Chapter 373: Mine (4)

The daily routine of every mine varied, but it was simple for those working in Mine 7. They were given five hours of free time, of which only one hour was actual free time. The remaining four hours were for sleep. That brutal schedule was the reason demons in the Demon Realm avoided mines. Kai, who had newly appeared in such a place, immediately drew attention.

A demon wiping his sweat nudged the arm of a nearby demon and asked, "Hey, was there always a demon like that in the tunnel?"

"No, he just came in earlier."

"

Huh?

They aren’t even doing any captures this season, so where did they catch him?"

"From what I heard the supervisors say, he was a wandering demon loitering around the front of the mine."

"

Tsk

. That guy is bringing shame to all low-ranked demons."

"He looks weak too. I wonder how long he'll last..."

"I give him a week."

"A week?

Hmph

, three days would be a miracle."

Interest that rose quickly faded just as fast. The demons who showed a bit of curiosity in Kai quickly scanned him then lost interest. Kai’s body wasn’t impressive enough to attract the demons’ attention, and they couldn't feel any dark magic from him.

Kai looked down at the pickaxe he was given and nonchalantly ignored their stares. "

Hmm

."

At least I know I can communicate with the demons.

Just like at the entrance, he could understand the demons here as well.

Demons must have a hierarchy too.

The demons he had hunted with Yoo Ha-Rin until now couldn’t speak even at the moment of death. They only wailed or cried like beasts.

Then were those ones all the lowest rank demons?

Or maybe demons had a different standard for dividing their ranks. Kai decided that while learning about the village, he would also study basic knowledge about demons.

I need to work if I don’t want to draw suspicion...

The supervisors’ stares stabbing into his back already felt sharp. They were watching to see if the new recruit did his work properly.

They said to mine magic stones here, right?

Kai watched what the nearby demons were doing for a moment and moved. He stood in front of the tunnel wall and slowly swung his pickaxe.

Clang!

Feels good in the hand.

It felt different from swinging a sword.

Swords are usually used to stab or slash...

However, the motion was a bit bigger when swinging a pickaxe. It literally felt like swinging, but the idea of using the body remained the same.

I can do this.

Kai’s posture as he swung the pickaxe looked remarkably stable without breaking form. It was possible because of the solid basics he had built up at the Training Grounds of the Dawn and the Duel Arena.

Clang, clang!

A steady sound rang out at regular intervals with a consistent rhythm. At the sight, not only the supervisors but also the nearby demons looked surprised.

"What’s with that guy?"

"He looked so weak I was planning to push him around, but there’s nothing to criticize."

"Maybe he worked at another mine before?"

"No. They definitely said he was a wandering demon."

Kai instantly dug out a mound of dirt and pulled out a shining stone from within.

[

Magic Stone

]

Grade: Rare

An ore containing dark magic.

It mainly grows in the Demon Realm and slightly increases dark magic when consumed.

Hmm. A magic stone, huh...

An ore that increased dark magic. No wonder the demons were madly mining these in such a massive mine.

Maybe I should keep a few just in case.

Kai slipped a few magic stones he mined into his inventory without anyone noticing.

***

"A human?"

"That’s what they say."

Ira’s eyes widened at Dex’s words.

"How interesting. I’ve heard of demons being summoned to the middle world, but it’s my first time hearing about a human coming to the Demon Realm."

"Same for me. But I heard that kind of rumor just before the ones who were captured with you... no, who became miners with you, arrived."

"Oh my. That’s unfortunate."

"What do you mean unfortunate?"

"He's a human. He's probably already been caught by stray demons and ended up as a meal."

"

Hmm

. Do you really think so?"

When Dex responded with a strange tone, Ira narrowed her eyes.

"You know something more, don’t you? What is it? Tell me too!"

"

Haha

, alright. Calm down a little." Dex calmed Ira as she whined and lowered his voice. "You asked me about them the other day."

"The Liberation Army?"

As Dex gasped in shock, Ira urged him on with a look that said she didn’t care, "Okay, okay. I’ll call them ‘them.’ So what about them?"

"Don’t be too surprised. They say the humans who arrived in the Demon Realm are stronger than most demons. There’s a rumor that the Liberation Army met them and brought them to their side."

"What’s the source?"

"Well, as always with these kinds of rumors, there isn’t one. They float around like aimless clouds."

"Then it’s better not to believe it."

"Still... I think there's a fair chance."

"Why?"

"I heard that a bunch of low-ranked demons gathered to eat them when the humans first showed up."

"And the humans beat them?"

"Wait, how did you..."

When Dex questioned her, Ira let out a faint sigh. "Grandpa, honestly speaking, low-ranked demons can be played with even by mid-ranked demons."

"That’s true."

"Besides, how strong could a human really be? They’d likely only be strong among low-ranked demons at most. A rumor would have spread by now if they could fight evenly with mid or high-ranked demons."

"

Hmm

... I guess even the books describe humans as weak beings."

