The day began once more. However, amid the high temperatures of that place forgotten by the heavens, not a single ray of light seemed to descend upon those snowy lands.
In a decaying and old wooden dormitory, which seemed like it might collapse under the weight of the snow accumulating on its roof at any moment, a little more than a hundred people could be found.
Some, more experienced and accustomed to that life, had been awake for a few minutes, including a young boy who appeared to be around 14 years old, however, most, exhausted by the hard work of the previous day, could easily be mistaken for people passed out or even in a coma, so deep was their sleep.
"Wake up!!! Form lines immediately!!!" The authoritative and masculine shout of the man echoed across all floors.
The young boy, who had been awake for some time, finally stopped gazing out the window at the snow falling from the still dark sky and began to dress.
A simple, slightly torn white shirt was pulled over his pale skin, concealing the abnormally defined and scarred body of the teenager.
Using an old, yellowed elastic band, the boy tied his long purple hair into a ponytail and left his room, coming face to face with a long line formed by the others from the other rooms.
After a few minutes, as more and more people, wearing almost identical clothes, left their rooms and joined the two long lines, a voice with slight traces of disdain and arrogance emerged at the end of the corridor.
"Now, as usual, we'll do a quick roll call! I hope none of you tried to be clever by sleeping longer, or else your fate might be as bad as the men from yesterday." The man exclaimed with a subtle smile on his aged face.
Dark formal clothing, under a coat probably made from the fur of some beast of the region, only one type of person would wear such attire in that place: supervisors.
Thus, a quick roll call was conducted, with the supervisor holding a clipboard, calling out the names of the mining slaves one by one, while looking at their faces and comparing them to the photos he had received.
"Now… Velka... fourteen years old? Ah, so you're the slave they've been telling me so much about!" He said, stopping in front of the boy, who didn't even avert his gaze to look directly into the man's eyes.
"Hmm… Pale skin, purple hair and eyes, and always with that tired and emotionless look... Hehehe, you know, I'm new around here, and since I've heard many good things about you, I'll overlook the fact that you didn't even look me in the eyes this time… But the next time I speak to you, make sure to be respectful. You're still a slave, after all..." He whispered at the end with a mix of disgust and anger at the boy.
After a few more minutes, the quick roll call ended, fortunately with no one missing. After delivering some common instructions, the supervisor dismissed the slaves to have their breakfast and prepare for the long day of work.
Breakfast, like lunch, was located on the first floor of the dormitory, and as poor as it was, the slaves rarely complained, knowing that in most places they wouldn't even have two meals a day.
"Well, well, if it isn't the famous Velka! Take an extra apple to start your workday well!" The usually grumpy overweight cook said with a kind expression.
Accepting the gift without much reaction, Velka sat at one of the cracked wooden tables in the corner, ready to start his breakfast. As usual, he noticed the stares directed at him.
Fear, envy, curiosity, and various other emotions accompanied by whispers filled the room, all targeting him.
"Psst! Who the hell is this Velka to get such special treatment compared to us? Isn't he just a mere slave!?" One man asked in a whisper, his gaze filled with envy.
"Ah, right, you've only been here a few days, huh? He's one of the first slaves here and has the best performance in the entire mine."
"What!? Really!? But isn't he only fifteen!?"
"Shhh!!! Keep your voice down!" He warned, covering his companion's mouth with his hand. "Sigh... But yes, the rumors say that when he was born, his parents were already slaves here, so he basically grew up in these mines, which is why he was one of the first."
"Wow… But then…" A malicious smile began to grow. "... Why don't we steal his ore and get better treatment too?"
"Haha, no way, man..." The other let out a brief sigh. "... A feared man here in the mines once tried to do that too, and in the end, he had his skull pierced by countless strikes from the boy's pickaxe, while Velka didn't even show any reaction, only stopping when some guards appeared... After that, no one tried anything against him again, and as far as I'm concerned, it should stay that way. I'm not stupid enough to risk my life for better treatment. In the end, he's still a slave, just like us. It doesn't change much, you know?"
Hearing the entire conversation, the young boy just kept eating his breakfast without caring, as it wasn't the first time he'd heard his name on people's lips.
This story happened two years ago, and people still remember it… Seems like my hope of finishing breakfast peacefully is already gone—
"Oh, Velka!! You're here!! Finally, I found you!!"
Breaking his peace once again, a youthful and strangely cheerful voice called his name, a voice he knew all too well and was the last person he wanted to encounter at that moment.
"I've been looking everywhere for you. Why do you always have to hide in the darkest places!?" The teenager said loudly as he sat across from him.
