“Is that it for the new batch of exiles?”

“Yeah, pretty much. The Over Sectors sure have a lot of people to throw away.”

“It’s always been that way. Those damned elitists think they can build a perfect society by taking out the outcasts and dumping them to the Under Sectors like trash.”

“I’m sick and tired of hearing those rants of yours. They’re way better off than people like us, working our ass off to make a living as slave traders.”

“Tsk, whatever. By the way, check out that kid over there. He’s got a mark on his hand.”

“Huh? No way. That’s the Enforcer Mark! I can’t believe it! We got ourselves a jackpot!”

“To think that an Enforcer would end up here….how unfortunate. So young, too. I bet Hector would pay a high price for the boy.”

Ugh…….What’s going on…..who are these voices?

I opened my eyes to see two men wearing dusty jackets and scarf masks staring down at me. One of them sported a mohawk and waved his hand towards my face.

“Oh, the boy is awake!” he said.

“W-Where am I?” I asked.

It seemed like I was inside some kind of wagon filled with people dressed up in ragged clothes and metal collars around their necks. Feeling something heavy weighing on my own neck, I realized that I was also wearing the same collar as the rest of them.

“What the hell is this supposed to be?! What is this thing on my neck?!” I said as I tried to pull the collar out.

The other man chuckled, brushing up his long gray hair. “Welcome to the Under Sectors, kid. I’ll cut straight to the point. You see that thing you’re wearing? It means you’re officially a slave. This is your new life now and you can’t do anything about it.”

Me…..a slave?

“Huh….what are you talking about?! How did I even get here in the first place?”

“It’s quite simple, really,” the mohawk guy said. “While you were unconscious, the Enforcers dumped your bodies right outside the border, leaving you all to survive on your own. But before you could even wake up, we businessmen took the chance to place the collars on your necks!”

“So what if there’s collars on our necks?! What’s that supposed to do?!” I asked.

“You see, those collars are designed to explode at any time we want. All it takes is one press of the Detonator and…..BOOM!” he grabbed my shoulders, causing me to flinch in place. “You’re dead, hahahahaha!”

We all looked at the man in horror, shaking in fear realizing that they could die at any moment.

“In other words, we're in control of your life,” the long-haired man said. “And you will do whatever we say, without question. Do you understand?!”

Everyone nodded their heads silently, but I couldn’t tolerate such horrible acts.

“This is too cruel! How could you do this to us?! Threatening our lives like that, you’re all terrible people!” I slammed on the floor.

"Too bad, ex-Enforcer boy. There's nothing you can do about it. That's just how life works," the long-haired man sighed.

"Screw that! Just let us go, please! Don't you feel any pity for these people?"

"They're all criminals, just like us. We have our own lives to take care of. There isn't any luxury for us to have any empathy for everyone. In the Under Sectors, life is hard out here, so we do whatever it takes to survive. Something Over Sector folks like you have never experienced, always being pampered under the protection of the Enforcers."

I gritted my teeth and looked into the man's eyes. "But still, just because your life is hard doesn't mean you get to make it harder for anyone else!"

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"Just shut up, kid!" the mohawk guy threw a punch straight towards my face.

I could feel my cheek being squished against the surface of my teeth, causing me to spit out some saliva from my mouth. The sudden impact was enough to make me drop to the floor in an instant. My eyes had become teary and blood started to leak out of my nose. I wiped it off and glared at the person who hit me.

"One more word from you and I'll blow your head off!"

“Tsk…” I looked down on the wooden floor and wiped my face with my arm.

I can't do anything. There's nothing I can do about this situation. It’s way too scary for me to even try anything. I couldn’t even get myself to move a muscle anymore.

The long-haired man clapped his hands. “All right, that’s enough. We don’t want to ruin our precious merchandise. We’re ready to move. Is the Magium still working?”

Another man sitting by the front of the wagon opened a huge box which I assumed to be the vehicle’s engine. He placed his hand inside and picked up a purple crystal, showing off a faint glow.

“Yep.”

“All right. Start the engine.”

The purple crystal was placed back inside the engine and the man pulled a lever to start it up. Electricity surged through the gears to turn and the wagon started to move on its own.

Did the Enforcers truly abandon me, just like that? Am I just someone they can simply throw away without any hesitation whatsoever? Where is my justice? Why didn’t they believe in me? Why didn’t they give me a chance to prove them wrong? The people I looked up to didn’t even bother to spend time investigating my case.

The real culprits are out there, still roaming free after what they’ve done. Alessia, Miss Felicia, Sir Alvarro, the people who gave me a place to stay were murdered in cold blood. And they all decided to blame it on me. This is all screwed up. Maybe this is all just some bad dream. This can’t be happening, right? RIGHT?!

I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I had to hold it in. I’m sure one of them would blow my head off if I made such a noise.

It hurts…….not being able to let all your feelings out. Forcing them deep down in my heart, where no one would be able to reach them. So I had to settle with the silent tears leaking out of my eyes, the only sound I made was the sniffling that came along with it.

I failed to protect her….that was the duty I had been given. I broke my oath. I was too weak. Maybe I don’t deserve to be an Enforcer. Maybe I’m unworthy to be a Hero. I can’t even save anyone. Maybe I deserved it all along.

After what seemed like endless hours of sniveling, the wagon had finally stopped moving.

“All right, get your asses out of here. And keep your mouths shut,” the mohawk guy yapped.

We all stood in a line and dropped out of the wagon one by one. Once I made my way outside, I took in the time to look at my surroundings as we walked. It was my first ever view of the Under Sectors.

A large open-spaced cavern of different levels, messily filled with various wooden platforms and bridges connecting to all sorts of structures and houses. There were many people in collars scattered everywhere, mining against stone with their pickaxes. One guy fell on the floor and tried to take a rest, but a man in leather armor and yellow sleeves kicked him in the stomach. The poor guy, despite obvious signs of fatigue, forced himself to get up and keep working.

This is inhumane…..

Waiting for us was a dark-haired young man wearing a black and gold frock coat surrounded by men equipped with guns. I noticed that despite everyone having different clothes, there was always at least a hint of yellow on each of them.

“Oh! I see you’ve brought me some fresh pawns! Right on time,” the young man rubbed his hands. “I just lost a batch of slaves today, so this is quite fortunate!”

“Hector, we got a pretty good catch today. I bet you’ll be surprised,” the long-haired man smiled.

“Hmm? Why do you say so?” Hector raised his eyebrow.

The mohawk guy shoved me forward, placing me right in front of the young man. Hector glanced at me with his golden eyes, then leaned closer to inspect my body. Suddenly, he began touching me around all sorts of places.

“W-What are you doing?” I mumbled.

“Wow, you have such fine muscles! I can tell that you’re a trained fighter. A melee user to be exact. Quite the rarity, if you ask me.”

He held my hand, placing a finger on the Enforcer Mark and looked up at me with a shocked expression.

“No way…you’re an Enforcer? Hahahahaha! I don’t believe it! This is amazing! I thought Enforcers weren’t fond of using melee weapons!”

“Well, they aren't. I’m just….different.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen an Enforcer up close, this might be the best day of my life!” Hector closed his eyes and raised his hands in the air.

“Uh…so how much are you willing to pay for him?” the long-haired man scratched his head.

“I’ll pay you triple!”

“Niceee….” the mohawk guy raised his fist.

After the payment with the slave hunters had finished, we were all lined up in a straight line and made to kneel down on the floor by Hector’s men.

“Ahem. Welcome to the Midas Mines of Sector 24. As you all know, I am Hector, leader of the Midas Hogs and you’re now my property! I hope we get along well!”