The More Troop Types, The More Happiness

Northern Territory, Star Archipelago.

Dragon Scale Island.

Zhao Lin stood in the abandoned mine, watching his Blood Thrall bury itself in the work of mining with a look of contentment.

Now that he had a Blood Thrall, he had no intention of doing the manual labor himself.

After all, why tire himself out when he could earn resources just by lying back?

Thanks to the high efficiency of the Blood Thrall's mining, he had earned seven White Condensation Stones in less than an hour.

Without hesitation, he decisively sold all seven White Condensation Stones to the shop, exchanging them for 14 Divine Power.

He then summoned another Blood Thrall in the Divine Realm shop and used 1 Divine Power in the Universal Shop to purchase a basic pickaxe, equipping it to the new arrival.

The mining efficiency increased significantly, doubling his harvest and his joy.

Although he only had two subordinates for now, Zhao Lin could already envision a beautiful future.

Within his own magnificent city, thousands of subordinates would look up at him as he sat upon his throne, bowing in worship. The scene, tsk tsk tsk...

After a moment of daydreaming, Zhao Lin turned his gaze toward the pitch-black depths of the mine.

His current position was marked on the map as the first level of the mine. He didn't know how deep the mine went, but he was very curious about what lay below.

Following standard gaming logic, the best items in a dungeon were usually placed at the very end.

Therefore, Zhao Lin decided to head down and investigate.

"Big Fool, Second Fool, follow me!"

Hearing Zhao Lin's command, the two thralls stopped what they were doing and walked over to him with dull, simple expressions.

Leading the two Blood Thralls, Zhao Lin carried a kerosene lamp and stepped into the darkness, venturing toward the depths of the mine.

The terrain inside the mine was complex, with paths branching downward like a spiderweb. Without knowing the layout, it would be easy to get lost.

But Zhao Lin wasn't worried about that.

Because he had a game map.

Although the map only displayed explored areas and left unexplored regions shrouded in fog, he had walked every step of the path he was taking. With the map in hand, he had no fear of being unable to find his way out.

The flame in the kerosene lamp flickered. As he moved forward, Zhao Lin noticed clear signs that the rock walls had been excavated.

Hanging torches used for lighting remained along the way; they were extinguished now, but they were proof enough that intelligent beings had once occupied this mine.

Venturing deeper, Zhao Lin also discovered murals carved into the rock walls that had since become blurred, as well as decaying totem poles.

However, aside from the White Condensation Stones, Zhao Lin found no other ores embedded in the walls.

This led him to speculate that the good stuff might have already been mined out.

Recalling the beginner hint that this was an "abandoned mine," Zhao Lin confirmed his suspicion.

Just as Zhao Lin was about to stop, deciding not to hunt for treasure anymore and instead find a wall embedded with White Condensation Stones to start digging, he suddenly noticed a faint emerald glow flickering in the darkness ahead.

After approaching with his two thralls, a smile appeared on Zhao Lin's face.

[Emerald Stone (Level 2 Ore)]

Ore Description: A low-level ore containing natural power. A green liquid flows within its sturdy shell; drinking it can rapidly repair wounds.

Ore Usage: Alchemy (internal liquid), tempering weapons (internal liquid), healing, etc.

Sell to Shop: 7 Divine Power

Although there were only a few scattered "Emerald Stones" embedded in the wall, for Zhao Lin, who had been ready to give up on finding anything good, it was a pleasant surprise.

"Big Fool, Second Fool, get to work!" Zhao Lin said, pointing at the wall embedded with Emerald Stones.

Hearing this, the two Blood Thralls stepped forward immediately, picking up their mining shovels to chisel at the wall.

Ten minutes later, Zhao Lin obtained his first Emerald Stone.

Driven by curiosity, he spent some effort smashing the shell of the Emerald Stone with his pickaxe, then tried drinking a mouthful of the green liquid inside.

The liquid entered his mouth and slid down his throat, a cooling sensation spreading from his lower abdomen throughout his entire body.