Seeing the strange boy with pointed ears, red hair, and green eyes approach Velka, the man who had been speaking earlier had his attention drawn.
"Hey! Who's that kid over there? Is he a..."
"Elf? Yeah, the only one in the entire mine. Don't even bother asking much about him; nobody knows where he came from or why he's here, but he showed up a few years ago and has been the only one daring to get close to Velka."
"Wow, really—"
"Hey, you two!!! Mind your damn business! Don't you have anything more important to do!?!!" The young elf shouted angrily at the two men.
Immediately, both were embarrassed and scared, worried that Velka might have heard them too, and fell silent, focusing on their meals.
The boy with purple hair continued eating his breakfast, unconcerned about the commotion around him, until he finally spoke.
"You know, it's because of you that I do this, Lorien… Sigh, I don't understand why you keep following me even after hearing all those stories."
"Hahaha..." He laughed while scratching his head. "You're different from the other slaves here, Velka! Besides, despite all the rumors about you, I've never seen you as a bad person, you know? Just someone more reserved."
"Hmph… If you say so..." Velka said while continuing to drink his soup, letting a small smile slip as he heard the response.
Both continued talking, with Velka, despite claiming not to like the teenager's presence, neither distancing himself nor refusing to answer the numerous invasive questions about his life.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, as breakfast time came to an end, dawn began to break, rays of sunlight pierced through the dense clouds above, illuminating the day.
Just as had happened when they woke up, the slaves gathered once more in various lines. Following the orders of a supervisor standing alongside some guards, they began heading toward the mines.
"It's incredible how, even after all this time, that massive portal still looks amazing! Don't you think so, Velka?" Lorien asked, staring at the three-meter portal, fascinated. It emanated strange particles of blue and black energy, distorting within itself.
"..."
"Come on, try to live life with a bit more humor, man. Do you really want to spend your whole life stuck in this place without showing any emotion?"
"It's not that I lack emotion, Lorien... It's you who have too much emotion for someone who was kidnapped and sold as a slave to this mine." Velka replied with his usual serious and cold expression directed at the young elf.
"Hahahahahaha! Yeah, you've got a point!"
Crossing through that portal, both youths felt a strange sensation, as if they were diving into deep, dense waters while something pulled them further and further inside.
Ding!
[You have entered the dungeon: Black Spiders Cave!]
[Warning: You may only exit the dungeon after defeating the boss.]
After the usual bell sound echoed directly in Velka's head, the notification screens that always appeared when entering through the portal materialized before him.
Yeah… Here we go for another day… Letting out a furtive sigh and maintaining his weary gaze and melancholic thoughts, the young man moved forward.
At the entrance, they picked up a pickaxe with a black, gleaming tip and a backpack nicknamed the "Spatial Backpack" for its ability to hold more weight than its exterior suggested.
With their equipment in hand, unable to converse due to the presence of supervisors watching over the hundreds of mining slaves, they approached the mine walls and began mining, focusing primarily on the black ores.
Within less than an hour, explosions could be heard from various parts of the mine, a relatively common occurrence due to the inexperience or carelessness of some miners, often causing the "Explosive Black Jade" stones to detonate.
Hours passed. Most of the slaves were halfway through their quotas. However, despite the relative calm in the mines that day, a strange tension seemed to hang in the air.
"Psst! Velka!" Lorien whispered as he approached him.
"Don't talk to me. I don't want to get screwed because of you..."
Ignoring his friend's reply, the young elf continued. "Don't you think it's weird that the portal hasn't reopened yet? Like, we haven't even heard the notice about the boss being defeated… And where are the mercenaries sent to kill it? Normally, they'd have returned here by now to get paid and rest."
Velka remained silent, but he, too, had been wondering the same thing. However, he had decided to ignore it, knowing there was nothing he could do about it.
"Could it be that—" Before Lorien could speculate further, a desperate voice interrupted.
"Help!!!"
The cry grabbed everyone's attention. Coming from the distance, near the incline where the dungeon's monsters resided, a voice drenched in despair echoed throughout the mine.
"Help me!!!"
The man screamed louder. Unable to ignore the plea, Velka turned his head toward the noise, witnessing an unexpected and utterly horrifying sight.
One… Five… Ten… Fifty… A hundred… Maybe even hundreds of spiders, their fur dark and eyes glowing red, each about half the size of an adult, swarmed the ground, walls, and ceiling, chasing a panicked mercenary who, missing an arm, sobbed uncontrollably.
Even Velka, known for his usual calm and cold demeanor, couldn't stop his eyes from widening. A wave of fear enveloped his rapidly beating heart as he stared at the monstrous tide heading his way.
"What the fuck… is this..."