The dim chamber of Verne Town was thick with smoke and whispers. Oil lamps hanging from iron brackets gave the walls a gloomy sheen, their flames flickering against old stone. It was the kind of place where secrets crawled like shadows, and every word carried the weight of survival.
A man staggered into the room, his body drenched in sweat and blood. His clothes were ragged, torn as though he had clawed his way out of hell itself. In his trembling hands, he gripped a rusted iron rod snapped from somewhere in desperation. His wide, frantic eyes darted across the hall as he waved the rod wildly, shouting with a hoarse voice that cracked under strain:
"Everyone, get out of my way!"
The entire room froze. Villagers and workers stared with a mixture of disdain and wariness. His posture was tense, every muscle pulled taut, as if he might lash out at any moment. He was more beast than man now—starved, exhausted, yet burning with a fire that would not be easily extinguished.
Lucas, who had been quietly observing from the side, immediately sensed the danger. He shifted a cautious step back, his gaze sharp but calm.
Across the room, a woman in a neatly pressed uniform—the one responsible for sorting raw materials and packaging goods—rose to her feet. Her lips curled in disgust as she studied the filthy intruder.
"Judging from your clothes, you must be from Mining Town," she sneered, her tone sharp enough to cut steel. "Animals fit only to provide red meat. Brainless vermin! If you dare break into the Hungry Lighthouse, you'll meet a death far worse than the one you fled."
Her voice dripped with venom, but the man did not react with rage. Being called an "animal" no longer stung him; it was a label branded onto his soul long ago. For men like him, stripped of dignity and hope, insult had lost its meaning.
He simply raised his makeshift weapon higher, his stance defensive rather than aggressive. His voice trembled with both fear and determination.
"Which level of prison is this? Tell me! Tell me!!"
Silence followed. The villagers and guards looked at him with cold, detached eyes, as if he were nothing more than a mad dog barking at ghosts. To them, he was less than human—a desperate fool who had crawled through forbidden pipes into a place where he did not belong.
At last, Lucas broke the silence. His voice was steady, his expression composed.
"This is Verne," he said softly.
The man's eyes widened. At that single word, a spark of hope ignited within him.
"Verne… it's actually Verne!" he gasped. Joy surged through his bloodied face, and for a brief moment, he even lowered his guard. "I should have known—the cleanliness, the order… only Verne could be so pure! I want to stay here! I must stay here!"
A chime echoed in Lucas's ears, clear as crystal.
Ding!
The system prompt flickered before his eyes.
[System Notice: Player Lucas has triggered a Hidden Mission]
[Hidden Mission: Help villagers escaping from Mining Town]
[Reward: Unknown]
Lucas's heart sank. No way… another hidden mission, here of all places?
Across the split-screen live broadcast, thousands of players crowded in to watch.
"Wait, did this guy actually climb out of the prison below?" one viewer exclaimed.
"The Hungry Lighthouse exists to bleed the lower classes dry, feeding the elites above. If he really crawled through the blood pipes to get here… that makes him a warrior in my eyes!"
"Damn right. My blood's boiling! Forget helping—let's overthrow the entire Hungry Lighthouse!"
"Easy there. Helping him might trigger the mission, but the risk is insane. One wrong move and you're branded a traitor in Verne."
The man leapt from the pallet he had stumbled onto, his previous rage melting into exhilaration. His eyes darted frantically.
"Where is the prison guard?!" he shouted. "Where is the one in charge?!"
His gaze fell upon the uniformed woman who had insulted him earlier.
"You… you know the rules of Mining Town! You're a guard, aren't you?!"
With trembling steps, he staggered toward her, each stride faster than the last. Yet the woman stood her ground, unflinching despite his wild appearance and bloodstained weapon.
Her cold voice cut the air like ice.
"Stop!"
The command halted him instantly, as if invisible chains had shackled his body.
"You violated the regulations of Mining Town. You broke the Hungry Beacon's sacred ordinances. You dared trespass into Verne Town without authorization." Her words thundered through the chamber. "Your crime is already enough to see you thrown back into the abyss where you belong."
Lucas watched the man's back. His shoulders trembled violently. His head dipped, his silence heavy. Was it anger that froze him, or despair?
Then—Plop!
The man's knees buckled. He collapsed to the ground, forehead striking the stone with a painful crack.
"Please… let me stay in Verne!" he begged, voice breaking.
The villagers were unmoved. They had seen this spectacle before. To them, desperation was routine, kneeling was predictable, and pleading was useless.
Before the live broadcast's countless viewers, a deathly hush spread. No one typed. No one mocked. The silence was louder than thunder.
The iron rod slipped from the man's grasp, clattering across the floor. His body shook as sobs tore from his chest.
"We work day and night," he cried. "We're forced to carve our own flesh whenever they demand it. I don't want freedom, I don't even want dignity—I just want the chance to survive!"
He lifted his face, streaked with tears and grime, eyes swollen from hopelessness.
"Verne… I never dreamed I'd have such fortune to reach Verne. Please, keep me here! Even if you treat me like livestock, even if you raise me on a farm—my organs are strong, my body is clean—I'll be worth it! Please, I beg you!"
He kowtowed again and again, his forehead striking the stone until blood stained the cracks.
The woman lowered her gaze, staring down at him as if he were no more than a worm.
"Livestock for Verne's farms are chosen with the utmost care. Filthy criminals from Mining Town are not even worthy of that privilege."
But the man refused to surrender. Crawling forward on his knees, he clutched at the hem of her boots.
"Look inside me! Please, look at my insides—you'll see they're valuable!"
Lucas clenched his fists. His chest ached at the sight.
"Does your anger end here? Does your spirit crumble only into begging?" he whispered to himself, sorrow heavy in his words.
Suddenly, shrill sirens blared throughout the building.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Red lights flashed across the ceiling.
"Alert! Alert! Intruder detected in Verne Town. All residents, return to your rooms immediately and await inspection."
The announcement echoed over and over, a chilling chorus that made the man shiver uncontrollably. Terror drained the little hope he had mustered.
The woman wasted no time. Calmly, she opened the side doors, ushering villagers into the hall.
"Move in order! Don't panic!" she barked, organizing the evacuation with soldier-like precision.
Before leaving, she glanced at the man still kneeling in despair.
"You stay here. You are not permitted to move."
Her tone was final, as if she had already condemned him to death.
And yet the man did not stir. He knelt like a broken statue, whispering to himself.
"I finally reached Verne. If I can just remain, I still have value. My body… my body has value…"
The villagers streamed past him, careful not to brush against his filthy skin. Their faces showed neither pity nor hatred—only cold indifference.
Then—tap tap.
Someone touched the man's shoulder gently. He flinched and spun around.
Behind him stood a figure cloaked in shadows, face concealed beneath mask and goggles.
Lucas.
His voice was soft, steady, filled with something rare in this merciless place—compassion.
"I can help you. I can take you somewhere far better than Mining Town."
The man's breath hitched. For the first time since crawling out of the pipes, hope flickered once more in his broken eyes.
And Lucas knew—this was only the beginning.
-------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
----------------------------------------------------- .