We’d searched half the damn mine by now, and not a single worker in sight. Not one echo of a pickaxe. Not one sweaty, hardworking miner wiping his brow and talking about his tragic backstory. Just me, Elise, and a whole lot of empty space.

  “Where the hell are they?” I muttered, spinning in pce like maybe they were hiding behind a rock.

  Elise shrugged. “Maybe they’re just invisible.”

  I stopped spinning. “You think they’re ghosts?”

  She blinked at me. “No. But now that you said it, I can’t unthink it.”

  As if on cue, my interface pinged.

  Skilled Laborer x1 has arrived at Viskar Mine.

  “Oh! Oh! See?” I waved the notification in her face. “They’re here!”

  We ran—well, walked quickly—back to the entrance like eager children looking for Santa.

  Still nothing.

  I stared out at the barren entrance of the mine. No new faces. No mysterious cloaked figures ready to go full dwarven prospector mode. Just the same lonely dirt path and a few birds flying overhead like they were mocking me.

  “I think you were right,” I said, squinting at nothing. “These might actually be ghost workers.”

  Elise folded her arms. “Great. You bought a haunted mine.”

  “Well, at least they’re productive ghosts.”

  Or so I hoped.

  But hey, since my workforce had decided to stay in spectral form, I figured I might as well throw money at the problem. Like a true entrepreneur with no business pn whatsoever.

  I opened my ownership tab and tapped on the Expansion Upgrade – 6,000. Then tapped again for Mineral Storage – 4,000.

  Confirm. Cha-ching.

  And then the mine… rumbled.

  Like, full-on "the mountain is angry" kind of rumble.

  Bits of stone fell from the ceiling. Dust poured from the walls.

  “Be cool, Elise,” I said quickly, trying to stay calm. “There’s no need to panic.”

  “I’m not panicking,” she said evenly.

  I nodded. “Right. Good. Cool. Because whoever is panicking needs to chill.”

  Then I looked down.

  My legs were shaking.

  “Oh,” I mumbled. “That’s me.”

  Elise sighed.

  The tremors subsided after a moment, and I checked my map. Sure enough—four new tunnels had branched out like someone had taken a pickaxe and just drawn in new passageways.

  “Okay… that’s new.”

  Elise peered over my shoulder. “It expanded that fast?”

  “Yup. Ghost workers, baby. They don’t mess around.”

  I opened my Ownership tab again and scrolled through the updated resource list.

  That’s when I saw it.

  Large Blood Stone Vein – Located in Expansion Sector 2A.

  I blinked. “What the hell is a blood stone?”

  Elise shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t even know what mana-infused crystals were used for.”

  I turned to her with mock horror. “You’re like a redneck hillbilly.”

  She gave me a confused look. “What’s a hillbilly?”

  “You know, like… simple folk. No shoes. Live in the woods. Think spitting contests are competitive sports.”

  “I… feel like you made that up.”

  I didn’t confirm or deny it. “Doesn’t matter. Point is, we’ve got a new mystery mineral, and I am legally obligated to go see what it’s worth.”

  Elise crossed her arms. “So we’re going down one of those creepy, freshly-dug tunnels?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She sighed. “Why do I even hang out with you?”

  “Because I’m charming, clever, and occasionally useful.”

  “Only one of those things is true.”

  “I’ll take it.”

  And just like that, we ventured toward Sector 2A—where the blood stone waited, ghost workers bored in the shadows, and my hope for becoming disgustingly wealthy grew stronger with every step.

  One day, I’d buy my way home.

  Today? I was just hoping I didn’t die first.

  I swear, every time I think this mine is tapped out on surprises, it just ughs at me and tosses another curveball.

  We turned the corner into Expansion Sector 2A, and there it was—this eerie, blood-red crystal embedded in the wall. Actually, scratch that. Crystals, plural. Dozens of them, maybe even hundreds. Deep crimson. Glowing faintly. Pulsating like they were alive.

  Creepy? Yes.

  Profitable? Hell yes.

  “Is that it?” I asked, stepping closer. “The Bloodstone?”

  Elise nodded. “Looks like it.”

  I reached out, tried to yank one out.

  Nope. Didn’t budge. Solid rock.

  I gave it another tug. Nothing.

  “Elise, give me a hand—”

  She walked over, grabbed one, and with one effortless pull, it popped out like a cork from a wine bottle.

  She looked at me with a smirk. “That wasn’t so hard.”

  I scowled. “I loosened it.”

  “Sure you did.”

  She turned the crystal in her hand, examining it carefully. “It’s actually kind of cool. Pretty, in a weird ominous way.”

  Then her expression changed.

  “What?” I asked.

  “My status screen just lit up,” she said, eyes wide. “It says if I eat this, I gain ten bonus stat points… and five levels.”

  I blinked. “You what?”

  “Yeah,” she said, still staring at it like it might bite her. “Ten stat points. And five levels. Just from eating this.”

