Gon stood with blood flowing down his waist, his pickaxe at the floor, and the king of the Kolomodor Salamanders freezing its thorax to shoot a beam.

  Naturally, these creatures were weakest to fire. But to counteract such a glaring weakness, their hides were tough and could withstand the force of even sharp weapons, let alone flames.

  But, the Kolomodor Salamanders were still beasts at most Qi Condensation in this world.

  There was only so much power they could have. If their exterior body was too tough, then…

  It’s been a while since I played that game. I think way back in highschool? I better have good form.

  Gon stretched his right arm in front of the beast.

  And he grabbed the lantern globe next to him.

  He lifted his left foot, with his knees slightly bent. Bending his torso away from the beast, Gon built all the momentum he could.

  One throw. That was all he needed.

  And it had to hit straight on target.

  With a single stride, Gon rotated his hips and shoulders towards his target.

  The King of Miners against the King of Kolomodors.

  And he brought his throwing arm in a circular motion, releasing the lantern globe at the highest point.

  “Strike!”

  The lantern globe spun and flew, the flame still flickering within.

  Until it landed right in the Kolomodor Salamander’s mouth, interrupting its attack as it burnt its thorax.

  Broken glass and flames spread through its innards.

  The ice beast slammed its entire body on the ground, in an attempt to shake off the flames that ran inside its body. Its exterior may have been strong, but the interior was as soft as cotton candy. The flames ravaged the nerves and veins that supplied it cold blood and reduced its ice storage to ash.

  Gon picked up his pickaxe with shaking hands, resting it on his shoulder.

  All the miners were frozen on the spot, watching Gon somehow take down such a powerful beast.

  Who would’ve thought that a dead man would rise from the cave of graves, and take down a beast while having the most scrawniest and shortest body out of them all!

  Scouring his eyes across the mine, Gon took in a deep breath.

  “The hell are you all standing around for?! Get to work and axe this beast to death!”

  Leading the attack, Gon let out a primal roar as he raised his pickaxe with both hands, striking it down on the ice beast. Though the weapon bounced off the beast, Gon kept his feet planted and struck again. And again. And again.

  Until he broke through the skin, causing the beast to bleed.

  Acquired New Skill! Mining Proficiency is now level 1!

  “Level 1?! Are you taking the piss?! I’ve been mining for over twenty years. I should be a damn expert at it!”

  All the dozens of miners took their pickaxe up in arms, doing the same thing as well.

  On the day, when all hope was lost, and a mine of mere slaves and labourers should’ve been wiped out off the map of the Ethereal Life Sect…

  A dying man stood, undead, defying death, rallying the defeated and destroying the disastrous beasts!

  Gon huffed and wheezed, but he still held on to the pickaxe like he was holding on to dear life.

  With the death of all their enemies, all the miners crowded around Gon.

  Ah shit… I’m so… damn hungry…

  Gon collapsed.

  It took a while for anyone to speak up, watching the scrawny dead man rise up and defy the odds, saving them all.

  One of the miners who threw Gon to the mines knelt by his side, crying tears. “Forgive me! This time, I’ll make sure to bury you properly, senior brother Gong!”

  One of the older miners slapped the back of his head. “Idiot! He’s clearly not dead. In fact, it’s a damn good thing you were too lazy to bury him in the grave. Now get up, we need to dress his wounds and open up the exit! Get to work, everyone!”

  With the smell of food and the wetness of water, Gon slowly opened up his eyes.

  Still exhausted and seeing a blurry vision, Gon felt a soft surface beneath his head. He saw beautiful hands that were opening his mouth and feeding him water from a waterskin gourd.

  Ahh… Am I in heaven? A beautiful woman is resting me on her lap, personally feeding me?

  Soon the blurry world shifted, opening up to a crystal clear cave.

  Gon looked up right to see the angel feeding him in his stupor.

  Only to see a muscular old man with a large white beard give him a wide grin, flashing his yellow teeth.

  “Young man, are you feeling better now?”

  Realising what his head was lying on, Gon’s eyes almost bulged out as he stood up. “Old man, why the hell do you have such smooth hands?! Are you even a labourer?”

  “Ohoho, young man, my hands are the most vital thing I have. I will make sure to take care of them very well.”

  Gon felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead. To think he almost mistook this old man as a jade beauty, even for just a moment. What the heck was wrong with him?!

