Itsuki stepped fully out of the rift and onto solid ground, the shift in air hitting him first. When he looked up, his breath caught for a moment.
A cavern stretched out before him, impossibly vast, running further than his eyes could measure. The walls curved outward like the ribs of some ancient beast, and from those walls, ceilings, and the long uneven floor, countless crystals jutted out in clusters. They pulsed with soft, shifting colors—blues, greens, violets, the occasional streak of gold—filling the cave with a gentle, shimmering glow.
Scattered throughout the cavern, men were already at work. Their pickaxes rang sharply against the crystals, the sound echoing again and again until it blended with the rhythmic creaks of ropes and wooden beams overhead. Some workers climbed tall, narrow ladders leaned against the crystal-coated walls as they worked. Others hung from thick ropes tied around their waists, suspended high in the air as they chipped away at the glittering formations above.
Across the ceiling ran a crude yet ingenious system of support rigs—two beams braced against opposite sides of the cavern, connected by a taut rope like a line strung between distant poles. Workers hooked themselves onto the rope by their waist harnesses and gradually slid across it, gliding over the expanse as they broke crystals loose from the ceiling, each strike sending sparks of color falling like dust.
Inner parts of the cave split into several wide pathways that stretched deeper inside, each glowing faintly, as beautiful as it was intimidating. It looked like a regular cave—yet: too vast, too radiant, too alive to be anything natural.
It's just like mining in the real world… except these crystals look so—beautiful.
Adrien's friend walked past him without breaking stride, slipping his helmet over his head as he spoke.
"You don't have to be nervous. The supervisor already agreed to let you work light today, so just focus on putting in a good shift."
With that, he moved off toward a pillar across the cavern, its sides bristling with shards of crystal.
Aether crystals. The resources that keep this entire world running…
The thought drifted up from the fragments in his mind, like someone whispering in his skull, offering context without explanation.
He let his gaze wander again, unable to stop admiring the cavern's glow.
It's beautiful…
He knelt slowly and reached toward a crystal embedded in the hardened ground. It was cool to the touch, smooth at the surface, but sharp around its base.
Is it used as some kind of energy source once it's refined?
"What're you doing slacking off? Get to fucking work!"
The supervisor's voice cracked through the cavern from behind him, carrying the authority of someone who'd yelled the same words a thousand times.
Itsuki stood immediately and headed over to where Adrien's friend was already working. He kept his eyes lowered, trying to seem focused while secretly studying the way the others swung their pickaxes—how they aimed, where they struck, how they shifted their grip to conserve strength.
It really is just like mining precious stones in my world. It's better to hit the right point to save energy, especially if these things are incredibly hard to dig out.
He scanned the crystals again, their colors shifting faintly under the cavern's glow.
Maybe the colors mean something…?
He shook his head sharply, running his fingers through his hair.
I need to focus. If anyone notices me staring like an idiot at things Adrien should already know, it'll raise suspicion.
He stepped to the opposite side of the pillar, raised the pickaxe and tightened his grip—
—then drove it down with force.
Thankfully, Adrien already has a body accustomed to this sort of labour. I just need to make sure I'm working in a way that doesn't make me stand out as some clueless newbie.
He struck the crystal again. And again. After a few clean hits, one of the shards loosened and dropped from the pillar.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
Perfect.
Definitely not as difficult as I thought it'd be.
He moved on to the next section, swinging the pickaxe with a steady rhythm as his thoughts drifted.
If all I have to do is mirror Adrien's original life from here on out, I shouldn't have many issues. And thanks to those "relation fragments" the system shoved into my head, I at least understand a thing or two about people and places connected to them… even if the whole thing feels like a drag, it's still useful.
His gaze flicked toward Dupont and the friend working not too far from him.
But there's something else that hasn't been sitting right with me. Neither Dupont nor his friend are awakeners—unlike that armoured unit that stepped through the rift earlier. And if everyone else here is the same, then why are they allowed inside a place like this?
He paused mid-swing, just for a heartbeat before continuing.
Materials like these must have some kind of contaminative effect on the unawakened, or on anyone without proper protection.
So why expose regular workers to it?
A faint frown creased his expression as he resumed striking the crystal face.
Heavy metallic thuds echoed through the cavern, blending with the rhythm of a dozen other pickaxes.
You can travel to the ends of the earth, to every nation ever built… and no matter how proudly they claim to live, no matter how "pure" their societal structures are—there will always be rot.
As he kept on striking the crystals, he heard a loud chime suddenly echo.
The clear tone rang in his mind, unmistakable.
He looked up, and right in front of him—unfolding in crisp, cold lettering—the system's dashboard spread open, every line of text laid bare before his eyes.
[System Notice]
[You have entered a Domain Rift with a high amount of Abbysal mana present]
Abbysal mana…?
His brows knitted as he stared at the dashboard, he's eyes glued to the term that hadn't appeared in any dashboard the system had shown him so far.
[Hero Objective]
[Explore the deepest parts of the Rift and eradicate any Abbysals present]
[Abbysals Killed 0/??]
Abbysals?
The pickaxe slowly softened in his grip as the words lingered in the air before him—unnervingly calm, almost indifferent, as if the system were talking about clearing pests.
A faint chill ran through his spine.
This must've been why the armoured unit was here.... But wouldn't it make sense that they already cleared whatever these abbysals are?..
I have to reject it… If it's an objective, then there has to be a way to say no. That's the smartest move.
It's way too early to start trying to play hero.
He tore his eyes away from the floating dashboard and forced his grip back onto the pickaxe. The rhythmic clang of metal against crystal resumed. Just as the thoughts in his head began to settle, another chime rippled through his mind.
A new line of text appeared before him.
[System Notice - failure to complete Objective will result in punishment]
...Punishment?
His jaw tightened, teeth biting down on the inside of his cheek as he lowered his head.
So that's how it is. The system must want me to complete this no matter what.
And the punishment could be anything from a slap on the wrist, all the way up to death.
His fingers tightened around the handle.
Guess I don't have a choice.
He resumed striking the crystals, each impact sharp and deliberate. But his mind was nowhere near the work. It was already spiraling through contingencies— gauging risks, calculating possibilities.
The next step he decided to take was already forming somewhere beneath the noise of metal and the glimmer of aether crystals.