Zoran's tumultuous journey of cultivation started because of these five people. He met them while working the mines, captivated by the charismatic words of this gang's leader, Helio.
He saw their strength and their connection to the Primordial Sun Dynasty, the strongest dynasty in his opinion, as a saving grace that would help him get stronger. He wanted to join them; he wanted to become them.
With his saved up money, Helio and his gang promised to purchase a unique cultivation core of a winged cyclops hybrid that would give Zoran the same strength as a dragon and the swiftness of a snake.
He believed them, naively blinded by the promise of power. He didn't even consider the fact that a winged cyclops never existed.
He gave them all the money he had while mining, and each time, they needed more. They took the money for themselves while Zoran toiled the horrendous conditions of the mine, contracting black lung from inhaling harmful contaminants in the mine.
And after they had finally given him a cultivation core, he was given a D-class core. He was excited, despite everything. But as it turned out, cultivation with a black lung disease was akin to inhaling a thousand thumbtacks while running at full speed up a mountain.
Breaking through the bottleneck of cultivation should elicit ecstasy in a cultivator, but Zoran only felt worse and worse with each stage.
It took him 10 years just to advance through 5 stages of Body Strengthening, an abysmal rate. If he had a better cultivation core and healthy lungs, he would have reached the peak of Body Strengthening in at least 5 years.
This was not the only consequence of these five men. It was only the start of a falling domino filled with unlucky events that would unfold in Zoran's life.
That was before. Now, Zoran was brought back in this exact moment where it all went wrong. Armed with his experience and knowledge, Zoran walked with confidence.
"Oh, it's Zoran. What' you doing here, huh? You should be working the mines, not idling around."
The five of them noticed a scrawny kid with a face covered in dust and grime. He didn't have the fancy armor like them; he didn't have the confidence that exuded strength like Helio. When they looked at Zoran, they only saw weakness.
But there was one thing that they didn't notice: it was the clear black eyes looking straight back at them with clarity. This would have been the first time they saw his eyes as they always saw Zoran with his head bent down.
"I had something to do," replied Zoran.
Drew was the first to notice the lack of stuttering. What's even strange was that Zoran was looking straight at Helio while answering his question.
"You should be working. Don't you want to become as strong as me? The Primordial Sun Dynasty does not accept dead weight." Helio stated, proudly bearing his chest with his dynasty's insignia.
Zoran almost laughed at that. The Primordial Sun Dynasty was exactly like the Alpha God: a party craze.
"Helio's right. Our dynasty is full of seniors cultivating all day long!"
"You should aim to be like them. You should work harder in the mines so that I can purchase a new swo–Ow!"
Drew elbowed his friend from almost spilling the 'secret'. Even if they blatantly said the truth, they don't care. The Zoran they knew was not the type to speak up against Helio, much less defy him.
Zoran shook his head. "No. I have everything I need."
He ignored their shocked faces and walked right past Helio, ignoring the frozen smile on his face. His golden hair up to his shoulders almost lit up on fire from the anger welling up on his chest.
Saying no to Helio was already a disrespect worthy of being beaten to near-death. Walking past him could only lead to a fate worse than death.
The only reason why Helio hasn't wielded his ax to wipe the arrogant eyes off of Zoran's face was because this was unprecedented.
The Zoran he knew was a man who did not defy his words: if he wanted Zoran to jump, he would jump; if he wanted Zoran to cut off his pinky finger, he would be too scared to do anything but he would not deny Helio cutting off his finger.
Now, his attitude was akin to someone who was not afraid of the consequences of defying Helios. Had Zoran lost his will to live?
"I hadn't gotten the cultivation core for you yet. There were some miscalculations. It turned out that the money you sent was not enough."
Helio looked back at his lackeys and winked at them. The other four laughed amongst themselves and could not contain themselves from the thought of finally getting their own weapons.
"This cultivation core is sought-after by a lot of people. The bidding has gotten bigger, so you need more money, Zoran. Be grateful." Helio spread his arms, as if he knew that Zoran would be convinced to work the mines.
But Zoran simply uttered these words. It would have been better if he had simply rejected it outright, instead…
"I don't need it. Take it for yourself. You need it more than me."
Drew looked at Zoran with anger and confusion. Does Zoran wish for death? This was akin to saying that Helio was weaker than Zoran, implying Helio was the one who needed a lot of help.
"Oy, oy, oy, Zoran!"
"What did you say?!"
"Is your head okay? Is your brain clouded from fumes of the mines?"
DUGGGG
Helio staked his ax on the ground, provoking a small quake that startled the four beside Helio. They saw a fire burning around his blood red ax. Sweat covered their palms, not because of the heat, but because they were afraid of Helio's wrath.
Helio couldn't understand Zoran. There was no logical reason for his arrogance: he was not a cultivator, he was not physically strong, and he did not have the backing of a prestigious dynasty like the Primordial Sun.
Helio had all three, so he was the only one allowed to be arrogant. It was his right. Zoran had no business interfering in his privilege.
There was only one conclusion Helio came up with: Zoran forgot fear. As his senior and leader, Helio took it upon himself to re-teach this lost sheep that fear is a wise warning about the dangers of angering someone who should not be angered.