"You seriously don't even know this?"
Seeing Steven's apparent ignorance of what should be common knowledge for any Terra native, the miners frowned. Still, they took the time to explain.
"All Originium veins are formed as a result of Catastrophes. This particular one, from what we've heard, was created decades ago when a meteorite Catastrophe hit this region. The entire tundra was leveled, and it wasn't until over a decade later that this Originium mine was established here."
The oldest miner among them spoke while recalling the past. But suddenly, as if remembering something important, his expression turned serious, and he gave Steven a stern warning.
"So whatever you do, don't take any unnecessary risks! You weren't digging in the deeper parts of the vein, were you? If you get infected with Oripathy, it won't be worth it. We've lost too many good men to that damn disease already."
Thinking things through, the miners quickly pieced together the reason behind Steven's insane productivity. If he had been digging deep into the vein, it made sense that he was able to gather so much ore. But that also meant he was exposing himself to an extreme risk of infection.
"Uh, yeah, got it, got it."
Steven nodded obediently. Whether or not he actually listened to their warning was another matter entirely. It's not like he could tell them he had already ventured into the deep vein and already experienced Originium exposure once.
But now that he knew the history of this Originium vein, he actually had even more questions.
He had heard Kal'tsit mention Catastrophes before—phenomena unique to this world, basically high-level natural disasters, like hyper-intensified hurricanes, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions. But the fact that every single one resulted in the emergence of Originium veins? That was suspicious as hell.
It was hard not to wonder if someone—or something—was deliberately orchestrating these events.
Steven knew all too well how twisted those so-called "creators" and "gods" could be.
But for now, this wasn't something he could afford to concern himself with. At the very least, knowing the mine's origins helped him make an educated guess about what might be lurking in the depths of the vein.
Most likely, whatever was down there was something that had crashed alongside the meteorite decades ago—either a highly active chunk of Originium or something else entirely. As long as it meant more Originium for him, he wasn't too worried.
Steven stopped overthinking it and just kept nodding absentmindedly while listening to the miners' well-intentioned warnings.
From their conversations, he learned that most of them had been forcibly taken from nearby villages and forced into labor here. Unlike Steven, who had voluntarily entered the mine, these people wanted out more than anything. They had no choice. For them, this place was hell on earth.
Just then, the middle-aged man Steven had first met—the one who had earlier offered him water—appeared, pushing his own cart of ore. When he noticed the gathered miners, he immediately joined them.
"Everyone, get ready. Call back the others still down in the mine if you can. Something big might be about to happen."
The man's normally calm face was now filled with anticipation. As soon as he approached, he started rallying the other miners to gather together.
"What's going on? If we stop working, the guards are gonna check our output later. If we don't meet the quota, we'll go days without food!"
The miners exchanged confused looks, unsure why he was suddenly urging them to prepare for… something.
What kind of "big event" could possibly involve them?
"The guerrillas might be coming," the man said, lowering his voice slightly. "Word from the other mines is that they sent a warning—told us to get ready. If they attack the guards, there's a good chance the tunnels might collapse."
His face was filled with excitement—not just anticipation, but outright hope.
After all, if the guerrillas were launching an attack, that meant there was a chance—a chance to escape this nightmarish mine.
There was no way he could stay calm.
"Are you serious?"
As soon as the man spoke, the other miners were instantly excited. This was huge news.
Anyone who had lived on the tundra knew about the Guerrilla Fighters. To the Ursus government, they were nothing more than bandits, but for those who suffered under oppression, they were nothing short of saviors.
If the guerrillas really were attacking the mine, it meant that their days of suffering were finally numbered.
The atmosphere shifted immediately. The miners were no longer in the mood to continue working.
Whether or not the middle-aged man's information was true, they wanted to believe in it. Because hope—even the slightest sliver of it—was something they had been starved of for far too long.
"Why would I lie to you?" The man let out a bitter chuckle. "And even if I wanted to, what would be the point? Look at us—we're nothing more than tools to the mine, treated worse than stray dogs. There's nothing to gain from tricking each other."
He wasn't wrong.
They were prisoners in all but name, their only purpose being to extract ore until their bodies inevitably gave out.
The only people who saw them as humans—as people—were the Guerrilla Fighters. The fact that they had risked exposure just to pass this warning along was proof of that.
"You're right. We should start gathering the others."
The rest of the miners quickly came to the same conclusion. Without hesitation, they dispersed to inform the others still working deeper in the tunnels.
No one noticed that Steven was the only one who remained completely unaffected by the news.
As if he hadn't even heard them, he simply turned around and walked back to his usual workspace.
The guerrillas? He was curious about them, sure. But if they were only going to fight the mine's guards, then it really didn't concern him.
He wasn't here to rebel. He wasn't here to take sides.
He was here to mine.
Whether the mine was controlled by the Ursus government or the Guerrilla Fighters didn't matter to him.
As long as they didn't stop him from digging, they were equally irrelevant.
That said…
If this really was a chance for the miners to escape, then good for them. He had no reason to interfere.
Besides, he had already seen it himself—on his minimap, a group of people was rapidly approaching the mine. As they drew nearer, the entire mine was slowly being covered in a layer of white.
"Go ahead and fight. Even if the tunnels collapse, it's got nothing to do with me."
Steven muttered to himself as he returned to his secret tunnel.
After a quick inventory check, he stashed his refined ores into his transmutation table and resumed his descent into the deeper parts of the vein.
Now that he knew how this mine was formed, his curiosity had only grown.
What exactly was buried in the deepest part of this vein?
Radiation from Originium was a minor inconvenience to him, so why not find out?
This time, he didn't bother detouring for other ores.
He dug straight down.
It didn't take long for him to reach the spot where he had last stopped. He placed a torch as a marker and then continued, carving out a staircase-like path downward.
The deeper he went, the more intense the Originium energy became.
By the time he reached the next layer, it had become so dense that it felt almost physical, as if the energy was trying to bore holes through his skin.
The sheer concentration of Originium was so high that even his arms were starting to show visible signs of contamination—black, crystal-like formations creeping up his skin.
"This radiation level is way higher than I expected…"
Not only that, but nearly every mineral in this area had been converted into Originium ore.
Mining had become significantly more difficult.
But that only meant he was close.
He had to be nearing the core of this Originium vein.
Then, after breaking through a cluster of highly active Originium ore—so reactive that it resembled the crystallization found in late-stage Oripathy patients—
—he suddenly found himself staring into a vast, empty chamber.
The end of the vein was… hollow?
Steven frowned.
And then, a split second later—
—a massive purple health bar appeared at the top of his screen, just like when he approached the Ender Dragon.
[Fallingstar Beast]
"...Are you kidding me? There's a boss down here?"
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Tn: The Fallingstar Beast is a boss mob from the popular game, Elden Ring, go check it out if you are curious how the beast looks like^^
https://eldenring.fandom.com/wiki/Fallingstar_Beast
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