Prologue

Ten-thousand meters below the surface.

The sound of metal hitting upon metal rang throughout the entire cave. An unceasing rhythm that showed neither signs of stopping or slowing down at any given time. Even if the years passed and people died, this one thing would remain unchanging. Inside this cave, there was a primitive railway system on which numerous wagons filled with a luminescent ore rolled along. Close to the walls of the spacious cavern, thousands of men caused the sound echoing through the cave with their similarly luminous pickaxes. Each man had a masculine figure brimming with strength and vigor, and despite their unceasing work, their bodies showed no signs of fatigue. Only the lifeless expressions on their faces revealed the exhaustion of their minds.

If the eyes were the window to the soul, then these miserable men would be devoid of anything as these were the eyes of the dead. Anything resembling hope or life itself had no place within these men. As per the orders of the Warden, the men finally stopped working and gathered in rows. Still, there was no relief for the brief rest they had gotten.

This was a place where all hope was lost. But as it was with all things in existence, there was an exception.

At the front, there stood a single man. Likewise, he was suffering the same fate as the men next to him. But in the depths of his eyes, a small spark of life was flickering and struggling against the wind, refusing to let itself be extinguished. The appearance of a fool, one would assume, who had yet to live through the real terror of this hell. But you'd be wrong, for he had endured the longest and the most in this godforsaken place.

The burly Warden stood alone, waiting for the last men to gather in front of him. Like all of the guards, the Warden wore a dark-green uniform that barely fit his chubby body. In contrast to the others, however, several medals were adorned across his chest, showing his high standing within the military.

“Great job again, everyone!” He began speaking.

“For a year, you have all met your weekly quota. Maybe it's time to raise it a little...”

In response, a few within the crowd shivered and suppressed their desires to cry out as that would only worsen their situation. On the other hand, the veteran workers knew of the sick jokes the warden was fond of. As much as they loathed his behavior, there was nothing they could do. They were powerless.

“Please, General. Don't joke around. Otherwise, some will take it seriously. And you know how it is...”

Despite all of that, one man spoke up. Some couldn't believe their ears as they looked around in shock. The voice came from the front row, and soon they realized where exactly it had come from.

The Warden squinted in irritant at the man, who had spoken up. But when he realized who it was, the frown on his face was quickly replaced by heartful laughter. The newer workers were shocked at his unexpected behavior and the veterans, who were already familiar with the man's attitude, couldn't help but silently shake their heads. What a madman.

“If it isn't 'The Mentor'! It's been a while since we've last seen each other that I even forgot your voice. How's life been treating you?” The warden cackled with delight.

“As always, sir. I'm getting by.” The man called 'The Mentor' answered honestly with a calm smile on his face. He wasn't bothered by the warden's attitude nor the scene he was making. Meanwhile, some within the workforce looked at him like he was a buddha that had transcended worldly desires and suffering. Especially suffering.

The awaited punishment for 'The Mentor' didn't come, and the Warden seemed to have lost any interest before he waved to some of the distant guards to come closer.

“Might as well send them to you.” The warden continued and raised his voice. “Now, back to work! You three, move your asses over here!”

“Fuck! What is happening!? What are you doing!?”

“Help! Somebody, help me!!”

The terrified and rebellious shouts of three youths mixed indistinguishable from each other. Ignoring their behavior, the Warden handed over three inconspicuous pills to the Mentor.

“Here, you explain it to them.” The warden said before leaving him alone with the three youths.

“What if they don't decide to take them?” 'The Mentor' asked rhetorically, and as expected, he didn't get an answer. It was a... 'tradition,' to give the future workers a choice. Everyone had made the same choice, and this time, it would surely be no different. It never was. At this point, it was merely for show and the Warden's entertainment. The sadist would surely enjoy watching the events unfold from behind the security cameras.

'The Mentor' sighed as he watched the three youths approaching him, who were filled with confusion. They only grasped part of the short conversation, and they couldn't figure out the context nor what was happening to them. He gave them some time to calm down before he began his explanation.

"Hey there, Newbies. Welcome to your new home," 'The Mentor' greeted them with a kind smile.

"Most of the people here call me Mentor. It started as a meaningless title until it somehow became my actual name. You can call me that too if you like. If any of you have any problems, come to me and don't bother the others. They'll just ignore you anyway as they don't have the time."

The several youths looked around and noticed that he was right. None of the other workers had bothered to talk to them as they all continued mining. The guards didn't bother to give them an explanation either, and if it wasn't for Mentor explaining things to them now, they would be at a total loss.