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  The young man who buried Gon was waiting by his side, crying his eyes out as he saw the hero awaken. “Senior brother! You’re awake! Thank the heavens you’re alive! I thought I’d been cursed to be haunted by you for failing to bury you. Forgive me, senior brother!”

  “Now you all sound like real labourers. Just a moment ago, you were all wailing in despair.” Gon scratched his head, trying to remember this person’s name. “Right, you’re Little Hu.”

  “Well, at least you didn’t try to bury me again this time.”

  Little Hu began whistling as if to feign ignorance.

  And the few other miners hanging around scrutinised him, all of them thinking the same thing.

  Weren’t you the one trying to bury him again right away?

  Gon began to salivate when he smelt the meat being cooked.

  “Now, we’ll take you outside. The guys have already started skinning and cooking what we can eat.” The older miners said, helping Gon stand up to take him outside.

  “But it is quite surprising. We all thought you were dead. You didn’t even have any pulse! Perhaps it is a miracle of the great heavens.” The old man who was giving him water early on said. Gon remembered his name was Old Qiang.

  Though Gon had rested, his stomach wouldn’t stop grumbling. He wasn’t even bothered engaging in idle chatter, just anticipating the food.

  As long as it was meat, then everything was neat.

  That’s all he needed right now.

  Night had fallen outside, and by this time, everyone was meant to go home. Instead, a small bonfire was made as the meat of the Kolomodor Salamanders was being distributed. Gon received a piping hot plate with the meal, and everyone gathered around him to celebrate.

  Gon sat on the side of a log makeshift chair and saw the glistening red charred meat. “I wonder how the meat of such a beast tastes.”

  It was his first meal of his second life, in another world, of an unknown beast.

  Gon felt excitement for this new world.

  The best part of a hard day of work was getting to enjoy a hearty meal.

  Gon grabbed a piece of the cut meat and ate it in one go.

  It was quite chewy.

  But every time Gon chewed, his mouth would explode with a wave of mild gamey flavours, yet there would be a slight hint of coolness, almost as if it was infused with a bit of mint.

  The outside was crispy, and each time Gon bit into it, there would be a satisfying crunch.

  Even though there was clearly only salt as the seasoning, the innate flavour of this mystical beast was a completely new experience.

  Yet, even when he ate this piping hot dish, rather than his tongue being scalded, it would always remain cool after each bite.

  Gon gobbled up his plate instantly.

  Everyone around him anticipated his answer.

  What did the rising ghost say about the meat, the one who was the sole reason they were able to get out of this life and death situation?

  Gon hung his head low, and his lips were slightly trembling.

  The memories of Kuang Gong flashed in his mind.

  The memories of a young man who struggled for years because of his folly of daring to talk back to the granddaughter of the Sect Leader, to defend his friend.

  A man who couldn’t achieve his goals of becoming a cultivator, yet forced to work as a labourer to provide for his family.

  Today was the day he was meant to be dead.

  It was meant to be the last page of Kuang Gong’s life.

  But for the man who had been living off stale bread and rations for barely being able to fulfill his quota, punished by the sect and had lived his life as a poor villager…

  And having these memories meld with the miner from Earth, who had seen every aspect of his terrible life…

  Being able to eat the meat of a beast that he defeated. That he killed! With his own hands, without even the power of those mystical cultivators!

  Gon sniffed his nose, raising his head up high. Tears came out of his eyes.

  But they weren’t tears of sadness.

  “This meat… IT’S GODDAYUM GREAT! THE BEST THING I’VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!”

  He declared to everyone, his voice echoing in the distance.

  And with that, everyone roared with laughter, enjoying this night.

  Little Hu grabbed another plate to give to Gon. And Gon gladly took it, devouring it within a minute.

  Old Qiang’s friends grabbed a barrel from nearby, lifting it high above everyone’s head.

  “Here’s my secret stash of beer! Meat and beer, let’s get this party going! We get to live another day, hahaha!”

  Old Qiang passed Gon the first mug. For he was the hero of the night, no, the MVP of the year!

  Gon stood up, raising the mug of beer in his right hand. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make!”

  Everyone shut up, waiting to hear his next words.

  “Today, I was meant to be dead. We all were. Fate may have ordained us all to die a worthless death today, but us labourers and miners won’t yield to fate! Remember what I said before?”

