Chapter 4: Their Life Is Too Good
Barna couldn't believe what she heard.
The Chain Island wasn't something that one could raise or lower. It was a structure symbolizing the power of the Golden Light and Luras Ashtein himself.
All five villages, despite their considerable population and desire to break free from the oppression of the Heaven Dwellers, could do nothing.
Barna was not the only Origin among the five villages, so the fact that another had appeared in their ranks gave her no hope.
But...
'Why?' She stared silently at Ardur. 'Why does he think he stands a chance against the Heaven Dwellers? A few hours ago, he was just a simple hunter!'
"So, Barna," Ardur's low voice sounded as he slowly turned to her. "How about a cup of coffee? I'm sure we have a lot to discuss."
Barna gulped, looking at Ardur's white coat, unusual for these lands.
"You need new clothes. You... You stand out too much."
Ardur spread his arms wide.
"Yeah, why not? Lead the way. We have a lot of work ahead of us, I can already see that."
Ren could only watch from the sidelines as the events that should have begun several years ago finally unfolded.
The man who appeared out of nowhere was the first spark they needed to ignite a bright flame.
...
Tap.
A heavy iron mug filled with dark coffee appeared on the table in front of Ardur.
"Hmm? Just this?" He raised an eyebrow.
Barna waved her hand.
"Do you think we have sugar or milk here? It's already a stroke of luck to get fresh bread."
"I see..." Ardur took the cup in his hands and turned to the window.
As the only Origin of Iron Chain Village, Barna had certain privileges. Her house, half of which was a smithy, was located at the top, overlooking the main square as well as the mine leading from the depths of the abyss.
"What about these mines and abyss? It seems more practical than scary, right?" Ardur asked.
Barna nodded. "These are the Mardek Mines."
"Mardek? What on earth is that?"
Ren, who was in the corner of the room, awkwardly raised his hand. He knew quite a lot about it.
"The Mardek Beasts, the strongest and most numerous monsters that live in the abyss. The Golden Light forces the inhabitants of all the villages to go down into the mines, all for the sake of extracting the Blight Crystals."
"Is it some kind of ore?" Ardur took a sip of bitter coffee.
Ren nodded. "In its original form, yes. With minecarts, it goes into a furnace where, under high temperatures, only the Blight Crystals remain from the ore."
"I see, and the Golden Light uses it to become stronger?"
"Not only them," Barna joined the conversation. "Luras uses the energy from the crystals. He wants to evolve, but doesn't want to take risks, so he's doing it slowly. The problem is that in their normal state, the Blight Crystals are dangerous."
She walked over to the window and pointed upward.
"Neither the high heat of the furnace nor explosions can change them, but once they've been exposed to light for a few hours, well... you could say they're purified and become safe to use."
Ardur sighed heavily.
"So, while the so-called Heaven Dwellers live on the island under the light of the sun and their Origins grow stronger by absorbing the energy of the crystals, you are practically rotting here below, while your people work in mines inhabited by dangerous monsters. Have I understood correctly?"
Barna and Ren exchanged glances as she lowered her gaze. She was ashamed to admit that their situation was actually that bad.
"Yes... Everything is exactly as you said, and every day it only gets worse."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Ardur said nothing for a while, tapping on the table and looking thoughtfully at the square.
Something was missing. He could feel it. With the information he had, he didn't even have anything to go on to get the wheels turning.
"This," he pointed to the man standing next to the chain. "Who is he?"
Unlike the residents who occasionally passed by on the roads, dressed in tattered clothes, the man's frame was covered in black leather armor with gold outlines, and on his chest, in the area of his heart, was a four-pointed amber star.
"Tsk, what do you think?" Barna snorted. "He's one of the Golden Light, a light guard. He's not an Origin like you and me, but he's well trained, stronger than any ordinary person, and look at this."
She pointed to the man's spear. It was a simple dark spear with a sharp blade, except for the crystal in the center.
"It's the Artificial Artifact. Basically, they combined an energy crystal and a simple spear. The chance of success is small, but they have a lot of resources."
"That spear..." Ardur narrowed his eyes. "It's more dangerous than a simple weapon, but it's nothing compared to a Catalyst, right?"
Barna nodded in confirmation.
At the same moment, several people emerged from the mines. It was a simple group of workers, dressed in dirty clothes and carrying pickaxes. Two walked ahead, while four struggled to push the minecart along the rails.
Less than a minute later, an argument broke out between the light guard and the workers. The guard yelled at them, pointing at the minecart and then toward the mines.
The tension was mounting, time was running out, so Ardur couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, Barna, it's time to act."
Before she could realize it, Ardur rushed past her, heading for the exit.
"Wait, what are you going to do?"
There was no answer as Ardur went outside. A gust of wind blew past him, ruffling his new dark gray coat, which he had received from Barna.
Without stopping, he approached a pile of rubbish that was scattered everywhere and pulled out an iron rod with a sharp movement. It could hardly be used as a weapon, especially against a monster, but it was enough for Ardur's purposes.
Barna rushed after him, sensing that something irreparable was about to happen.
Step. Step. Step.
Ardur moved confidently toward the square, not only because a plan was finally forming in his head, but something else was giving him confidence.
He realized that after becoming an Origin, his physical abilities had increased. He wasn't invincible, but now he could hit harder and run faster than he ever could before.
"What are you doing here?" The man, the light guard, shouted at the group of miners. "You weren't supposed to come back until lunch! And what the fuck is this?!"
He pointed to the half-empty minecart.
"You know very well that this isn't enough for payment! If you don't want me to throw you into the abyss like useless trash, then go back and dig a full one!"
One of the miners bit his lip. They were tired, but that wasn't what made them come back early.
"Boss... We heard a rustling sound in our mine. We think the Mardeks are there."
His friends decided to back him up.
"Yes!"
"I'm sure there are several of them there! How can we work in such conditions?!"
The guard frowned, pointing his spear at them, which was no less frightening than encountering a monster.
"Afraid of monsters? I can give you a nightmare right here and—!"
Something made the guard stop as, for some reason, the miners' eyes widened.
Realizing what was happening, the guard spun around only to see a strange man holding an iron rod on his shoulder like a bat.
"Yo."
Ardur said dryly before the iron rod came into motion.
CRACK!
A loud crack rang out as a splash of blood spurted out, momentarily hanging in the air, along with several teeth knocked out along with their roots.
The pain and ringing in his head stunned the guard, which was a critical mistake.
CRACK!
The next blow, straight to the knee, caused the guard to collapse to the ground. When he looked up through the pain, a shadow fell on him from the figure looming over him.
There was no pity or desire for justice in Ardur's gaze.
It annoyed him that, despite the conditions in which these people lived, none of them had considered this plan.
"W-Wait!" The guard exclaimed, frantically searching for his spear. "F-Fine! They can rest today, and... and..."
Ardur was going to make an example of this guard.
All for one reason:
"These people's lives are too good. That way, nothing will ever start." Ardur's voice rang out as he raised the iron rod.
"NOOO...!"
Thrust!
The iron rod pierced the guard's neck right under the gaze of the miners and more than a dozen residents who were secretly peeking out of their windows.
A stranger came and killed one of the light guards.
Now, because of him, a great punishment awaited them. Everyone knew this, including Ardur himself.
Well, he saw no other way out but to escalate the situation, and he was the one who had started it.