"Oh, Wayne, you're really lucky to have gathered enough ore so quickly! Unlike me, I've been searching for ages and still haven't found enough! Since you've already checked that passage, we'll try our luck elsewhere," Aaron says, enviously.

  "Young Master, you're kidding. You don't need to mine," Wayne chuckles.

  "I'd better fill my quota, though! After all, I'm just a miner. Even Master Rhine could be killed at night; I should stick to the rules," Aaron replies somberly at the mention of Master Rhine.

  Beside him, Twist suddenly points to another tunnel, his face lighting up with excitement. "Aaron, look, is that Mystery Tungsten Ore?"

  Aaron follows Twist's point.

  "Hey, it really is! Good eyesight, Twist!"

  With that, the two rush off towards the other tunnel.

  As their figures disappear, Wayne's expression turns dark.

  A frail middle-aged man holding an iron rod appears beside him.

  "What happened?"

  "The kid next to Aaron has a basket full of Mystery Tungsten Ore, a whole basket," Wayne whispers, gesturing towards the tunnel where Aaron disappeared. "They went down that passage."

  The middle-aged man looks pleased but hesitates, remembering something. "Maybe we should switch targets. Let's not mess with Aaron; he can at least make medicine for our colds and injuries."

  "Not mess with Aaron? Mystery Tungsten Ore is getting harder to find. If we don't gather enough, we'll get whipped and hung out for the night. In this freezing weather, you'd be a popsicle before midnight. Are you fucking ready to die?"

  Wayne throws his basket to the ground, scattering ordinary stones everywhere. Only four or five pieces of Mystery Tungsten Ore are mixed in, far from the required amount.

  "Let's target someone else!"

  "Are you kidding? Who in this mine is easy to deal with? Besides, Aaron's close with Lazio's group, and it was Lazio's men who killed ours. Don't you want revenge?" Wayne retorts.

  The Mystery Tungsten Ore in this mine is mostly scraps now, and as the miners delve deeper, it's becoming harder to find.

  The miners have split into small groups for protection. Wayne's group originally had seven or eight people, but after a failed clash with Lazio's group last month over the ore, only Wayne and the middle-aged man remain.

  "That's true, alright then," the middle-aged man agrees after a brief contemplation.

  He doesn't have much affection for Aaron; he just thought keeping him alive might be useful for medical help in the future. But with no better options, killing Aaron seems acceptable—just unfortunate luck for Aaron.

  To avoid raising Aaron's suspicion prematurely, the two men hoist baskets filled with ore and head towards the tunnel Aaron went down.

  As they reach the corner where Aaron disappeared, suddenly, a meter-long iron rod thrusts forward. Wayne, eager to catch up to Aaron, is terrified at the sight of the rod, but the weight of the ore and the momentum from running make it impossible for him to react in time.

  The sharpened tip of the rod pierces Wayne's neck effortlessly. The one wielding the rod is none other than Aaron, his face expressionless.

  As Aaron strikes, Twist's entrenching tool swings down with a whistle, cleaving towards the middle-aged man. The man's skull is struck hard, blood flows from his forehead, and his eyes widen in shock.

  "You little brat, ambushing us like that! Die!" the middle-aged man snarls, grabbing Twist's entrenching tool with his left hand and raising the iron rod with his right, ready to strike back.

  Nearby, Aaron kicks Wayne in the stomach, causing him to clutch his bleeding neck, eyes filled with resentment. Stumbling backward, Wayne collapses to the ground, convulsing before his eyes glaze over and he breathes his last.

  With Wayne out of the way, Aaron raises the iron rod and drives it toward the middle-aged man's heart.

  Blood from the man's forehead obscures his vision, preventing him from recognizing the danger in time.

  Aaron's swift, practiced movements show he's no stranger to such acts, and he strikes just ahead of the middle-aged man's counterattack.

  "Thud."

  Aaron's iron rod pierces the man's heart directly.

  The man's own rod halts mid-thrust, falling to the ground mere inches from Twist's body.

  Staggering back, the man looks down in disbelief at the rod embedded in his chest, pain spreading through his body.

  Slowly, he raises his eyes to meet Aaron's. Having killed two men, Aaron shows no fear; instead, he squints, a smile playing on his lips as he watches the man.

  Shock, fear, and regret flash through the man's eyes.

