Athena circled around the mountain, Elandor trailing silently beside her. He had long since decided it was best to just watch—and maybe pray she didn't blow anything up.
As they came closer to the mountain, Athena realized what she had actually seen wasn't a house at all. It was the roof of a storehouse. No... not just one.
Rows and rows of storage structures were hidden at the base of the mountain, cleverly concealed by the natural landscape.
But her attention quickly shifted.
Right below the mountain, almost blending into the rocky surface, was an entrance.
Without hesitation, she began walking toward it.
"Ah, Your Highness, I don't think that's advisable," Elandor finally spoke, voice tight.
"It's fine. Wait out here," Athena said, waving a hand to hush him.
Her hand instinctively moved to her pockets, searching for her phone...
Only to curse under her breath.
Right. No phones here.
The dark entrance loomed in front of her, its yawning blackness unsettling. It reminded her far too much of a dragon's cave.
She paused at the threshold, narrowed her eyes, and mentally called out.
[Yes, Host.]
The system's calm voice answered immediately.
Athena exhaled slowly. Fine.
If anything went wrong, she could just teleport out. Losing 10 development points was nothing compared to losing her life.
She turned back one last time, catching Elandor's worried expression.
"Relax," she said with a grin. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Without waiting for a reply, she stepped into the darkness.
Athena stuck close to the wall, her fingers brushing the rough surface as she carefully made her way deeper into the dark cave. The deeper she went, the more the path seemed to widen, and the air grew colder, the silence heavy and pressing against her ears.
Soon, she came to a fork in the path. She paused, her gaze flicking between the three directions. To her left, to her right, and ahead, the walls suddenly caught her attention. They weren't just reflecting the faint light of the cave—they were glowing.
No, glowing wasn't the right word. It was more like veins of light, pulsating and flowing beneath the surface of the rock, glowing faintly in shades of blue. Athena's brow furrowed in curiosity. She reached out instinctively and touched the wall beside her.
The moment her fingers made contact, the veins pulsed and brightened in response. The light spread like ripples in water, expanding in soft waves across the rock's surface. She couldn't help but watch, fascinated by the sight.
[SYSTEM INITIATING...]
[Basic Ore Detected: Iron. Would you like to initiate a regional scan for mineral distribution?]
Iron ore? With bluish veins?
[The energy from the island's core has begun to affect the resources.]
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing" Athena asked totally unsure.
[Would you like to transfer basic mineral knowledge package? Recommended for hosts with limited scientific background.]
"Yes. Yes, please."
In an instant, a flood of knowledge surged into her mind—chemical structures, smelting processes, historical uses, even safety warnings. Her knees wobbled slightly, and she leaned against the rock wall.
She nodded slowly. "System,you said something about scanning."
[Oh yes. Scanning initiated...]
[Scan complete. Unrefined mineral clusters present: Iron ore – confirmed. Also detected – Slate.]
[System Notification: Extended regional scan initiated. Would Host like to receive a full geological report of the western territory?]
Athena raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Hit me with it."
[Processing... Scan complete. Displaying regional mineral map.]
Before her, a glowing 3D map unfolded in her mind. Dotted marks lit up in varying colors across a terrain that was all within the western portion of the island.
[ Mineral Sites Identified:
Iron & Slate: Current cave site and
Limestone & Sulfur: 600 meters from current position.
Copper Veins: Located approximately 2.5 kilometers southwest of current position, at the base of a small hill range.
Niter Deposits (Saltpeter): Found in shallow, dry caverns slightly north-west of the main cave—1.2 kilometers out.
Charcoal Pits (Old Growth Woods): A thick forested area west of the current estate, where traditional charcoal kilns can be set up. Trees are ideal for charcoal production.
Phosphorus Fragments: Unstable but extractable. Located near the niter caverns, likely remnants of ancient bird droppings and decayed flora over time. Moderate yield potential.]
Athena paused. Her head felt like it was on the verge of combusting—too much information, too fast. Every time her eyes skimmed over a mineral, its properties, industrial uses, melting points, even historical applications flew into her head like some divine download. She staggered a step and grabbed the cave wall for balance.
"System," she muttered, rubbing her temples, "be honest with me. Am I… a protagonist in a novel? Because all this—" she gestured around wildly at the ore-rich cave walls, the overgrown estate, "—it's too convenient. Too unreal. Why and how am I this lucky?"
[ Host. This is not a novel. This is real. It may not be Earth… but it is your reality now.]
Just as she was grinning, planning how she'd exploit it all, the system's cold voice sliced through her excitement:
[Host, it won't be that simple.]
Athena paused, her fingers still pressed against the glowing wall.
"What do you mean?" she narrowed her eyes.
[Some of The methods of extraction, refinement, and production will be converted into spells.]
