The Well of Lazus, known by all the slaves as the gate to death. Everyone who had ever been thrown into it was never seen again.
In front of this well stood Mihon, both hands tied behind his back. Behind him were two guards, both wearing satisfied expressions.
Mihon's gamble was extremely risky, and he was fully aware of the situation—yet his own intuition had led him down this path.
"The greatest rewards come during the hardest moments," Mihon thought to himself, staring into the depth of the well.
"I hope you now understand and think about what you've done, because there's no turning back," one of the guards exclaimed with a satisfied smile.
The other guard, the one with the injured leg, took a few light steps toward Mihon and, leaning close to his ear, spoke:
"Boy, if you beg for mercy and get on your knees to ask for forgiveness, I might spare you from this punishment."
The offer hit like a bucket of cold water. It was Mihon's last chance to avoid his fate—he only had to lower his head and forget his pride as a man.
In response, Mihon curved his lips into a twisted smile and answered:
"I hope your leg takes a year to heal."
What was the point of living without honor? Better to die a brave man than live like a coward.
It's like being dead already.
That was the conclusion Mihon reached in an instant. The guard's face turned red with rage from the humiliation.
"Fine then! Die, bastard, and may the rats eat you until there's nothing left!" the guard shouted, then untied Mihon's arms.
Mihon closed his eyes and waited. In an instant, his body was pushed into the emptiness of the well. It felt as if he were a feather floating in the air.
1, 2, 3... 10... 15...
Mihon counted the seconds as he fell, not consumed by fear or any negative emotion. He had already prepared himself.
16... 20... 25...
Bam!
It wasn't until he reached the number 25 that his body hit the bottom.
The pain spread instantly through Mihon's body—the fall had been too much for the body of a young slave.
Only after the body fully processed the shock did the real problems begin.
"Shit, I'm going to die," was the only thing Mihon could think as he slowly felt his consciousness slipping away.
His breathing quickened, his muscles felt lighter, and little by little he began to lose consciousness until his eyes closed completely.
***
!Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
"Wha... what's... Didn't I die?" the boy muttered as he woke up from the loud sounds.
Bit by bit, he regained consciousness. He hadn't died—but the pain in his muscles and fractured bones was undeniable.
"I'm not dead, but I'm definitely not in the best condition," Mihon thought as he struggled to sit up.
Ding!
Ding!
"Alright, alright, I'm coming."
Still in pain, Mihon grabbed the phone from his pocket and decided to turn it on.
Unlike him, who had taken significant damage, the smartphone was in perfect condition—not a scratch on it.
[The host has little time left to complete the trial mission]
[Time remaining: 10 hours]
Mihon's face turned pale instantly. He had assumed he would have plenty of time to complete the mission, but that wasn't the case.
He had been unconscious for two whole days!
Compared to death, this should've felt more satisfying—but it didn't when he remembered he had something important to do.
"Shit, I need to hurry and start mining," he said to himself, trying to move.
Even though every small movement caused him immense pain, Mihon decided to push through, and with great effort, managed to stand.
After touching his body in several places, he could assess the damage.
"Half my ribs are broken, my left shoulder is dislocated, and my right leg is slightly fractured."
The injuries were serious, but luck had spared him from becoming paralyzed or completely immobile.
The darkness at the bottom of the well was pushed back by the light of the phone, allowing Mihon to see the scene.
Several skulls and bones were scattered all over the bottom of the well—among them, the lifeless body of the Awakened from the day before.
"This is a cruel kingdom," Mihon thought, trying not to vomit.
Don't get it twisted—it's not that Mihon was heartless or lacked feelings.
It's that after dedicating his former life to the fake world of entertainment, Mihon had learned to wear masks.
Masks that even protected him from himself—right now, he was wearing the mask of indifference.
"Let's begin the search," the boy exclaimed as he crouched toward the bodies.
He searched them one by one for anything that could help him mine. Though there wasn't a full pickaxe, he did find several useful items.
A piece of armor, a sturdy legplate, and several daggers. With a little ingenuity, Mihon managed to build an improvised pickaxe.
He approached the wall of the well, and despite the pain of moving his arms, Mihon began to dig.
!Tock, tock, tock!
!Tock, tock, tock!
Seconds passed, then minutes. After three hours, Mihon sat down to rest.
Due to the poor quality of his tool, mining was painfully slow compared to using a real pickaxe.
"God, everything hurts. I'm hungry and thirsty."
Mihon lowered his head, feeling like he was going insane. This was the lowest point of both his lives.
"But I can't give up," he declared to himself, forcing himself to stand again.
Before resuming, Mihon decided to attach some of the rocks he had mined to the pickaxe, then returned to his task.
Another three hours passed as Mihon kept swinging his now-weak arms.
"That... one's different."
Mihon's eyes caught a particular stone—its color was a bright blue, as if the sky had fallen into it.
"God of luck, please help me," Mihon said, pulling out his smartphone and placing it next to the stone.
There was no time left—only four hours. If this didn't work, it would officially be the end.
!Switttk!
To his surprise, the stone clung to the phone like a magnet, slowly releasing tiny sparks.
The corners of Mihon's lips curved into a smile as he watched the scene and read the message on his screen.
[Trial Mission: Completed]