Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 7: Chapter 7 — Jacob

Chapter 7 — Jacob

Victor made his way toward the section of wall Chad had pointed out earlier. The sound of pickaxes striking stone grew louder as he approached, mixing with the distant noise of carts rolling across the cavern floor and workers shouting to one another. He eventually spotted the person he had been assigned to work with.

Jacob was standing with his back toward Victor, swinging a pickaxe into the stone wall.

He was a large man, though not in the exaggerated way Victor might have expected from a cultivator. He was around six feet tall, with a muscular build that looked more like the result of years of hard labor than deliberate training. His shoulders were broad, his arms thick, and there was a certain heaviness to his frame that reminded Victor of the kind of strength possessed by someone’s father or favorite uncle—the sort of man who might not look particularly intimidating until he needed to move something that nobody else could.

Jacob swung again.

The pickaxe struck the wall with a heavy crack, breaking off a solid chunk of stone.

Victor slowed as he watched him.

He’s strong.

Jacob swung again, sending another piece of stone falling to the ground.

Victor approached, but Jacob seemed completely absorbed in his work. He didn’t notice Victor standing behind him.

"Excuse me."

Jacob didn’t react.

Victor stepped closer.

"I was told I’d be working with you over here."

The pickaxe stopped halfway through another swing.

Jacob turned his head, then looked over his shoulder.

His eyes settled on Victor.

For a brief moment, his expression showed surprise.

He recognized the boy.

Jacob had seen him earlier that morning, sleeping on the other side of their shared room. He hadn’t expected to see him down here so soon.

He turned around fully and rested the pickaxe against his shoulder.

"Is that so?"

His voice was deep but friendly.

"Well, glad to meet you. What’s your name?"

"Victor."

Jacob nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Victor. I’m Jacob."

Victor extended his hand.

Jacob looked at it for a moment before reaching out and shaking it.

"Pleasure."

There was something immediately easy about the man.

Victor couldn’t explain it. He had known Jacob for less than a minute, yet there was something about him that reminded Victor of the kind of uncle who would show up when things went wrong and somehow make the situation seem less serious.

He had rough stubble covering his jaw, a few strands of gray mixed into his hair, and a weathered face that suggested he’d spent a long time working rather than sitting behind a desk. He looked like a blue-collar worker who had been around the block more than once.

Victor found himself relaxing slightly.

"So," Jacob said, picking up his pickaxe again, "how can I help you?"

"This is my first day here."

Jacob gave him a small smile.

"Don’t worry about it. I’ll show you what to do. You can count on me."

He gestured toward the wall.

"I’ve been working in these mines for almost twelve years. You’ll get the hang of it."

Victor nodded.

"Twelve years?"

"Feels longer some days."

Jacob pointed toward a section of stone a few feet away.

"We’ll start here. I’m working this side, you work that side. Keep some distance between us so we don’t accidentally hit each other."

He demonstrated with his pickaxe.

"Just swing and get used to the rhythm. Don’t worry about doing anything fancy. You’ll figure it out."

Victor looked at the wall.

It didn’t seem particularly complicated.

He gripped the pickaxe with both hands and stepped forward.

Jacob moved slightly to give him room.

Victor raised the weapon.

Then he swung with all his strength.

CRACK.

A large chunk of stone broke free from the wall and fell heavily to the ground.

Jacob froze.

His eyes moved from the chunk of stone to Victor.

Then back to the wall.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything.

What the hell?

Jacob had been mining this section long enough to know exactly how much force it took to break through the stone. He had just watched Victor remove a piece noticeably larger than the chunks he had been producing.

And Victor didn’t even seem to notice.

The boy simply adjusted his grip and prepared to swing again.

Jacob frowned.

There was something he didn’t understand.

He could clearly sense Victor’s cultivation.

Body Tempering.

Rank Four.

Jacob was Rank Six.

The difference wasn’t small.

Every rank in the Body Tempering Realm represented roughly one ox of physical strength. A Rank One cultivator possessed the strength of one ox. A Rank Four should possess around four oxen worth of strength.

Jacob was Rank Six.

Six oxen.

He should have been stronger than Victor by a considerable margin.

Yet the boy had just broken off a larger piece of stone than he had.

What does this kid eat?

Jacob stared at Victor for another second.

Victor raised the pickaxe again.

CRACK.

Another large chunk fell away.

Jacob’s expression became even more confused.

That’s ridiculous.

Victor didn’t seem to notice that anything was unusual.

He simply continued working.

Jacob eventually shook his head and returned to his own section of the wall.

Maybe I’m just tired.

There had to be an explanation.

Perhaps Victor had naturally greater physical strength. Perhaps there was something about his body that Jacob couldn’t understand. Or maybe his bloodline had something to do with it.

Jacob didn’t know.

For now, there wasn’t much point worrying about it.

They had work to do.

The two continued mining side by side.

The rhythm quickly settled into something almost mechanical. Swing. Strike. Pull back. Swing again.

Victor focused on the wall in front of him, gradually getting used to the weight of the pickaxe and the resistance of the stone. The work was tiring, but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as he had expected.

Jacob occasionally glanced toward him.

Every time he did, Victor was still working.

And every time the pickaxe struck the wall, another sizable piece of stone broke free.

Jacob’s confusion only grew.

Definitely strange.

But he said nothing.

The underground cavern continued to echo with the sound of thousands of workers doing the same thing.

For Victor, the strange new world had already begun to settle into a routine.

Then, after what felt like an eternity of swinging pickaxes, a loud whistle echoed throughout the cavern.

Workers across the underground division began slowing down.

Jacob lowered his pickaxe.

"First break."

Victor stopped and looked around.

For the first time since beginning his shift, he realized how much time had passed.

The first three hours were over.

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