Gacha System: Reborn In The Hardest World
Chapter 42: Soldier of Mastorn

Chapter 42: Soldier of Mastorn

The sound immediately filled his ears as he snuck in; constant smashing and grunting. Endlessly, the miners swung their pickaxes, hacking away at the veins of glowing stones.

A rugged man drenched in sweat dropped his tool, collapsing to a knee. Not a moment later, one of the soldiers ran over, delivering a swift kick to the miner’s back.

"Get up! You haven’t met your quota yet!" The Mastorn soldier barked.

"Grhh...!" The miner winced as he collapsed on the ground.

It was the same everywhere Gael looked; people overworked, looking as if they’d hardly eaten or seen the sunlight in days.

’This is awful. This is what Mastorn is all about—I see that,’ he thought, observing from the unseen.

There was a seemingly endless amount of resources to be mined; crystals that glowed with azure light were embedded into the stone, sprawling throughout the earth. It was clear to him that Mastorn planned to completely work the miners to death.

He maintained his composure, observing the section of the mine he found himself in, going from left to right–

There was a soldier posted at the left, standing atop a wooden platform, overseeing it all; he seemed to be of higher rank than the ones on the ground.

’Two...Three,’ he counted, ’I can handle that. First, I need to try and get a better weapon.’

Tucking himself being a protrusion of rocks, he relinquished his invisibility as he quietly invoked his power, "SSR Summon: Weapon."

[SSR Weapon Summoning Initiated.]

If there was any time to use his [SSR Ticker], he felt now was a good opportunity, hoping for something he could rely on as the light bubbled up behind the rock.

[Weapon Permanently Obtained: (SSR) "The Order of Assassins"]

What manifested into his hand was a short, black blade; a dagger, so dark that it seemed impossible to be touched by light. As he wrapped his fingers around the handle, an unusually high focus cleared his mind.

’I feel...different while holding this–I can think with absolute clarity. What else can this do?’ He wondered.

As he stood up from behind the rocks, he immediately turned his body invisible as he set his sights for the soldier atop the wooden platform. He ascended the steps, moving with a lightness he hadn’t felt before, only able to attribute it to his new weapon.

With a quick left turn, he reached the top of the platform, finding the soldier’s back turned to him. He moved in quickly, relinquishing his invisibility at the moment he got within striking distance.

["I can’t hesitate. This is a war for survival–so I can’t think twice."]

Before the figure in snow-white armor could even recognize his presence, he plunged his blade into his neck from behind. The black blade slipped right through the armor as if it were made of paper mache.

As the faceless soldier made a painful grunt, he dragged the blade out, opening the wound as nothing but gargles of blood left the mouth of the target.

[EXP: +500] [1000/8000]

With the removal of the blade, the armored man’s body fell limp, smacking against the platform with a loud clang–

"Who’s there?!"

"An attack!"

–As the other soldiers in that area were alarmed, he immediately returned to the unseen. Swords were drawn as the sound of steel echoed through the mines. He nimbly hopped over the edge of the platform to a drop of a half dozen meters.

The muscles in his legs swelled, stiffening as he fortified his landing, somehow making no noise as he watched the soldiers aimlessly look for him.

’I’ll take out the left one first,’ he planned.

The closest soldier to him was still looking towards the wooden ledge above, waving his sword around without any sense of direction. It was easy enough for him to close in, piercing the blade right through his enemy’s throat.

"Grrk!--" The soldier spat blood through the helmet, dropping his sword in the process.

[EXP: +300] [1300/8000]

As quickly as he withdrew the sable dagger, he found the other soldier already beside him. He stepped back as the sword came down, only inches away from splitting his head open.

’I guess even if they can’t see me, they can logically deduce where I am...Shit, can’t hold this any longer,’

A throbbing in his lungs similar to holding his breath for too long forced him to relinquish his invisibility. As he showed himself, the pale-armored soldier faced him down, clenching the handle of his sword steadily.

