlucky bastard who got dragged here. Ha, let's see how long you last, three days, or four?"

"Were you also caught by the Sandworm?" Batman asked.

"Don't be silly, those big worms can only deal with small creatures like you... cough, cough..." he coughed a few times, then continued, "I am a native here, mining is my job... cough, cough... my foot..."

"Did you hurt your foot?" Batman asked, feigning concern. "Do you need help?"

Suddenly, Batman noticed a shadow appearing from the crack of the dormitory door and a black tentacle stretched in.

Atop the tentacle was a scarlet eyeball, it glanced at Batman and said, "Oh, an unfortunate human. Judging by your attire, you appear to be a worshiper of the Evil God. What happened? Your boss dumped you?"

"I am not sure what's going on. Can you tell me what this place is and what I'll be doing tomorrow?" Batman barraged the eyeball with a series of questions. The eyeball rolled around and said, "Don't try to fool me, you shrewd human. If you want answers from me, you need to pay a price..."

"What do you want?" Batman asked.

"I heard that human souls are very tasty. How about you give me a part of your soul? Let me bite you once, and I will answer your questions…" the demon whispered in a lower voice.

"That doesn't seem fair." Batman responded.

"Fair!? You wish to speak of fairness in Hell??" It sounded like the creature on the other side had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. In a hoarse voice, he let out a dry laugh, then stretched out two more tentacles towards Batman.

Batman remained calm. Ever since he discovered that demons could be physically harmed, he lost all reverence for these mystical creatures.

He stood up, grabbed the torch from the wall, and swung it swiftly, causing the flames to skim over one of the tentacles. As expected, a scream was heard from the other side.

"Back off! Back off! Put it away!! You damn human!!! I will devour you!!!!" The tentacles from the other side began to twist and turn, trying to escape back through the crack in the door. But Batman, with his quick reflexes, managed to grab the base of the tentacle before it slipped out.

He put the torch aside and grabbed the tentacle with both hands, pulling it hard. The demon on the other side shrieked violently.

"Ahhhh! Ah! Let go! My ankle was already injured... Let go of me!!! Oh, please, don't do it!!"

Batman finally gave the tentacle a hard tug. There came a thud from the next room as if the demon's body had been jerked against the door.

Realizing that there was no slack left, Batman tied a knot around his arm with the tentacle, grabbed the torch again, and burned the tentacle at its roots. He then asked in a cold voice, "Answer my questions, where is this place? How did you get here? What are you doing here?"