I sat on the Domain’s cold floor, contemplating my poor life choices. I wasn't keen on spending another night sleeping on the hard ground, but if nothing else, I should be safe there—at least for a few more days, I reluctantly added.

  [02:18:44:16]

  The sight of the hateful timer continuing its slow march toward zero certainly didn’t help ease my worries; it only further exacerbated my already gloomy mood.

  I don't have much time left… It took me almost two days to finally return to the Shelter, and now I was back to square one with nothing to show for it—well, almost nothing.

  At least I managed to clear out my debt and was now finally free of the crippling burden that had weighed me down for the past two years. Yet even such wondrous news, which would usually be worthy of a grand celebration, brought me no comfort.

  The only thing on my mind right now was the stupid countdown. The gut-wrenching fear of what would happen when it hit zero was threatening to devour the last remnants of my sanity.

  I was now faced with two options. I could either sit in the relative safety of the Shelter, slowly selling my mountain of scrap while I waited for the inevitable. A round trip to the scrapyard would take approximately 16 hours, considering I have to wait for the Skill’s cooldown to reset… Meaning I can make, at best, four runs before I’m out of time.

  I gazed lovingly at the massive pile, briefly sizing it up before coming to the conclusion that selling the whole thing would take me at least ten trips, if not more. And even then, I would, at best, be able to buy a set of mundane gear.

  …Or I could brave the Ratway’s stifled darkness once more in the faint hope of finding the Army’s hidden stash before the next wave hit.

  That’s right! I completely forgot about that. There was still that supposed supply depot Rowan was so desperate to find, which was the target of the last expedition. I donned a wicked grin. They still think the way to it is barred by the pile of debris, not knowing Rocky has burrowed right through it.

  If I could go back there and retrieve its precious contents, all my money troubles could be gone in an instant. If Rowan took all my tokens, I think I should return him the favor…

  Yet retrieving it would be the easy part—I would first have to somehow survive the journey down there in one piece. Last time, I was lucky that most of the local monster population either died or fled the area due to the earthquake, and I had zero doubts that by now, they would be back and very, very hungry.

  Not to mention, I had no idea if there even was something useful in there, or anything at all… No, I saw the gate with my own eyes, so there’s definitely something. But whether or not it could help me out of my current predicament was anyone’s guess. For all I knew, it could be just a bunch of rotten uniforms, as I had heard of such discoveries in the past.

  So, in the end, it all comes down to choosing between a certain death or a most likely death with a tiny sliver of hope if everything works out perfectly.

  I chuckled, not liking those odds one bit. Still, before I could even think about going on another expedition into the dark tunnels, there were plenty of preparations to make. Previously, I somehow made it out by sheer luck, but I knew I couldn’t continue to rely on fortune alone.

  Nevertheless, with Rocky’s help and my new machete, I was fairly confident I could handle the monstrous rats or similar vermin just fine. I just had to pray that nothing stronger would show up.

  Normally, I would never consider something like this. But when the alternative was a certain death, any other option was a welcomed one. Alright, let’s do this!

  Now that I had made my choice, it was time to attend to the other matters. First, I dropped my backpack, taking out all the extra food and water I bought. Storing it here meant I didn’t have to lug it around, thus preserving my limited stamina.

  There was something called [Farm] in the list of available buildings, but I had been reluctant to build it because I have zero farming experience and no idea how long it would actually take to grow something. So, I put it off as a last resort.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Done with the food, it was finally time to sort out my precious scrap. After all, it would be a shame not to sell at least one load when I was up here.

  There were still about eight hours before a new mana crystal would appear, so there was no reason to bother checking the mine for now.

  All done… A few hours later, everything was ready, so I decided to call it early and went to sleep, as tomorrow promised to be another very busy day. Aren’t all my days like that lately? It’s like being busy has become a new norm for me. I chuckled before dozing off.

  ***

  The next morning, I woke up well-rested and eager to start my scrap-selling scheme to earn some much-needed cash. But before that, I went to check the [Mana Mine], and as I had expected, there was yet another shiny crystal growing from the crystalline ceiling.

  It was cold to the touch and humming with energy. I hurriedly broke it off and briefly studied it, but it seemed exactly the same as the previous one.

  [Petty Mana Shard (Capacity: 100/100)]

  So what should I do with it? Selling it would earn me another 300 tokens on top of whatever I would get from selling the scrap metal.

  However, one could be waved off as a lucky find, but if I started selling them on a regular basis, it would get suspicious, and if the word got out, then evading Rowan’s lackeys would be the least of my problems. Thus, I decided it would be better to wait until the situation settled a bit.

  With that, it was time to move. So, I walked over to the already sorted pile and grabbed a few sizeable pieces, tying them all together with my brand-new ropes. Time to hit the Smelters!

  However, right then, I realized another problem. I have to somehow bring Rocky with me. If I were to make it in time before the next wave, I wouldn’t have time to summon the [Portal] again inside the Ratways.

  The notion I could be forced into exploring the eerie Ratways without Rocky’s stalwart presence was nothing but horrifying. Still, getting him past all the security checkpoints will be a pain in the ass. I thought dejectedly.

  I emerged from the [Portal] in the same dilapidated back alley. There were no signs of any tails stalking the area, which brought a smile to my face. However, I was painfully aware that this relative peace wouldn't last long.

  Making sure the air was clear, I prompted Rocky to come through before quickly hauling my burdensome cargo into the empty storeroom. The weight of the sack made my shoulders ache, but it was worth it.

  Uff, this should be far enough. I dropped the heavy sack to the floor away in the corner and then ordered the tiny golem to guard the pile of scrap and my machete with his life. Meanwhile, I slowly crept toward the silent scrapyard.

  It was still quite early, so the morning shift hadn’t started working yet. My young age came into play once again, so when I borrowed one of the wheelbarrows, nobody suspected a thing, thinking I was simply one of the helpers.

  Upon returning to the storeroom, I then loaded the wheelbarrow to the brim with scrap metal, smiling broadly. With the empty sack, I covered Rocky’s small body so he looked just like any other piece of local junk. Perfect!

  Keeping my head down, I slowly pushed the wheelbarrow toward the scrapyard. By the time I got there, the business was already in full swing. So I expertly weaved between the small crowd, making my way over to the shift foreman.

  He was a burly man with arms like steel girders. "What d'ya want?" He grumbled without even looking up.

  "I have metal to sell," I said, pointing to my sizeable load.

  The foreman slowly lifted his eyes, squinting at me suspiciously. At first, I was afraid he would throw me out, thinking I had stolen it somewhere. But to my delight, he simply nodded after a short while, saying, "Let's see it then."

  I unloaded the wheelbarrow onto the massive scale, revealing the large assortment of bent pipes, shredded gears, and various mechanical detritus I had scavenged from the abandoned lab.

  The scrapyard chief rifled through my haul, scrutinizing each piece. He picked up a mangled gear and turned it over in his greasy hands.

  "Hmm, not bad, not bad," he muttered. "Where did you get so much? I'll give ya 80 tokens for the lot."

  I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the offer. So much money! If this were before, I would be jumping around in joy. But after learning how much the mana crystals sold for, it wasn’t that hard to keep a straight face.

  Let’s see how much I could stretch it… "80?" I scoffed. "This is prime scrap. A hundred, minimum!"

  The foreman let out a belting laugh. "You've got guts, kid." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I'll give ya 90; that's my final offer. Take it or leave it."

  "Deal," I said, doing my best to keep my voice even. We shook on it, his gigantic hand almost swallowing mine.

  Alright! Now, let’s buy some cheap armor with it, and I’ll be ready to go find myself some treasure!