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Chapter 1
Bone and Blood.
The reason I fell in love with the game and even waited for its sequel was simple.
A fascinating world.
It looked like an ordinary fantasy world, but the more you dug into it, the more hidden dark stories emerged.
Those were the things that captivated me about that world.
Among them, the most impressive was the story related to the mining site hidden underground.
It was a place you could discover while progressing through a quest to track down human traffickers.
There, children were mining mana stones.
Without any protective gear.
Being exposed to unrefined mana stones was a shortcut to a terminal diagnosis of mana poisoning.
However, those criminals were operating the mining site using kidnapped orphans and children sold by slum residents as parts.
They even thoroughly utilized the corpses of the children who died that way, selling them off elsewhere.
The player who confirms all these truths is given two choices.
Either expose these horrific acts to the world and eradicate them all, or take the money given by the criminals and keep your mouth shut.
You might ask, what kind of trash would choose the latter?
Well, that's the charm of this game.
If you destroy all those mining sites, the price of mana stones naturally skyrockets, and the entire empire falls into a state of panic.
All transportation using mana stones becomes difficult to use, the cost of items needed to progress through the game soars, and even a few beloved NPCs you met during quests are driven to their financial limits and commit suicide.
Furthermore, because the children's corpses were being used to research a cure for mana poisoning, stopping it means the heroine will later die, unable to obtain the medicine.
It was clear which one was the right choice.
However, the outcome of choosing the right option was an uncomfortable and unpleasant ending.
That contradiction, the outcomes that changed depending on the choice, fascinated me.
Because of that, the Mana Stone Mine quest was deeply etched in my mind.
Right.
That quest was certainly impressive.
It was definitely impressive, but.......
"It's not like I wanted to become the orphan mining those mana stones......."
*****
[A day in the Mana Stone Mine is incredibly monotonous.
Everything is solved with a single whip, so how could it be anything but monotonous?
What happens if a slave slacks off?
Just swing the whip.
If a slave throws a tantrum?
Just swing the whip.
If a slave begs and pleads that they'll actually die if this keeps up?
Just swing the whip.
Then what's left, you ask?
Money is what's left.
With this method, the kids won't last, but you can always just buy more children with money anyway.
This damned Empire where it's ridiculously hard to survive.
There's no shortage of slum residents wanting to sell off brats who won't even make them money.
Plus, this whipping has one more effect.
Beat them if they don't listen, and occasionally beat them even when they do listen just because you're bored. Then you'll end up with only the perceptive and sharp-witted elites.
Who would've thought the way to create elite slaves was to beat all the non-elite ones to death?
Plus, selling the corpses generated in the process to the right places earns a tidy sum too.
Making money is just that easy.]
The contents of a diary I once discovered while playing the game come to mind.
I could be certain right then and there.
That the bastard who wrote it was definitely running this place.
"......It hurts so much I could die, seriously."
My body is still stinging all over.
This isn't just at the level of tough love.
Maybe because it's a child's body, but if I take any more beatings, I feel like I might actually die.
I can't even choose the option to fight back.
In a way, it's obvious.
Why would the precious Overseers bother risking an incurable disease?
They're all armed with top-of-the-line protective gear with self-defense features.
Knowing the in-game market prices, I realized that the cost of just one of those protective gears could buy decent gear for all of us, and I felt like I was about to explode.
But I wasn't stupid enough to express such rebellious attitude and get beaten for it. So I took my portion of something I couldn't tell was rock or bread and sat down.
Actually, up to this point was somewhat bearable.
Because what was really driving me insane was something else entirely.
"Um...... are you okay? You've seemed a bit off since yesterday."
A kid sits down next to me in a friendly manner and asks.
Considering I possessed this body yesterday, it's a natural reaction.
That kid was probably my friend,
"Get lost, you piece of shit, before I stab your eyes out with a fork."
Thinking that is how you get played immediately.
