With a hammer in his hand, Azael walked toward the nearest mining spot, where the steady sound of metal striking stone echoed through the air.
Lanterns powered by faint magic flickered above, casting pale yellow light across the reddish-brown ground.
He glanced around.
The area was surprisingly clean, considering how many people were working there. There should've been more dust and more signs of wear. With how often the tools hit the stone, the ground should've been coated in it.
Azael's eyes shifted to the miners around him.
They all looked normal—adults, mostly—but their hands trembled whenever they touched the glowing blue material.
There was a silent fear in the air, one that clung to their expressions like dust.
No one said a word, but the fear was there, raw and heavy.
And Azael understood why.
Everyone here had seen it—someone collapsing out of nowhere, drained of life, the color of their skin turning unnatural.
No one knew the real reason.
But Azael did.
The material didn't just shine—it took something from you.
His gaze shifted again, this time to two workers who stood apart from the rest.
They showed no fear, no reaction at all when they touched the glowing stone.
Their eyes were hollow, their bodies thin and worn.
One of them was a man in his twenties, the kind of person who looked like luck had given up on him years ago.
The other was a boy, no older than twelve.
'What the hell is a kid doing here?' Azael thought.
The boy looked younger than Azael. His arms were like sticks, his skin stretched over bone. But he worked with the same blank look, hands moving steadily as if everything else around him had stopped mattering.
Azael moved closer, stopping beside him.
The boy didn't even glance at him. His eyes were locked on the stones, chipping away without pause.
Azael watched him for a moment. His body was too fragile to be working here. Worse, he wasn't awakened. That meant no enhanced strength, no support from the system—just bare hands and willpower.
'How the hell is he even standing? He's not just tired. He's hollow. Whatever was in him... It's already been taken. And he's just moving because he doesn't know how to stop.'
Feeling the urge to speak, Azael opened his mouth. "Hey there, kid, what's your name—"
"AAARRGH—GRAAAHHH!!"
A cry of agony tore through the mine, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Azael's head snapped toward the sound. His eyes locked onto the scene ahead, and what he saw froze him in place.
Hardin.
His body lay twisted on the ground, completely drenched in blood.
His eyes were bulging, blood trailing from their corners, and his skin had turned a dark, sickly shade. Veins bulged across his arms like they were trying to escape his body.
A few feet away, the glowing blue material pulsed faintly, but now it had a strange dark tint.
'Just like I thought… it reacts when it takes too much.'
He clenched his jaw. He had known this could happen.
This wasn't some game with safe checkpoints.
This was real, and seeing it up close made his chest tighten in a way the screen never had.
He glanced over at Milo and Tarek.
Both of them stood frozen, horror plain on their faces. Milo's mouth hung open. Tarek's hands shook at his sides, the usual smirk gone from his face.
'So now they get it. Maybe they'll finally start taking this place seriously… even if it took a friend's death to get there.'
Guards arrived moments later, dragging Hardin's body away with practiced hands.
One of them struck Milo across the shoulder and barked at them to get to work.
Milo flinched, and both of them stumbled into motion, trembling as they picked up their tools.
Azael watched them reach for the blue crystal for the first time. They hesitated—rightfully so—and when nothing happened after the first touch, both let out a breath of shaky relief.
But something else caught Azael's attention.
The boy beside him still hadn't moved.
No fear.
No curiosity.
No emotion.
He leaned a little closer and asked his name once again. "Hey… I'm Azael. What's your name?"
Nothing.
Not even a blink. The completely ignored Azael as though he didn't even exist.
Which made Azael hurt a little but just a little.
Azael stared at him for a moment longer, then let it go. He turned away and began to work.
The hammer was heavier than he liked. It strained his arms just to lift it properly.
'What kind of joke is this… I can't even swing this thing like i should. And I'm supposed to escape this place with this much strength.'
He gritted his teeth and raised it again.
Then, just as he was about to bring it down again, a familiar screen blinked into view in front of him.
========= Minor Act =========
Swing the hammer 1000 times within two days.
Reward: +4 Strength, +5 System Points.
Penalty for Failure: None.
Accept this Act : [Yes] / [No]
==========================
Looking at the screen before him, Azael didn't hesitate and selected [ Yes] without any single thought.
And just like that, the hammer in his hands felt a little lighter—not physically, but mentally, because there was a purpose now, a small source of motivation.
============================= Act Progress: 12 / 1000
=============================
With a fresh wave of focus, Azael moved faster, hammer striking stone with more rhythm and less doubt.
There were still questions—about the system, about the crystals, about how much this world could twist from what he remembered—but he decided he'd think on that later when he was alone.
His fragile hands gripped the hammer tighter as he broke stone after stone, searching for the glow.
Time passed quickly, but still, nothing appeared. The longer it took, the more uneasy he felt. He didn't know if finding one was mandatory, but the longer he went without results, the more suspicious the guards would become.
Then, at last, a flicker of blue light shimmered under the rock.
A crystal.
Reacting after seeing the crystal Azael reached for it but suddenly his hand paused mid-air.
One touch—that was all it would take.
'This isn't a game. One wrong move… and that could be me on the floor.' Azael thought carefully.
He knew he wasn't awakened, not yet.
But what if this world had shifted, even slightly?
What if touching it triggered something?
What if the crystal felt his system?
The crystals were made through alchemy, not arcane magic. That made them different from normal aracanes and artifacts. And if his system was an artifact like he suspected, then there was a chance they could react to each other.
The risk was high if the crystal reacted to his system; he didn't know what would happen now, but there wasn't any option either, as the guards were watching him from all sides.
'Only one way to find out.'
He took a breath. A slow, careful breath.
Then reached out again and this time, he touched it.