003

The manager seemed to see it in his eyes. The fear of death and the hope to live. He broke many idiots like this kid. In this world, pity wasn't affordable. He had already stripped the very little worth this thing had but…yes…it was true that this kid had been useful and was a good miner. It would be a shame to dispatch him like that. He wasn't someone that could get him into trouble anyways so he could milk him a bit more before he died. He had only things to gain from this.

So, it was with a wide grin and his usual smirk that he spoke: "Number 748, accused and guilty of fabricating fake meal tickets. The sentence, according to the law, is the death penalty"

As the words fell, number 748 tried for the first time to go against the world. He tried to move but was firmly pinned down by a guard. His face hit the ground before he could try to grab the face of the manager. The manager tsk'ed at the sight and moved in front of him, his elegant shoes inches away from his eyes.

Then, he told him: "However, I pity you, still so young. We could put the blame on your age, I guess. But then again, a punishment would be required…Hmm…What to do, what to do~?...Oh! I know! How about this, number 748: go dig up ten kilos of Moon Quartz and we can write everything off as if it never happened. Sounds good?"

Number 748 laughed madly. How was that any different from sending him to his death. Moon Quartz was a mineral that was highly dangerous to the body of humans because it contained an impressive amount of energy.

Not only was it toxic, it was located deep inside the mine, so deep that no one went there. And the few that tried and managed to come back died not long after.

Going to mine Moon Quartz here was the same as a death sentence.

Either he would die down there or up here after bringing up something very valuable. A valuable that would be taken from him. And for what? To be forgiven for crimes he never did? This was bullshit.

He spat on the manager's boots as a last show of resistance.

The manager's gaze was now cold as he said: "Either you try your luck with the Quartz or you die now, 748. What will it be?"

They were both similar choices as he would end up dead anyway. But there was one option that let him live even a bit longer. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes as he said: "I will go"

The manager beamed a smile and clapped his hands once. Then, he turned around and walked back towards his office. He left a few words to the guards: "You heard the man, send him to the deep entrance"

The door of the office shut and the four guards sighed. They were corrupt like that man but, in this world, they had no choice but to be so. They still felt guilt over sending such a young man to his doom. Feeling guilt did not mean they wouldn't do it though.

They grabbed 748 and trained him towards the deep entrance. It was named so because it was nothing more than a long tunnel that went extremely deep down inside the mine. It was also the entrance that led to the Moon Quartz.

As they reached the entrance, what greeted number 748 was the darkness of the cave. No lights were kept in this tunnel since no one entered it anymore. It was only one long tunnel that had been dug and it only went down in spiral. It had been made long ago when the owners hoped to find a better mineral.

They did since Moon Quartz was extremely valuable. It was unfortunate that it was valuable because of the difficulty in extracting it. In the end, it wasn't even worth their efforts compared to the other closer minerals that had less risks.

From time to time though, a random miner entered the tunnel. Either with high hopes or due to despair.

This time, it was 748's turn to go in. He was given nothing but a pickaxe, one helmet with a front lamp and a bag with a dozen rations that could last him two weeks if he ate and drank sparingly. Then, the guards pushed him in.

He looked back at them and saw that they were pointing their guns at his back. One of them even dared to say: "Don't make this any harder for us than it should be, kid"

Harder for them, eh? What a sick joke! They were forcing him to his death!

As he peered into the darkness, he felt as if he was being devoured by it. But regardless, he moved. He took a step forward then a second. And he entered the cave.

For hours, as he walked, only the sound of his feet on the ground was heard. There was a low resonance in the cave that could made grown men shiver. It didn't faze an old miner like him but the fact remained that the feeling of oppression was constantly there. As if to remind him that he was stuck, that he had been eaten by the earth.

He kept walking while under the pressure. He had never known it was this deep. How mad were the people who dug this so deeply?

He even ended up sleeping down there after feeling to exhausted to go on.

As he woke up, only the darkness greeted him. He didn't feel as if he was no longer asleep due to the sheer absence of light.

It was only after turning his lamp on that he got up and went on his way.

Way Down he went.