Charlotte, who was right in front of , suddenly raised her hand, blocking my next step.
I looked at her with a mix of irritation and curiosity, but I quickly realized why.
The ground there was slippery, covered by a thin layer of moisture and mineral dust.
One wrong step and I could fall straight into that bottomless abyss.
Death would be certain.
—Before we go down, we need to check in, Charlotte said calmly, without even looking back.
Then she turned and began walking along one of the planks that crossed parts of the ravine as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Her steps were steady, and she didn’t seem to care about the darkness stretching below, broken only by faint, distant lights that marked faraway torches.
I hesitated for a mont before following her.
—Hey, Charlotte, I called, trying to balance my feet on the plank while my eyes avoided looking at the void below.
—Why do we have to do this for Miguel?
She stopped for a mont and turned her head, looking at as if I had just asked the most obvious question in the world.
—Isn’t it obvious? she replied in a disdainful tone, lightly shaking her head.
I frowned, annoyed by her vague answer.
—I guess I wasn’t clear, I continued, trying to be more direct.
—He’s a mage, right? He could just create an automaton to do the mining for him.
—Well... several automatons working in sync would be far more efficient than humans.
—Humans get hungry, scared, tired... it doesn’t make sense.
Charlotte stopped walking when we reached a more open area inside the ravine.
It was a surprisingly well-lit space, with tents scattered everywhere.
The place looked like a street market, with acolytes coming and going, carrying sacks of ore, tools, and other items.
Charlotte walked toward a larger tent at the center of the area and joined a line of acolytes waiting their turn.
While we waited, she finally answered my question, still without looking directly at .
—Well... I admit that’s a valid question. But I don’t know the answer either, she said with a shrug, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. —And honestly, I’m not crazy enough to question a mage’s thods and arrangents.
After hearing her response, I didn’t ask anything else, yet I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting down to her long legs and the attractive shape of her body.
This girl is hot, but a bit dumb, I thought, suppressing a smile while keeping my gaze steady.
She was undeniably beautiful, and with everything that was going on, it was hard not to wonder how satisfying it would be to fill that bitch’s womb with my filthy seed.
One day I’m going to grab her and pound Charlotte’s pussy so hard she’ll be sore from so much sex...
I continued, letting my imagination wander for a mont.
Perhaps it was the lack of sexual companionship— it had been a while since I’d had contact with another girl.
Mia and the others were far away, all busy with the professors who had chosen them.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted my thoughts.
—What is your purpose here?
I quickly lifted my head, pulling my gaze away from Charlotte’s legs and focusing on the source of the voice. Behind the tent, sothing was floating.
A strange being, almost translucent, its white, ethereal body glowing faintly under the uneven lighting of the area.
A ghost? I thought, observing the creature closely.
It didn’t seem like a free spirit; sothing bound it to this place.
Around its spectral neck was a ribbon-shaped blue collar with sharp yellow tips that looked threatening.
The creature wore a tired expression, as if it wasn’t there by choice, but by obligation.
Charlotte, ever practical, wasted no ti and answered imdiately.
—We’re here to mine for about five hours.
The ghost let out a deep sigh, the sound echoing strangely through the air.
It slowly turned, floating toward a ssy pile of yellow scrolls and chests scattered across the ground behind it.
It was a strange contrast— a disorderly pile in a place controlled by sothing so unusual.
After rummaging for a few seconds, it picked up one of the chests and retrieved a yellow scroll from inside, along with a long, thin quill that looked like it was made from so kind of bone.
Without saying a word, it placed both in front of Charlotte, as if it were used to this repetitive process.
As soon as Charlotte finished signing the scroll with the quill, she turned to .
Her look said everything— it was my turn.
Without questioning, I stepped forward and took the quill from her hand, leaning down to sign the yellow scroll the ghost had presented to us.
As soon as I finished, the ghost spoke in its hoarse, monotone voice.
—If you remain absent for more than five hours, we will declare you missing.
After that, we will wait six days before declaring your death, and your na will be removed from the tower’s student registry.
I frowned at that, a chill running down my spine.
It made sense in a brutal, practical way.
This place was enormous, and from ti to ti distant screams echoed— screams of pain, explosions, or sothing even more disturbing, like strange roars that seed to co from the depths.
It was easy to imagine soone getting lost here forever.
Charlotte nodded, seemingly indifferent, and slipped her hand into her vest pocket.
She pulled out an elegant gold pocket watch, its small, intricate gears visible.
With a soft click, she opened it and adjusted a few chanisms before looking at .
—We have five hours before this watch goes off.
—Ok, no problem, I replied confidently, following her along the ravine.
Charlotte moved ahead, crossing another of the improvised planks stretched over the abyss of the ravine.
On the other side, we found the entrance to a cave that descended even deeper into the dark underworld.
Inside, the air was damp and heavy, slling of stone and rust.
Once inside, she stopped and began murmuring sothing in a low, rhythmic tone.
—Luminite, co illuminate the surroundings.
—Obey my orders and heed my call!
—Brighter light, shine upon the darkness!
I recognized it imdiately.
Charlotte was casting a light spell.
In the air above her head, a glowing orb began to take shape.
"Buzz~~"
The orb of light floated gently, illuminating the cave with a calm, steady glow.
Of course... useful for her, I thought, watching the scene.
For , it didn’t matter. My biochip already gave night vision, allowing to see the surroundings clearly even without magical light.
But I decided not to say anything.
She seed satisfied with her spell.
We descended further into the cave, now along a staircase carved directly into the ravine wall.
Each step was uneven and rough, clearly made in haste by human hands.
After a long descent, we finally reached an isolated spot where the walls looked untouched and full of potential for exploration.
Charlotte turned to .
—Ok, let’s get to work!
I gave her a slight smile, trying to look calm, and replied.
—Ok, let’s start.
I looked at the wall in front of , pulling the pickaxe from where it was strapped to my back.
The feel of the wooden handle in my hands was familiar, but the task still felt... outdated.
Miguel could easily design an automatic mining tool, like a magical drill.
It could pierce the walls and extract resources far more efficiently.
But such thoughts were useless.
Miguel had his own reasons for sending us here, and questioning them wouldn’t change anything.
I gripped the pickaxe firmly and began striking the wall with force, the tallic sound echoing through the cave.
"Pick~~"
"Pick~~"
"Pick~~"
"Pick~~"
I didn’t bother using my biochip to search for minerals; in the end, everything we found would be handed directly to Miguel.
So I chose to do the work in the most straightforward way possible.
Ti passed.
Five hours later.
....
1428 Words
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