However, before he could begin his explanation, one of the youths burst out in tears. He stammered some meaningless words and continued sobbing while Mentor helped to calm him down. Then, Mentor calmly listened to the story of each youth.

One was raised in an orphanage without friends or families.

The other had a family that died in an unfortunate accident. Since he was always shy around others, he didn't have many friends, and he had just finished school.

The last was disinherited by his own family, that severed all ties with him.

Nothing new to Mentor. All the stories always had one thing in common. They wouldn't be missed.

Finally, they bombarded Mentor with questions. Where were they? What were they doing here? How could they get home? The usual stuff.

"Alright calm down you guys. Being agitated won't get you anywhere." Mentor continued. "To summarize your questions, you are now part of the Unofficial Workforce as they call it. Or in short, slaves. And you are not going to leave anywhere unless as a corpse."

“What!?” They all exclaimed in shock. Not only had they never heard of this workforce, they just couldn't accept something like this even existed. This was entirely in contrast to what the outside preached about a perfect society; The Golden Age of Modern Man. Panicked, they looked around and paid more attention to the workers. From this distance, they looked like machines with a perfect rhythm that never deviated regardless of how often the pickaxe was swung.

In contrast, Mentor took all of this in stride. He had seen too many react the same way.

“From now on, you will work here for the rest of your lives and nothing else.” Mentor grabbed back the attention of the now thoroughly terrified youths. They wanted to believe this was a dream they would soon wake up from, but a voice at the back of their minds told them that this was real. This was their reality.

“How is this possible!?” One of the youth exclaimed still refusing to accept this.

“Work? What work, when everything has been automized by machines?”

In the following minutes, Mentor calmly explained the façade of the present day.

Technology had skyrocketed, and men left for the stars. Additionally, humans were no longer required to do mundane work, leaving more room for individual freedom and exploration. The Empire boasted a fulfilling and prosperous life for every individual, promising equal chances and treatment for every human. These were only some of the results of the aftermath of the Pandium Wars that had left mankind almost extinct through its actions. Common knowledge claimed that men had left behind their animalistic shackles and transcended to the next step of civilization.

But there was one thing hidden from the populace.

Even with the technological advancements in recent decades, scientists were still unable to figure out the full potential of the largest energy source known to humanity. The biggest mystery was not only its sudden appearance beneath previously scanned earth (for oil) but also its strange property of harvesting it. No matter what scientists did, unless the ore was mined by a living human, it would not break. It could withstand any force and environment, yet in the hands of humans, it became strangely subdued, bending to their will. The energy and potential hidden within was still immeasurable, evidenced by mankind's sudden improvement over the decades leading them into the furthest depths of their galaxy.

Nevertheless, one problem could never be solved. The need for human workers.

On top of that, Pandium was absolutely necessary for the prosperity of mankind. The Empire struggled for a solution until they arrived back at their roots. For the sake of the many, the few had to suffer. As long as they could uphold peace and prosperity for 99.99% of humanity, the fate of the remaining was negligible.

It took some time for the Newbies to digest the news. They never knew that behind the paradise that everyone considered a matter of fact, laid such a dark secret. One that they too were now part of.

“I tell everyone the same when they arrive here.” Mentor changed the topic back to the more pressing matters at hand.

”If you don't want to suffer meaninglessly...”

The group paid their full attention to Mentor, who was the only one willing to somewhat help them with their predicament.

“Then your one and only chance is to kill yourselves right now.” Mentor finished his sentence with utmost seriousness that made sure he wasn't joking.

“...”

“Please explain, Mentor. What do you mean by that?” The youngest and most frightful of the group asked nervously. This was not advice he had expected from this kind elder in their dire situation. Suicide? What kind of solution was that?

“It is what is. You either take my advice, or you don't. If hell truly exists, then it can't be much worse than what this place will be doing to you. You will live through suffering that makes you wish you were dead, but by then it's too late.” Mentor gave his routine explanation and warning as he sighed. He could already tell the youths weren't going to listen to him. Who could blame them? A weird stranger out of nowhere came and told them to commit suicide. It would be odd if anyone actually listened to him, but he felt obligated to give everyone the same warning.

“Without exception, every single one of us workers regrets the decision they made that day.” The youths looked aghast at the mindless workers and immediately knew that Mentor wasn't lying. Even so, they couldn't bring themselves to follow his 'advice.' Dying now was just too sudden. An understandable reaction since everyone had some faith that something in the future might change. As irrational as that was, they clung to that small flame of hope, believing they were too young to die. But in the minds of the veterans here, being too young, was only similar to being too far away from death.

