"One minute late, and your oxygen quota drops ten percent. Move it, you trash!"
Overseer Garek's voice exploded alongside the crack of his energy whip, which sliced through the stagnant air. Klein flinched, his trembling hands immediately snatching up the rusted pickaxe that had been thrown onto the ground earlier. The weight of the metal felt as though the entire mountain were pressing down upon his shoulders.
He stepped forward, following the stream of other slaves toward Tunnel 4-B. Down here, oxygen was not a basic right; it was a commodity. At his ankle, a small iron shackle pinged, projecting a tiny holographic display only he could see.
[Oxygen Status: 05:48:12]
[Fatigue Status: 90% - Extreme Exhaustion]
[HP Status: 80% - Malnutrition & Bruising]
Six hours. That was the lifespan AI Corp granted to every new "Asset." If he couldn't turn in a Raw Energy Core before that time ran out, the oxygen valve on his shackle would automatically close. Klein would suffocate, and his body would become fertilizer for the toxic cave moss.
Klang!
Klein swung his pickaxe into the stubborn stone wall. The vibration of the impact traveled up the iron handle, piercing the bones of his wrists and ending as a dull thud inside his head. It felt like trying to demolish steel with a toothpick.
Klang! Klang!
Every swing was torture. Klein's hands, which usually held nothing but books at the orphanage, began to blister. The first layer of skin tore within thirty minutes, oozing a clear fluid that quickly mixed with the black dust of the mine. The metallic scent of blood began to rise, but Klein didn't dare stop.
Beside him, a middle-aged man collapsed. His eyes rolled back, his mouth gasping like a fish pulled from water. The shackle on his ankle flashed red—a sign that his oxygen was at zero. In less than ten seconds, a mechanical, spider-like scavenger drone crawled down from the cavern ceiling. With efficient hydraulic pincers, the robot impaled the man's back and dragged him away toward the waste disposal pit.
There were no prayers. No tears. Only the sound of pickaxes continuing to strike stone. In this mine, a human life was cheaper than a used battery.
"Come on, Klein... find the glow," he whispered, his voice hoarse from the dust clogging his throat.
His stinging eyes continued to scan the dark stone wall. Thanks to his [Eye of Desire] beginning to activate passively, he saw something different. Behind a thick layer of granite, there was a faint blue shimmer. It was incredibly thin, but in Klein's eyes, it held a value far beyond the dust surrounding it.
[Target Analysis: Raw Energy Core (Low Grade)]
[Estimated Value: 4 Hours of Oxygen]
Klein's spirits flared for a moment. He concentrated all his remaining strength into a single point. His swings became more focused, even though every movement made the muscles in his back feel as if they were being forcibly torn apart.
Krakk!
A chunk of rock shattered, dropping a small crystal the size of a thumb that glowed with a faint blue light. Klein dropped his pickaxe and scooped up the crystal with trembling hands. Cold, pure, and beautiful. This was his ticket to breathe a little longer.
"Well, well, look what we have here. Does the little Merchant boy have some luck after all?"
A massive shadow fell over Klein. He looked up and saw a man with biceps as thick as Klein's thighs. It was Bruno, a senior slave with the talent [E-Rank: Brawler]. His face was covered in soot, and his eyes radiated pure greed.
"This... this is my ration, Bruno," Klein's voice wavered, as he tried to hide the Core in the palm of his hand.
"Your ration?" Bruno laughed, a sound like grinding stones. "No one owns property here, Merchant. You're F-Rank. A Merchant without wares is just a talking punching bag."
"I can trade it for you later! I have the skill to—"
Bugh!
A heavy blow landed squarely on Klein's jaw. His world instantly went dark. The salty taste of blood filled his mouth as he slumped onto the jagged cavern floor. Bruno stepped on Klein's hand, pressing down until the bones in his fingers creaked, then casually plucked the blue Core away.
"Thanks for the donation, 492. Good luck struggling with your last two hours of oxygen," Bruno spat toward Klein before walking off with his group.
[HP Status: 65% - Head Trauma & Cracked Fingers]
[Oxygen Status: 01:52:04]
Klein coughed, spitting out blood and dust. His chest felt tight. Not just from the lack of oxygen, but from the bitter reality that hit him: in this world, a Merchant was the lowest caste if they lacked the power to protect their merchandise. He was nothing more than a walking bank for predators.
With the strength he had left, Klein crawled. He didn't want to end up in the pincers of that scavenger drone. He had to find a deeper tunnel, an area untouched by people like Bruno, even if it meant approaching the death zones forbidden by the Overseer.
He slipped into a narrow crevice at the end of Tunnel 4-B. The passage grew darker, the air hotter, and the pungent smell of sulfur became overwhelming.
Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the cave.
Ruummbleee!
Small pebbles rained down from the ceiling. Klein froze, his hand pressed against a stone wall that felt like it was pulsing. This wasn't a normal earthquake. This vibration came from something breathing behind the wall he had just struck.
GROOOOAAAAARRRR!!!
A roar so powerful it caused the glow on his shackle to flicker out for a moment. The stone wall in front of Klein cracked violently, emitting a thick purple light he had never seen before. A deathly cold began to seep out from the fissures.
Klein's heart skipped a beat. The oxygen timer on his shackle suddenly plummeted into the red.
Something far more dangerous than Bruno had just awakened.