As they walked out of the tunnel together, Nathan found himself a step behind Chris, watching his back as they moved.
Chris walked like nothing had happened there was no tension in his shoulders, no hesitation in his stride. His sword hung loosely at his side, still slightly stained with goblin blood, his carelessness gave the idea that killing these goblins was nothing more than a morning jog for him.
'How does he look so relaxed?' Nathan wondered.
'I feel like my heart's still trying to beat its way out of my chest.'
Nathan cleared his throat.
"So… about that item shard," he said carefully. "What does it actually do?"
Chris didn't slow down.
Instead, he lifted his sword slightly, holding it out so the blade started shining in the chamber's ambient lights.
"This sword?" Chris said casually. "It's from an item shard."
Nathan blinked. "Wait, this whole thing?"
"Yep."
Chris gave the blade a small flick, swinging it in the air as they walked.
"Every monster can drop item shards which come in the shape of weapons, armor, accessories. They also all come with unique enchants or abilities which is why they're expensive."
Nathan's gaze lingered on the sword now, seeing it differently. It didn't look particularly flashy as there were no glowing runes or dramatic aura but it did feel like a refined and well crafted weapon.
"So…" Nathan pressed, "what does the shard we got do?"
Chris shrugged. "Not much, honestly. Goblin soldiers usually drop one thing which is an improved cleaver, like a better version of the junk they swing around."
He glanced back briefly, smirking. "But it is still a high-demand starter weapon. New hunters love it as it is reliable and cheap compared to higher-tier gear."
"How cheap?" Nathan asked curiously.
Chris answered without missing a beat. "A few thousand."
Nathan nearly stopped walking.
"A few… thousand?"
He managed to keep his voice steady, but inside, his thoughts exploded.
'Thousands? For one drop?'
'I've been bleeding and sweating for two dollars per goblin…'
"That's normal," Chris said, clearly amused by Nathan's reaction. "Compared to scouts, soldiers are gold mines."
Nathan swallowed worriedly. "So… how are we dividing the loot?"
Chris chuckled. "Easy there, tiger. I'm not going to scamming you."
He slowed slightly, enough that Nathan could walk beside him now.
"Because I did most of the carrying, I will be taking the bigger share." Chris continued, his tone sounding like everything that he was saying was a fact.
"That shard usually sells for around two thousand if we sell it to the government. Maybe twenty two hundred on the open market."
Nathan listened closely.
"But," Chris added, "we're sticking with the government as it is less hassle and faster turnaround. Also it lets us keep farming without headaches."
Nathan nodded slowly, mind racing.
'Two thousand dollars… that is so much more than what I make hunting scouts all day.'
"You still didn't tell me the split," Nathan said carefully.
Chris stopped walking.
He turned around fully this time, studying Nathan with a thoughtful expression.
"Look," Chris said, "I know that you understand I used you as bait."
Nathan didn't deny it.
"But you also wouldn't be hunting soldiers without me," Chris continued calmly. "You would get hurt, or even worse die.."
Nathan clenched his jaw.
"It would've taken way longer if I hadn't grabbed their attention," he shot back. "If you fought the whole swarm alone, you would have to fight one goblin at a time."
Chris stared at him for a moment, then suddenly bursting into a laugh.
"Bargaining, huh?"
He rubbed his chin as if deep in thought. "Alright, I'll give you twenty percent."
Nathan answered instantly. "Thirty!"
Chris raised an eyebrow.
"Twenty five," Chris said, extending his hand forward. "Final offer."
Nathan hesitated.
Twenty-five percent of two thousand was five hundred dollars.
'Five hundred… from one run.'
His mind flashed back to his first few days when he was making two dollars per goblin, exhausting himself everyday.
He shook Chris's hand.
"Okay."
Chris grinned and turned walking again.
Nathan stared at his own hand for a second before following.
"Wait." Nathan said suddenly. "Did I accept too low?"
Chris burst out laughing.
"Well," he said looking over his shoulder.
"You could have easily gotten more. Usually, it takes me an hour for me to clear this tunnel solo, kiting one goblin at a time to avoid getting surrounded."
He glanced back, eyes sharp. "And, this time it took thirty minutes."
Nathan's eyes widened.
"Wait, I want to bargain again!"
Chris laughed harder. "Nah man, we already shook on twenty five."
He waved dismissively. "If we have a good farming day, I'll make sure to send you a bonus. Just give me your details later."
Nathan smiled despite himself.
'He's not that bad after all.' Nathan thought.
They stepped fully out of the tunnel and into the chamber.
Chris stopped near the entrance, leaning casually against the wall.
Nathan frowned. "Is that it? Only one run?"
Chris looked at him like he'd asked something ridiculous.
"Oh no," Chris said. "We're doing this tunnel all day."
Nathan blinked. "What?"
Chris nodded toward the tunnel behind them. "It'll reset in some time."
"…Reset?"
"Yeah," Chris said. "Soldiers and cleaners go in and clear the bodies. Five to ten minutes later, the room is back to how it was before we entered."
Nathan stared at the tunnel, unease crawling up his spine.
"That doesn't make sense," he muttered. "Where do they come from?"
Chris shrugged. "Good question."
He met Nathan's gaze. "Don't waste energy on it, even the people at the top don't have these answers."
Before Nathan could reply, movement caught his attention.
Two soldiers approached, escorting five people pushing metal carts. The carts were reinforced, heavy duty and clearly built for hauling bodies.
The group stopped in front of Chris.
"Cleared?" one of the cleaners asked.
"Up to the shallow room," Chris replied easily.
The cleaners nodded and moved past them into the tunnel.
Nathan watched, fascinated.
'So this is what happens after…'
He realized this was the first time he'd actually seen the cleaners. Usually, he was already deep in another tunnel before bodies disappeared.
As the cleaners headed into the tunnel, Nathan stood there in awe, thinking about how these rifts worked.