“Then take this.” He handed each of them one of the pills the warden had given him earlier. In turn, they quizzically looked at Mentor, waiting for another explanation.

"Don't ask me about the details. I have no idea what this is made of or how exactly it works. Besides strengthening your muscles, it also strengthens your organs, veins, and so on, as well as your recovery... It's really freakish. At this point, some of us believe that even if you cut your head off, you'd just grow a new one. Maybe that's exaggerating it a little, but if you want to use the pickaxe to kill yourself or others then forget it. You'd need hours to kill someone, and at that point, the guards you've seen earlier would have long noticed and punished you. And that's something you definitely want to avoid..."

With this, the youths understood the implications of the earlier warning, yet their decisions didn't change.

“As you can guess, all of us can only die a natural death. After taking these, life expectancy will be around two hundred years. Upside, or downside, is that you won't ever fall ill, feel physically exhausted or tired. Pick up one of the pickaxes over there and start mining the ore you see inside the wagons. 7 buckets of ore each week is the quota. Don't try to cheat or bother counting. Again, I don't know the details, but each worker's amount is automatically recorded by the system.”

He led the youths to the place he was usually mining at and took out a good-sized chunk of ore out of his bucket and threw it toward each of them.

“Treat this as my welcoming gift. Try your best to fill the quota. You can take breaks as you wish and no one cares what you do, as long as you fill your quota. But remember...” Suddenly Mentor's expression grew far more severe, and a stern, emotionless voice left his mouth.

“If you can't fill the quota until the end of the week, then you will truly experience what a hell this place is.”

This sent shivers down their backs and the youths didn't need to be told twice to begin working earnestly after swallowing the pills. They had yet to acclimate to their surroundings but they could guess that joking was not something you did around here. Alas, they didn't know that the pills took some time to take effect.

“You never stop, do you?” One of the many nameless next to Mentor began a conversation when the latter had returned to his usual mining spot.

"You always help the Newbies. You even gave them a few pieces of ore. They would understand everything on their own sooner or later." The person said but never stoped hacking with his pickaxe while doing so.

"It's just... I can't leave them alone, you know. If helping them eases their suffering even just a little, then it will be worth it," Mentor answered as he continued his work.

This place was only one of the Empire's many famous Pandium Mines. After revolutionizing society and the meaning of work, the Empire was faced with the problem of how to mine this important ore. In the end, no one would volunteer to work as a miner when the other option was to do whatever you wanted. Thus, to keep the working force as low as possible, there was only one way. Slavery - 120% Efficiency out of every worker. With medicine preventing hunger and tiredness, they could work 24 hours a day at peak physical condition. The only problem left was their mental condition and to keep working motivation high. It took them a few tests to figure out the best solution for that.

Fear.

Days passed, and the time to fulfill the quota had almost arrived. The youths desperately hammered down the pickaxe from above their heads in hopes of acquiring more ore. They felt the miraculous wonders of the medicine coursing through their veins, preventing them from some of the exhaustion. But it had yet to fully assimilate with their bodies. Regardless of how earnest they took Mentor's warning, eventually they were too exhausted and had to replenish energy through sleeping. Unfortunately, this schedule would never allow them to reach the quota.

“Not bad Newbies.” The familiar voice from behind them arose from their frenzied work. It was the only voice they had heard all week.

“Mentor!” The three exclaimed, dropping their pickaxes and themselves on the ground in exhaustion.

“This is impossible! How are we supposed to fill seven whole buckets!” Alan complained. He was the youth who never had a family. Mentor's sincere concern without a shred of deceit quickly made Alan grew very fond of him. Zarek, the timid and youngest youth, expectantly looked over at Mentor hoping for something to happen. This was just a joke! I have a top-secret to help you! Fantasies like those flashed through his mind, placing Mentor almost like an idol within his heart. The last youth, Deren, was more subdued, quiet, and realistic; more willing to accept their fate. But he couldn't hide his trembling legs from the unknown punishment they were bound to face

“You already did better than most. I'm glad you took my warnings seriously. Some choose not to listen and... learn the harder way. I can't help you fill your entire quota, but this should help.”

He handed each of them two entire buckets full of ore. Flabbergasted, they didn't know how to accept this gift, but they also couldn't bring themselves to refuse it.

“Unfortunately you are not expected to fill the quota,” Mentor said, unbothered by their awkward gift accepting.

