The sun began to rise over César's settlement, and with it came the roar of activity. From early morning, the village was a hive of movement: minotaurs carried heavy construction tools, gnomes left their homes whistling as they headed toward the industrial zone, and groups of goblins and pigmen ventured into the forest with freshly sharpened weapons for the hunt.
The door to César's house opened, letting out the women who shared his bed. After exchanging a few words, each went off to their respective duties. Brizna, walking with some stiffness and a pout on her lips, rubbed her backside as she muttered under her breath:
"César said it would be fun, but it hurt a lot."
Sasha, who was walking not far from her, couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh behind her hand. Brizna shot her an indignant look, forcing Sasha to try to regain her composure.
"He didn't lie, believe me," Sasha said with a knowing smile. "Next time, it'll be more fun."
"Liar! I don't believe you! Mph!", Brizna huffed.
Without wasting another second, she activated her ability, growing to nearly two meters tall before trotting off toward the forge. Sasha watched her leave, shaking her head with an amused smile.
The Veins of the World
Deep within the caves, the echo of pickaxes rang rhythmically. César knew that the Varmetal collected from the old minotaur deposits would not be enough for his plans. Because of that, he had classified the mineral into three categories —low, medium, and high— so the gnomes could experiment with its manipulation.
However, the true engine of extraction was the gnolls. César remembered that in the original story, humans enslaved them for their mining talent; he had simply placed them where they performed best. Thanks to their hypersensitive sense of smell, the gnolls could detect the metallic trace and faint ozone-like scent emitted by the magical ore through the stone.
"Here! I smell a mid-grade Varmetal vein!" a gnoll miner howled, marking the wall.
Immediately, the slaves and goblin workers —those who had not awakened mana or aura cores— began the heavy excavation. It was a perfect system: the senses of some and the sheer numbers of others filled the crude carts that were hauled up to the surface.
The Birth of Var
Inside the armory, César oversaw the distribution of equipment. Pigmen, minotaurs, and the few warriors of other races who had awakened their aura received solid iron armor and weapons. The days of worn leather and rusted metal were over.
"These are free," César announced before the troops, his voice filled with authority. "But listen carefully: if you break them or want something better, you'll have to pay with the currency I am introducing today."
The warriors nodded. Though the concept was new, they understood César's logic: metal was no longer just protection—it was also a resource that could help restore stamina.
To solidify the system, César targeted the most basic need: hunger. Alongside the smoked meat stores and reserves of yak milk, he established clear price controls.
Hunters: received 5 low-grade Vars for each large hunt. They no longer just ate better due to their role—they now accumulated wealth.
Workers: their pay depended directly on the amount of ore extracted.
César looked at the yak milk with satisfaction, though he glanced at the beasts with slight disappointment.
'What a shame their meat is so bad,' he thought. 'Even the minotaurs complain it feels hairy and tastes awful.'
"Want to eat?" a pigman asked a young goblin at the supply post. "A piece of meat costs 1 low-grade Var. A jug of milk costs 1 mid-grade Var."
The attendant pointed to the sign César had ordered installed, where the prices were clearly displayed.
At first, there was confusion, but the system quickly took hold when the villagers realized that food was no longer distributed through favoritism, but through effort measured in metal. Money flowed from César's hands to the workers, from them to the storage houses, and finally back into his coffers.
'It's perfect,' César thought as he watched the line of soldiers exchanging Vars for food. 'In the original story, humans used gold—a dead, decorative metal. My Varmetal coins are real power. A wounded warrior would give his life for a coin that restores his energy. I've turned my economy into medicine… and into a battery.'