Chapter 633 – Overworked.

“Everyone, get ready.”

“Oh no… is he coming? I thought we would be done early today.”

“I was planning to ask Lilly out today. This is going to take forever…”

A group of laborers talked among themselves as they realized they would have to stay longer than expected.

“Quiet.”

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed, causing everyone to turn their heads.

“You should be glad you are getting paid extra for this. I do not want to hear a single complaint!”

A stocky man with a black beard and a butcher’s apron barked at them. The workers stiffened at once, as if afraid he might strike them. His stare was intense, and the room fell so silent that the rushed footsteps approaching the entrance could be heard.

“He is here. He is here!”

A young man burst through the door, his eyes wide with panic as he announced the arrival of the expected guest. The leader’s expression remained firm, yet beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Everyone, get in formation and do not speak.”

Men and women wearing thick leather aprons hurried into neat rows beside the wide loading bay. Support golems clanked into standby positions, their eyes glowing faintly as they activated and waited for orders. The enormous double doors at the far end of the hall creaked open, and at last the visitor entered.

A cold draft swept in as a tall, armored figure stepped inside. His cloak rose slightly as the cold air from within the building rushed toward him. He did not need to announce himself. Everyone knew who he was. Wayland, the High Knight Commander, carried a presence none of them could ignore. He was the second most important person in the city, yet to these workers he was something else entirely. He was their greatest customer.

“Sir Wayland, please come in.”

The stern leader stepped forward. It was obvious that courtesy did not come naturally to him, but with this man, he had no choice. No one else dared to speak, not out of fear of punishment but because their livelihood was bound to this visitor, whether they liked it or not.

The footsteps of the armored knight echoed through the hall, each one disturbingly calm for a man carrying so much metal. A few workers swallowed hard. Others tried not to look directly at him, as if afraid he might detect insolence through the slightest glance. He stopped in the center of the building without speaking a single word.

Everyone held their breath because they already knew what was about to happen. In their minds, they prayed to Solaria that it would not be anything tedious, but deep down, they understood that this hope was usually misplaced. Each time he appeared, their workload increased to an exhausting degree, though the pay was always worth it in the end.

Wayland lifted one hand, and a rune across his gauntlet glowed faintly. Mana spread through the area as something took shape on the ground, a spell they still could not comprehend, even after seeing it many times. Suddenly, something immense began to emerge, larger than anything they had ever witnessed.

A wet and heavy mass slammed onto the reinforced floor with a tremor that rattled the bolts in the walls. A second impact followed, then a third. Something serpentine and impossibly long slid out of the spatial tear, each new meter more horrifying than the last. When the first monster carcass finally appeared completely, a collective gasp filled the hall.

“…That is… fifty meters… at least…”

One worker whispered the words before realizing he had spoken aloud. He clamped both hands over his mouth and looked toward their leader.

“Idiot, keep your mouth shut.”

The man who looked like a butcher hissed the warning and then faced forward again. He was clearly shaken by the monstrosity before him. Its scales were blue and black, torn open in several places where something had punched through. Each wound was wide enough for a grown man to lie inside it. The serpent radiated a strange pressure that made the hair on everyone’s arms stand on end.

“I hope you can process these Azure Scaled Sea Serpents soon.”

At last, Wayland spoke and revealed the identity of the creatures they would be handling. They were in the monster processing plant, a facility built for the disassembly of beings taken from the dungeon and from the world beyond it. This was the largest structure of its kind, yet the fifty-meter serpent nearly touched the far walls.

“Of course, Sir Wayland, it will not be a problem. We will dismantle these as soon as we can… ”

The man paused as a troubling thought struck him.

“These Azure Scaled Sea Serpents?”

“Yes.”

As soon as he answered, the strange spatial spell activated again. More sea creatures poured out of the rift. Some were shattered into segments while others matched the first serpent in length or came only slightly shorter. A collective groan echoed through the hall as the workers watched the pile grow until it filled nearly two-thirds of the entire facility.

“I believe you should expand this building or make a second one. I will probably bring more soon, and they could become bigger.”

The workers stared in shock at the mountain of monsters now lying before them. Wayland’s remark made everything even worse. This was not the first time he had done this. For weeks, he would appear without warning and deliver creature after creature until the staff could barely keep up. After a short reprieve, the cycle would begin again, a few weeks of rest, sometimes a month or two.

The mountain of Azure Scaled Sea Serpents steamed in the cold air, filling the hall with a thick smell of blood and fish. Every few seconds, a scale cracked as the corpse settled under its own weight. The sound resembled snapping twigs and caused the workers to flinch before putting on their masks to avoid the smell. No one dared to move until Sir Wayland lowered his hand, and the spatial ripple finally faded.

“…T-This is more than last time, but we can handle it…”

“Good. You will be rewarded well. Hire more people if necessary. I will have more work for you later.”

Wayland nodded and activated another spatial rune to release additional monster parts. These looked like smaller fish, and some resembled plants. By the time he was finished, the facility was nearly at full capacity. Only then did he turn on his heel and walk away, leaving the monster disassembly crew alone with a mountain of work piled across the floor.

For a long moment, no one dared to breathe. Only after the echo of armored footsteps faded fully did the tension snap all at once.

“Uuuuugh… we’re dead. We’re all dead. This is going to take days… no weeks!”

“I knew it! I knew he was going to dump a whole mountain on us again!”

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“Is this even legal? This can’t be legal!”

A chorus of groans, sighs, and whispered curses filled the massive hall as the workers finally relaxed their rigid posture. Tools clattered against the floor while some slumped against crates or leaned on their tables for support. The mountain of serpents steamed ominously, and the smell was so thick that even the reinforced masks could not fully suppress it.

“But you know… if this monster is what he said it was, one of these has to be worth…”

One of the workers began counting on his fingers and then gulped without naming the amount.

“Yeah… we might be able to retire soon if this keeps up.”

“I really want to buy a new house.”

One by one, they realised how much they would be earning, and their leader grinned.

“I knew you were all greedy bastards. That’s why you’re here. Now be quiet and get back to work.”

“Aye aye, Chief!”

It did not take them long to change their tune. Once they learned these were middle level tier three monsters with parts valuable to both Platinum and Mithril adventurers, they knew they were standing in a gold mine.

*****