”Nor the next one. The pills take some time to fully transform your bodies.” He didn't mention that this was probably done on purpose. The youths were already frightened enough as it is.

Eventually, the deadline had arrived. With no new arrivals, the workers were quickly dismissed so that they could continue to work.

On the other hand, Mentor and the youths were taken away by the guards into a passageway that was made entirely out of metal. The youths squirmed uneasily as they look at the several blood stains covering the floor that no one bothered to clean up. Then, they arrived in a corridor filled with dozens of doors where the burly Warden was waiting for them.

“I knew it.” The warden cackled loudly. “If I didn't know any better I would think you actually like this place. Hah!”

“General.” Mentor greeted him casually.

“Alright. Enough chitchat. You guys.” He pointed towards Alan and the other two. “Six buckets, eh? Pretty good for newcomers.” He gave a glance to Mentor but didn't say anything else.

Alan gathered his courage and was about to ask for more information when his face suddenly turned deathly pale.

The doors inside the large corridor abruptly opened and what they saw made everyone shiver uncontrollably. Behind each door was an abomination. Every single room looked like an operation room from an ordinary hospital. In the middle there stood a single table covered in red. Initially, the room must have had the same color as the passageway they went through earlier. However, every single room was painted in blood. There just wasn't a single place without a stain of blood. And it wasn't only a single layer of blood. Compared to the corridor, the room's floor was elevated by the dried blood that had spilled over dozens of years. A repelling odor that churned their insides upside down escaped the room and drilled into their nostrils. Their instincts told them that this was a place no living being should be. A different world where only the dead reside.

The most scared of the group was about to run, but was held back by Mentor and had to make do with his soaked pants.

As each of them was brought into their room and tied to their table, they stared at the ceiling. What they saw there made them almost pass out from fear and scream in terror. They hadn't been able to see it from outside, but the ceiling was covered with nearly uncountable tools, all differently shaped in every possible way imaginable. Everyone except Mentor screamed at the top of their lungs as they further sullied their pants. They called for their mothers. They prayed to God. But none of this would change what was about to happen.

"They always react the same." The Warden chuckled to himself. He had already worked here for over thirty years. As he served his military service during the Pandium Wars, he had seen a lot of cruel things. But none of that could compare to what happened inside these chambers. Thankfully he didn't have to torture them personally nor monitor them. All of it was done automatically by devices that were built to reach the utmost efficiency while not overstepping the victim's limits. Ironically, this miraculous torture device that knew how to treat human bodies perfectly was the only technology available to those who made it possible in the first place.

The Warden personally led Mentor to his table and tied him up without any resistance.

"So you once again gave your ore away?” He asked, jokingly.

"How generous of you."

The Warden roared with laughter once more. In his mind, this fellow before him had indeed lost his mind. He wondered whether the machine had a defect and went over his limits. Mentor didn't answer him and only continued to have a slight smile on his face.

"Anyhow, you have been here longer than me, so you know the drill. See you in six hours."

With that, the Warden closed the door behind him and went outside. There he tapped a few times onto a display and left the corridor. All of the guards also left the hallway and went out.

For the next hours, screams and howls that didn't resemble that of a human could be heard even from the outside of the supposedly soundproof rooms.

Twelve hours later.

Although they would have been allowed to leave earlier, the Warden and guards only came to release them after everyone had finished their punishments and got some rest. Even the Warden couldn't help but shiver when he heard their screams much less the regular guards. Although all of them were battle-hardened war veterans, they would still prefer not to listen to these screams.

As they opened each door, they were assaulted by the smell of blood. Each room was painted in at least one layer of fresh blood. As the ties were released, each of the victims had a different reaction. Alan and Deren would wail while still screaming although the torture has long since stopped. Zarek simply didn't react. Whether he was trying to play dead or not only he knew. It was a fruitless attempt anyway.

The guards dragged each of them outside the garrison and threw them on the ground.

“Alright, I hoped you learned your lesson. I don't really like this either. After all, I'm also human. So I hope you work hard, so none of us have to bother with this again.”

The Warden gave his speech as usual, but he already knew what would happen. They would come back here at least once more. Obviously, this was done on purpose to truly instill in them the fear needed to keep them working as much as possible. Only after the medicine had fully displayed its effect and working twenty-four hours a day could they keep away these punishments. After that, they'll have been transformed into the perfect workforce both mentally and physically.