I grabbed the guy's wrist instantly. Sure enough, he was trying to sneakily steal my tasteless-looking bread.
The friendly smile vanished from his face in an instant.
He glared at me with a murderous expression.
"What? You want to fight? Go ahead then. Though I doubt you'll be able to work properly with those injuries."
When I spoke, he just clicked his tongue and walked away.
This is how you survive here. If you're seen as weak, everything from your food to your belongings is taken, and you wither away and die.
In my opinion, actual fighting skill wasn't that important.
Because if you're too injured to work, you just get whipped to death anyway. Everyone wants to avoid a fight.
"......Sigh."
Now that the crisis had passed, a sigh escaped me naturally.
This was the problem that was driving me crazy.
There isn't a single moment to rest.
Throwing kids into the Demonic Realm turned them into demons just to survive.
Beyond the Overseers, having to fight fellow slaves like this was completely draining my mental strength.
'Let's think positively. Positively.......'
But staying depressed would only lower my chances of escaping, so I forced myself to pull it together.
Actually, there is a more hopeful element than I thought.
'To think that buying the Premium Edition for an extra 50,000 won like a sucker would actually pay off here.......'
It's the common version of package games where they bundle various items and charge more money.
As with most of those, it usually ends up being a waste of money. Even with my fan spirit, I hesitated when buying it.
Looking back now, it was the best decision I ever made.
One Rare Trait Selection Ticket and one Legendary Trait Selection Ticket.
And even selection tickets for a sword and armor.
There were useless things like titles and the game soundtrack, but the traits alone were worth the price.
The only reason I've managed to stay sane is thanks to the ability I got from that Rare Trait Selection Ticket.
[Healthy Body (Rare)]
[Grants immunity to all status ailments, except those caused by poison, curses, or magic. You do not tire easily and always maintain a healthy state.]
A trait that couldn't even block a single Sleep Magic spell,
and one I wouldn't have given a second glance to normally.
However, now that the game has become reality, nothing is more precious than this.
There is nothing more desperate for me right now than disease immunity. Without it, I might have already been terminal.
Since I already had the trait screen open, I started poking around the status window.
It's definitely convenient to be able to operate it just by thinking, but.
[This feature is available after clearing the tutorial.]
With most of the functions blocked like this, it's useless.
I can't even check my status, let alone my name.
Still, it shouldn't be too big of a problem.
Because I have other weapons besides that.
Legendary rank.
The right to personally choose a trait that could only be obtained in the very late stages of the game. Plus, a selection ticket to get a somewhat decent sword and armor as a bonus.
If I use this well, I'm sure I'll find a way out.......
'......Hmm?'
As I was walking back to the Mining Site lost in thought, I suddenly felt something bump into me.
I checked the obstacle blocking my path once again.
Black hair.
Red, unfocused, cloudy eyes.
A beautiful girl, who absolutely didn't fit the bleak atmosphere of this dump, was standing there blankly.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
I offered an apology first.
However, without any change in expression, the girl just stared blankly at my face.
It would have been more understandable if she had glared at me. Strangely, I couldn't feel any emotion from her gaze.
Like that, we continued making eye contact for a while, which was beyond awkward and bordering on bizarre, until,
"But why are you standing here? Are you lost? If so, follow me. We'll get hit if we don't hurry. "
Unable to bear that dreadful silence any longer, I finally spoke up first.
"......Yeah, I guess so."
The girl replied with an expression that still gave no hint as to what she was thinking.
I stared at her for a long time... before finally recalling a certain fact.
This place is a world inside a game.
The main characters of the game must exist in this world too.
If so, could this peculiar, solitary girl truly be someone completely unrelated to the original story?
......What if this wasn't a coincidence, but fate.
If this was a predetermined meeting.
"Hey, what's your name?"
At my question, the girl opened her mouth with the same blank face as before.
"Ciel."
That was the moment I met my first companion.