Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Mine (1)
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From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
We ran without knowing where we were headed. It wasn't just an alert or a jog—it was a full-on sprint.
Everyone was drenched in sweat. Some students complained of muscle cramps.
I alternated between five minutes of running and one minute of rest. I felt like I was going to die, but thankfully, I didn't.
I panted like a fish dragged up on the mudflats, but a short break was enough to recover quickly.
"Halt."
At exactly 11:20 a.m., Jedric stopped. We'd finally arrived at the ridiculously distant destination.
"Line up in the order you arrived."
I placed in the top 90 percent—110th out of 127.
Among them, Soliet Arkne's head immediately caught my eye. As expected, she was at the very front.
"Ughhhh... I don't wanna live anymore... Just kill me..."
In contrast, Rae was right in front of me. Her face was on the verge of total exhaustion, and she kept stumbling.
—Hey, what's that? Looks like a mine?
—For real. We're screwed.
At the seniors' commotion, I looked toward the distance.
There was a massive rocky mountain. A huge entrance that felt ominous, damp, and foreboding.
"Before we begin the evaluation task, allow me to introduce our specially invited guest."
Jedric pointed to the podium near the mine entrance. A wooden platform connected to a red carpet.
Right on cue, a sedan pulled up. It stopped where the red carpet began, as if waiting for something.
"Everyone, applaud."
Jedric clapped as he spoke, and the students followed suit.
Then the car door opened, and my face stiffened.
"...Ah."
Long arms and legs unfolding from the car. An impressive physique matched by a luxurious tailored suit. Blue hair slicked back, and sharp, arrogant eyes.
I knew him. Not just me—everyone here did.
—Holy shit.
—What a total stud. Is that the real deal?
He drew gasps of admiration from the crowd—Libra's direct lineage, the second son, Jade.
'Jade LeRoy Libra Geden.'
—Whoa... First time seeing a direct Libra descendant.
—Insane.
His appearance was flawless enough to stun nearly every student.
It might feel utterly repulsive to me, but that's just Libra genetics. No flaws on the surface.
—Ah. Ah.
Standing on the podium, he tested the mic and scanned the surroundings.
—Greetings. I'm Jade of Libra. This mine belongs to Libra... more precisely, to me.
Not yours yet—just an inheritance you're about to receive.
—Mines are divided into non-renewable and renewable ones. This 'Limto Mine' is renewable. It's been closed for over a decade, but in one or two years, we'll reopen it and produce tens of thousands of tons of mana stones annually.
Jade shrugged.
—But before that, I've gladly agreed to a proposal bordering on volunteer work from my alma mater, Endex, and the College Board.
Seeing this guy after so long, every word from his mouth was as rude as ever.
—Therefore, I'm providing this mine as the site for your College Board task.
His gaze looked down on the students. The same infuriating sense of chosen superiority—I'm granting you this—unchanged from past or present.
Exactly as I despised.
—First, though. Does anyone know how modern miners extract mana stones?
"They use tools."
It was Kain's answer.
For reference, Kain was a mana stone conglomerate heir. But Jade didn't even glance at him before continuing.
—But before those tools were invented?
By now, a bad premonition was creeping in.
—Simple. Intuitive.
He extended his gloved hand, and a pickaxe flew into it.
—This. Just this simple tool.
Of course. Why else come all the way from Endex to a mana stone mine?
It was obvious if you thought about it.
—The purpose of this task is to mine mana stones. In the 'tunnels,' you'll test your own mental fortitude and endurance. I'll leave the details to the supervisors. That's all.
Finishing his speech, Jade tossed the pickaxe aside. Applause erupted from somewhere, spreading like wildfire. I just stared up at him silently.
Libra's second son, Jade.
A total bastard, even compared to his older brother Jedric.
He valued his own face and pride above all else. A madman who'd stop at nothing for what he wanted.
A smug prick who lived to lord over others...
That's how he was.
"Hah."
Something felt off.
Maybe my head was messed up. Or perhaps, hating someone to death makes their face and personality grow strangely familiar.
I was glad to see him.
Glad to meet you again like this. Glad to see you alive and breathing.
"Hahaha..."
I raised my hand, laughing, and clapped furiously.
Clap clap clap clap—!
I kept going until my hands turned red and the people around me started glaring.
Probably the most sincere applause of anyone there.
Thanks to that, our eyes even met.
—Heh.
He smirked faintly and turned away.
"With thanks to Lord Jade for providing the site... I'll explain the task's objective."
Once Jade left in his sedan, Jedric switched back to formal speech.
"Simply put, mine mana stones. Your scores will be based on quantity and quality."
Mana stone mining.
It looked grueling at a glance, but brute strength wasn't the answer.
Seniors could use their learned mana spells or even Spectrum.
The 'tools' modern miners used weren't strength-amplifying suits.
Just simple rods.
Rods the size of pickaxes, embedded with mana spells invented by some genius.
"We'll begin now. Proceed inside."
At Jedric's command, everyone moved.
The entrance to Limto Mine.
As he donned the miner uniform provided by the supervisor, Kain glared at one person.
