A cold breeze swept through the cave, causing his hair to fall over his face, momentarily veiling the absurd sight before his eyes.
"What…What the f*ck is this?!"
Wang Lei couldn't believe what he was seeing.
He swore there was solid ground here, he had walked across it just an hour ago to reach the mining cave.
Then why…
Why was it gone?
In front of him, there was nothing but the vast, endless blue sky and a sea of white clouds, so close, it felt like he could reach out and touch them.
But how?
The mining site was located on a high mountain, but not this high. It wasn't nearly tall enough to break through the clouds.
The only explanation Wang Lei could think of was...the mountain grew taller.
But that was absurd. Mountains didn't grow like trees, not in the span of an hour.
Wang Lei took a cautious step back, dizzy from looking down into the endless drop below. A wave of vertigo hit him, and for a moment, he feared he might fall.
Then—crack.
The edge of the stone where he had just placed his foot gave way, breaking off with a sharp snap. It slid and bounced down the side of the mountain, each impact shattering it further until nothing was left but a handful of crumbling fragments.
If he hadn't stopped in time…his fate might've been the same.
Wang Lei collapsed onto his rear, his knees shaking with weakness.
"This must be a dream… surely…" he murmured under his breath.
Everything unfolding before him felt impossible to accept. Even though it was happening right in front of his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to believe it.
If the only exit he had was now gone…that could only mean one thing.
Wang Lei was trapped in this cold, lifeless cave, with only a small supply of food and water, barely enough to last a few days.
That wouldn't be nearly enough if he hoped to survive for long.
Even if his father sent a search party, with how strange this place had become…the only thing they'd probably find would be his dried-up corpse.
The more Wang Lei thought of his situation, the more he despaired.
"I shouldn't give up. I'm sure my father will find me eventually… I just need to survive until then," Wang Lei told himself.
Whether he truly believed in his father… or was simply clinging to a hopeless thought, only he himself knows.
He grabbed his bag and emptied it, dumping everything onto the ground. A few mining tools clattered out, but he wasn't looking for those. Right now, they were useless.
He pushed the tools aside, focusing only on what truly mattered in his current situation.
Two chocolate bars. One half-drunk bottle of water.
Doubt began to creep into Wang Lei's mind.
Would this even be enough to survive a single day?
"I-It should be fine… Yeah, I just need to eat small pieces at a time…" he muttered, trying to convince himself.
.
…
….
Five days had passed.
Wang Lei bit off the last piece of his chocolate bar.
By now, he was nothing but skin and bone. His eyes were unfocused, his head spinning with dizziness.
He sat with his back pressed against the rock wall—he'd been in this position for two days. He could no longer feel his limbs.
He'd rationed the food, eating only when he felt it was absolutely necessary. It was a miracle he had lasted this long on so little.
And still…no one had come.
Not a single soul had found him.
"Ngh… Father… Am I… am I really going to die here?" Wang Lei whispered, a tear slipping down his cheek.
He was just a teenager, someone who had barely started stepping into adulthood. Regardless of age, no one was immune to the fear of death. Yet, despite everything, he was accepting it—too weak to fight it anymore.
A normal person might have lost their mind, knowing death was so close.
But just as Wang Lei teetered on the edge of despair, a cold voice echoed inside his head, like a single beam of light piercing through the suffocating darkness.
[Do you want to survive the Destruction and Creation of the World?]
Wang Lei didn't have the strength to process what the voice was; his eyes were already struggling to stay open.
But, deep within, he still clung to hope, no matter how delusional it seemed.
With what little energy remained in him, he gathered the last of his strength and muttered weakly, his voice barely a whisper.
"Y…e…ss…"
Exhausted, Wang Lei collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness.
Unbeknownst to him, the moment his voice faded, a soft chime echoed through the cave.
A glowing blue screen flickered to life, hovering silently in the air above his motionless body.
At the same time, the cold, emotionless voice echoed once more inside his head.
[Once a world begins its evolution, all living beings within it shall evolve as well. You have officially entered the Evolutionary Stage. Congratulations.]
[The screen before you display a numerical representation of your current physical abilities, alongside other vital information. Simply utter 'Status' to view it at any time.]
['We' hope you survive—because a great boon awaits at the end.]
.
…
….
Wang Lei, strangely, felt a sense of comfort in what he thought was death.
He felt strength slowly returning to his body. In fact, he noticed something unusual, he seemed stronger, healthier than he had ever been. His limbs felt light, almost weightless, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from deep within him.
Is this… what dying feels like? he wondered. It seems not too bad…
Just as he relished the strange sensation, a sudden crunch echoed inside his mouth.
What is this? Am I… eating something? he thought in confusion. But I ran out of food days ago...
His eyes remained closed, yet his mind whirled.
Wait—this must be heaven! Of course there's food in heaven!
He chewed slowly, thoughtfully.
Although... why does it taste like burnt bread? Well, as long as it's food, then its fine.
After days of gnawing hunger, Wang Lei had come to understand one universal truth, food is sacred.
Seriously… where did I even end up? he wondered. I'm kinda curious what heaven actually looks like.
He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to be greeted by a divine light, or maybe the soft rustling of trees under a warm sun, something heavenly, something peaceful.
Instead, a jagged rock greeted his vision.
A chill breeze swept past him.
He blinked.
"…This is the worst version of heaven ever."
"How did I even survive? I thought I died of hunger..."
That question echoed through Wang Lei's mind like a broken record.
He continued chewing whatever was in his mouth. It must be because of this... whatever this is. But what am I even eating?
Then Wang Lei noticed something in his hands. Slowly, he looked down, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
It was a chunk of coal. One of the very same pieces he had mined earlier.
What caught his attention wasn't just the coal itself, but the fact that a small portion at the edge was missing... as if someone had bitten into it. Clear teeth marks were etched into the surface.
"That's… hahaha… That's absurd. No matter how hungry I am, I wouldn't start eating rocks like some madman, right? Hahaha… ha… ha…"
Sh*t.
I definitely ate this coal.
There was no other explanation for the state he was in right now. Wang Lei was practically convinced, and not without reason, two, in fact:
First, he had no food left. Not even a crumb. So where did this sudden burst of energy come from? The only possible answer was right in his hand: a piece of coal, now displaying a very obvious bite mark from someone.
Which is me...
The biggest question was, how the hell could a human digest a rock? That's anatomically impossible! His stomach should've torn itself apart trying.
Which brings us to the second reason, the thing that made this absurd situation even possible: the glowing blue screen floating silently in front of him.
---
[Name: Wang Lei]
[Lv. 1]
[HP: 70/70]
[Stamina: 40/40]
[Mana: 60/60]
[Strength: 5] [Agility: 4] [Defense: 7] [Stamina: 4] [Magic: 7] [Mana: 6]
[Status Points: 0]
Skills:
[Ore Consumption]
-Able to digest rocks or metals. Different effects are applied depending to what kind of rock or metal is digested.
---