7:00 PM
The northern skies over Ursus had long since darkened, shrouded in thick, unnatural black clouds—the lingering remnants of a past natural disaster. With the moonlight completely obscured, Mandel City was drowned in pitch-black silence.
The Death mercenary team, consisting of nine operatives led by ACE, moved cautiously through the ruined streets. Alongside them were Vina and her Glasgow Gang members, bringing their total to twenty. Each step was measured, careful, as they pressed forward into the unknown.
A sharp crack broke the silence.
"Oof!" Yoren stumbled over loose rubble, nearly pitching forward.
A firm grip caught his arm from behind, steadying him before he could fall.
"Careful, you idiot," Kate murmured.
Yoren sighed in frustration. That was the fifth time he'd tripped tonight.
Indra led the group up front, guiding the way alongside other Glasgow members. ACE's Death squad secured the rear. Even though Yoren was positioned in the safest part of the formation, he kept finding ways to get himself bruised.
He shot Kate an apologetic smile, but in the pitch-black surroundings, he could barely make out his friend's face.
This was a major problem.
The gang members up front, mostly Filin, had exceptional night vision thanks to their race. Aslan like Vina were just as adept—big cats were nocturnal hunters, after all. Even the Vaifan members had an edge, able to distinguish shapes and movement in the dark.
Meanwhile, Death operatives like ACE had night vision goggles.
And then there was Yoren—the only true blind man in the group.
A small tug at his sleeve snapped him out of his self-pity.
A timid voice came from behind.
"Brother Yoren… please don't walk too fast. I can't see anything right now, and… I'm a little scared."
Yoren nearly teared up.
Finally! Someone else at the bottom of the visual food chain! Snowsant was just as helpless in the dark as he was.
He reached back and took her small hand. "It's fine. I'll guide you. If we trip, at least we'll go down together."
Vina stopped abruptly and handed Yoren a small, palm-sized object.
"Here. Use this."
Yoren took the cool metal square, puzzled. "What is it?"
"A dim light. There's a switch—try turning it on."
Fumbling for a moment, he found a tiny button and pressed it.
Click.
A soft, milky-white glow spread out, illuminating a small radius of two or three meters. It wasn't much, but in the pitch black of Mandel City, it was a lifesaver.
Yoren beamed. "This is amazing! But… won't it expose our position?"
Vina shook her head. "No. The light from these lamps has extremely weak propagation. Beyond a few meters, it completely vanishes. Unless someone's already right on top of us, they won't notice. And if they are that close, they'd detect us even without the light. So don't worry."
Feeling more confident, Yoren lifted the dim lamp higher. "This thing is insane. Who invented it? Does it use a battery? How long does it last?"
Vina smirked. "It runs on a B-grade Originium core. Even if you left it on for half a year, it wouldn't die."
Yoren froze.
"…Wait. Did you say Originium?"
Realization hit him like a freight train. He had been happily holding the lamp near his face.
This thing has Originium in it?! His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
Snowsant tugged at his sleeve again. "Brother Yoren, if you're scared of getting Oripathy, you can give it to me. I'm not afraid anymore."
Was he really about to toss this potential plague lantern to Snowsant just because he was afraid?
Yoren forced a grin. "No, it's fine! I'll hold onto it. There's tons of Originium all over this city anyway. No way I'm that unlucky, right? Haha… ha…"
His fingers stiffened slightly.
Vina chuckled at his unease. "You really don't know anything about Originium quality, do you?"
"Huh? Originium has grades?"
Vina sighed, exasperated. "Kate, explain it to him."
Kate smirked. "Got it."
If Yoren had learned one thing today, it was that Kate was the gang's walking encyclopedia. Whether it was combat, logistics, or whatever the hell was going on with Originium, Kate seemed to know it all.
Kate cleared his throat. "Alright, listen up. Originium is standardized globally. Every processed Originium unit weighs 450 grams. All machinery and equipment are designed around this fixed size."
Yoren nodded. "Like battery sizes. Machines need a specific type or they won't work, right?"
"Exactly. But beyond size, Originium is also divided into three grades: B, A, and S. S-grade is the highest purity—often called 'pure Originium.' It forms at the core of Originium clusters after a natural disaster and has the highest energy concentration. You'll almost never see it on the market. Only national institutions have access to it."
"So it's that rare… What about A and B?"
"A-grade is high-quality Originium. It forms in the outer layers of Originium clusters. While not as concentrated as S-grade, it's still the real deal and is used in heavy industrial equipment, large transport vehicles, and military applications. Extremely valuable.
"B-grade Originium is a byproduct of refining—it contains traces of real Originium but is mostly synthetic. It's what fuels everyday things: lighting, vehicle fuel, heating, cooling, and agriculture. Some smaller countries even use it in weapons research."
Yoren finally understood.
No wonder Originium was so precious. It was the backbone of everything in Terra—far more valuable than any resource he had known in his own world.
"Can these different grades be bought?" he asked.
Kate shook his head. "Not S-grade. Countries hoard it because it's directly tied to their power. Even A-grade is heavily regulated—most nations require strict monitoring of its use. Though… that doesn't stop private deals. Like what we're doing."
"And B-grade?"
"That's freely available, as long as you have the money. But even though it's common, it's expensive."
Everything clicked into place.
Originium wasn't just a resource—it was control.
If someone could monopolize Originium production, they wouldn't just hold power over industry. They'd hold power over nations.
