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Western territory of the Garam Kingdom, Uito.

Though it is a somewhat remote and barren land surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, this place is one of the most populous cities in the kingdom.

The reason lies in the nearby mines.

The mana stone buried here contains a large amount of mana, close to the amount of mana possessed by an average person, and was a valuable item that was considered of the highest quality even on the continent.

Therefore, under the leadership of the royal institution, in collaboration with the Garam Magic Society for the past few years, continuous mining has been conducted primarily for research purposes to advance the nation’s magic, rather than exporting to other countries, mostly including the Ushif Empire.

Of course, not all mined mana stones were entirely sent away.

There were always thieves trying to steal from places where valuable treasures accumulated.

This place was no exception.

“The processed mana stone amounts to about 1.2 tons, and the mana crystals that do not require processing are about 0.3 tons, showing an increase of about 10% compared to last month.”

“It seems increasing the workforce has paid off.”

Lord Vince of Uito, reading the mining report, smiled with satisfaction.

“About 80% of these have already completed transportation preparations and are scheduled to be sent to the Garam Magic Society, while the remaining 20% are in the warehouse…”

“At this rate, it wouldn’t hurt to extract more, focusing on mana crystals that don’t need processing, maybe an additional 3%.”

“Excuse me? But, wouldn’t that leave room for suspicion in various ways?”

“Suspicion? Then eliminate that suspicion! We still have some time until transportation day, so schedule additional overtime to compensate for what’s stolen!”

“But that might cause dissatisfaction among the workers…”

Vince took out a fist-sized mana crystal from the desk drawer.

“I’m not here to worry about that, am I? That’s your job, not mine!”

“I will follow your orders, my lord!”

The knight who received the mana crystal brightened up instantly.

Vince immediately got up and headed to the mining site.

Born into a merchant family, he had ample experience in business from a young age, typical of nobles who bought their titles with money rather than noble blood.

The reason he was entrusted with the Uito Mine, which could be considered a key industry of the royal family, despite not being of pure blood, was solely due to his abilities.

He knew better than anyone how to efficiently operate the mine, and the recent months’ surge in production volumes had proven his capability.

His motto was the proportionality of labor and production: the more one worked, the more minerals were mined.

However, he didn’t care much about the convenience of the laborers who actually fulfilled this.

Employing mercenaries from all over the continent to create an oppressive atmosphere and preemptively blocking any potential dissatisfaction, he strictly focused on increasing the mining output.

“Hmm…”

Vince’s gaze suddenly fell on a man while surveying the site.

“Who’s that?”

It was a young man with sturdy bones and a robust physique, with black hair, who seemed quite capable even in rigorous tasks.

“He’s a newcomer from another region. Despite the demanding tasks, he’s handling them quite smoothly without any complaints. He’s doing the workload of at least two or three people alone.”

“His sharp features seem more fitting for wielding a sword than a pickaxe.”

Vince, showing considerable interest, stroked his chin while observing him.

“Cough!”

In the meantime, a laborer brought by the estate’s knights suddenly approached Vince.

“My lord, I have a report! We caught a laborer stealing mana crystals from the mining site a while ago.”

Lowering his head, the knight handed a mana crystal the size of a thumbnail to Vince.

“Stealing mana crystals?”

Vince’s stern gaze immediately turned to the laborer who stole the crystal.

“I…I have committed a grave sin, my lord!”

The laborer bowed his head to the ground, prostrating himself until his hands became feet.

As Vince toyed with the crystal in his hand, he soon squatted down and locked eyes with the laborer.

“What were you planning to do with this?”

Struggling to lift his head, the laborer showed tears as he pleaded.

“Please forgive me! My daughter at home is sick because we couldn’t afford food! As a father, I couldn’t bear to see my daughter suffering…”

“She got sick because you couldn’t afford food? So, you thought stealing and selling the crystals would provide for your daughter’s health?”

“Yes…”

A brief silence followed the answer.

When the laborer, puzzled by the lack of response, raised his head,

“Kekk!”

Vince burst into a bitter laugh as if incredulous.

“Even though I may be called a tyrant lord who burdens you with a lot of work, I have my own pride. I have never thought of giving you unfair compensation.”

Despite the notorious reputation of the Uito Mine for its brutal workload, there was never a shortage of labor, mainly due to the handsome rewards that covered the grueling labor.

“But seriously? She got sick because you couldn’t afford food? Don’t you know how valuable this mana crystal is?”

Vince thrust the mana crystal he held directly in front of him.

“Well, um…”

“You probably have no idea. If you knew the value of this crystal, you wouldn’t have even thought of stealing it. Why? Because you would naturally realize that you’re dealing with something beyond your means.”

The laborer’s face gradually filled with despair as he listened to the conversation.

“Now, tell me with your own mouth. What happens under the jurisdiction of the territory’s law if you steal minerals from the mine?”

The laborer, lips trembling, seemed unable to speak, only shaking his head.

“I’ll ask one more time. What happens if you’re caught stealing minerals from the mine?”

“The laborer is stripped of his status, and all property of the household is confiscated. Male family members become slaves directly under the mine’s jurisdiction, and female family members…”

Unable to continue, the laborer once again bowed his head to the ground.

“I, I will do anything you ask! I’ll dedicate my life to it, so please spare my family!”

Thud.

The response to the unreasonable plea was an indifferent kick.

Brushing his hands, Vince stood up and turned away as if there was nothing more to see.

As the knights tried to restrain the laborer and take him away, sensing that he was cornered, the laborer pushed them away and made a desperate attempt to flee.

However, his escape was short-lived as he was caught without much effort.