  With a deep breath, Gon yelled to the crowd. “We are the foundation of this world! All those grand sects and buildings you see, they would be nothing without us! All those Spirit Jades the sect has, they need to be kowtowing to us in gratefulness! So for god’s sake, why should fate let us die a stupid death over some small lizards?!”

  Gon downed the mug of beer in one swig. Some of it fell down his cheeks, but he didn’t care.

  “So screw everyone that thinks of us like we’re pieces of shits and pathetic slaves! We are the kings of the world, the makers of civilisation! So be proud! Because we’re the goddamn best!”

  The whole crowd was silent for a moment.

  They had never thought of it like that.

  For in this world, no one acknowledged labourers and miners. In a world full of cultivators who could control the laws of the world as they desired, the mortals who did their bidding were seen as mere dross. Slaves that need to work all day and all night to satisfy the avarice of the sect’s needs for Spirit Jades.

  But, everyone saw their most scrawniest and weakest miner declare to the world that their duty was a noble one. A most powerful one, that caused the world to even be what it was today.

  Gon continued to speak, this time in a more soft voice. “I have a dream.”

  They all paid attention.

  “I’ve seen the state of this world. The disdain everyone has for us. There is no appreciation for the art of mining, for the song of the pickaxe, and for the love of procuring gems. All the wealth we grab, we give it away to the sect, and in return we get back piles of dogshit as payment.”

  Gon raised his head to watch the night sky.

  “I don’t like it.”

  He raised his left hand up and made a fist. “I want to change that view. I want to destroy that disdain, and show the pride of us labourers. I want the people of this world to realise the importance of us, and the strength of our pickaxe. That we are the reasons they receive those Spirit Jades, and that they can build their landmarks to satisfy the hubris of those damned Immortals.”

  “You know what?” Gon raised his fist to the sky. “Fuck being a cultivator! I never liked those shitty sects anyway! From now on, I’m going to become the strongest miner in the world!”

  “With this second life I’ve been granted, I’m going to be known as Gon!”

  No one had heard such a thing.

  To talk shit about cultivators, and even they that you wouldn’t want to be one.

  Every single mortal in this world had at least thought once in their life. ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I became a powerful cultivator? To soar the skies and control the earth?’

  Yet here was a scrawny kid cursing the Ethereal Life Sect, wanting to be a measly little miner instead.

  “Senior Brother, should we call you the Rising Ghost Gon then? Or what about Ghost Axe Gon, or Crazy Miner Gon?” Little Hu asked, breaking the silence in the crowd.

  Gon shook his head, instead flexing his biceps. Unfortunately, not a single piece of muscle was shown, instead just being a stick of an arm. “Call me King Of Muscles Gon.”

  Everyone erupted into laughter, bringing back life to the crowd.

  But they all remembered the absurd words of Gon, the one who wanted to defy the world of cultivators.

  They all cheered, sharing their delights with fresh, hot meat and a cold beer.

  Gon downed plates and plates of meat. To the point his belly began to protrude out. But that didn’t stop him.

  After all, he needed to bulk up.

  As much as possible.

  “Oi oi! If you’re gonna keep eating, you’re going to explode, Gon!” Old Qiang slapped Gon’s back, almost making Gon spit out some of the meat. But he forced himself to swallow every bit, to grow his body as much as possible.

  Gon downed another mug of beer, laughing wildly while talking with the rest of his team.

  Yet with the arrival of a sect disciple, everyone quietened.

  An Outer Disciple was running, finally making it to the mines where everyone was eating outside.

  “W-what? I thought the mine collapsed, but all of you managed to get out?” The Outer Disciple said, holding a sword by his side while wearing beautiful and clean robes with the mark of the Ethereal Life Sect, a multi-coloured lotus.

  “I went to send a message for backup, but they said they’d be sending in more disciples in the morning to clear out the mine.” He then noticed the dead beasts being cooked. “You even managed to kill the Kolomodor Salamanders?”

  Gon rubbed his mouth to clean away the bits of liquid. His gaze narrowed as he stared at the bonfire.

  But what he was seeing rather was the mystical words of the System instead.

  Mandatory Quest: Defeat The Outer Disciple Guard And Escape The Mines.

  Gon stood up, stretching his body from sitting and eating for so long.

  So it’s time to settle this.

  And he walked to face the disciple.