"...Hey, Elise. I'm beating that bastard's ass today. I can't take it anymore."
Naturally, it was Sion Askal. The guy standing there yawning dumbly.
Elise asked calmly.
"How?"
"It's a mine. No cameras inside anyway."
"It'll get annoying."
"So you just gonna let it slide? Didn't you see him acting up at me?"
Kain furrowed his brow. Elise raised an eyebrow.
"It's a mine, right? He'll probably get lost on his own."
"Still—"
Kain started to retort but stopped. A smile crept onto his face as an idea hit him.
"...Okay. I get what you mean."
Just then, the mine supervisor shouted loudly.
"Alright! Entry starts soon! Put the mined mana stones in the duffel bags we've provided! Phones won't work anyway, so if you're worried about damage, leave them— we'll store them for you..."
Dark and humid. Heat clung to my skin. Sticky mud smeared everywhere, and the sweat pooling inside the miner uniform felt like sludge. Unpleasant as hell, but I was used to it.
Honestly, I had plenty of mine experience.
"Brings back memories..."
I walked through the tunnel.
One of the many branches designated by the supervisor—like an ant colony. So many forks, all cramped.
"Oh."
Up ahead, a rock wall. It looked like a dead end at first glance, but the rails at my feet showed it had been dug before. The rails vanished into the wall.
Proof this renewable mine had regenerated. Time to start working here.
"Let's see..."
Finding mana stones in a mine was simple.
Eyeball it or sense it.
Just feel the mana inside the walls well. But I had a far more efficient method now.
SZX-9500
A 300,000 ren high-end piece of gear stored in my 「Notebook」.
I summoned it with my eyes open. The world changed in an instant. My entire field of vision inverted mana-wise. Mana veins like tree branches etched onto my retinas inside the walls.
But mana stones weren't branches—they were clusters.
So, peering closer at the wall revealed sediment clumped between the spiderweb-like veins.
The 'core' of the mana stone.
Crack!
I slammed the pickaxe into it.
Crunch crunch—!
A section of the wall crumbled like a cookie. Mana stones spilled out amid the debris.
Just like hunting golems.
Find the core and smash it—mining mana stones was that easy.
"This should be—"
Boom—!
Suddenly, an explosion roared. A gale whipped from behind. My ears rang.
I whipped around.
——Rumble rumble rumble.
"..."
The tunnel ceiling I'd walked through had collapsed.
I looked ahead. Dead end, as expected.
Looked back. The tunnel was completely blocked.
I let out a hollow laugh. Slinging the pickaxe over my shoulder, I muttered.
"Which bastard did this?"
——Rumble rumble rumble.
Gazing at the blocked tunnel, Esher stretched contentedly.
"Ahh~ Feels good. Hey, when are you gonna dig him out?"
"Dig him out? He'll figure it out himself. If it's really bad, call a rescue team."
Kain pulled his hand from the wall. Esher grinned.
"Man, Kain, you're savage. Skip college and go pro draft already."
"Took you long enough."
Kain's 「Spectrum」 was earth-related.
Normally, a person's mana decomposes into ambient mana beyond 2-3 meters from their body unless formed into a rigid spell.
Not Kain.
He could extend mana threads kilometers long, mediated by natural mana in the earth.
With it, he'd tracked Sion from afar and triggered the mana spell 「Earth: Collapse」 at the perfect moment, burying him.
"Fun's over. Let's split?"
Elise said, pulling out her pickaxe.
"Yeah. Okay."
"Gonna mine about 500."
Kain and Esher went separate ways.
Thus, Elise was alone. The only one left in the enclosed tunnel.
"Haa..."
She took a deep breath first.
It did no good. Her heart pounded wildly.
Her breathing quickened. Her chest ached like it was being crushed.
Her hands and feet trembled. Panic surged, as if the ground would give way any second.
Elise hated confined spaces.
Hated being alone.
Intolerably so.
In truth, this was her condition.
Diagnosis: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
She didn't know the trauma's source. Forgotten? Erased? Wiped by someone?
But the fact of being "trapped alone" was etched as trauma, still tormenting her.
"Haa..."
Of course, she'd prepared for such contingencies.
Elise unzipped her messenger bag and pulled out a rabbit doll, infusing it with mana.
The rabbit's ears perked up. It even opened its mouth and spoke.
—Hi there!
A 30,000 ren mana spell from auction: 「Doll Arts: Cookie」.
By doll master Kanna, implanting the 'Cookie' AI into dolls upon activation.
"Mining mana stones is simple,"
Elise said to Cookie, activating her Mana Body.
"First, swing the pickaxe."
Crack—!
The pickaxe embedded in the wall.
"Then radiate mana."
Her mana flowed into the wall. Soon, crunch—! The whole face decomposed into dirt piles. Elise summoned wind over it.
Whoooosh—.
Light dust scattered, leaving only heavy mana stone chunks.
"Easy, right?"
—Hi there!
The rabbit replied. Elise smiled faintly. The suffocating panic had faded.
That was when it happened.
——————!
A deafening roar echoed. The ground vanished beneath her. Her balance shattered.
No time to react.
She was falling.
"...Huh?"