When the youths fully regained their bearings, they were even more eager to continue working. Despite only being confronted with a single hour of torture, it was more than enough for an entire lifetime for them. Mentor was no exception. Although he liked to say that he was used to this, it was merely a lie. Humans might be able to adapt to pain to a great extent, but inside these rooms, it was impossible. Every single session was completely different than the previous one, so there was no way to 'get used to it.' Even after decades, the amount of fear and pain now was no different than his first time. Yet he still chose to always help some Newbies as much as possible.

“Mentor...” The three youths ran up to him with pitiful gazes. It looked as if they were crying; however, there were no more tears left to shed.

“Thank you.”

“It's nothing. You get used to it. But still, don't count on me next time. From now on, you are on your own.”

More time passed and nothing had changed. The workers continued their meaningless mining solely motivated by the fear of torture. Aside from working, there was only one other thing they did. They were always praying. It was the only conscious thought on their mind other than ordering their bodies to move. There was nothing else left for them except to turn to God, and before they knew it, a religion had emerged.

Prayers to The God of Death, Aien, became common among the workers.

No one knew when exactly it had started, but this religion seemed to have existed since the day the mines were created. What they prayed for was their salvation. Their deaths. Even in their prayers, they couldn't imagine escaping this place alive, so all they wanted was for their suffering to finally end.

Meanwhile, each time Newbies were introduced to the workforce, Mentor would take some of his time and suffering upon himself to help them out, truly deserving of his name. Some took his warnings seriously while others... didn't. Either way, after the first week, everyone learned their lesson and seamlessly integrated into the working conditions whether they liked it or not.

Until one day Mentor was approached by three men, he could barely recognize anymore. Enough time had passed for Alan and his two companions to grow into the appearance of a worker. Similar to everyone else, their faces were mostly covered in beards, and their untended hair rolled beyond their shoulders where it stopped growing. Their eyes too became the definition of lifeless, but today there was something different. Mentor saw them shining with... hope. A different kind of hope than the ideal he himself clung to - something more practical and imminent.

“Mentor!” Alan whispered. “We have something to show you, but you have to be quick.”

Realizing their impatience, Mentor didn't waste any time and followed after them, wondering what this was about. It took them a few minutes until they arrived at their destination, but Mentor still couldn't guess what they wanted from him. The thought of conflict between workers never crossed his mind. Over time, a sense of comradery developed between the workers creating an unwritten rule of no conflict between them. Even the most selfish person couldn't bring it over his heart to doom another into continuous torture by robbing them of their ore. And that was disregarding how exactly the system counted their quota.

“We wanted to ask you for some more ore Mentor... I know you don't have any to spare, but we were really unlucky. It seems like there is nothing left to mine at our spot and it took us too long to notice...” Alan finally began talking.

It didn't take long for Mentor to catch on. They didn't know whether the security cameras recorded their voices, so they played it safe. Mentor realized from their unassuming gestures and gazes that they were hinting at something else. Something perilous apparently. After picking on their subtle hints, Mentor moved closer to the wall and suddenly felt his entire body shivering in ecstasy. A small gust of air brushed against his neck, a feeling that he had long forgotten and almost made him cry out in satisfaction. For the first time for decades, he felt something that resembled the outside.

“...So please can't you help us once more? I promise it will be the last time,” Alan finished his plea of help.

In response, Mentor lost himself in deep thought. It didn't need to be mentioned that he was tempted. Very tempted. But the consequences of failure were something he didn't dare imagine. If anyone caught wind of their potential escape attempt then...

“I don't know.” He finally answered after staying quiet for a few minutes. “I told you that was the last time I would help you. I know the guards don't care how we obtain our weekly ore deliveries, but if they actually caught me handing it over, there might be consequences. They might ignore me taking care of newcomers, but you are now veteran workers as well...” He stopped there.

“Don't worry, I'm sure they won't notice. And so what? It's just a few pieces of ore. Unfortunately, they won't kill us over it.” The usual timid Zarek replied most excited by their findings, causing Mentor to wonder whether he didn't realize the implications of a failed escape or didn't care about that risk if it meant a slight chance to get out of here.

“Of course we know your deliveries are tight on time as well,” Alan continued. “We don't want to force you to suffer for us. We only asked you for any spares you might have left. You are the only one we know of that we can ask.”

