Huh? Where…? Noah stopped her steps among the crowd of people and looked down at the floor. She could see a planked ground, not a bricked pavement. “Uh?”

It wasn’t until she looked back with a frown that Noah realized what kind of group she was now in. Behind her, she could see a letter clearly engraved on a thick iron column that said ‘Gate 3’.

“All necessary supplies are provided below, so don’t worry! Lucy, put the lever down!”

The ground rattled. Noah, along with Muell, blinked blankly and followed the crowd as they drifted upward.

“Well…?”

And about ten minutes later, they found themselves in work clothes colored blue, wearing helmets with headlights attached. They were dragging their pickaxes along the miners’ herd.

When did I suddenly become a miner… Hey, who wants to tell me why this happened? They trailed after the miners, and a chuckle fell from Noah’s lips. Of course, she had been planning to go down the mine, so there was no need to freak out and go back, but she also found her situation kind of funny.

One floor down from the gate was a supply room with miners’ work clothes and equipment. When Noah had changed into the appropriate clothes, bringing with them tools, the supervisor pushed her to follow the crowd while she carried Muell in her arms.

Should I just think positively? she thought. She had nothing to do at night anyway, and since Muell had said the team would be replaced in six hours, they would be able to return by midnight. Until then, she could take a tour around the mine.

The road to the mine was not as dark and bumpy as she had vaguely imagined. Bright lanterns hung on both sides, and both the floor and walls were covered with thick plywood, making the path easy to walk on. “Hey, is this the way we go to the workshop?” Noah asked the man who was one step ahead.

“Yes. If you go straight through this road, you’ll see a door leading to the mine wall. Beyond the door, we take the train across each floor.”

“Each floor? Do you happen to know where this team is going?”

“We’re not mine slaves, so no matter how deep we go, we’ll only get to the middle floor. You must be in a hurry to bring your child, so don’t worry too much. We’re going to team up with the miners anyway.”

The crowd was to be divided in pairs comprising the person who searches for the location where Mane Ore was buried with a mana detection tool and the person who unearths the ore by directing a pickaxe. The role of the navigator is to merely hold a detection stick and a lamp, so it is reasonable for ordinary people with no experience to play the role.

Originally, only the mine slaves worked, but now they were mobilizing commoners owing to the lack of manpower.

When they had reached the gate, the miners who arrived earlier stood there waiting. As soon as Noah saw them, she realized at once what the word ‘mine slave’ meant. She had expected them to be pale, as they were unable to bask under the sun most of their days, but their bodies were sculpted with muscles forged by pickaxing.

Many miners wore loose sleeveless shirts under the protective gear, revealing their firm biceps. But most of them had tired, dark faces. Some men openly smoked pipes.

Well, given the arduous conditions they had been working under, they would eventually degrade themselves to a slave.

Certainly, they were stripped of their rights, and unfortunately, they were oblivious of it. While Noah clicked her tongue in dismay, the director went around and began to pair them.

“Now, the young man, come down to the second basement with Arnold. The lady there goes to the third floor with this one. Kid, you go with this guy. Well, the lady there…” The director stopped in front of Noah, looked around, and found a miner who had not yet been paired with a partner.

I hope you’re not too much of a burden. She would have to be left out anyway to roam around the mine alone, but it was only possible if she was paired with someone who wasn’t hard to overpower. Noah glanced at the miners with a nasty impression as if threatening.Suddenly, the director opened his eyes wide as he looked over her shoulders. “Oh, you had a partner. I’m sorry, miss.”

“Pardon?”

“You must have been confused. The area is on the eighth floor.”

“Yes, yes…”

Muell, who was hugging Noah, tilted his head. If he had a bad impression, he would have shown discomfort, but unexpectedly, the little boy was calm. He even stretched his arms over Noah’s shoulder.

In wonder, Noah slightly twisted her head, looking up, and there was a man in a black suspenders, unlike the other workers. Their difference in physique and height was enough for Noah to recognize him without having to check his face. Her heart thumped.

The man leaned his torso toward Noah and whispered in a small voice, “The roads are uneven down here. You might fall if you carry your child.”

Before Noah could answer, he took Muell and held him in his arms. At the same time, the supervisor waved his arms and shouted, “Group 8! Get down fast!”

As soon as Noah was about to turn around and look at his face, the voice of the supervisor, which had grown five times louder, bellowed in front of the gate. A big hand held her shoulder and urged her forward.

The gate to the mine was slowly opening.