Dark Erosion Syndrome

Looking at the person in front of me who was the same age as me, but whose eyes shone with a maturity far beyond their current age.

The other children couldn't understand either, but they scattered and went off to play.

Lei Keming's expression held a hint of envy, but it quickly turned into determination.

He knew all too well how difficult it was for them, as one of the lowest strata of society, to retain a stable and long-term job.

It can be said that without a father, the mother supported herself through this job.

Now my mother is sick, has become a bit eccentric, and has experienced some unpredictable changes in certain parts of her body.

In the current environment, it seems that quite a few people suffer from this disease.

They call this disease Dark Erosion Syndrome.

However, wealthy people can receive effective treatment through Potions carefully concocted by powerful Magic Energy, although the illness may recur after a period of time.

But ultimately, it's just a means to an end.

But for families like theirs, let alone hiring Potions to carefully concoct Potions, even traveling to a major city is a luxury.

So, in the end, it all boils down to one word: poverty.

Therefore, Lei Keming understands even more clearly that it is essential to embrace the work of motherhood in the present moment.

Otherwise, it's very likely that after someone else takes her place as a mother, she won't even have the right to do odd jobs on the plantation.

Of course, Lei Keming didn't know if he could keep his job if his mother's condition didn't improve.

But he will try his best to do his job well.

At least in the worst-case scenario, if her mother couldn't come, she could talk to the plantation manager.

I am capable of taking over this job from my mother.

It's fair to say that his life is now on the verge of reaching its most difficult abyss.

Without thinking, he clenched his fists and began to pray.

And the object of his prayers was Abomination, Eldritch Beings belief held by most people in their town.

As for why he would worship such a being, Lei Keming didn't know either.

He simply followed his mother's faith from a young age, but the faith became his spiritual pillar in addition to his mother.

"I've heard that if you encounter Abomination at the moment of death, you will live forever and join an incredibly happy and fulfilling family, where you'll have no worries about food or drink and no fear of the Eldritch Beings."

"Lord of Abomination, I pray in my heart that I may witness your arrival before my mother and I face death."

After finishing his prayers, Lei Keming ran alone toward where the adults worked, which was another place next to the plantation.

It was filled with many green crystals, which were said to have been transported from the world within the black mist.

It seems to be called Warpstone.

The job here is to break the Warpstone into smaller pieces and then transport them to different cities.

This job is something that most people in their small town would want.

The work is relatively simple, and the salary is the highest in the town.

Looking at the open-air area emitting a faint green glow, Lei Keming hurriedly ran to the tool area.

Seeing that a group of adults were still there, Lei Keming breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it hadn't started yet.

Seeing that it was Lei Keming again, representing his mother, some of these people asked, either jokingly or tentatively:

"Lei Keming, you're having a tough time. Your mother won't do any work, so you have to do it, huh? How about I treat you like your father? I'll let you do all my work too, hahaha."

"Be his father? You're looking for someone who's mentally unstable and physically ugly, aren't you?"

"Lei Keming, does your mother have Dark Erosion Syndrome?"

Lei Keming did not answer, but the others had already guessed it from various sources.

"Kid, I think you should go back and take good care of your mother. Don't come back, or I'm afraid she might not even know how she passed away while she was alone at home."

"No, this is my mother's job; she'll be back at work in a couple of days!"

Lei Keming spoke firmly.

The others burst into laughter. Many of them suffered from this disease, and they all knew the consequences of having Dark Erosion Syndrome.

In the end, he will become a completely insane madman, unlike those madmen who try to control Magic Energy.

This is pure idiocy, and the body will gradually mutate and merge into one thing.

In the end, if they didn't die of natural causes, they would be caught by the city guards stationed in the town and burned alive.

"Lei Keming, why don't you go back and spend more time with your mother? How about I have someone from my family cover your job here?"

"I'll do the work for you, and you'll get half the wages. You can go back and take care of your mother."

The conditions seemed good—someone would work for him and he'd get half the pay—but he knew the truth.

If we give up this position, it might be gone forever.

Moreover, whether or not half of the wages will actually be paid is uncertain, as there are no legal constraints here.

"You little brat, still so stubborn. I'm doing this to help you. If you don't believe me, fine. Let's see how many days you can last here by yourself. After that, you won't come back."

Seeing that Lei Keming didn't agree, the man from before spoke up unhappily.

Moreover, as he said, he had a way to make Lei Keming not come back after a few days.

When it was time to work, everyone rushed forward and grabbed the tools.

Chisel, hammer, and basket.

The frail Lei Keming couldn't squeeze in at all; in fact, some people were even pulling him back.

After everyone else had taken theirs, all that remained were the missing chisel, the loose-handled hammer, and the torn basket.

The most difficult tools to use were left to Lei Keming.

There were plenty of extra tools, but they were all taken by the others.

Lei Keming silently picked up the remaining tools and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

He had heard that other such mining sites used Magic Energy machines.

But they didn't use it here; they mined everything manually.

After everyone had their tools, they headed to the mining site.

Everyone had their own designated area, because after mining, they had to carry the waste back to the front themselves.

Therefore, the outermost location is the best, and the Warpstone are also easier to mine from the outermost area.

His mother's territory had long been occupied by others, leaving him only the farthest, most difficult-to-mine, and innermost area.

It takes them twice as long as others just to carry it out once.

Faced with this kind of harassment, Lei Keming was very angry, but there was nothing he could do.

Driven by the determination to keep his job, he began to head towards the deepest part of the Warpstone.

Huge Warpstone were piled up chaotically all around, looking like hills.

As they ventured deeper, they could no longer find any other people around them.

Just as they found a spot that they felt was good and were preparing to start mining...

Suddenly, a strange squeaking sound came from the side.