His pores stood on end, and the bone-chilling sensation made Zhao Lin shiver involuntarily.

Once the chill faded, Zhao Lin felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his whole body surging with warmth, which he found incredibly enjoyable.

This feeling lasted for about a minute before dissipating.

Smacking his lips, Zhao Lin felt like he wanted more.

Although he enjoyed the sensory experience provided by the Emerald Stone, once he obtained a second one, he chose not to consume it, opting instead to sell it to the shop for 7 Divine Power.

With ten Divine Power in his possession once more, Zhao Lin summoned a third Blood Thrall.

By now, Zhao Lin understood how this game was meant to be played.

In his view, early-game resources were extremely important and had to be used where they mattered most; only then could he rapidly develop his own forces.

Once he possessed a massive force, he could enjoy himself however he pleased.

When that time came, he would crown himself king, establish a harem, and have hundreds of stunning songstresses perform for him every single day...

As he planned his future in his mind, the corners of Zhao Lin's mouth gradually curled upward.

Just then, a low growl interrupted Zhao Lin's daydreaming.

Coming back to his senses, Zhao Lin immediately turned his head to look in the direction the sound came from.

In the darkness, a pair of ghostly green eyes were staring at him, and he could vaguely see a crimson glint flickering in their depths.

Startled, Zhao Lin immediately shouted, calling the three slaves who were currently working over to his side.

At this moment, the creature with the ghostly green eyes began to approach.

Through the dim light of the kerosene lamp, Zhao Lin gradually made out the appearance of the creature before him.

It was a two-meter-tall giant wolf with matted fur, exceptionally sharp teeth, eyes slanted upward, long and powerful limbs, and massive pads on its paws.

There was a huge wound on its chest, and one could clearly see ghostly green flames flickering within.

[Cursed Afu]

Creature Details: Afu was once a Forest Giant Wolf, tamed from a young age by the mine owner and kept by his side to serve as a mine patrol guard. During an underground excavation, miners inadvertently unearthed an ominous object buried deep beneath the earth. Every creature within the mine was cursed, turning into undead beings one after another, and Afu did not escape this fate.

Strength Rating: Level 18

Personality: None

Status: Undead Infection (Fearless of pain, no fatal weaknesses)

Through the game's target analysis function, Zhao Lin saw the detailed introduction of the creature before him.

However, before he could react, Afu launched an attack on him.

Sensing Afu's hostility toward Zhao Lin, the three Blood Slaves immediately stepped forward, raised their mining shovels, and smashed them toward Afu's head.

"Clang!"

The mining picks struck Afu's body, ringing out like metal clashing against stone, as if they had hit steel.

Afu sustained no damage at all. It then swiftly swung its claws, bit, and whipped its tail. After a fluid set of movements, all three Blood Slaves were killed, turning into blood-colored mist that surged into Zhao Lin's body.

[Game Prompt: Slave killed. Resurrection requires a 12-hour wait. Early resurrection requires a payment of 20% of the summoning cost in Divine Power.]

"Damn it!"

Seeing his slaves instantly wiped out, Zhao Lin felt a pang of heartache and couldn't help but curse.

At this moment, Afu opened its bloody maw and lunged at him.

A few seconds later, the screen plunged into darkness, and the game prompt sounded once more.

[Game Prompt: You have died. Entering a 3-hour resurrection cooldown.]

Resurrection has a cooldown time too?

Staring at the darkened screen, Zhao Lin was completely dumbfounded.

Just as he prepared to complain about the game's settings and curse the planners and developers... he suddenly remembered something.

After summoning the third slave, his Divine Power balance had been wiped clean, and resurrecting one Blood Thrall required 2 points of Divine Power; waiting for an automatic resurrection would take 12 hours.

In other words... after the three-hour resurrection cooldown ended and he entered the game, he would have to go back to mining again???

"Damn it, trash game, terrible experience!"