Chapter 11: Dying Wish XI
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John passed the other miners. Their faces were hollow. Afraid. But in some of their eyes he saw more. A flicker. A spark.
They had watched him stand. They had seen him command. They followed. One by one.
By the time he reached the tunnel’s main passage, ten men trailed behind him. Some limped. Others leaned on each other. All of them carried the weight of chains that were no longer fastened.
John stopped. The passage forked ahead. One path led deeper. The other led out. He turned to them.
"You can leave if you want," he said. "No one will stop you now."
No one moved. John looked at the walls. The mana veins pulsed faintly. The System spoke in his mind once more.
[Ding! Resource detected. High concentration. Extraction possible. Mana signature suitable for forging Trade grade tools.]
He stepped toward the wall and pressed his palm against it. The glow brightened. The System whispered again.
[Would you like to absorb this material?]
"Yes"
Energy flowed into his hand. It was not heat or liquid. It was pure pressure. The weight of potential compressed into light. It flooded through his arm and vanished into his chest.