Tock, tock, tock.
The sharp sound of stone and metal being smashed echoed through the air.
"Huh? Where… am I?"
The noise rattled Mihon Drake's mind as he slowly opened his eyes. He had been unconscious for a while.
Little by little, his senses adjusted to the scene in front of him. Sparks danced in the air with every strike, and dozens of people, all dressed the same, swung pickaxes with ferocious energy.
Tock, tock, tock.
"Is this… a mine?" he muttered to himself, still trying to process what he was seeing.
Just the night before, he'd been having a business meeting with his manager to discuss a potential collaboration. As one of the top streamers in the United States, Mihon was under constant pressure to keep his numbers up.
His relationship with his manager had been rocky lately, but Mihon thought things had cooled down. That's why he invited him to dinner.
"Hey, slave! What are you doing lying there? Get to work!" barked a muscular man in knight-like armor, approaching Mihon with a whip in hand.
Mihon didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed a pickaxe nearby—assuming it was his—and started smashing at the rocks.
<
As he drifted in and out of thoughts, a young man with silver hair approached him. After checking to make sure the guard wasn't watching, he leaned in and whispered:
"Hey, Brush… What happened to you earlier? We thought you'd died of exhaustion like the others."
Mihon's eyes widened. He didn't recognize the guy, and he was sure no one had ever called him "Brush" before.
He could've made a scene… but what was the point? He needed answers first.
"No… I just fainted for a second. I'm fine. I've got a bit of a headache, though… and I don't remember much. Can you tell me who I am and what's going on?"
The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow, puzzled, but after a glance at Mihon's face, he let out a sigh and checked for the guard before replying quietly:
"We're in the Kingdom of Lazus. We're slaves from a city that got wiped out—Prima. The kingdom used its royal dragon to burn it to the ground. Our fathers were slaughtered. Our mothers and sisters… taken. And we, the children, were brought here to work in the mines."
With that, everything clicked in Mihon's mind.
He had reincarnated in another world.
His manager had probably poisoned him, and after dying, his soul ended up inside this "Brush" kid—who had likely died of overwork too.
In high school, people mocked Mihon for liking fantasy stories—magic, reincarnation, other worlds. Even as one of the world's top streamers, he never stopped enjoying those tales. They made him feel like he could be more than just "the funny guy online."
He'd always dreamed of being the main character in a novel. But not like this.
Why couldn't he be like the others? With an SSS-rank power? A harem? A mythical beast companion?
Being a slave in a mine was the last thing he'd ever wanted. Mihon bit his lip in frustration.
"Hey… Do you have a mirror or something I can use to see my face?" he asked.
"There's something like that… the lake where they let us bathe. But we can only go there after the shift ends."
"I see. Thanks. Then let's get to work," Mihon said, with a spark of determination.
***
The hours that followed were pure hell. No, worse than hell—hell inside of hell.
At first, Mihon swung the pickaxe with all the speed and strength he could muster. But after only five minutes, his muscles screamed for rest. And if he dared to stop even for a second, a guard would whip him on the spot.
Still… it was better than collapsing and dying, like several others had already done that day.
"God… I can't take this anymore," Mihon groaned, dragging his legs toward the lake, utterly drained.
His entire body ached. Compared to this, the gym felt like a walk in the park.
"Maybe the lake will help you remember who you are, Brush," said the silver-haired boy as he stepped into the water.
Mihon pushed himself forward until he finally reached the lake. There, for the first time, he saw his reflection.
In his past life, he'd been a fairly tall guy with black hair and emerald-green eyes—perfect for a streamer. But this body was small and scrawny, malnourished, with blond hair and sky-blue eyes.
His face was dirty, hard to see clearly, but Mihon figured… with some food and grooming, he could probably pass for a decent-looking guy.
<
To his surprise, the moment he touched the lake, his body began to feel lighter. Golden particles shimmered in the water around him.
"Surprised? They call it the Lake of the Solar City. It heals your body a little… just enough so they can work you to death again tomorrow," said the boy, relaxing in the water.
Time flew by. Mihon quickly bonded with the silver-haired boy, whose name was Demian.
Later, they were given a small piece of bread for dinner. After that, everyone was inspected, then marched to a barn outside the mines where they were supposed to sleep.
"God, what a hell of a day…" Mihon grumbled.
Why didn't he get a special ability like the other reincarnators? Being a slave sucks.
That was the thought echoing in his head as he collapsed onto what was supposed to be his bed: a messy pile of hay.
"Right now, I'd be checking my socials… What's the point of living in a boring magical world?" he muttered, shutting his eyes.
Ding.
But he didn't keep them closed for long. A familiar sound made them snap open again.
"Wait a sec… Was that—?"
Ding.
There was no doubt. That was the sound of a phone notification.
But how? That couldn't be possible in a fantasy world.
Ding.
The sound returned, and Mihon didn't think twice. He started digging through the hay, tossing it aside until his hands touched something cold. Something metallic.
Without hesitation, he grabbed it and looked.
It was his old phone.
The one his parents had given him in his previous life.
Ding.
The screen lit up.
[Welcome, Host.]