Thud! Thud!

The reckless escape attempt was met with ruthless violence.

Watching the scene, Vince shook his head with indifference.

“If you risk your family’s safety to satisfy your selfish desires, you must pay the price…”

Without any remorse, Vince was about to leave the scene when,

Thunk.

“…!”

Suddenly, he felt a threatening presence behind him and turned his head immediately.

“Why resort to such brutal beatings if you plan to use them as mine slaves?”

Right in front of the laborer who stole the crystal, a man grabbed the arm of a knight who was about to swing a club.

Some of the knights flinched at the fierce aura emanating from the man’s blade-like gaze.

“Why can’t you let this go?”

The knight struggled to free his arm, but instead of releasing it, the man held it firmly as if it were shackles.

There was no hint of hesitation in his small change of expression, indicating he wasn’t afraid of what might happen next.

“That’s enough. Let go.”

Vince raised his hand, gesturing to stop.

At this, the man finally released the knight’s hand.

The knight shot the man a sharp look before taking the laborer and leaving the scene.

Returning to his original position, the man resumed his work without any hesitation.

“No matter how you look at it, he doesn’t seem like someone who would wield a pickaxe.”

As if discovering an uncut gemstone, Vince observed the man with great interest.

* * *

After the nighttime work that extended into twilight had ended, in the deserted workshop just before dawn.

Despite being a space that should have been empty until the morning shift began, a tall, black-haired man stood in a corner of the workshop.

To an observer, it might seem like he was working overtime alone, but due to the nature of always working in pairs or more, solo work was unheard of in the Uito Mine.

If anyone associated with the mine were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly suspect that something undesirable was happening.

Clap, clap, clap.

When unexpected applause rang out from behind, the man turned his head.

“I was a merchant before I became the lord of this land. Traveling around the continent and doing business, I’ve met many people.”

There, Vince, the lord of Uito, appeared with numerous armed knights in tow.

“When you meet various people while working, sometimes you encounter those with remarkable abilities. People usually call such encounters fate, but I didn’t think so.”

Despite Vince’s verbose explanation, the man didn’t bat an eyelash.

“After penetrating through countless possibilities and coincidences, you happened to come across me? I don’t know if it’s because I’ve lived the life of a merchant and become suspicious, but I never believed in fate. I thought every encounter was always a calculated act with a purpose. The same goes for you. Zion.”

Dozens of knights led by Vince soon surrounded the man.

“Surely, the name you’re using is an alias. Upon investigation, I found that you’ve been quite active as a mercenary, not only in the Kingdom of Garam but also in Ushif and Spania.”

“What’s your point?”

Seemingly reluctant to hear more, he raised an eyebrow as he asked.

“If you’re a veteran with many years of experience, it might be understandable, but for a rookie who’s just starting to smell like a man to give up everything and come to this mine to do labor… Wouldn’t it seem strange to anyone?”

Vince’s gaze was directed towards the mana crystal concealed tightly in the man’s fist.

“Speak. Why did you come here?”

“…”

“Unlike the daytime loafer, you must know the value of that crystal. What were you planning to do with it?”

“…”

“Or was that crystal just a bait to lure me out?”

Despite Vince’s repeated questions, the man remained silent.

“It seems you simply have nothing to say. Then, I have no choice but to force you to speak…”

With a signal, the knights who surrounded the man rushed forward at lightning speed, but

Thud!

As if he anticipated their movements, the man effortlessly subdued them all with a single punch.

“Indeed, you seem to possess a skill worthy of recognition.”

The man’s eyes had turned into a vibrant shade of red.

As if welcoming his gaze, one of the knights who stood next to Vince stepped forward.

At a glance, it was clear that the opponent’s physique was overwhelmingly superior.

In response, the man raised his fist first, but.

Thunk!

It was futilely blocked by the knight’s outstretched hand.

Swish!

However, the man didn’t hesitate and immediately leaped up, executing a spin, and kicked the knight’s head with his right foot.

Thud!

The cheerful sound of impact confirmed the successful hit.

A faint smile formed on the man’s lips, and just as the disoriented knight was about to slump backward helplessly,

“I expected this.”

With a chilling remark, the knight thrust his face forward.

-Thunk!

Then, he grabbed the man’s leg and mercilessly struck downward from side to side like delivering kicks, causing the man to not only resist but also unable to scream.

“Cough!”

Gradually, blood gushed out of the man’s mouth, sprawled on the ground.

Watching this, Vince clicked his tongue as if he found it pathetic.

“Weak. I expected you to show a bit more…”

The situation ended too blandly, without even unpacking everything that had been prepared.

The man, unable to muster the strength to rise, trembled helplessly.

“Perhaps it’s not the black-haired demon who came to capture me after all. I’ve even prepared light attribute mages, but with this outcome, it seems the night was wasted.”

Overwhelmed by sudden drowsiness, Vince yawned.

Then, without thinking, he turned his head.

“What, what’s this?”

Vince’s half-closed eyes suddenly widened.

About 30 meters away in the direction he was looking,

From the entrance of the workshop to right in front of him, there flowed an unknown stream of crimson.

This was undoubtedly blood when seen with human eyes.

A stream of blood, flowing from who knows where, extended in all directions.

The sight was reminiscent not of a transition but rather of a demon’s lair in hell.

“What on earth is happening? Who would play such a joke…?”

As Vince, still unaware of the situation, looked around in confusion,

“…!”

A strange black mist began to slowly envelop the surroundings.

(To be continued in the next installment)

[TL/N: Is the author trying to do it like dragon ball z??]

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