The sky was dark, the wind blew harshly, and the mine tunnel deep within the Riftstone Mountain seemed to lead to the bloody mouth of hell.
When Lin Xuanchen awoke, he felt a sharp pain radiating from every part of his body, as if being run over by wheels. Darkness enveloped his vision, and his breath was filled with the stench of sulfur and blood. The clanking of picks and muffled curses filled his ears.
He instinctively tried to push himself up, but only managed half an inch before he slumped back to the ground.
"Didn't I... die suddenly from working overtime at the company?"
His mind was a tangle of confusion, his memories tangled. One moment he'd fainted in front of his computer, the next he was in this strange, cold world. His senses were crystal clear; the air, imbued with spiritual energy, and the aching wound lingering in his chest felt incredibly real.
Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
[Bind Confirmed - Main Consciousness: Lin Xuanchen]
[Data Core Activating...]
[Current Status: Severely Injured/Depleted Spiritual Energy]
[Spiritual Root Testing... Result: Mixed Five Spiritual Roots (Extremely Poor)]
[Novice Protection Triggered, Countdown: 72 Hours]
[Mission Objective: Survive]
"System?"
Lin Xuanchen was startled.
As a programmer, he was no stranger to this kind of setup. He knew this wasn't an illusion. The interface in his mind was crystal clear, like a character panel in a game, even tinged with a certain inhumane, cold rationality.
He had traveled through time.
Before he could process it, a boot stained with dirt and blood slammed into his ribs, nearly knocking him unconscious with the pain.
"Are you dead?"
A rough voice rang out, tinged with sneer.
Lin Xuanchen gritted his teeth and slowly opened his eyes. He saw a fierce-looking, ragged miner staring down at him, a rusty pickaxe in hand.
"That useless young master of the Lin family again... Tsk tsk, his spiritual roots are completely destroyed, yet he's still pretending to be noble. He can't even move ore. Does he really think he's still a young master?"
"Get out of here! If you don't pay your share today, the guard elder will whip you three times, and I'll kick you twice, and no one will care!"
Behind him stood a few gloating miners, watching coldly.
Lin Xuanchen looked around and found himself in a black mine. The air was filthy, and above him lay a crumbling spiritual stone vein. Traces of excavation were everywhere. Under the dim spiritual lamplight, more than a dozen miners wielded pickaxes, each one pale and thin, their expressions numb.
Is this the world he'd traveled through?
Miners, the lowest of the low.
Lin Xuanchen took a deep breath, suppressing his seething anger. The system interface reappeared in his mind:
[System Prompt: Do you want to consume 1 point of reserve energy to activate the "Temporary Strengthening - Physical Strength" function?]
[Description: This function temporarily boosts physical strength under extreme conditions, lasting 5 minutes]
[Current Available Energy: 1 point]
[Use?]
Lin Xuanchen's eyes glared.
"Use."
Then, a scorching warmth burned through his meridians like a flame. He felt as if his entire body was ignited, and a long-lost strength surged from deep within his bones.
"You dare to glare at me?"
The miner roared, swinging his fist at him.
Lin Xuanchen suddenly raised his hand, grabbed the man's wrist, and exerted force—
"Crack!"
A bone cracked, and the man screamed in agony!
Lin Xuanchen pushed him, throwing him to the ground. He casually picked up the pickaxe from the ground and smashed it against the ground, a flash of spiritual light emanating from him. Everyone was startled and stopped in their tracks.
"Crazy? This kid's crazy?"
Lin Xuanchen stood straight. Though still trembling, his eyes were cold as stars.
[System Prompt: First counterattack successful, gain 1 "Reinforcement Point"]
[Enabled: Spiritual Root Analysis Permission]
[Suggested Task: Uncover the truth behind the destruction of your spiritual roots / Attempt to activate the Reshape Function]
[Survival Countdown: 71:42:17]
He looked down at his calloused palms, then at the struggling miners on the ground, and a sense of clarity gradually dawned on him.
He had died once before, and he would not allow himself to be bullied again.
"From this moment on, I will live."
"Live, grow stronger, fight my way out of this damn mine, and take everything back."