Yoren exhaled slowly, gripping the dim light a little tighter.
A force capable of controlling Originium…
…would be able to control the entire world.
After listening to Kate's explanation, Yoran finally understood the classification of Originium.
He raised the dim light in his hand, its glow flickering weakly. "So, this means the Originium in this toy is B-grade?"
Kate nodded. "That's right."
Yoran examined the light closely. "But you said B-grade still contains Originium components. Doesn't that mean there's a risk of infection?"
Kate smiled knowingly. "No, that's the point I was getting to."
"Oh?"
"Regardless of quality, once Originium is processed into a final product, a special coating is applied to its surface. This completely isolates the pathogenic radiation it emits. That's why an ordinary person can hold it without any risk of contracting mineral sickness."
Yoran blinked. "Wait—so why don't we just..."
Kate cut him off. "I know what you're thinking: why don't we coat our bodies in the same substance? In fact, our masks already contain it. But most people misunderstand Originium."
Yoran was intrigued. "How so?"
"People assume Originium is the direct cause of mineral sickness, but that's not entirely true. Raw Originium does increase the risk, but the actual cause of infection is the residual elements in the air after a natural disaster. Originium itself doesn't exist naturally; it forms as a reaction to the lingering elements left behind. In a way, Originium is the world's way of compensating for destruction."
Yoran suddenly understood. He had always thought Originium was inherently dangerous, but the true danger was the invisible remnants of catastrophe. The reason people became infected was because untreated Originium carried trace amounts of these residual elements. As long as it was coated properly, there was no threat at all.
The Glasgow Gang had been infected because the Originium they transported was unrefined—a semi-finished product that still carried that risk.
Yoran looked at Kate with newfound respect. This kid might really have been a doctor before joining the gang. His understanding of Originium was that thorough.
At that moment, something glittered in the corner of Yoran's eye. He stopped, raising the dim light.
At the base of a crumbling wall, a cluster of frozen, crystalline material caught the glow. It was translucent, reflecting a faint golden light from within.
Yoran pointed. "What's that?"
Vina stepped forward, eyes narrowing as they locked onto the object. A rare flicker of excitement crossed her face.
"That's an Originium Cluster."
The moment she spoke, the group halted and gathered around.
The cluster, no larger than a hand, looked like a petrified aloe vera plant—except its leaves were golden, rigid, and square.
A tense silence filled the air as everyone stared at the small but immensely valuable formation.
Vina reached out, stopping just before her fingertips could brush its surface. Her voice was quiet, almost reverent. "Something this small... and yet, it's worth ten years of an ordinary worker's wages."
Yoran felt a weight settle in his chest. This was what drew people here. This was why so many were willing to risk their lives.
But Vina didn't hesitate. She straightened, brushing the dust from her hands. "Let's move. We need to get to City E first."
Despite the treasure before her, she didn't waver. No one knew when other forces would arrive, and staying in the open was a death sentence. They had to secure a safe location before thinking about collecting anything.
The group pressed forward. Yoran walked in the middle, holding Snowsant's small hand, the dim light swaying as they moved.
After thirty minutes, the surroundings changed. The buildings grew taller, the streets wider. Vina stopped at a rusted street sign and wiped away the grime.
The faded lettering barely remained: MDER-MS-7
"MDER stands for Mandel City. M means the main urban area. S is for south, and 7 is the street number," she explained. "We've passed urban area A. We're now on the seventh street in the South District."
Ahead lay a wide-open plaza, with branching roads leading further into the ruins.
Vina exhaled. "We rest here."
"Understood."
She turned to ACE. "Your team, keep watch."
"No problem," ACE responded, signaling his men.
Next, she pulled Indra aside, lowering her voice. "Scout ahead. Find the shortest route to the North District. If possible, climb to a high vantage point and see which path leads directly to City E."
"Got it," Indra nodded.
Yoran frowned. "She's going alone? What if there's danger?"
"Indra's not just a fighter," Vina reassured him. "Her recon skills are top-notch. She'll be fine."
Still uneasy, Yoran turned to Indra. "Be careful."
She shot him a brief glance before disappearing into the ruins.
The group settled in. Some drank water, others checked their gear. Yoran led Snowsant to a streetlamp base, leaning against it.
"Thirsty?" he asked.
"A little."
"Hold on, I'll get my canteen."
As he reached for the bottle on his belt, something caught his attention.
A shadow.
Just beyond the dim light's reach, in the corner of a ruined building.
Yoran hesitated, eyes narrowing. He slowly raised the light, inching it forward to illuminate the figure.
Silence.
The entire city felt deathly still. The surrounding darkness swallowed everything beyond the small glow of their lamps.
Yoran stared at the shape for two long seconds.
Then, his breath caught in his throat. His pupils constricted. The dim light slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.
His voice came out as a sharp gasp. "Damn—it's a person!"
Before he could react further, a firm hand grabbed his collar and yanked him backward. ACE moved like lightning, pulling Yoran behind him while stepping forward in a defensive stance.
At the same time, Vina and Kate sprang into action. They immediately pulled Snowsant behind them, shielding her from view.
Vina raised her war hammer. Kate positioned her battle axe across her chest. The rest of the team fell into formation, weapons drawn, encircling Yoran at the center.
A deadly silence hung over them. The tension was suffocating.
Vina's eyes locked onto the corner. Her grip on the hammer tightened, her voice cold and sharp.
"Listen up. The moment they move..."
...
We kill them.