  He never imagined that Aaron, who seemed harmless and always greeted others with a smile, helping anyone with minor ailments, could be so ruthless.

  If he had known, he would have been more cautious, especially at a corner where ambushes are likely.

  A chilling realization hits him: could the unclaimed corpses in the mine, not acknowledged by any miner group, be the doing of these two youths?

  With this haunting thought, the middle-aged man closes his eyes and takes his last breath.

  "Who would wander around the mines after gathering enough Mystery Tungsten Ore? Isn't everyone rushing to turn it in to avoid getting robbed? They don't even know how to set a proper trap!" Aaron scoffs, rolling his eyes.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Aside from mocking their poor acting skills, Aaron feels no other emotions. Especially not guilt for the killings—there isn't a trace of it.

  After all, back in the orphanage, when the director lined them up to be picked over and left behind, and then beat them into smiling cutely because they couldn't be sold; when he roamed the streets, curled up in a corner, getting beaten and robbed by other vagrants for food; and when he became a slave, hauling baskets full of ore through the rugged mine tunnels—during all these hardest times, there was never anyone in front of him.

  No one taught those who inflicted pain to respect life!

  Even when he later met Master Rhine, Aaron served him for months—doing laundry, serving meals, mining, and cleaning—before Master Rhine begrudgingly taught him a bit of potion-making knowledge.

  When Aaron's talent as a Pharmacist became apparent, Master Rhine's attitude improved drastically, often filling Aaron's mind with names and misdeeds of certain people within the Rhine Consortium, trying to turn him into a tool for revenge.

  But Aaron considered himself too frail to bear such a burden.

  After digging a grave for Master Rhine and remaining a ten-minute moment of silence, he considered it even.

  Whether Master Rhine resents him from hell, Aaron doesn't know.

  All he knows is that his own mind is clear and untroubled.

  "Not bad, there's still some Mystery Tungsten Ore in these baskets," Twist remarks after inspecting the two men's baskets, picking out about a dozen pieces of ore.

  "Let's find a place to stash them for tomorrow," he suggests.

  "Alright," Aaron agrees.

  ……

  Around five in the afternoon, Aaron emerges from the mine.

  The yellowing sky is heavy with low-hanging clouds, and the biting wind that had raged all day finally comes to a halt.

  A calm settles over the landscape as the winter sun sets, casting long shadows over the ice-laden barren trees.

  At the mine entrance, guards are tasked with inspecting the amount of Mystery Tungsten Ore the miners have collected.

  Nearby stand several burly and fierce-looking guards, ready to take away any miner who fails to turn in the required amount for punishment.

  As Aaron steps out, a rosy-cheeked young man in a uniform, draped in a cloak emblazoned with the Rhine Consortium's emblem and wearing black gloves, waves him over. "Aaron, come here."

  Aaron gestures to the basket on his back, indicating he still needs to turn in the ore.

  Before the young man can respond, a guard beside him, exasperated, says, "Young Master, please, don't joke. Didn't I tell you not to go down the mine? People are dying there every day, why won't you listen? And if Archie calls you, just go! Stop giving me a hard time, alright?"

  In his mind, the guard curses Aaron thoroughly.

  The mine is located in a remote wilderness, surrounded by countless medicinal herbs, which serve as a source of income for the guards.

  The head guard, Archie, often goes out to gather herbs, later having Aaron identify which are valuable and which are not.

  This is why the guards treat Aaron so well.

  "Sorry for the trouble!" Aaron apologizes to the guard with a contrite expression.

  "Also, starting tomorrow, you're not allowed in the mine anymore! It's too dangerous for someone as small as you!" the guard insists sternly.

  "Alright," Aaron responds casually, then sets down his basket and jogs over to the young man in the cloak, showing respect.

  "Mr. Archie, judging by your complexion, it seems this outing was quite fruitful!" Aaron remarks.

  "Not bad. Come with me," Archie replies with a chuckle, clearly not wanting to discuss details in front of others, and turns to lead the way somewhere more private.

  Inside the room, the walls are adorned with various decorations, but the most eye-catching feature is the large, colorful painting that covers the entire wall behind the chair.

  The painting depicts the opulent interior of a palace, where a human, dressed as a butler, stabs a gorgeously dressed and extraordinarily handsome god with a dagger from behind.