[Magic will substitute for machinery.]
Athena frowned. "That's... fine, right? Teach me the spells."
The system chimed again — annoyingly cheerful:
[Knowledge is key.]
A screen popped up:
[New Mission: Open a School for Your People
Objective: Establish a functioning school and teach the basics of magic-based technology within a week.
Reward:
• Recruitment of 1 Spell Master
• Curse will be cured by 10% (Remaining: 70%)
Note:
At 50% curse removal, host will regain access to sealed powers.
Current access: 0%
Deadline: 7 days
Penalty:
• Pain suppression will be lifted.
• Full pain from the curse will resume.]
Athena stared blankly at the system prompt for a long moment.
"...You're serious," she muttered, deadpan.
[Very.]
She rubbed her face tiredly. "You want me to open a school ...in seven days."
[Correct.]
She breathed out slowly, an eye twitching.
"How am I supposed to open a school when I don't even have teachers, buildings, or even students that know their left from their right?" she snapped.
The system cheerfully added:
[Figure it out. Good luck, Host!]
The mission window blinked out.
Athena stood there for a long minute in complete silence, before she finally said:
"...I hate it here."
Turning around, she stomped back toward the entrance where Elandor was still waiting.
He raised an eyebrow when he saw her face.
"Something wrong, your Highness?"
Athena plastered a terrifyingly calm smile on her face.
"No, Elandor. Nothing's wrong at all. Everything is perfectly fine. Let's check out the storage."
There was at least a dozen of them,most were empty. They weren't dusty so whatever was in there should have been moved recently. Only two warehouses weren't empty and they contained tools.
She and Elandor walked down to the other estate,this one was more smaller but had the same designs. Unlike the other,it had just one 'dormitory' building.
There was a mine as well,just it wasn't hidden Like the other. She didn't bother walking in instead she searched the two warehouses that was beside it. One contained tools and the other contained mined Limestone.
'It seems they still haven't figured the use of Limestone',she thought. She pinged the location of the mines and had Elandor take them back.
In a blink, they were standing back in the village square.
Athena didn't even pause to catch her breath. She spun on her heel and made a beeline straight for Faelyn's stall.
The elf looked up, a bit surprised to see her in such a rush, but before he could even greet her, Athena barked,
"Do you know anything about mining?"
Faelyn blinked once, then nodded. "Aye, worked a few years in Solvaris when I was younger."
What? Athena's mind questioned.
[Solvaris: Another continent, Host,] the system chimed helpfully in her head.
Oh, Athena said mentally, brushing it off. She didn't have time to get sidetracked.
"Would you like a run down of this world?" the system offered sweetly.
"Yes," Athena muttered under her breath. "But later, please."
She turned her focus back to Faelyn. "Good. You're hired," she said bluntly.
Faelyn blinked again, caught between laughing and being confused. "For...?"
Athena leaned in, her voice low and serious.
"You're going to help me open a mine."
Athena crossed her arms and stared at Faelyn, waiting for an answer.
"You heard me," she said. "You're going to help me open a mine."
Faelyn stiffened, visibly uncomfortable. He scratched the back of his head, avoiding her eyes.
"Your Highness... I'm honored, really, but mining's not my thing." He gave a small, sheepish smile. "But," Faelyn added quickly, as if fearing she'd change her mind about him completely, "my brother, Faelor — now he's a different story.He's the one you want for this, not me."
Athena tapped her fingers against her arm thoughtfully. "Faelor."
"Yeah," Faelyn said, nodding. "He stayed longer than anyone else when we were working in the Solvaris mines. Knows the ins and outs."
Athena nodded firmly. "Fine. Then I want to speak with him. Immediately."
Faelyn glanced over at Jimmy, who was pretending not to eavesdrop — and doing a terrible job at it.
"I'll go get him," Faelyn said. "He's not far. Lives just outside the market square, near the old well."
"Good. Bring him fast," Athena ordered. As he left Athena faced with another dilemma, she needed to put down the knowledge but how? She couldn't keep using parchment and paper was too expensive, as they said.
Just then the system's screen appeared and she read the words on it. "Office Space?" she muttered under her breath.
Another soft chime followed.
[FEATURE DETAILS UNLOCKED]
Time Dilation Active: One hour in your world equals 24 hours inside the Office Space.
Basic furnishings and tools provided.
An assistant automaton has been assigned to help with recordkeeping, logistics, and analysis.
Development Coin Cost: 10 coins per real-world hour.
Athena rubbed her temple. "Of course it costs coins."
The glowing text blinked once.
[Office Space Available Anytime. Speak the phrase: "System, enter Office Space" to begin.]
Athena nodded to herself. "Good. Let's just hope it comes with a decent chair."