In the end, Hokuto survived. He also realized that he had been deceived, tricked into this hellish black mine by nothing more than a few empty promises.
He laughed at his own stupidity, but he did not resign himself to fate. After all, he still had the system. As long as it remained, he had a chance to turn everything around!
Though the system was a scam in its own right—coming without a manual, full of traps and pitfalls—Hokuto believed he had begun to understand its true nature.
Whenever the system offered a task with valuable rewards, he had to approach it with absolute caution.
Take the so-called "Apprenticeship Quest" for example. That black-robed priest had clearly been a fraud, most likely not affiliated with the Hi no Kagutsuchi Sect at all. But the system's mission had only required him to acknowledge the man as his master. It hadn't specified what he would be taught. A master of martial arts or a master of deception—it didn't matter. A teacher was a teacher.
If only he had realized this earlier! If he had thought more carefully back then, perhaps he could have exposed the black-robed priest's con in a subtle way. Maybe then, instead of selling him off to this mine, the man would have taken him along to swindle the world together.
But no—Hokuto had acted like a fool, swallowing every word without question. Worse, he had revealed that he was an orphan who had already run away from home. That was practically begging to be cheated. Go on, scam me! No one will come looking for me anyway!
Every time he thought about this, Hokuto wanted to slap himself. The sweat he now shed daily while digging ore was nothing but the water that had filled his brain back when he trusted that fraud.
But now, he was no longer the same. He understood that the system wasn't there to shower him with blessings. From now on, he would tread carefully.
The next chance came sooner than expected. By his second week of enduring inhuman abuse in the mine—by which time his body no longer hurt so badly at night—Hokuto began planning his escape. That was when four choices appeared before him.
[Option 1: Take advantage of the overseers' drunken midday feast to flee down the mountain. Reward: Howling Moon Finger (Mystic Rank – Lower Grade)][Option 2: Secretly dig a tunnel leading out of the mine. Reward: Violet-Gold Tiger Hook (Yellow Rank – Upper Grade)][Option 3: Rally fellow workers who also wish to escape and plot a rebellion together. Reward: Lotus Armor (Yellow Rank – Lower Grade)][Option 4: Forget it—go back to sleep. You'll need your strength for hauling rocks tomorrow anyway. Reward: +1 Random Basic Attribute Point]
Feeling like he was finally back in control, Hokuto immediately dismissed Option 4 and focused on the other three.
Option 1: The overseers really did get dead drunk every noon, paying no attention to the miners. At first glance, this seemed like a viable path.
But by now, Hokuto had learned one truth—the rewards were the most trustworthy indicator. The words Mystic Rank – Lower Grade were enough to make him strike this choice off the list.
Through several rounds of selections, he had pieced together the system's ranking scheme: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. He had already seen Earth, Mystic, and Yellow ranks, each divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower grades.
Last time, just the Yellow Rank – Upper Grade reward from acknowledging that black-robed priest as his master had nearly cost him his life. Now here was a Mystic Rank – Lower Grade. He feared that if he chose it, he'd be dead before he could even claim the prize.
Option 2 offered a Yellow Rank – Upper Grade reward, similar to the earlier apprentice task. But the content? Completely unrealistic.
This was a mine, after all. Every meter dug required supports to prevent collapse. Secretly tunneling out? Even if he somehow managed to avoid detection, one wrong move and he'd be buried alive.
That left Option 3, which at least seemed doable. After a week of labor, Hokuto knew that nearly everyone here had been tricked just like him. Resentment ran deep.
The overseers treated them like beasts. A moment's pause at work earned a kick to the ribs.
On top of that, food was meager: two meals a day, consisting of watery gruel and rock-hard buns. The miners were simmering with fury.
And the reward? Yellow Rank – Lower Grade. The worst among the options, which almost certainly meant it was also the safest. If he couldn't manage even this kind of task, what business did he have calling himself a transmigrator? He might as well find a block of tofu and smash his head against it.
Option 3 it is!
Once he made his choice and the "Escape Quest" activated, Hokuto immediately set about preparing his uprising. He fully exploited his advantages as a transmigrator, rallying the workers with slogans like:
"Are nobles and lords born superior? Why should we not rise up as well?!"
The declaration shook his fellow miners, many of whom fell to their knees in awe.
Then Hokuto told them how, the night before, he had slain a giant white serpent in a drunken haze, only to dream of an old woman weeping and lamenting that her son, the White Emperor's Child, had been slain by the Red Emperor's Child.
This tale of divine omens convinced the miners even further. Clearly, Hokuto was no mere mortal—he was a celestial savior reborn to lead them.
As more and more workers pledged their loyalty, Hokuto drank his thin porridge and laughed to the heavens. Yes! As long as he prepared carefully, a mere Yellow Rank – Lower Grade quest would be child's play.
And the very next day, someone reported him.
The outcome was obvious. Had the overseers not wanted to make an example of him—using his suffering to terrify the others—Hokuto would likely have been beaten to death on the spot.
From that day onward, Hokuto entered "shut-in mode." Whenever the system presented options, he chose only the last one: the simple +1 attribute point. He wouldn't dare touch the others.
This strategy allowed him to survive safely for two months. No disasters, no illnesses. Aside from the relentless toil of mining, nothing went wrong.
And through it, Hokuto realized something profound:
The system wasn't here to help him grow. It was here to warn him of looming dangers. As long as he chose the simplest option, he could avoid calamity.
This cautious routine continued until one bright, sunny morning. Just as Hokuto rose from bed to head to the worksite, a violent explosion echoed in his ears!
At the same time, three new options appeared.
[Option 1: Stay inside the hut and don't move. Reward: Rolling Cloud Palm (Yellow Rank – Upper Grade)][Option 2: Help put out the fire. Reward: Funeral Spear (Yellow Rank – Lower Grade)][Option 3: Use the chaos to escape. Reward: +1 Random Basic Skill Point]
"Huh? These options… they're not following the usual pattern."
Normally, in a chaotic situation like this, trying to escape would be the worst choice. The overseers weren't idiots. They would expect runaways and station guards on the slopes and at the mountain's base. Anyone caught would be beaten half to death, if not outright killed.
But after two months of torment, Hokuto knew: without the system's guidance, he would have died long ago. This time, too, he chose to believe in it.
"Option 3 it is!"
(End of Chapter)