THE SLAVE MINE: a place where those deemed worthless by society are sent to live out the rest of their lives. They are forced to work so that others may live comfortably. Age, shape, or condition doesn't matter; once you are taken to the slave mine, there is no return. You either work or face being thrown into the pit, never to be seen again.
Despite the harshness of the situation inside the mine, no one in their right mind chooses to be taken to the pit. They still hold onto the hope that someday they will gain their freedom. But of course, that is just a fool's dream. The mine is inescapable. There are no openings that allow anyone to walk out, even if they somehow manage to elude the soldiers patrolling the area.
The only way in and out is through the main door, which stands 7 meters tall and is covered with protruding spikes. Only the leader of the mine, who possesses the key, has the privilege of opening it. Therefore, for anyone to escape, they must first obtain the key to unlock the door.
In other words, Karsha, who is now planning to escape, must first get the key from the Mine Boss, or as they call him, the King, to open the main gate.
But even if he miraculously managed to get the key, he would have to traverse a 10-kilometer distance to reach the gate. This 10-kilometer is filled with soldiers of various shapes and sizes. There is no way he could move through them all without alerting a single person.
Then there is the issue of what will happen to him outside of the mine should he manage to escape. On his body is a mark, the mark of a slave. All those sent to the Slave Mine are branded on their chest or back. If he is discovered with the mark outside the mine, he will either be captured and sent back or killed on sight without any mercy.
They frowned upon slaves, so having one among their ranks was something they wouldn't tolerate. It's a dire situation for all slaves, but of course, Karsha isn't aware of this. His only focus is to escape this damn mine. For the past few weeks, he has been training his sword skills.
His nature as a soldier, coupled with his talent for stealth, led him to conclude, "As long as I don't face them head-on for now, I will be okay," Karsha said to himself as he took a sip from his water bottle.
"System, kindly add 20 points to all my stats," Karsha commanded. The stakes had risen, and there was no longer any reason to hold back. His current body was comparable to that of a peak beginner stage cultivator, yet he still felt weak. He needed to address this and to start, he must kill more soldiers and absorb their cores.
He had noticed that killing them and absorbing their cores provided an added bonus to his stats.
< Points distributed successfully>
< Status >
< Name: Karsha Damon >
< Age: 18 >
< Sex: Male >
< Race: Human >
< Class: None>
< Title: None >
< Realm: Apprentice - Level 2 >
< STR: 24 / AGL: 31 / HEA: 32 / STA: 32>
< Mana: 6000 >
< Exp: 100/5000 >
Available Stats: 12,000
Available Exp: 0
Skills: [Imitate]. [Thrust]
Karsha read through his status and couldn't help but see a new light at the end of the tunnel. He observed all the changes in his status and couldn't help but feel proud of his achievements.
He practiced his thrust skill continuously for a day, and now all he needed was a live target. He understood that practicing and the real thing were opposite experiences. He needed to practice on moving targets that could also fight back.
"I guess I will have to stick to my level for now. I still need to get the damn key from that idiot," Karsha said with a cold look. He hated the leader of the slave mine, even though he knew the man was just doing his job. The mine was owned by influential figures in the world of Quinox.
They owned almost everything, so soldiers like the leader of the slave mine didn't have a say when ordered to do something.
However, from what Karsha saw through the video, he could tell all the soldiers were content with their job. So he vowed deep in his heart that before he left the mine, he would kill the leader and any soldiers that stood in his way. His hatred for the bastard ran deep. Now that he was getting stronger, he aimed to eliminate perhaps the person who might pose a threat should he manage to escape.
The soldier in Karsha knew he had to tie up all loose ends. The soldiers in the mine were the ones who had seen him up close, so he intended to eliminate them before leaving. If he managed to escape, there wouldn't be anyone left to describe him before they could draw pictures of him. He had no doubt that none of the slaves would betray him.
They were already suffering, and Karsha's escape would only inspire them to revolt and seek their own freedom.
Karsha may appear righteous in front of them, but deep down, he desires to create chaos among those who will pursue him. He wants them to divide their forces and chase after others who will also manage to escape. Using them as a distraction while appearing as a hero to achieve this is perfect for him. He doesn't care about anyone or anything; the only thing he desires is freedom and strength.
The only downside to his plan is reaching the gate. While he can manage to confront the leader and, if lucky enough, assassinate him, getting to the gate presents a significant challenge. He would have to cross over a hundred soldiers, and those soldiers are no pushovers. They are cultivators with strengths that surpass his own.
Acknowledging his shortcomings, Karsha began formulating his plan, and as he had anticipated, the system chimed in with a quest.
< New Quest: Escape the slave mine within two days >
< Rewards >
- 1000 Stat points
- 10,000 Exp
- Rare Rank Long Sword
- Tiger strike Dual sword Manual
< Kill the Slaves Mine Leader and escape with 100 plus others >
< Rewards >
- Hidden
Karsha let out a heavy sigh. He had already made plans for this, so getting paid to do the same thing sounded like a stroke of luck for him. However, he had initially planned to accomplish all this within a week, but now he had only 2 days to do everything. He needed to first observe their movements and timing to move around undetected.
However, now that his plan for reconnaissance had been thwarted by the system, he had to devise a new plan.
"Two days, huh? Let's see if the soldier in me is still alive," Karsha said after brainstorming for a few minutes. His new plan was simple: he would use the first day to kill or assassinate as many soldiers as he could, raising his level as high as possible. Then, he would move on to kill the leader. Once the leader was dead, he would make his way to the gate, anticipating a bloody 10-kilometer run.
Stowing his sword and drawing out his daggers, he began to move, signaling the start of a night that promised bloodshed, a night that would be remembered as the day the slaves pushed back. The revolution was about to be born.
=================
"I heard a new batch of slaves will be arriving tomorrow," a soldier said to his comrades as they sat during what appeared to be their break time. "Good for us, at least they will be fresh meat to torment," another soldier said as he took a bite from a roasted chicken.
From their expressions, it was evident that they derived some form of pleasure from tormenting innocent souls sent to the mine. They seemed to relish breaking a new soul, ensuring they understood there was no going back for them. All soldiers in the mine were like that, and since nobody could hold them accountable, they often joked about it as if it were a normal thing to do.
Unfortunately for them, lurking in the shadows was a trained soldier and assassin, determined to complete his quest by any means necessary to become stronger. He was General Karsha Damon, the untamed General.
"Thud." A noise echoed just a few meters away from the two soldiers, causing them to turn their attention in that direction. Since it was dark, neither of them wanted to investigate - at least, that was their plan until another thud occurred in the same direction.
"Let me check it out; it might be one of those useless slaves trying to escape their assignment," the first soldier declared as he stood up and ventured into the darkness. However, after five minutes passed without his return, the second soldier began calling out. With no response forthcoming, he rose to investigate himself.
Before he could take three steps, a dagger materialized from the darkness, piercing his eye and ending his life instantly.
"This is where your story ends," Karsha declared as he emerged from the shadows. Glinting before his eyes were the rewards he had gained from killing the two Advanced stage cultivators.
< You have killed a Level 4 'Advanced' stage cultivator >
< You have killed a Level 6 'Advanced' stage cultivator >