Lu Jiu swung his pickaxe one last time, the sharp crack of metal against stone echoing through the now-silent cavern. With a flick of his wrist, he hefted the final chunk of ore into the cart. The notification in his mind was instant.

[Task complete. Reward: 5 skill points.]

“Finally,” he muttered, his voice as cold as the shadows clinging to the cavern walls.

He turned, eyes sweeping over the battlefield—a hellscape of mangled corpses, shattered armor, and rivers of blood. The elites sent to kill him lay in grotesque piles, their pride and strength reduced to nothing more than sustenance for his weapon. His expression didn’t change. Death was inevitable for the weak; he had simply expedited the process.

From behind, a faint whimper reached his ears. The remaining slaves, those fortunate—or unfortunate—enough to survive, were huddled together, trembling. Their wide eyes darted between the bodies of their captors and the lone figure standing amidst the carnage, his tattered clothes soaked in blood.

Lu Jiu gave them a glance. No pity. No anger. Just indifference.

“If you can still move, leave,” he said flatly. “Your masters won’t be coming back.”

The slaves hesitated for a moment before scrambling toward the cavern entrance like rats fleeing a sinking ship. He didn’t bother watching them go. They weren’t worth his time.

As his scythe reformed in his hand, its black blade gleaming with a sinister energy, Lu Jiu strode forward. The cavern was deathly silent now, save for the crunch of his boots against shattered bones and the faint hum of his weapon, hungering for more.

When he emerged into the open air, the first thing he saw was Mo Yan leaning casually against a rock, his crimson cloak billowing in the faint breeze. His companion’s lips curved into a smirk.

“You work too hard, Lu Jiu. Mining *and* massacring? Leave some fun for the rest of us.”

Lu Jiu snorted. “Fun? If this world’s so-called elites are the best it has to offer, I’d call it disappointing.” He glanced back at the cavern, where the stench of blood still lingered. “I wasn’t even trying.”

A laugh erupted from nearby. Levi, perched atop a boulder with his massive blade resting on his shoulder, grinned down at them. “You’ve got a point. Those tin cans wouldn’t last five seconds against me. But hey, someone has to keep things interesting.”

Lu Jiu shrugged. “If you want a challenge, keep looking. This place is nothing but a playground for the strong.”

He stepped past them, his scythe vanishing into a cascade of shadows, leaving nothing but the faint imprint of death in the air. His gaze fixed on the horizon, where mountains loomed like silent sentinels over a cursed land.

“Let’s go,” he said, his voice as sharp as the blade he carried. “There’s still a lot of work to do before this world knows its place.”