  “That sounds like a busted cheat item. You’re telling me this mine is handing out free EXP and power-ups like Halloween candy?”

  Elise shook her head. “It’s not normal. Levels aren’t easy to gain. Neither are stat points. This… this is insane.”

  I grinned. “Then eat it.”

  She looked at me like I was insane. “You want me to chomp down on a rock?”

  “Hey, free EXP glitch. You take advantage of that when you can. Gamer rules.”

  “You do it, then.”

  I took the crystal from her. Looked at it. Felt the soft pulse in my hand like a heartbeat.

  Nothing.

  No prompt. No stat gain. No magical light show. Nothing but a pretty rock and my own disappointment.

  Figures.

  I opened my Buy & Sell menu instead and gave it a quick scan.

  Bloodstone (Raw) – Sell Price: 45,000

  I choked. “It’s worth more than the mana crystals.”

  “Then sell it,” she said, shrugging. “If I’m not going to eat it, you might as well make your money.”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  I sold it.

  Cha-ching.

  45,000 richer.

  I grinned like a madman. “I’m rich. Again.”

  “You’re drooling,” Elise muttered.

  I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Worth it.

  Then I gnced at my Ownership Tab again, and a new upgrade button gred at me: Expand Mine – 15,000

  “Oh ho ho,” I whispered. “You son of a bitch. I’m in.”

  Clicked.

  The ground rumbled harder this time—louder, deeper, longer. The entire mine shook like it was on the verge of colpsing.

  I stumbled.

  Elise stumbled.

  Then suddenly, I was on top of her.

  Literally.

  Ft on my stomach, sprawled across her like I’d just failed a parkour stunt in the worst way.

  “Well,” I said. “This is awkward.”

  “Get off me.”

  “I was just enjoying the moment.”

  “There was no moment,” she said, deadpan.

  I clicked my tongue. “You know, in an actual isekai, this is the part where the protagonist wins the girl’s heart.”

  She stared at me. “What’s an isekai?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “The only thing falling was you. And if you try for a kiss or anything, my boot will have a conversation with your face.”

  I rolled off her, dusting myself off. “Geez. No need to take it that far.”

  She stood up and patted her arms. “You’ve got dirt on your face.”

  I smirked. “So do you.”

  She frowned, then wiped her cheek. “This mine’s cursed.”

  “No,” I said, looking around at the glowing red crystals embedded in the wall, imagining the next 45k chunk of profit. “This mine’s blessed. And I am going to milk every damn coin out of it.”

  “Until it kills you.”

  I grinned. “That’s tomorrow’s problem.”

  I opened up my Ownership Tab again, curious if the mine had blessed me with more glorious moneymaking magic. And lo and behold—the resources list had expanded. More veins now. Nothing new, just more of what I already had.

  Still, no compints. More bloodstone veins meant more sweet, sweet money.

  But then my eyes flicked over to that one upgrade option I’d been ignoring since the start: Unlock Hidden Chamber – 7,000.

  Tempting.

  So very tempting.

  “You know,” I said, tapping my chin, “there’s this ‘Hidden Chamber’ option that’s just been sitting there. I’ve been real tempted to hit it.”

  Elise turned and gave me the most unimpressed look I’ve seen in my entire life. “And you haven’t hit it yet? That sounds like a terrible idea.”

  “I know! That’s what makes it so perfect.”

  Before she could even protest, I tapped the button.

  Confirm Purchase? – Hidden Chamber Unlock – 7,000 Confirm.

  The mine rumbled for a solid three seconds before going eerily quiet again.

  I pulled up my map and there it was—a new section just opened up near the entrance. A little golden dot, glowing like it wanted to be found.

  “Ohhh, we so have to go here.”

  Elise groaned. “Yeah, and probably get killed.”

  “Nonsense,” I said, practically vibrating with excitement. “This is the part where our loot multiplier kicks in.”

  “Dan, this isn’t a game.”

  “Says the girl who just got a free level-up rock.”

  I paused.

  “Actually—you should totally eat one of those. Bulk up for this next part.”

  Elise raised a brow, then looked at the bloodstone crystal nearby. “You know what…”

  She grabbed one. Lifted it up dramatically.

  Then bit into it like it was an apple.

  Her expression instantly turned to regret.

  “Ow—what the hell?!”

  I colpsed to the ground, wheezing with ughter.

  “You really thought you could just eat it raw?!"

  Elise unched the bloodstone at me. I caught it midair with a grin. “You know, for someone with no honor, you’ve got a great throwing arm.”

  She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath about me dying painfully in the near future.

  “Come on,” I said, clutching the crystal in one hand and brushing dust off my clothes with the other. “Let’s go see what death trap I just opened.”

  “Lead the way, Mr. ‘This’ll Be Fine.’”

  We started down the newly expanded path, my map guiding us like some fantasy GPS from a broken MMO.

  Honestly?

  I was way too excited for whatever stupid thing waited behind that golden dot.

  And also just a little terrified.

  But hey… that’s what fried chicken and blind optimism are for.