“…”

Only the distant sound of mining echoed across the cave as they nervously waited for his answer. They had found the hole a few days ago, and after talking it through among themselves, they decided on acting on this small chance. They wouldn't know where this hole led to, but they were willing to take the opportunity. They also agreed on telling Mentor about this. He was the one who had helped them back then after all, so they decided to include him. On the other hand, they didn't care about the rest. Although there existed a certain comradery between the workers, it wasn't too deep, and they wouldn't unnecessarily decrease their chances of success.

“Alright,” Mentor agreed, much to their delight. They felt much safer and hopeful about his cooperation.

“This place should be out of ores soon as you said. I'd give it a month at most until it runs dry. Come, I'll help you out. However, this truly will be the last time,” with that the four of them remembered the place and left.

The four of them grouped up in front of the hole. Except for a large rock, there wasn't much for them to prepare. Only their determination and speed was essential. They needed to be as fast as possible. The guards probably weren't bored enough to always pay close attention to them or the security cameras, but they couldn't know for sure.

All four of them dug at the spot as fast they could. Surprisingly, only after a few minutes did they break through the rock and what they had found left them astonished. Hidden behind the wall was a tunnel barely big enough for each of them to crawl through. Without any delay, they crawled into it with Mentor being the last. He covered the hole with the rock they had prepared beforehand and continued onwards. Each of them could hear their heartbeats exploding, Mentor being no exception. They could feel their pulses reverberating within their chests, each with such force that they were afraid it alone would cause the tunnel to collapse. Without pause, they crawled for an unknown amount of time, yet there was still no end in sight, causing their nervousness to peak.

“Could this have no end?” Deren huffed trying to calm himself down from having a panic attack. Being the eldest among them, Mentor tried to comfort them and assured that this cave was not natural, but he had begun doubting his own words. Besides worrying about the endless tunnel, another conflict waged within Mentor. Before, he had reluctantly agreed with the others that taking more people with them would be too dangerous. The argument was sound and logical, but he still felt guilty about leaving the others behind. Knowing there was no other choice, he kept telling himself that once he set foot outside this hell, he would try his damndest to help his fellow workers. He didn't owe them anything and he had already helped them to the best of his abilities. Nevertheless, this was something he had decided for himself. He had always helped others and that was something that wouldn't change in the future.

“AH!!” Alan's shout ripped Mentor out of his thoughts. He didn't need to ask what got him so excited as he could see for himself. The first rays of light for decades, maybe since he was born, shone through a crack in the distance above them and they felt so good. The youths began crying tears of joy as they hastened up towards the light. Mentor as well couldn't hide his happiness, as his limbs trembled in excitement at the sight of freedom.

“Quiet!” Mentor hushed them in a low voice, not losing his reasoning due to the excitement. They didn't know where the tunnel led to, and it would be a shame if they got caught this close to freedom. The three quickly realized their foolishness and silently crept up towards the end of the tunnel. Carefully they began moving towards the rock blocking their path while listening for the outside. The light blinded them (especially Mentor), but they could finally see, rather feel the outside.

It was a beautiful noon as the sun hung high up in the clear sky, filling the earth with warming rays of light. The ground was filled with lush greenery and several trees that blocked their vision. Nevertheless, it left them with a breathtaking sight of nature that was mostly gone from the surface world. The occasional bird chirped like an instrument of nature, filling their ears with the beautiful sound of freedom. Judging from their position, they were very far away from any civilization as this place was clearly untouched by the latest war.

Finally, they could no longer hold back their excitement, shouting cries of happiness at the top of their lungs. Only after Mentor, who desperately held himself back, awakened them from their stupor did they calm down.

They began talking about their future plans, but a sudden sound caused them to freeze all of their movements in an instant.

“I told you,” A distant man's voice disrupted the peaceful sounds of nature. “I heard something over here.”

“Aren't you imagining things?” Another voice.

“No, I'm certain. And if I'm not mistaken, we've got some escapees,” The man said gleefully.

“Escapees?” The second voice asked doubtfully. “Have you ever heard of someone breaking out of there? I know you are desperate after pissing off the General but aren't you too delusional?”

“Better safe than sorry.” The man said, clearly annoyed by the lack of enthusiasm of his partner. He was silent for a while before he thought of something.

“Imagine he finds out we actually let someone escape. Then it will be us who have to take their place.” This caused the other man to drop his attitude as he gulped audibly. He was stationed more than once on guard duty and he knew more than most how terrifying joining the Unofficial Workforce is.

“Fuck this. I'll look over there.” The man sped off in the opposite direction after grunting something inaudible about his bad luck.

Mentor and the other three felt their hearts sink into their stomachs as they listened to the conversation. They didn't have time to lament their situation and needed to quickly think of a solution to their predicament.

