Theo blinked, slightly easing up on his pushing force so the other guy wouldn’t collapse. "Sorry. Didn’t realize I was moving that fast."
The pale boy wiped his forehead with a dirty sleeve, shooting Theo a look of disbelief.
"Are you a monster or something? We’ve been pushing this heavy rock for twenty minutes, and you aren’t even sweating a single drop."
"I just have good stamina," Theo deflected, offering an easygoing smile. "I’m Theo, by the way."
"Snow," the boy replied, leaning against the beam as they continued their slow circle. "Because of the hair. Original, right? I got sold to this miserable place three weeks ago."
Theo kept his voice low, glancing around to make sure the overseer wasn’t walking in their direction.
"Since you’ve been here a few weeks... you probably know the layout pretty well.
How does a slave get assigned to a different job in the compound?"
Snow frowned, coughing again. "Different job? Why would you want that? Grinding herbs is boring and dusty, but it’s the safest job in the pharmacy branch. The guys tending the giant furnaces usually end up with third-degree burns within a month."
"I was actually thinking about the caves," Theo said.
Snow stopped pushing, staring at Theo as if he had just sprouted a second head.
"Are you insane?!"
"You want to mine in the dark zones? People go in there and they don’t come back!"
"The raw spirit crystals are buried deep, and the noise from the pickaxes attracts cave-crawlers and shadow bats. A monster will literally jump on your back and tear your throat out before you can even scream!"
"But there are guards, right?" Theo asked, probing for the exact information he needed.
"Guards?" Snow scoffed. "The guards are cowards. They don’t patrol the deep tunnels. They just stand at the cave entrances, playing cards and waiting for the slaves to haul the carts of crystals back to the light. If a beast attacks down in the dark, they just seal the tunnel and let the slaves die. They don’t risk their own necks for guys with bronze collars."
Monsters in the dark.
Deep, unlit tunnels.
And no armored guards patrolling the area to supervise the slaves.
It was a death sentence for an ordinary mortal. But for a guy with a brand-new Minor Purity Water Body, a hidden Novice Soul-Reaping Scythe in his dimensional inventory, and a system class that required him to absorb non-human entities?
It was an absolute paradise.
"Thanks for the advice, Snow," Theo said. "I appreciate it."
....
The rest of the afternoon shift passed. Theo kept his pace matched to Snow’s, easily pushing the wheel while his mind mapped out his plan for the evening.
He needed to buy that recipe for Liana, but he couldn’t just sit around waiting for another bowl of gruel to earn credits. He needed to test his Parasite class.
Eventually, the three suns dipped below the horizon. A bell rang out across the compound, signaling the end of the shift.
"Finally..." Snow groaned. "I can’t feel my arms..."
"Get up! Line up and head back to the mess hall for evening rations!" the overseers shouted, cracking their whips.
Theo helped Snow up to his feet, but instead of joining the line heading toward the food, Theo broke formation.
He walked purposefully across the pavilion, heading straight toward the guard named Varis, who was locking up the main supply shed.
Varis turned around at the sound of the approaching footsteps.
"Get back in line, rat," Varis warned. "Before I break your legs and make you crawl to the mess hall."
"Excuse me, sir..." Theo said. "I noticed the crystal carts coming from the mountain were a bit light today. I want to request a permanent transfer."
Varis paused. "A transfer? To where?"
"To the deep caves," Theo replied. "Send me into the dark. I want to mine."