The rising sun signaled a new dawn of chaos.
News of the manite mine had spread and, during the previous night, too many had departed to its location.
By now, hundreds of people had gathered at the foot of the mountain, giving each other chilling glares.
All had affluent backings of at least a C-rank guild.
To prevent any sort of monopolization and ensure security, the Emperor assigned three Masters and a slew of Experts to guard the mountain.
You didn't think he would just give them for free, did you?
He had them cough up money to begin mining, and by spreading word that not many crystals remained, he sold it to the highest bidder.
Mana crystals allowed smooth and easy cultivation for those at Expert rank and below.
Having large quantities of this equated to having a large number of Experts to take on more and better missions for the guild or clan, which would increase their overall might.