“M-Mentor, w-what do we do?” The three of them turned to him for guidance. Fear and uncertainty occupied their minds, unable to think for themselves; they hoped for Mentor to have an idea.

“Fuckin- I knew it!!” The man who was searching in their direction suddenly shouted out. Immediately, he closed the distance between them, revealing the military uniform he was wearing. A mixture of black and dark green spots covered his clothes. Few medals hung on the left side of his chest while some small damage there indicated that something had been ripped out by force before.

Startled by the shout, the few thoughts they could form were washed away by the adrenaline rushing through their veins. They had all hid behind trees and talked in a volume that was far too low for the distant soldier to hear. Even so, the soldier had some method of finding their hiding spots and was coming closer at an incredulous speed.

“Wh- What is happening? How did he find us? What do we do? Mentor? Mentor!” The three panicked and lost all thoughts of reason. Unlike them, Mentor was forcing himself to calm down. They didn't have many choices before, and it was now reduced to a single option. At least that discarded all of the doubts Mentor had about his improvised plan and he quickly took action.

“I'm with the National Security Department. There is no reason to hide if you are innocent. This is my last and only warning for you. Stop hiding!” The man said his obligatory line. He didn't bother to call for his partner after noticing someone hiding. He was confident he didn't need any help and if they were escapees, then he might finally get back on the General's good side.

“Overwhelm him!!” Mentor shouted at the three of them and dashed with all of his might at the soldier. Although he was much faster than most ordinary humans, his speed was laughable compared to the soldiers.

As they closed in on each other, the soldier slowed down and took a stance to deal with Mentor who was closing in on him. Mentor, on the other hand, continued his charge. Instead of throwing punches without any skills, he chose to tackle the guard with as much power as possible, confident in his muscular body.

The guard, however, faced this rush with absolute calmness. He didn't bother drawing some sort of weapon; instead, he simply stepped forward with one foot. Both his arms stretched out and his hands collided with Mentor's shoulders as he rushed into him. Without being bothered by the force of the impact, he held him in place as if Mentor was suddenly rooted to the ground. Afterward, he pulled Mentor's arm behind his back and in a swift motion, he threw him to the ground where he was pinned down with a simple joint lock.

“Resistance is futile.” The guard said, looking to where the rest of the escapees should be. Besides having their bodies strengthened with similar medicine, every soldier also went through rigorous training. Dealing with the charge of a mindless bull was child's play for him.

Nevertheless, Mentor didn't give up just because his movement was restricted. Instead, he struggled with all his might ignoring the pain coming from his joints. Mentor hoped to distract him as much as possible so his companions would be able to overwhelm him. Mentor knew he alone would never stand a chance against a trained soldier, but if they grouped up, they had a chance to win the fight quickly. It was their only chance as otherwise, news of their escapes would spread quickly unless they could incapacitate the soldiers. Although Mentor knew that the guard had noticed them, he hoped that he wouldn't know their exact numbers, giving them an advantage.

But the expected help did not come. As he lay on the ground, he could catch a glimpse at the place they had been hiding. No one was there. And no one was coming.

“Motherfu-, they actually ran away.” The soldier cursed. He had also realized what the best chances were for them in this situation. Thus he acted accordingly, mostly being on guard of being surrounded. Now, he was stuck in this situation.

“And here I hoped I could catch you all. From your appearance, I can guess you really are part of the Unofficial Workforce. What a surprise.” He talked to Mentor who didn't bother listening anymore.

“So how many companions did you have? Oh my bad, I guess I shouldn't call them your companions, should I?” He ridiculed Mentor with laughter, and once more, his snark was only met with silence.

The soldier shrugged his shoulders, and without loosening the joint lock, he reached to his ear with his left hand.

“This is Reynold, ID:0752. I have escapees of the Unofficial Workforce in Sector W13. Numbers unknown. Requesting assistance. Over.“

“Central Here. Request denied. Operation Xerxes takes priority. You are on your own. Over.”

A metallic voice answered that seemed human enough to fool some.

“Operation what now? Well, I can't be blamed for being understaffed, thus letting some escape, right...?”

The soldier muttered to himself, then turned to look at Mentor.

“I guess today is your lucky day, isn't it? You should have heard what it said. Why don't you help me look for them? I'm sure you have some grudges? Maybe the General will lessen your punishment if you cooperate.”

There was only silence.

Reynold sighed again. This was an unexpected mess to deal with. He hoped that he would get something good out of this hassle. What a vacation this was.