"You’re an Outlander, aren’t you?" The Mastorn soldier asked, calmly raising his blade. "A murderer. A monster like the rest. I’ll cut you down for what you did to my brothers-in-arms."

"That’s big talk coming from somebody that’s using slave labor," Gael said, glancing at the miners who trembled by the veins of minerals.

One look at the skin of the workers, completely covered in dust with malnourished bodies was enough to decide the conditions were inhuman.

The soldier scoffed, "A small price to pay for the salvation of mankind. Don’t pretend to have any care for this world to which you don’t belong, Outlander."

"Nothing I say means anything to you, does it?" Gael asked, squeezing the handle of his dagger as he faced the man down.

"No more than a snake’s hiss," the soldier confirmed.

There was nothing left but to lunge forward, aiming to slash the armored man’s neck as he was met halfway. Compared to the last soldier he took down, the one before him was noticeably faster and cleaner in his technique, swinging his sword in an arch that forced him to evade rather than attack.

’The guy I took out first was the higher rank of the three, right–? This guy feels entirely different,’ he thought, sliding himself back.

As quickly as he placed a few steps between himself and the soldier, his reflexes forced him to duck down as the figure was already in front of him again. A slash went right over his head, causing the wind to shriek from the sharpness of the motion.

With a glance up, the air shifted; an orange glow filled his vision as he directed his complete strength to his legs. He launched himself backwards just as a ball of fire crashed down at the spot he stood.

As he looked up, he saw the soldier pointing his index finger in his direction as embers swirled, coalescing into a burning sphere before–

"Fireball," the soldier invoked.

It launched right for him like a speeding bullet, forcing him to duck down as it passed right against his cheek. Even if it only lasted for a fraction of a second, it burned, distracting him for a single moment.

’Magic? Normal soldiers can use–?’ He thought.

There was no time to think as he returned his gaze in front of him, finding the faceless swordsman already in front of him. As the sword came up, he naturally leaned to the right, letting it pass right in front of his face.

He watched the glistening silver narrowly avoid slicing the tip of his nose, consciously witnessing it miss.

’This dagger–it’s enhancing my reflexes?’ He theorized.

As the soldier unleashed a series of slashes, aiming for his vitals each time, he weaves between each strike, using the dagger to deflect the blade.

"You’re working for Galios, aren’t you? Of course you are. Those heathens are so desperate for power they allow the ranks such as yourself," the soldier denounced, spinning to the side as he swung his blade in a sideways arc.

Gael saw the path of the sword clearly, stepping back as he sucked his stomach in, letting it miss his abdomen, "--What about it?!"

"You won’t accomplish anything here. Even if I can’t stop you–" the swordsman threatened, bringing the sword back up.

Bringing his boot down in a stomp, Gael ushered in a shock wave, stunning the soldier enough to give himself an opening. In that split-second, he let his dagger sink right through the pale armor, skewering the heart of his enemy.

The soldier spat out blood, "--I don’t need to stop you...They will."

"Who–?"

An answer failed to be given as he pulled his blade away, watching the dying soldier’s finger point right at him as swirling flames gathered.

"...Fireball...!"

As the blazing element erupted right in front of him, he flexed his entire body, hardening his skin until he became as rigid as stone–FWOOM. All he could do was flinch as the heat erupted against his body, finding himself engulfed in smoke as his boots slid across the gravel.

[EXP: +1000] [2300/8000]

"...Haah. Crazy bastard," Gael mumbled, coughing out as the smog dissipated.

Looking down at his body, his uniform was left somewhat tattered with light burns left on his skin, though it was nothing worth stopping over. What left more of a mark was his parting encounter with the soldier, seeing the faceless swordsman lying lifelessly on the ground.

’What the hell is wrong with the people in Mastorn? The hate they have for people like me...It borders on fanaticism,’ he thought.

Holding his right arm as it took the brunt of the fire, he breathed out, glancing over at the miners who looked too in shock to continue working.

"Everything is going to be alright–" He assured the workers.

As he relayed the words, a piercing sound filled his ears, followed by a sharp pain that ran through his shoulder.