"Damn it," Karsha cursed out loud as he threw the 200th 'Anchor.' He tied the rope to the sword, creating an anchor, hoping he could secure it to a stone or wood outside the pit so he could climb out easily. However, the last five hours were spent throwing the anchor without catching anything. His frustration had reached a new height, making him keep cursing out loud despite knowing it wouldn't change anything.
His initial plan was to use the dagger to dig handholds and footholds as he slowly climbed up. However, after analyzing the situation, he gave up on that idea since there were too many risks involved. The only thing he could do now was focus on anchoring.
After taking a huge gulp from his water bottle, he started throwing the anchor again. As he had expected, there wasn't anything outside that would enable him to secure the tether. But he didn't stop; he continued in the hope he would get lucky.
He turned from one direction to the next, throwing the anchor, but it all resulted in nothing. However, after an hour of throwing, he felt the anchor lock onto something. Without wasting time, he started pulling the rope slowly, and just as he had hoped, the anchor latched onto a stone, creating a somewhat strong tether.
He examined the steadiness of the tether by pulling it with his full body weight. After a few minutes of testing, he let out a huge sigh and prepared to start climbing immediately.
He sheathed the two daggers at his side and began climbing the rope. Instead of climbing straight up, he exerted half of his weight on the vines and stones protruding from the side of the wall. He let half his weight rest on the rope while the vines and stones supported the other half.
Slowly but steadily, he climbed up 40 meters, leaving him only 30 meters to go. Crossing the 50-meter mark, he started using one dagger as an anchor while holding onto the rope with one hand. He was not yet a cultivator, so falling from 50 meters might prove fatal.
"Almost there," Karsha said as he climbed past the 60-meter mark and slowly moved to the edge of the pit. Even though he wasn't fully out of the pit, he allowed himself to smile a little. It was safe to say he was out of the pit since the next step he took upward allowed him to touch the edge of the opening. Using his strength, he let go of the rope and jammed another dagger into the top of the opening, using it to lift himself up.
"Haa," Karsha let out a huge sigh as he lay on his back with his eyes closed. It had been an hour of climbing, and the fatigue alone was enough to render him immobile for a while.
"Hahahahahaha," he let out a huge laugh as he lay on his back. "I did it," he said with a huge smile as he slowly sat up. He then drank a mouthful of water, ready to start exploring the outside of the pit. However, just when he was about to move, a system message appeared.
< Careful host, someone is approaching >
Reading the message, Karsha became alert and started looking for a place to hide. Finding the perfect spot, he concealed himself behind a stone standing three meters tall with only one opening. His dark armor helped him blend in, making him difficult to see unless someone looked closely.
Two minutes later, someone walked in holding a sharp sword. "Huh, where did that laughter come from?" the person questioned as he continued to look around. Karsha, hiding behind the rock, couldn't help but curse himself for being reckless. It appeared his harmless laughter had drawn someone's attention.
Now that the soldier was here, Karsha needed to deal with the situation. The soldier was standing near the anchor Karsha had used to climb out of the pit. Karsha had failed to take it back, which meant the soldier might either take it away and alert his master that the frail-looking boy was still alive or look around himself and try to score some points.
Choosing arrogance over caution, the soldier started looking around, hoping to find Karsha. Capturing him would surely prove valuable. Karsha immediately positioned himself, ready to go for the kill. He was a soldier, so killing was not new to him. Even if it were, he wouldn't let this particular soldier go, as he recognized him from a video showing soldiers dragging Austin to the pit.
Though Karsha was not yet a cultivator, he could sense the strength of his opponent, making him refrain from facing him head-on. That would be suicide since the person was both physically and spiritually stronger than him.
Opting for the only viable strategy, he planned a sneak attack and hoped for the best. There was no telling if others were aware of the laughter, so he aimed to kill the soldier and dispose of the body as quickly as possible.
He took out a small stone from the large rock and threw it to the side, hoping to catch the soldier's attention. Luckily for him, the soldier appeared startled, so the small sound forced him to move toward the noise.
Slowly but steadily, the soldier approached Karsha with his back turned. Karsha, being a soldier himself, knew where to stab for a quick kill. Without wasting a second, he stabbed his right dagger deep into the side of the soldier's neck and plunged the second into his eye, ending him instantly.
There was no struggle. Karsha was an expert in killing, having earned many medals for single-handedly assassinating high-value targets when there seemed to be no way out for him and his team. He didn't even bat an eye as he gazed at the body with two daggers sticking in the neck and eye.
A few seconds later, he felt his strength rising to a new height. The air around him seemed to thicken, and his senses heightened. He felt the dense air start to enter his body. Before he could ask the system what was happening, a series of messages appeared.
< You have killed a Level 5 'Advance' stage cultivator 100 stat points, 200 Exp Points obtained >
< Bonus Reward >
Passive Skill: Thrust
- Increase sword thrusting damage output by 25%
Ding...
< Congratulations to the host for becoming a cultivator >
< Current Stage: Level 1 Apprentice >
< 2000 Mana point has been added >
< System Remark: Looks like there is hope for you just yet. >
Karsha read through the message with a huge smile. He could feel the changes in his body, and as a soldier, he was pleased with the transformation. He saw infinite possibilities presenting themselves, waiting for him to seize them.
After removing the daggers, he proceeded to loot the body. He retrieved his ring, already familiar with its significance. He also stripped the body of its clothes. However, before he could dispose of the body in the pit, the system intervened.
< Won't you check for core? You can do that by cutting through the chest if it didn't fall out on its own >
Karsha didn't hesitate as he immediately stabbed his dagger into the dead body and began cutting. Within seconds, he found a small yellowish orb. Without a second thought, he removed it and pushed the body into the pit.
After washing his hands, he stored his rope, ring (containing unknown items), and daggers in his inventory. "What now?" Karsha asked as he held the core in his hands.
"Do you wish to absorb the core?" the system prompted.
"Yes," Karsha replied immediately, eager to see the effects of the core. The small, stone-like orb dissipated into thin air when he selected yes, yet he could feel his strength rising once again.
< The host has absorbed the core of an 'Advanced' stage cultivator >
< Congratulations to the host for advancing to Level 2 Apprentice >
< Rewards >
- 10 Stats points
- 5000 mana Points
- 1000 Exp Points
Karsha chose to keep his stat points untouched since he hadn't found himself in a situation where he needed them just yet. "System, how many stages are there for me to become strong enough to travel back to my world?" he asked, the question weighing heavily on his mind. As expected, the system only provided a partial answer.
< There are many stages, but the ones applicable to your level are Apprentice, Cultivator, Advanced, Master, Grandmaster, Semi-Saint, Saint, Sage, Great Sage, King, Expert, and Emperor, > the system replied, cautioning him to focus on the matters of this world for now.
For now, Karsha understood that focusing on getting stronger was paramount. He didn't need to look too far into the future. If he wanted revenge, there was plenty waiting for him just outside the slave's mine, and even within. Once he became strong enough, he would know, and then he could take appropriate actions.
Karsha simply smiled and took out the basic sword manual from his inventory. He understood the system's warning and refrained from asking further questions. Picking up his sword, he began practicing.
For the next 30 days, he devoted himself to daily quests and sword practice. He performed thousands of thrusts, parries, cuts, slashes, and swings. After feeling confident in his skills, he made up his mind to finally leave the mine and pursue his dreams.
"Time to get out of this damn place..." Karsha declared, determination shining in his eyes.