Kaelen walked alongside the Commander, heading toward the gaping maw of the mine entrance carved into the side of the hill.
As they descended the ramp, the electric lights flickered. The air grew thick with dust and the smell of unwashed bodies.
"Watch your step," Ben grunted, kicking a loose rock aside. "We're expanding the tunnels daily. It's a bit unstable."
They rounded a corner, and the main cavern opened up.
Kaelen's jaw tightened. He had expected forced labor, but the scene before him was brutal.
Hundreds of figures were hacking away at the stone walls. Most were demons—horned and tailed but there were humans too, likely villagers from the border settlements.
They were chained together in gangs, their clothes were tattered.
Soldiers walked the lines with whips, shouting orders. Kaelen watched as a young demon girl stumbled under the weight of a basket of rocks.
A guard immediately stepped forward, raising his whip.
Kaelen stopped.
"Motivation is key," Ben said casually, noticing Kaelen's stare. "We found that the locals work better when they know there's no other option. Cheaper than bringing in golems or paid miners. Plus, they know the terrain."
The guard struck the girl. She cried out, a high, thin sound that echoed in the cavern.
Kaelen forced a smile onto his face, though his insides were churning.
"That's efficient. I really appreciate your cost-cutting measures. Though, if you work them to death... won't that be bad?."
"There's plenty more villages down the valley," Ben replied with a callous shrug.
"It's a renewable resource. If Rosemoon is interested, we can arrange for... labor exports... as well. Under the table, of course."
[✿Disgusting✿] Evelyn hissed in Kaelen's mind. Her voice was devoid of its usual playfulness.
[✿That's innocent people he's talking about. Be sure to make his death tortuous✿]
'Same thoughts,' Kaelen thought back, his eyes tracking the layout of the mine.
'We need to get him alone. Otherwise these poor people might suffer too.'
"I'll keep that in mind," Kaelen said aloud.
"But let's focus on the stones for now. Where is the high-grade stock?"
"This way," Ben said, looking pleased with himself.
He led Kaelen deeper, past the suffering workers, into a secured side tunnel.
A heavy steel door, reinforced with magic seals, was blocking the way. Ben placed his hand on a scanner, and the door opened.
The room inside was small but filled with crates. The air hummed with raw magical power. It was the storage vault.
"This is the week's stock," Ben said, gesturing to the open crates filled with glowing blue and green crystals.
"Standard grade A and B mana stones. Good for heavy engines. But..."
He walked to a small pedestal at the back of the room. A single, small metal box sat there.
"This is the real prize."
Ben opened the box.
Inside sat a stone the size of a fist. It wasn't blue or green. It was shifting, swirling with a myriad of colors— violet, gold, deep crimson—that seemed to move like liquid smoke inside the crystal.
"What is that?" Kaelen asked, genuinely intrigued. He could feel the power radiating off it. It was heavy dense and old.
"We found it three days ago," Ben said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It's not any normal mana ore. Watch."
Ben placed his hand over the stone and channeled a tiny amount of his own mana into it.
The reaction was instantaneous. The stone flared with blinding light, illuminating the entire cavern. The lights in the tunnel outside surged and blew out, unable to handle the sudden spike in ambient energy.
"See?" Ben laughed, a booming sound in the small space. He stopped channeling, and the light faded, but the stone continued to pulse.
"It amplifies output by a factor of a thousand. It produces tons of energy with just a spark. Imagine a weapon powered by this. Or a city."
He picked up the stone casually, tossing it up and down in his hand like a toy.
"This is what will buy my retirement, Mr. Kaelen. Or my promotion to General."
He looked at Kaelen, a greedy glint in his eyes. Then, without warning, he tossed the stone through the air toward him.
"Here. Feel the weight of it. Tell me how much Rosemoon is willing to pay to keep this quiet."
Kaelen's hand shot out, catching the stone.
The moment his skin touched the smooth, warm surface, time seemed to freeze.
A massive surge of energy shot up his arm though It was not painful. It wasn't just mana. It was something else.
Something familiar to the power Evelyn had given him, yet distinctly different.
Before he could process it, a bright purple System Screen slammed into his vision, obscuring Ben's grinning face.
[WARNING!]
[DIVINITY DETECTED]
[Source: Fragment of an Unknown God]
[Analysis: The object contains condensed divine essence. Highly Volatile.]
The text flashed red, urgent and demanding.
[MISSION UPDATE TRIGGERED]
[Target: Commander Ben]
[Threat Level: EXTREME]
[Notification: The target possesses knowledge of the Divinity. If he is allowed to leave or report this find, the Human Empires will descend on this region with S-Rank Hunters. The Demon Empire will be overrun.]
[Objective: ELIMINATE COMMANDER BEN IMMEDIATELY.]
[Reward: Reward Tripled. 1x Divine Fragment Absorption.]
Kaelen's grip tightened on the stone. His heart hammered against his ribs.
This wasn't just a greedy commander running a slave mine anymore. This man was holding a literal piece of a God, treating it like a battery.
If the human guilds realized what this was...
"Well?" Ben asked, crossing his massive arms. He frowned, noticing the change in Kaelen's demeanor.
"Cat got your tongue, merchant? Or is the price too high for you?"
Kaelen slowly lowered the stone, slipping it into his pocket.
He looked up, and the 'merchant' smile was gone. In its place was the cold predatory look.
"The price," Kaelen said softly, his mana beginning to flare around him, "is just right."
Ben's eyes narrowed.
His hand dropped instinctively to the sword hilt at his waist. "Excuse me?"
"You're right, Ben," Kaelen said, taking a step forward. "This stone is going to change everything. Which is why you can't be allowed to sell it."
Ben sneered, his muscles tensing. "I knew it. You're no merchant. Thieves? Or spies?"
He didn't wait for an answer. Mana exploded from the Commander, a heavy, brown aura of an Earth-attribute warrior.
"Doesn't matter," Ben growled.
"You're trapped in a hole with a Rank-7 Veteran. You just dug your own grave, boy."
Kaelen didn't flinch. He just smirked.
"Isolde," he whispered through the bond in his mind.
"Now."