Northern Territory, Star Archipelago.
Dragon Scale Island.
Deep inside the Abandoned Mine, Zhao Lin watched his Blood Thralls mining away, looking thoroughly pleased.
Now that he had Blood Thralls, he had no intention of mining by hand again.
After all, if he could earn resources while lounging around, why wear himself out?
Thanks to the Blood Thralls' high mining efficiency, it had taken him less than an hour to earn seven White Condensation Stones.
Without hesitation, he sold all seven to the Game Store in exchange for 14 Divine Power.
Then he summoned another Blood Thrall from the Divine Domain Shop and spent 1 Divine Power at the Omnipotent Shop on a basic mining pick, equipping the newly arrived Blood Thrall with it.
His mining efficiency shot up, bringing him twice the joy.
Though he had only two subordinates so far, Zhao Lin could already picture the glorious future ahead.
In his own magnificent city, countless subordinates would gaze up at him as he sat upon his throne, prostrating themselves in worship. Just imagining the scene—tut, tut, tut...
After indulging in the fantasy for a while, Zhao Lin turned to look down into the pitch-black mine.
According to the map, he was on the first level of the mine. He had no idea how deep it went, but he was quite curious about what lay below.
If games followed the usual logic, the best loot in a dungeon was often tucked away at the very end.
So Zhao Lin decided to head down and investigate.
"Big Fool, Second Fool, come with me!"
At his command, the two Blood Thralls stopped working and ambled over, looking adorably dim-witted.
With his two Blood Thralls in tow and a kerosene lamp in hand, Zhao Lin stepped into the darkness and headed deeper into the mine.
The mine's layout was complicated, with the downward passages branching off in a web. Anyone unfamiliar with the place could easily get lost.
But Zhao Lin wasn't worried.
He had the game map.
It only showed areas he had explored; unexplored areas were hidden in fog.
But he had already walked the way back, so with the map in hand, he wasn't concerned about getting trapped inside.
The flame in the kerosene lamp flickered as Zhao Lin moved forward. He noticed clear signs of excavation on the mine walls.
Torches meant for lighting still hung along the way, though they had long since gone out. That was proof enough that intelligent beings had once lived in the mine.
As he ventured deeper, Zhao Lin also found faded murals carved into the walls and a decayed totem pole.
However, aside from White Condensation Stones, he found no other minerals embedded in the rock.
That led Zhao Lin to suspect that all the good stuff might have been mined already.
Recalling the beginner's tip that this was an "Abandoned Mine," Zhao Lin felt sure of his guess.
Just as he was about to give up searching for treasure and find a wall with White Condensation Stones to mine instead, he spotted a faint emerald-green glimmer in the darkness ahead.
He walked closer with the two Blood Thralls, and a smile spread across his face.
[Emerald Stone (Level 2 Ore)] Ore Description: A low-grade ore infused with the power of nature. Green liquid flows within its sturdy shell; drinking it can quickly heal injuries. Uses: Alchemy (inner liquid), weapon tempering (inner liquid), wound treatment, etc. Sell to Game Store: 7 Divine Power
Though there were only a few scattered Emerald Stones embedded in the wall, they were a delightful surprise for Zhao Lin, who had been ready to give up searching for anything worthwhile.
"Big Fool, Second Fool, get to work!" Zhao Lin said, pointing at the wall studded with Emerald Stones.
At once, the two Blood Thralls stepped forward, lifted their mining picks, and began chipping away at the rock.
A little over ten minutes later, Zhao Lin got his first Emerald Stone.
Curious, he spent some time cracking open its shell with his pick and tried a sip of the green liquid inside.
The liquid entered his mouth and slid down his throat. A cool sensation spread from his abdomen throughout his body.
His pores prickled, and the icy chill made Zhao Lin shudder.
Once the chill faded, he felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, warmth coursing through him. He enjoyed the sensation immensely.
It lasted for about a minute before fading.
Zhao Lin smacked his lips, still wanting more.
Although he had loved the sensation the Emerald Stone gave him, when he got a second one, he didn't drink it. Instead, he sold it to the Game Store for 7 Divine Power.
Now that he had ten Divine Power again, Zhao Lin summoned a third Blood Thrall.
By then, Zhao Lin had figured out how to play this game.
Early on, resources were extremely important. He had to spend them wisely if he wanted to quickly build up his forces.
Once his forces grew large enough, he could enjoy himself however he liked.
He'd make himself king, build a harem, and have hundreds of gorgeous songstresses serenade him every day...
As he fantasized and planned for the future, Zhao Lin's lips slowly curled into a smile.
Just then, a low growl interrupted his daydream.
Zhao Lin snapped back to his senses and immediately turned toward the sound.
In the darkness, a pair of eerie green eyes stared at him, with a hint of crimson glinting deep within.
Startled, Zhao Lin shouted and called the three working Blood Thralls over to him.
The creature with the eerie green eyes began to approach.
In the dim light of the kerosene lamp, Zhao Lin gradually made out its appearance.
It was a two-meter-tall giant wolf with shaggy fur, exceptionally sharp teeth, slanted eyes, long, powerful limbs, and large paw pads.
A huge wound gaped in its chest, where a ghostly green flame flickered within.
[Cursed Afu] Creature Details: Afu had once been a Forest Giant Wolf, raised from a young age by the mine owner and kept by his side to patrol and guard the mine. During an excavation underground, miners accidentally uncovered something ominous buried deep beneath the earth. Every creature in the mine was cursed, and one by one they became undead. Afu had not escaped this fate. Strength: Level 18 Personality: None Status: Undead infection (insensitive to pain, no fatal weak points)
Using the game's target analysis feature, Zhao Lin saw the details of the creature before him.
But before he could react, Afu attacked.
Sensing Afu's hostility toward Zhao Lin, the three Blood Thralls immediately rushed forward and swung their mining picks at its head.
"Clang!"
The pick struck Afu with a metallic ring, as if it had hit steel.
Afu was unharmed. It immediately lashed out with a claw, bit down, and whipped its tail. After the fluid flurry of attacks, all three Blood Thralls were dead, turning into a cloud of crimson mist that surged into Zhao Lin.
[Game Notification: Blood Thrall killed. Resurrection will take 12 hours. To resurrect it early, pay 20% of its summoning cost in Divine Power.]
"Fuck!"
Watching his Blood Thralls get killed instantly, Zhao Lin felt a pang of pain and couldn't help cursing.
Afu opened its bloody maw and lunged at him.
A few seconds later, the screen went dark, and another game notification sounded.
[Game Notification: You have been killed. Resurrection Cooldown: 3 hours.]
There was a cooldown before resurrection?
Staring at the now-dark screen, Zhao Lin was dumbfounded.
Just as he was about to complain about the game's mechanics and curse the developers, he suddenly remembered something.
After summoning his third Blood Thrall, his Divine Power balance had dropped to zero. Resurrecting one Blood Thrall cost 2 Divine Power, while waiting for automatic resurrection would take 12 hours.
Which meant... once the three-hour Resurrection Cooldown ended and he logged back in, he'd have to go mining again???
"Fuck this trash game. What a terrible experience!"
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