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Chapter 5

Zeon looked down at the hourglass in his hand.

“What is this?”

Choosing the hourglass was not a hasty decision or a coincidence on his part.

Since entering the room full of junk items, he felt a strange attraction.

The origin of that attraction was this hourglass.

It was filled with intricate patterns, smaller than the palm of his hand.

Had the world not fallen apart, it would have caught the interest of many collectors.

Zeon turned the hourglass. As the fine sand trickled down.

“About ten minutes?”

This was the time it would take for it to completely fall to the other side after flipping it.

A strange vitality surged through Zeon.

“What’s this really? Is this item related to my awakening?”

He flipped the hourglass again.

Once more, the sand particles fell.

He noticed the sand was unusually fine and redder than the sand from the desert that filled the world.

He had never seen such sand before.

Zeon wondered if, by any chance, using his abilities on the hourglass would yield any reaction, assuming it truly had a connection to him.

‘Move.’

He commanded the red sand inside the hourglass. But it merely continued to fall without response.

Again, he concentrated, attempting to manipulate the red sand, yet the outcome remained the same.

“What the hell! Was I mistaken?”

Zeon angrily stowed the hourglass in his pocket.

Regardless, it was something he exchanged for the precious Magic Stone.

He couldn’t just throw it away just because it didn’t move as he wanted.

Zeon thought that the day had started off to a really unlucky start. But the worst was yet to come.

When he returned to his lodgings, a man was waiting for him.

A towering figure with a rugged appearance, scars littered his bare torso, evidence of a rough life lived.

Their eyes met, and the man spoke.

“You the rookie who came in yesterday?”

“Yes! But who are you?”

“Fuck you bastard! Why weren’t you at the mine this morning?”

“What’s the matter?”

“If you came to work, you should’ve sprinted to the mine. Why did I have to come looking for you here? Fucking bastard!”

The man’s name was Park Manho.

He was an E-rank Awakened in charge of the mines.

The Magic Stone Mines city operated under two main systems: the core facility being the mines and the security force operating and defending the city where the mine was located.

Park Manho was responsible for the operation of the mines.

Placing miners in the tunnel and ensuring complete control over the Magic Stones.

He was one of the five most influential people in the mining city.

Zeon tried to explain.

“Because no one called me…”

“This bastard is funny. Who’s gonna call for you? If you came to work, you should’ve known to come by yourself..”

“Still…”

“Forget it, just follow me. You bastard! Stop jabbering.”

Park Manho had deep roots in the mining city.

He had met many people and knew how to efficiently handle them.

Handling a rookie like Zeon was child’s play to him.

No, it wasn’t just him.

Everyone in this Magic Stone Mines was the same.

They were a swarm of piranhas targeting prey that fell into the water.

Once a decent prey falls, they would rush in together, ready to gnaw it down to the bone.

To them, rookies like Zeon were easy prey.

Zeon realized this fact too.

Everyone, from old man Klexi to Park Manho, was steeped in greed.

The problem was, there was no way to break free from their grasp.

He couldn’t reveal his Awakened status publicly, nor could he defy Park Manho’s orders.

Above all, he wasn’t given time to assert himself. Everyone was pushing against him relentlessly.

Zeon felt thoroughly trapped.

Zeon wanted nothing more than to resist going into the mines, but he knew very well that it was impossible.

Once inside the mine city, he couldn’t defy Park Manho.

Moreover, Park was an E-rank Awakened.

The insignia on his wrist indicated Park’s status as an Awakened, and he was also from the Martial Arts category.

Common as it might be, one couldn’t casually challenge someone from the Martial Arts category.

The ones most efficient in dealing with their own powers were the Martial Arts category.

The current Zeon was no match for this.

‘Damn it! Just the person in charge of the mines had came to visit me personally.’’

Had he arrived safely on the bus yesterday, this wouldn’t have happened.

With many mining applicants, one missing wouldn’t have stood out. But unfortunately, everyone had fallen prey to the Sandworm, and only Zeon had made it in.

Not standing out would be even more suspicious now.

Yet, when Zeon hesitated to follow, Park’s expression changed.

“This bastard!”

Thud!

Park Manho punched Zeon.

“Ugh!”

Zeon cried out, falling backward.

Park Manho ruthlessly stomped on him.

“You bastard! Didn’t I tell you to follow? Ugh!”

Thud! Thud!

Zeon was beaten without even being able to scream.

Perhaps due to his awakening, the pain wasn’t as severe as anticipated.

He felt like he could retaliate.

Yet, Zeon restrained himself.

It wasn’t yet the time to rebel.

It was time to endure and build strength.

Revenge could come later; it wouldn’t be too late by then.

Zeon curled up like a shrimp, enduring Park Manho’s violence.

As the anger somewhat subsided, Park Manho halted his beating.

“Make another fuss or disobey me again, and you’ll die for real. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“If you understand, then follow me.”

Ignoring Zeon’s response, Park Manho moved on.

Struggling to get up, he silently followed behind.

Grrr!

Zeon gritted his teeth.

His face was a mess, and there were bruises all over his body.

Because he was awakened, he managed to endure; otherwise, he might have lain incapacitated for days.

