Chapter 31: Dragon Ascendancy Civilization (1)
One week after the transmigration, in the Dragon Ascendancy Civilization.
A boy dressed in tattered clothes that made him look no different from a beggar was working hard in a mine beneath the scorching sun.
His bare feet sank into the sand as he desperately swung a pickaxe against the thick rock.
His dark green hair was so deep in color that, at a glance, it will appeared black in thr other’s perspective.
In contrast, his ruby-red eyes that are filled with aspirations shined brightly, giving him a strangely captivating appearance despite his ragged state.
"Alex! I told you, that’s enough. It’s time to take a break."
Hearing the old man’s voice, Alex stopped what he was doing and turned toward him.
The old man had a long beard and a broad, muscular build. His old arms which was wovered in scars and calluses, made it obvious that he had spent countless years working in the mines.
"I’ll be there! Just give me a second!"
The moment he spoke, a pickaxe suddenly came flying toward him.
Alex barely dodged it by stepping aside.
He was about to be mad at the person whoever had thrown it, but the moment he recognized the culprit, his anger immediately disappeared.
"Old Man Krei... My body is still fine. I can keep working."
Before he could say anything else, Old Man Krei grabbed him by the ear and dragged him beneath a nearby shelter to escape the scorching heat.
"Whether you’re strong or not, a lunch break is still a lunch break."
Old Man Krei scolded him before handing over his meal without another word—a large loaf of bread and a cup of milk.
Seeing this, Alex could only smile bitterly before quietly eating to his heart’s content.
As he stared up at the gray sky, the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a gloomy expression.
It’s been a week since I transmigrated here... And all I’ve gotten is this harsh treatment from this so-called civilization.
Alex muttered while letting out a weary sigh as he opened his system panel.
[Explosion System]
[Name: Alex Horde] [Level: 2] [EXP: 0/20]
[Strength: 13] [Agility: 12] [Durability: 14]
[Reflex: 10] [Speed: 11] [Endurance: 15]
[Stamina: 15] [Mana: 5]
[Class: Explosion] [Rank:E]
[Race: Human]
[Bloodline: God Of Butterflys]
[Skills: None]
[Ability: Detonating Gaze, ???]
[Inventory]
...
Looking at his status, he couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.
He had awakened a mere E-Class System.
Because of that, he had been cruelly thrown into the mines outside the outer city of the Dragon Ascendancy Civilization.
The people here were incredibly cruel. Upon transmigrating, he witnessed the deaths of several elderly men and women, as well as many younger people.
All because they failed to obey the soldiers commands.
Meanwhile, those who awakened C-Class Systems were trained to fight on the front lines, serving as little more than expendable cannon fodder.
Those who awakened B-Class Systems or above received the highest privileges.
However, they also underwent the cruelest training, constantly being pushed to the brink of death.
Even so, because of their value.
The Dragon Ascendancy soldiers made sure not to accidentally kill them.
At the same time, those who possessed special bloodlines were also granted the highest privileges.
Alex, however, was an exception.
He didn’t awaken his bloodline alongside his system. Instead, he obtained it by pure accident.
Back then, his stats were no different from those of an ordinary teenager. However, everything changed when he tested his ability, Detonating Gaze, on a weak, dazzling butterfly.
The moment he used the ability, the dazzling butterfly exploded, causing him to level up and awaken this mysterious bloodline.
After obtaining the bloodline, he felt his body’s stats increase twofold. At the same time, he gained the ability to perceive the emotions of the people around him.
By channeling Mana into his eyes, he could see a color that represented a person’s emotions.
Alex named this special ability granted by his bloodline ’Discerning Eyes’.
Back in the present, he decided to use it on Old Man Krei.
Earlier, the old man had seemed furious, but Alex was certain it had only been a facade.
Looking at Old Man Krei, what he saw made him slightly apprehensive.
Purple... And blue huh?
Purple represented pity, while blue symbolized sadness.
As he pondered what could have caused such emotions, the voices of nearby miners caught his attention.
"R-Rai, have you heard the news?" A skinny man asked in a quievering tone.
The person he was speaking to was a burly man covered in tattoos with an intimidating aura.
Judging by his appearance, he didn’t seem to have been sent to the mines because of a mediocre system. Instead, he looked more like a prisoner.
The burly man, Rai, scratched the inside of his ear with his pinky while listening impatiently.
