Episode 4 #3 I Hate Manual Labor (Part 2)
I trailed behind the others through the gate. The interior, already stripped of most resources, lay desolate enough to deserve the term "wasteland."
Walking along the barren path devoid of even a single plant, I soon encountered a massive earthen mound. People unpacked their backpacks and retrieved mining equipment there.
Though mining typically conjures images of traditional mines, this place defied expectations. Every element of this mana-saturated otherworld diverged from our own reality.
The miners each claimed spots and pulled out pickaxes.
I too reached into my backpack and withdrew my pickaxe.
After unfolding the collapsible handle and connecting it to the blade, the tool stood complete.
Though appearing flimsy, every component from blade to handle was crafted from gate materials. Ordinary metals would corrode upon dimensional crossing and crumble like tofu against this world's minerals. Hence our necessity to purchase these million-won pickaxes for gate mining.
With assembly complete, true excavation began. Our quota stood at 15kg. Anything beyond that became personal profit, driving everyone to dig with fiery desperation.
Yet even relentless effort rarely guaranteed meeting quotas, much less securing bonuses - unless one possessed special abilities.
I closed my eyes and focused.
Perhaps due to my psychic aptitude, I'd always been acutely sensitive to mana flows. This sensitivity had intensified after overexerting my abilities during my time with Seol Rok-jin.
Every object within the gate brimmed with mana. Even the air itself saturate with it, making mana stone detection impossible through ordinary senses.
But not for me. By calmly discerning mana concentrations, I pinpointed buried stones like ultrasound imaging subterranean landscapes.
Found one.
Shortly after digging, my pickaxe tip snagged on something.
I retrieved a mana stone.
Sunlight streamed through its glasslike transparency. The term "stone" proved misleading - though rock-hard in appearance, these were solidified energy clusters rather than mineral deposits.
When gates first emerged, the initial discoverer of these stones reportedly shouted "Eureka" upon recognizing their colossal energy potential.
Until a decade ago when precision output formulas emerged, mana stones only fueled power plants. Back then, government-led energy projects merely hoarded them.
Now with adjustable output, they power everything from household devices to industrial tools. Hailed as divine blessings for their infinite supply and zero pollution, this ignored miners risking mana poisoning and death during extraction.
Mana stones reigned as the gate byproducts' undisputed champion.
With conventional machinery inoperable here, mining relied entirely on manual labor. Miners typically combed areas in spread-out formations - crude methods unnecessary for someone attuned to mana's whispers.
I deposited the stone into a backpack pouch.
First catch.
Knowing precise locations let me fill pouches rapidly. Where I might have stopped before, I now produced another pouch - no longer minding others' scrutiny.
Huff... Huff...
For five sanctioned hours, we dug without rest until synchronized alarms erupted.
Only then did workers straighten their backs.
"Damn, I'm still short."
"What's the harm in one more hour?"
"You know the mana exposure limits."
Despite grumbling faces, our time had expired. Im Hyeon-su approached me, clicking his tongue.
"Wow. Went all out today, huh?"
"Just got lucky."
While others barely filled single pouches, I'd gathered two and a half - double their haul.
Even with perfect knowledge, physical digging limited my gains.
Im Hyeon-su muttered under his breath: "That's beyond luck."
On cue, others raised voices around us:
"Seriously. Did you hit a vein or something?"
"Do mana stones even form veins?"
"They spawn individually from ambient mana absorption. Makes this weirder."
I averted my gaze from their piercing stares.
I'd leave this place once I earned enough. Their chatter meant nothing.
My years with Seol Rok-jin had thickened my skin considerably.
"Got some secret technique we don't know?"
My experience helped me casually ignore Im Hyeon-su's prodding smile. Disregarding the murmurs, I followed the guide outside.
A tingling sensation washed over me as we exited.
The oppressive air vanished, replaced by refreshing winds cooling sweat-drenched bodies.
"Place your harvests here."
We deposited our pouches before scales. Today's 15kg quota saw few exceeding it for bonuses - some hadn't even met minimums.
"Can't you make an exception?"
Han Jo-hee. Pale-faced, she'd failed her quota with only 12kg. The clerk shook his head.
"Sorry. Just following protocol."
"Jo-hee's gonna lose her daily pay too," Im Hyeon-su tutted beside me. My two full pouches could spare 3kg easily.
But why help?
I had my own problems. My plan required earning fast and leaving. Helping changed nothing - she meant nothing to me.
I froze.
That thought belonged to someone else.
Original me had been meddlesome. Gruff but unable to refuse help-seekers.
Seol Rok-jin despised this trait. "Scatter your compassion and you'll drown in consequences," he'd say, personally "correcting" my "bad habit."
He'd warped my original self piece by piece.
Sudden fury surged.
Screw Seol Rok-jin.
"Wait."
Stepping forward, I placed stones from my pouch onto Han Jo-hee's pile.
"Huh?"
"Problem?"
"Well... It's allowed..."
I shot Han Jo-hee a look and retreated. She belatedly stammered thanks.
Shrugging, I rejoined the queue. Im Hyeon-su immediately grabbed my wrist.
"You insane?"
I nearly swore aloud.
Annoyed I'd interfered with his target, he continued:
"Can't feed yourself properly, yet you help others?"
"I'm solo. More flexibility than family providers."
"Still. Don't repeat this. Helping only hurts them."
Though framed as concern, I saw his scheme - he needed her desperate to sell his "salvation."
"Just today's luck."
The creep deserved curses, but I kept neutral. We weren't staying acquainted anyway.
After weighing, I received 1.3 million won.
Substantial daily pay, but paltry considering my haul. A fist-sized stone alone exceeded 100,000 won.
I'd surrendered 30kg after giving 3kg to Han Jo-hee.
This payout?
How much did the gate fee leech?
I sighed internally.
Home first. Then decide about continuing this work.
In the returning van, Han Jo-hee repeatedly thanked me.
"Really... I thought I was done for earlier. Sudden expenses..."
"Told you - didn't want karma for hoarding luck."
I drew boundaries. My imminent exit allowed disregarding others' opinions.
Yet she persisted:
"Let me buy you dinner."
Though considering refusal, free meals beat instant noodles in my dingy studio.
"Mind if I join?" Im Hyeon-su interjected.
I smiled brightly:
"Ah, Hyeon-su. Jo-hee's treating me. Wouldn't you cramp the mood?"
"I'll pay my way."
"Your presence would spoil my appetite. Right?"
He gaped - the stammering pushover he remembered would never retort thus.
Others intervened:
"Hyeon-su! Drink with us!"
"Y-yeah, sure."
He left with the group, still side-eyeing us relentlessly.
