At the vast Open-pit Ore Vein, countless miners wielded all kinds of mining tools, swinging them with all their might.
Ignoring the sweat that had soaked him through, Yang Ling struck the Fire Crystal Rock in front of him again and again with his pickaxe.
Each strike took all his strength. Otherwise, the hard Fire Crystal Rock wouldn't budge at all.
"Xiao Yang, there are twelve shichen in a day, and you spend eight of them here. Aren't you worried you'll wreck your body? You won't last long at this rate."
An old miner passing by couldn't help offering a word of warning.
Yang Ling didn't stop working. He replied politely:
"Don't worry, Uncle Wang. I know my limits."
"Ah."
Uncle Wang shook his head lightly, turned, and walked away to look for valuable Fire Crystal Rock.
Yang Ling continued chipping away at the Fire Crystal Rock.
With every strike, a faint, cool breath flowed along the pickaxe and into his body.
This breath not only eased his fatigue, but also increased his stamina.
"Is this place really a game, or is it a real world?"
"I only meant to relax by playing a full-immersion simulation game. How did I end up unable to go back?"
Yang Ling muttered to himself.
He had been in this world for half a month.
Half a month ago, he'd been a professional Gold Farmer, making quite a bit of money by farming in games.
He'd even made a name for himself in the Gold Farmer business.
But the same old workday after workday had become dull, so he'd picked up a newly launched game called Divine Domain to shake things up.
Then, not long after logging in, he discovered that something was terribly wrong!
He couldn't get back!
And this world felt incredibly real. Everything, from the simulated touch to eating, drinking, and using the toilet, was just like the real world.
Even the NPCs seemed to have flesh and blood.
At first, he'd nearly starved to death in this world.
That was before he was captured and forced to work in the mines.
Lost in thought, he brought his pickaxe down again.
A cool breath flowed into his body.
"Ding!"
A pleasant level-up chime rang out.
"Congratulations! You have leveled up and gained 1 Free Attribute Point!"
Yang Ling immediately brought up his Attribute Panel:
Character: Yang Ling
Class: Miner
Level: 3
Free Attribute Point: 1
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Spirit: 10
Health Points: 50
"Finally, I've leveled up. I got another Free Attribute Point."
Yang Ling was secretly thrilled.
He'd been working so hard all this time for the sake of leveling up.
Every strike earned him Experience Points.
But they didn't show up on the Attribute Panel. He could only tell by that cool breath.
The cool breath was Experience Points. It could not only help him level up, but also ease fatigue and increase stamina.
"My character's starting Strength was only 4, while his Agility and Spirit were both high."
"Five points must be about normal for an average person."
With that thought, Yang Ling immediately put the Free Attribute Point into Strength.
He didn't yet know what Spirit did.
He only knew that Strength let him mine faster, which naturally meant he gained more Experience Points.
Strength also affected Health Points.
As soon as he added a point to Strength, a rush of warmth flooded Yang Ling's body, instantly wiping away all his fatigue. His aching muscles no longer hurt, either.
His Health Points also jumped from 50 to 60.
He clenched his fist and could clearly feel a surge of strength!
Yang Ling couldn't help feeling secretly pleased.
He wanted to survive, and Health Points were crucial.
A few days earlier, he'd taken a bad fall and hit his forehead, losing twenty Health Points in an instant.
He'd only recovered gradually after taking some medicine for his injuries.
He'd wondered whether he could escape Divine Domain if his Health Points hit zero.
But he didn't dare take the chance. He was even more afraid that if his Health Points hit zero, he would be erased, too...
"Then I'll grind! If mining is all it takes to level up, I'll grind until the end of time!"
"Nothing else matters!"
Yang Ling picked up his water flask, took a drink, and kept swinging his pickaxe.
Once, twice...
He kept going until the Fire Crystal Mine in front of him had been completely mined out. Only then did he carefully gather the broken ore on the ground and put it into the cloth pouch at his waist.
Yang Ling weighed it in his hand.
"Hmm, about one liang. I can trade it to Supervisor Wu for ten copper coins."
"Last time, a bottle of healing medicine from Supervisor Wu cost only five copper coins. This time, I need to save up more to protect my life."
"But this pickaxe of mine is about to give out, too. I'll have to save some money for a better one. That'll help me gain Experience Points faster."
As he considered this, several figures quietly drew near.
Yang Ling glanced up without showing his feelings.
"So it's Fifth Brother. What can I do for you?"
Yang Ling clasped his hands and smiled.
Fifth Brother was tall and solidly built. Several grim-faced miners stood behind him, eyeing Yang Ling with hostility.
"Ordinary miners work five shichen a day, then go rest. You work eight."
Fifth Brother spoke evenly. "You're pushing yourself so hard to curry favor with Supervisor Wu, aren't you?"
"Fifth Brother, you've got it wrong," Yang Ling explained. "I just want to earn more money."
"No. We have rules here."
Fifth Brother's voice turned cold. "When you do this, Supervisor Wu will think we're slacking off. You're making yourself look good by putting the rest of us down. Take my advice: work five shichen, then call it a day. Otherwise, you'll be doing more than just taking a knock to the head."
He glanced at Yang Ling's forehead with a faint, mocking smile.
A cold glint flashed in Yang Ling's eyes, too subtle to notice.
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