Chapter 13: I Want Power (Part 1)
Arthur:
Drang Drang Drang
The sound of iron striking stone.
Huff Huff Huff
The sound of the slaves panting as they dug inside the mine with pickaxes.
Bang Bang Bang
…
Argh Argh Argh
Damn it, to think I would end up mining. Where is the young master's life I saw in the memory?! For hell's sake, this goes against the rules.
When I dug a little, I obtained my first Mana Gem. A gray screen appeared before me.
[Assistant System]
[You have gained 10 Experience Points]
[Level 2 (200/50) —> Level 2 (200/60)]
[You have met the requirements to activate your ability]
[Your Body Learns]
[Skill]
[Skill I Miner (Level 1)]
[Description: Raise your pickaxe and dig in the mines. You will gain a good sense and strike in spots to make digging easier. The chance of obtaining gems also increases by 10%.
Increase +1 Strength permanently]
[Level 1 —> Level 2
Conditions: Hit with the pickaxe 10 times]
Great, this is what I was looking for. I want more power. I grabbed my pickaxe and began striking the rocks like a madman.
It continued until 5 swings of the pickaxe. Another gem appeared.
[Assistant System]
[You have gained 10 Experience Points]
[Level 2 (200/60) —> Level 2 (200/70)]
Hahaha, this is not a Mana Gem mine. It's an Experience mine.
I continued digging and digging, and the gray screen kept appearing.
[Assistant System]
[You have gained 10 Experience Points]
[Level 2 (200/70) —> Level 2 (200/80)]
[System]
[You have met the requirements for your skill evolution]
[Skill I Miner (Level 1) —> Skill I Miner (Level 2)]
[Increase +1 Strength permanently]
[Level 2 (200/90) —> Level 2 (200/100)]
[Level 2 (200/100) —> Level 2 (200/110)]
…
[Level 2 (200/180) —> Level 2 (200/190)]
[Skill I Miner (Level 2) —> Skill I Miner (Level 3)]
[Increase +1 Strength permanently]
[Skill I Miner (Level 3) —> Skill I Miner (Level 4)]
[Increase +1 Strength permanently]
Phew… I wiped the sweat off my forehead and looked at the gems I had gathered. About 10 gems.
"Arrrrgh" I'm so hungry. My strength gave out as my stomach growled.
I'll go get some food. I headed to a certain man, where we put the gems so they could be transported outside the cave. I placed them in a cart. After counting them, he wrote on a paper and handed it to me.
The paper contained the number 10. I think this is what I will use to exchange for food.
After that, I went to where there was a line of people waiting their turn to get food.
I waited at the end of the line, looking around, when I saw the sight of a miserable old man.
"You damn old geezer. What do you think you're doing, stopping your work… huh?!"
One of the guards who kept watch over the slaves inside the cave started yelling at the collapsed old man.
"Please, I'm an old man, have mercy, let me just catch my breath… ohhh… I'm dying from exhaustion, I beg you, pity me." Snot dripped from the old man's nose and tears from his eyes when he saw the whip in the guard's hand.
The guard's face twisted in displeasure at the old man's words.
"Really?! Are you stupid or what? Did you hear yourself… you're asking for pity… hahaha." A mad laugh erupted from the guard as he looked at the miserable old man with contempt.
"Tch… how about you just die quickly and put yourself to rest forever? I wi…ll ki..ll you."
Claude raised his hand and swung the whip with pure malice.
"Die."
But unfortunately, his strike did not hit its target—it landed on my back.
"Arrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!"
Suddenly pain overwhelmed me, I couldn't find words to describe the feeling. Only a horrifying scream came out, speaking of the agony I felt now.
"You?!" he was shocked.
Pain… Pain… Pain…
"You son of a bitch??! What the hell did you just do, huh???? Did you take the hit for that old man?"
He was enraged by what I had done. But…
"Ah… I see, you wanted to rest like the old man? You should have said so from the start, you didn't have to throw yourself in. All you had to do was wait your turn after the old man. Now step away from him and wait your turn." Claude interpreted the scene before him, enjoying it.
He approached me, who was shielding the old man with my back, and tried to push me aside. But the result was a clash between him and me.
"What… stubborn, don't you get what I said? Wait your turn." Still, no, I would not move from my spot.
"Arghhh, if that's what you want then fine, die first." In his rage, he lifted his whip and lashed my back, carving a bloody 'X' on it.
"Arrrggghhhhhh!"
I screamed louder than before.
"Take this… hahaha." Another strike from him.
"Arghhhhhh!"
'Ughh… painful… so painful, what is this agony?'
But suddenly, from the wounds on my back, I felt a strange itching sensation, they were healing quickly—thanks to a skill. I needed to find a solution before my vitality ran out.
Before my tear-blurred dark eyes, an interface appeared with the following notifications.
[Assistant System]
[You have met the requirements to activate your ability]
[Your Body Learns]
[Skill]
[Resistance to Bleeding (Level 1)]
[Description: We are your red blood cells, we will focus on building a shield to prevent severe bleeding]
[Level 1 —> Level 2
Conditions: Bleed, bleed heavily.]
[You have met the requirements to activate your ability]
[Your Body Learns]
[Skill]
[Pain Resistance (Level 1)]
[Description: Say goodbye to pain receptors. Don't worry, you will feel when you want, and you won't when you don't.]
[Level 1 —> Level 2
Conditions: Feel pain.]
Suddenly, I started feeling relief.
And still the guard continued lashing me.
After ten strikes, the guard began to notice something strange happening.
"Arghh" I groaned at the eleventh strike, but my voice was very faint.
Imagine your friend slapping your back as a joke. Yes! That's exactly what I was feeling now.
'…'
Veins bulged on Claude's forehead as he began channeling mana from his core to his hand, then into the whip, turning its color bright red.
"Hehehe… take this, you bastard." The guard laughed after activating his ability.
"Ability [Bloody Whip] – Blood Strike."
The guard prepared to bring the whip down on my back.
—-----------------------—-----------------------
[States]
[Character:
– Name and surname: Arthur Field
– Ethnicity: human
– Ability: Learning – Rank S
– Level 2 (200/190)
– Statistics Points: 0
]
[Properties:
– Strength: 8 + (4)
– Agility: 5
– Defense (Vitality, Resistance): 4 + (20)
– Intelligence (mana): 10
]
[Skills:
– [Skill I I'm not thirsty (Level 1)]
– [Skill II Stacked Damage Resistance (Level 1)]
– [Skill I Sword Art of the Field Family (Level 1)]
– [Skill II Rapid Cell Evolution (Level 1)]
– [Skill I Burning Hand (Level 1)]
– [Skill I Miner (Level 4)]
– [Skill I Bleeding Resistance (Level 1)]
– [Skill I Pain Resistance (Level 1)]
]