“Hey, Jeff. Reynold here.” He communicated through something in his ear again.

“What is it?”

“There are escapees. I caught one. Central doesn't want to give us reinforcements. You know what to do.”

“Oh shit, really!? Alright, I secure the borders you take care of the one you've already caught. No need to mention me.”

“I knew you were a nice guy.” Reynold smiled and stopped talking.

“Well, time to go home. I'm sure you are starting to get homesick by now.”

With that, he lifted Mentor and urged him to walk. Unexpectedly for Reynor, he wasn't met with any resistance. Mentor just looked around, trying to brand the surroundings into his memory. He had always been inside the mines for as long as he remembered. He looked at the sky where he saw the bright sun. He could see the metal skyscrapers far away as they reached the sky, connected by countless metal tubes. Every other minute rockets would start and he could almost feel the vibrations in this place. This was his first time being outside. And it was also the last time.

“What a nice day.” Mentor finally opened his mouth.

“Sure is,” Reynold replied more solemnly this time. He couldn't hide a trace of pity in his eyes. Alas, this was his job, and there was no room for arguments.

The transport was dead quiet. A silence reigned like that of a criminal sentenced to death and on his way to the execution platform. But Mentor knew what awaited him was much, much worse. With this almost successful escape attempt, it was necessary to set a deterrent - an example needed to be made. And he clearly knew what that meant for him. Awfully clear. And so did the dutiful escort that guided him towards his fate.

During this trip, Mentor didn't bother with anything anymore. Not the outside nor the small miraculous flying carriage he was in with Reynold. Instead, he was lost within his own thoughts, thinking about his life so far.

There wasn't much.

Just like the others, his life had consisted of working and praying. But he hadn't prayed for death or was part of the religion that had developed in the Unofficial Workforce. He had heard stories about other Gods and religions from people before they too lost hope and converted in the hopes of a merciful death.

For as long as he could remember, there was only the work within the mines. If there was something that made him different from the others, then it was that one, single mantra.

If you are kind to others, then they will be kind to you.

He didn't know when or where he had picked it up from or who had taught him that. But it had stuck with him his entire life. Deep within he had believed this to be true. That if he helped others, he would someday be repaid. He'd thought that day had finally come. Alan, Deren, and Zarek had come to repay their kindness which in turn he would extend to the rest of the Unofficial Workforce after his successful escape. Yet fate had other plans in store for him. Not only their bad luck but also the betrayal of the three had led to where he was now.

A mixture of emotions boiled within him. Anger at their betrayal and the unfortunate meeting with the soldiers were actually only a small part of that. What was far more devastating was that he felt betrayed, not only by his companions but by his own ideals.

Up to this day, he'd lived under the assumption that helping others would also lead to his salvation. But what was the real reward for that?

Despair and helplessness he had been able to keep at bay for decades filled him, extinguishing the small fire of hope that was his beacon in life.

For the first time in his life, Mentor had lost everything he believed in as he confronted his future.

The one thing that had kept him sane and made him feel human was gone. The anchor he'd relied on to get through each day was no more.

A day had passed before they arrived at the mine. The Warden was outraged when he saw Mentor. Even now they didn't notice that someone had escaped. It was his job not to let the public know about the Unofficial Workforce. Following that, security was tightened and inspectors for the guards were organized so they would stop slacking.

As for the fate of 'The Mentor'...

Above the place where the workers would gather after fulfilling the quota, a wide monitor was installed. It was so huge that even hundreds of meters away, you could still clearly see what was going on. On this monitor, you could see a man tied to a table as he was being tortured by countless different instruments. You could see him shouting and crying at the top of his lungs, but for the sake of everyone around, there was no sound transmitted. Nevertheless, it was enough to send shivers down one's spine no matter how often the scene repeated itself. This video was never paused, and no one would claim it was looped as they were different instruments being used each time. The man would rarely ever get short breaks as his torture continued for decades.

Ironically, the man still came to be known to each Newbie as 'The Mentor.' Even now he was teaching the Newbies what fate would await them and since then there were no more Newbies slacking on their first week. However, the man who once found solace in that was no longer there.

After sixty years, his mind had finally died. He was no longer screaming, yet the machine didn't stop while he was continuously taken apart.

After another forty years, his body finally followed him in death. On the day Mentor officially passed away, every single worker stopped working for a few minutes as they offered their sincerest prayers to Aien.

This was how the life of the man known as Mentor at long last came to an end.