  The god, who had been listening to a Zerg queen's report, turns back to look at the human butler with a face full of disbelief.

  Opposite the god, several Zerg queens, prostrate on the ground, lift their heads in shock at the scene.

  Beside the human stands a tall, fierce-looking wolf guard, who appears both aggressive and slightly excited, extending his claws toward the god.

  In the corners of the palace, on the walls, and in the void, countless grotesque and enormous beasts watch with varied expressions.

  This painting, known as "The Deicide," is the most widely circulated depiction of god-slaying in the empire.

  Even though Aaron has seen this painting before, he can't help but be drawn to it once more.

  Archie plops down into a chair draped with white bearskin, propping his legs up on the table's edge.

  In the center of the table lies a pile of herbs in various shapes.

  "Aaron, check the quality of these herbs. As usual, pick out the valuable ones and discard those that are worthless or poisonous," Archie instructs.

  "Got it, Mr. Archie," Aaron replies, pulling his gaze away from "The Deicide."

  He nods in agreement, picking up an herb to examine it while jotting down notes on its value.

  This isn't the first time Aaron has done this kind of work.

  The Mystery Tungsten Mine is located in a remote wilderness, where few people venture. Archie, often bored, goes out hunting and searching for herbs. Once he finds them, he has Aaron identify which are valuable. The valuable herbs are then sold to the Hunter Union by those transporting supplies.

  Initially, Archie didn't trust Aaron's judgment on the herbs.

  He would have others verify the herbs Aaron deemed worthless. After several instances proved Aaron's expertise, Archie stopped doubting him.

  In truth, Aaron never keeps anything for himself; he genuinely discards herbs that are either useless or poisonous.

  The herbs Aaron uses for potion-making come from the regular guards, who are much easier to deal with than Archie.

  When Archie searches for herbs, he at least brings back those that look good and are somewhat rare. On the other hand, the guards who sneak out have little knowledge of herb value. Their experience is limited, so they end up bringing back all sorts of "herbs" as if they're just pulling weeds, hoping to find something worthwhile.

  Half an hour later, Aaron sorts the herbs into two piles.

  "Mr. Archie, the yield from these herbs is quite good this time. This pile is worth approximately seven hundred and sixty gold coins, with a fluctuation of no more than thirty coins. This other pile is useless."

  Aaron hands Archie a paper listing the names and values of the herbs. Archie takes it, nodding repeatedly, clearly pleased.

  In the fortress city, a night with a prostitute costs half a gold coin. This pile of herbs promises countless enjoyable nights.

  Across from Archie, on the guest sofa, sits a slightly overweight man in his forties, fiddling with a lighter.

  Watching Aaron leave with the worthless herbs, he remarks with some frustration, "Of all the mines I supply, yours is the most troublesome. Coming all this way is exhausting, and yet there's no gain."

  The mines are all located in the wilderness, far from the city. Every ten days or so, someone comes to deliver supplies to the mine personnel and collect the ore.

  Theodore is one of the Rhine Consortium's supply transport managers.

  Like Archie, the higher-ups at other mines, bored in their remote locations, often go out to gather herbs for him to sell.

  These muscle-bound brutes have little understanding of herb value, so Theodore always makes a lot of profit.

  But here at the Mystery Tungsten Mine, there's a Pharmacist, which is a real headache for him.

  "Come on! I haven't held it against you for all the times you've overcharged me in the past, so don't push your luck," Archie retorts.

  "By the way, what's the name of this little Pharmacist? Would you be willing to let him come with me?" Theodore asks with interest.

  "Come with you? You're dreaming," Archie replies.

  "Don't look at me like that. It's not about taking him away to cheat you out of herb money. I want to introduce him to the consortium's potion company. Introducing a Pharmacist comes with a substantial reward, and we can split it fifty-fifty."

  Pharmacists are rare and valuable because they must master the knowledge of thousands of herbs with varying medicinal properties found in the wilderness.

  This is just the basic, entry-level requirement for a Pharmacist.

  Beyond that, they need to understand the chemical reactions between herbs, from simple combinations of two herbs to complex mixtures involving dozens or even hundreds.

  These intricate and precise herbal chemical formulas deter many from pursuing the field.

  While force adepts are easy to find, pharmacists are in high demand.

  As a result, various factions are eager to recruit talented pharmacists.