"What is it? Get to the point already," He said with boredom.
However, the skinny man’s next words immediately changed his expression.
The same was true for Alex, who wasn’t far from them.
"Sandstorm?!" Rai almost shouted, as he couldn’t help but stood up, at such a sudden revelation.
"Yes! I overheard some Dragon soldiers talking about it. They said a sandstorm suddenly appeared nearby." The skinny man added.
Alex, who had heard everything from the sidelines, wasn’t unfamiliar with such disasters.
From what he had learned, this world still experienced natural disasters, but they were far more terrifying than those on Earth.
They were currently in the middle of a vast desert. As nothing more than a small mining camp guarded by a handful of soldiers, they were in an extremely dangerous position.
If a sandstorm swept through the area... Or worse, if a powerful abomination appeared...
Without a doubt, they would be slaughtered.
Without realizing it, Alex had already tightened his grip around the piece of bread in his hand.
"But we still have hope. Two flying artifacts will arrive here. Each one can carry at least a hundred people!"
"If we want to survive, we have to gather our men and work together. We’ll only take those who can benefit us. The useless ones should be left behind!"
The skinny man spoke excitedly, panting heavily after blurting out those words.
Rai looked amused by his suggestion.
"Good, good. That makes sense. But do you have a plan for dealing with the Dragon soldiers operating the flying artifacts?"
As he asked the question, he placed a hand on the skinny man’s shoulder.
Feeling the intense pressure from Rai, the skinny man’s mind raced.
"D-Don’t worry about it!"
"They won’t notice anything as long as we don’t make too much noise or damage the flying artifacts."
"Operating a Fifth-Tier flying artifact isn’t easy. It takes around ten elite Dragon soldiers to control a single one."
"There should only be twenty dragon soldiers in duty within this sma camp."
Hearing the explanation, Rai nodded in satisfaction and patted the skinny man’s shoulder.
"Good. Call our men. We’ll unite until the flying artifacts arrive."
As their conversation ended, Alex hurried around the camp, searching for Old Man Krei.
However, when he returned to where the old man had been earlier, he was already gone.
Dammit... We have to get onto one of those flying artifacts.
After searching for a while, he noticed another group gathered at the far end of the camp.
People stood in line, each offering something valuable as tribute. Those whose offerings were deemed valuable enough were guaranteed a place aboard one of the flying artifacts and received a yellow ticket.
Clearly, he wasn’t the only one who had heard the news. Many had already begun clinging to the strong in hopes of saving their own lives.
The man collecting the valuables was undoubtedly powerful. He was another prisoner, at least Level Fifteen, with a B-Class System.
He had a rough appearance, long shaggy hair, and a massive build, standing nearly seven feet tall.
His right eye was covered by an eyepatch, while his remaining other eye which is colored blue.
At the moment, Alex couldn’t care less about either group.
He needed to find Old Man Krei and warn him.
Time passed as he desperately searched every corner of the camp, but even after circling it countless times, the old man was nowhere to be found.
Sh*t!
He cursed inwardly.
It was already midnight.
The night was no longer as quiet as before.
Loud sirens echoed throughout the camp, warning everyone of imminent danger.
Looking up at the dark sky, Alex saw two enormous spaceship-like artifacts descending from above.
Each possessed a pair of massive black wings, resembling those of a fallen angel.
At the center of the camp, two factions had already gathered. One was led by Rai, while the other belonged to Kevin, the man with the long, shaggy dark hair.
"The flying artifact is here!"
A miner shouted excitedly.
Without hesitation, the first flying artifact descended onto the ground. A massive door slowly lowered, revealing the entrance.
The people’s hearts pounded wildly as adrenaline surged through their bodies, and they instinctively rushed forward.
However, just as they were about to enter, the ground beneath them suddenly split apart.
Kevin and his men stepped forward, blocking everyone’s path.
"Only those with a ticket are permitted to enter."
Upon hearing those words, the five hundred people who knew nothing about the tickets fell silent.
Even so, no one dared to make a move. None of them was dumb, they all know that this man, held the greatest authority because of his current strength.
As for Krei’s group, they had no intention of stopping them. Their target was the second flying artifact. After all, causing a commotion now would only make things more troublesome for everyone.
Watching the scene unfold, Alex could only grit his teeth.
Old Man... where are you?!