"If the Liberat—you know who—heard that rumor, they'd just laugh. They’ve got several high-ranked demons with them. No matter how desperate they are, they wouldn’t rely on humans."

Dex felt a little embarrassed and cleared his throat as Ira spoke with more firmness than expected.

"

Ahem

. Well, it was just a rumor to begin with. I didn’t really believe it that seriously either..." As Dex made excuses, he suddenly tilted his head and looked at Ira. "But how do you know the Liberation Army has high-ranked demons?"

"W-what? Me?" Ira flinched like she just got burned.

"You just said it. That they have several high-ranked demons among them."

"Th-that’s just obvious. The Liberation Army’s been active in the Demon Realm for years and they’re still hanging on, aren’t they? Wouldn’t it be impossible without high-ranked demons?"

"

Hm

. That does make sense," Dex nodded without much thought.

***

Disasters always struck without warning, and that day was no different.

"Who said you could straighten your back?"

Though their job was better than the miners who were basically slaves, the truth was that supervisors didn’t have it easy either. They had to walk through dusty tunnels and monitor miners all day. Because of that, they were always on edge, and one miner had just irritated him.

"S-Supervisor, my back really hurts... Please..."

"

Oh

, it hurts?" The supervisor sneered and pointed around him. "You think you’re the only one suffering here? You think your coworkers don’t straighten their backs because the work is too easy?"

The whip in the supervisor’s hand lashed out mercilessly.

"

Argh!

"

"Even that idiot who wandered in a few days ago is doing just fine, so why can't you?!"

The idiot he referred to was Kai.

With a dull expression, Kai looked at the supervisor’s actions with an uncomfortable gaze.

Whether demon or human... Those in power all act the same in the end.

Just as Kai was debating whether to step in or not, the supervisor, now furious, rolled up his sleeves.

"Fine, if you want to rest so badly then rest forever. Someone like you doesn't even deserve to long for freedom."

A miner dying in the mine didn’t make much difference. In fact, it was very common for miners to be beaten to death by a supervisor. The miners, who had foreseen that fact, quietly turned their eyes and returned to their work.

"Ah... I can’t stand this anymore."

If not for the words of one justice-driven demon, things would have ended as just another trivial incident. But with those words, it became an event.

"

Huh?

" The supervisor was dumbfounded by the slave’s rebellion and let out a hollow laugh while looking around. "Who was that arrogant bastard just now?"

At his words, the miners swallowed hard and lowered their eyes. They desperately prayed the trouble wouldn’t land on them.

"It was me."

The one who spoke was a demon, tall and well-built for a low-ranked.

The supervisor quickly scanned him. "Aren’t you the slave captured a few days ago?"

"So what if I am?"

The supervisor contained his anger and slowly massaged his throbbing temple. As he continued this job, bastards like that always popped up sooner or later. They were like cockroaches who didn’t know their place. For some reason, more were made and appeared from somewhere again no matter how many of them were killed.

Is he another weak bastard who believes in freedom or whatever... What an unlucky day.

With a tired expression, the supervisor pulled out his whip and said, "I don’t even have the energy to talk. Just die."

Dark magic burst from his body and shook the air around them.

"

Urrgh...

"

The eyes of the miners who had been watching the situation began to waver and filled with fear.

At that moment, there were only two beings who did not feel fear. One was Kai, who had become a third party and was observing this sudden situation.

Hmm. I heard supervisors are mid-ranked demons.

They were too weak. Even a mid-ranked demon acting full of pride would die in less than a second if they fought him.

But what’s the deal with that guy who’s filled with justice?

The other was the demon who had stood up to the supervisor. The demon with the sturdy build silently endured the pressure of dark magic and got up again.

"

Hah,

you endured that

, huh

?"

The supervisor's body trembled for a moment as he felt anger and shame that a lowly worm had withstood his dark magic.

“How dare you act tough with that tiny amount of magic.”

However, the supervisor had chosen the wrong target to vent his rage on. Before he could properly vent it, the demon’s pickaxe pierced his heart.

"

Kugh...?

"

Not understanding what had happened, the supervisor slowly raised his hand and grabbed the pickaxe stuck in his chest. His palm was instantly soaked with bright red, hot blood. As the heat surged into his brain, his consciousness quickly faded.

Thud.

The demon who had taken down the supervisor in a single strike muttered, "Forget gathering intel... How am I supposed to just stand by watching this?"

At the same time, two horns began to sprout from his forehead. They were thick enough not to lose even to the ones on the administrator of Mine 7.

He looked at the miners staring at him in shock and slowly said, "My name is Kazura. I am a high-ranked demon of the Liberation Army."

The miners trembled at the mention of the powerful and resonant term, high-ranked.

"Including myself, seven of us from the Liberation Army infiltrated this mine a few days ago."

"L-Liberation Army!"

"Then..."

The miners’ eyes began to fill with hope.

As if it wasn’t his first time seeing such gazes, Kazura calmly accepted their looks and nodded. "Follow me. We’ve come to liberate you."