Glaring at Park Manho’s back, Zeon thought.

‘I don’t know about the others, but I will definitely kill you.’

Park Manho paid no attention to Zeon’s wounds.

In the mines, miners were nothing more than expendable goods.

When worn out or broken, they could be discarded at any time.

There was no reason to care about an expendable goods’s well-being.

Park Manho arrived at the entrance tunnels leading to the mine shafts with Zeon.

A miner was waiting at the entrance.

Park Manho instructed him.

“Give this guy some equipment.”

“Understood.”

The miner quickly handed Zeon a pickaxe, a helmet with a lamp, and a backpack filled with a few days’ rations.

Park Manho said.

“The cost of the pickaxe and food will be deducted from your wages. Put the Magic Stones in that backpack when you collect them.”

“That’s it? You’re not going to teach me how to mine the Magic Stones?”

“Damn it! Do I need to teach you how to use a pickaxe? Just hit it against the walls; that’s it.”

Once again, Park Manho’s voice rose.

The miner who handed Zeon the tools got scared and backed away.

Park Manho was known as the ‘Tyrant of the Tunnels.’

He would resort to violence for the slightest mistake.

That’s why all the miners were afraid of him.

Zeon felt bewildered.

It was absurd to just push people into a mineshaft, without even teaching them the basics.

It was practically akin to sending him to his death.

“Hey! Throw this bastard into the 972nd tunnel.”

“The 972nd tunnel…”

“Quit the blabber and throw him in.”

“Yes! Got it.”

As Park Manho’s voice grew louder, the miner quickly responded.

He grabbed Zeon’s hand, pulling him along.

“Hey, let’s go.”

“Yes? Yes!”

And so, Zeon entered the tunnels unprepared.

Park Manho shouted from behind.

“You bastard! Don’t even think of coming out before you dig up some Magic Stones. Remember what I said.”

Zeon felt something welling up in his chest.

‘That son of a bitch is really…’

He vowed to exact revenge on Park Manho as soon as he gained the power to do so.

Zeon now understood the dynamics of the Magic Stone Mines clearly.

There was no one on his side here.

If one appeared weak, they’d be devoured.

Everyone had to be considered a threat, and be on guard at all times.

Zeon blamed himself for momentarily losing his resolve after arriving at the Magic Stone Mines.

Zeon strengthened his resolve and walked down the tunnel.

Despite being at the beginning, the tunnel was incredibly narrow.

As the tunnel was dug by human power without the help of machinery, it was bound to be narrow.

At that moment, the miner spoke up.

“Consider yourself lucky. Because you got caught when the Captain was in a bad mood.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Captain lost all his money at the gambling den.”

“Is there a gambling den here?”

“What isn’t here? From gambling to prostitutes, alcohol, and drugs, there’s nothing missing. Speaking from experience, it’s best not to get involved. You end up working hard to make others happy.”

The miner had been here for five years.

All those who came with him had either became cripled or lost their lives.

No matter how strong one’s will was, if they were to be swayed by the atmosphere, it would crumble in an instant.

“Still, if you want to save up and go out of here, stay alert.”

“What kind of place is the 972nd tunnel?”

“Go and find out.”

The miner rambled on.

Instinctively, Zeon knew the tunnel he was assigned to was not an ordinary place.

‘Damn it!’

For a moment he thought about running away, but then gave up.

The desert stretched endlessly around the mining city.

It was clear that if he tried to escape hastily, he would end up dehydrated under the sun and die.

‘The most important thing I need to do is to develop my abilities.’

Things had happened so quickly; he hadn’t even confirmed the extent of his abilities.

If he was left alone, he had to ascertain his capabilities first. That would enable him to plan ahead.

Countless crossroads appeared in front of Zeon.

The miner taught Zeon how to distinguish between forks in the road.

“If you look closely, you will see an arrow engraved at the fork in the road. Red arrows indicate going deeper underground, while blue arrows show the way up to the surface. When you exit, always follow the blue arrows. Got it?”

“Yes!”

Perceived distances suggested he’d descended several hundred meters at least.

Only then did the guiding miner stop.

“This is the 972nd tunnel.”

Zeon looked towards the tunnel the miner pointed to.

The thick darkness inside seemed to beckon him to enter.

“All you have to do is go in there and start working.”

“For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Four people have already suffered misfortune inside. Be cautious.”

“Suffered misfortune?”

“It means they died.”

“What?”

“We don’t know how they died. Since everyone assigned here has died, no one wants to enter the 972nd tunnel. That’s why the Captain put a newcomer like you in there.”

“Fuck!”

Zeon looked at the miner incredulously. The miner looked back at Zeon with an expression of understanding.

He, too, felt guilty about putting Zeon in there. But there was nothing he could do.

He was just a mere miner who had to do as he was told.

“I hope you come out safe and alive.””

With those words, the miner headed toward his tunnel.

Zeon, left alone, gazed at the 972nd tunnel.

“Everyone that went in there died? Did he send me to this place on purpose? Just because he wasn’t in a good mood. Park Manho, you will definitely die by my hands, I swear.”

[TL/N: I know the MC is really getting pushed around rn but trust me the come back arc will go hard]