Early that morning, after washing up, Jasper Cole heard a familiar sound in his ears—one he hadn't heard in a long time.
Ding.System update in progress.Hunger and Thirst removed.New attributes added: Qi Value, Willpower Value, Refining Level.
Jasper froze, then immediately checked the lower-right corner of his vision.
The hunger and thirst indicators were gone.
He opened his inventory.
On the right side, a brand-new interface had appeared—several long rectangular bars. Most of them were gray, inactive. Only three were lit.
Qi.Willpower.Refining.
His Qi bar was almost full—so full it looked like it might overflow.
So I'm close to another breakthrough…
His Willpower bar, on the other hand, was barely filled.
The Refining bar was worse—just a faint sliver, so thin it was almost insulting.
"Looks like I need to work harder on refining," Jasper muttered, rubbing his forehead.
The Mystic Iron needles were definitely powerful—that much was obvious from the material alone—but they were single-use items. Once spent, they were gone.
If he wanted more, he'd have to refine them himself.
And refining also raised his Refining Level.
Perfect.
Unfortunately, Garrick Forge didn't have many raw ores left.
So, with zero guilt, Garrick tossed Jasper a pickaxe, a backpack, and a map—then waved him off like he was shooing a chicken out of the yard.
"Good luck," Garrick said cheerfully. "Bring me something interesting."
"Hey, isn't that the kid the Elder rescued from outside a month ago?"
"Yeah, that's him. I heard Elder Rowan personally taught him magic. But guess what? I see him going to the blacksmith's place every day now—never to the Elder's house."
"Probably an elemental cripple. Got kicked out."
"And I've never seen him use magic once. Been 'learning' for a whole month and still useless. Definitely a freeloader."
A group of villagers stood by the road, pointing and whispering loudly—loud enough that Jasper could hear every word.
Another villager, broad-shouldered and thick-necked, snorted. "If Elder Rowan taught me magic, I'd already be Bronze Tier, Rank 5. One fireball and I'd burn that kid to ash. Why does he get taught?"
He cracked his knuckles and stepped forward. "Looks like he needs a lesson."
Jasper didn't even glance at them.
The man blocked his path. "Hey. You're… Jiang something, right? Jasper? Going mining?"
He eyed Jasper up and down, sneering. "With those skinny arms? You can even lift a pickaxe? Don't piss yourself when a Zombie pops out."
He bent over laughing. Others joined in.
Wiping tears from his eyes, the man straightened. "Listen, kid. I'm Bronze Tier, Rank 1, almost Rank 2. Kneel and beg, and maybe I'll let you go. Otherwise, you're not leaving this village today."
Jasper finally stopped.
He looked at the man calmly.
I've kept my head down. I haven't provoked anyone except Tomas Trell. And now this idiot wants me to kneel?
He glanced around at the villagers watching with mocking smiles.
Figures. Same kind of people everywhere.
"Get lost," Jasper said.
The man's eyes bulged. "What did you say?!"
Rage twisted his face. "You little bastard—don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
He swung his fist straight at Jasper's head.
So he's serious.
Jasper tilted his head slightly.
The punch missed.
In the same motion, Jasper twisted his waist, drove his fist upward, and slammed it into the man's chin.
The man's body actually lifted off the ground.
Before he could even scream, Jasper spun and delivered a brutal roundhouse kick to his abdomen.
The man flew backward, crashed into a stack of timber, and collapsed—unconscious.
Silence fell.
Under the stunned gazes of the villagers, Jasper calmly walked past them.
He glanced at the unconscious man with faint disdain.
I didn't even use qi.
If I had, he'd be dead.
The Raging War Method wasn't just hype. Among cultivators below the Arcane Tier, Jasper was effectively unbeatable at the same rank.
Without another word, he left the village.
Standing before the mountain, Jasper unfolded the map.
"Abandoned Mine…" he muttered. "Should be plenty of raw ore inside."
He entered the mine.
Inside, only a few torches remained lit. Most were burned out, leaving long stretches of darkness.
Jasper grabbed a half-burned torch from the wall and continued deeper.
"Raw ore really isn't easy to find," he murmured. "All this junk stone—worth less than dirt."
Then he heard water.
Following the sound, he reached an underground stream.
In games, following water usually leads to a cave system, he thought. Worth a try.
He followed the stream downward.
After who knew how long, he spotted a dark opening ahead.
Jasper's heart jumped. An unexplored tunnel?
A guttural sound echoed.
"Uuurgh—"
Jasper instantly drew the iron short sword Elder Rowan had given him and scanned the darkness.
A shadow lunged.
Reflex kicked in.
Jasper snapped a kick forward, sending the shadow crashing to the ground. Before it could rise, he rushed in and drove the sword straight into its chest.
The struggling stopped.
Jasper exhaled sharply and grabbed his dropped torch.
The light revealed a Zombie—green-faced, black-eyed.
He steadied his breathing, pulled his sword free, and glanced at the blood smeared on the blade.
"No cloth… whatever."
Torch in his left hand, sword in his right, he pressed on.
Soon, he spotted yellow-veined stone embedded in the wall.
"Gold?" Jasper frowned. "The odds seem low… but hey, inventory space isn't a problem."
He swung the pickaxe.
Ding.Ore Encyclopedia System activated. Updating…
White text appeared over the ore:
Gold Ore (No Tier)
Jasper stared—then laughed.
"Holy hell, it actually is gold!"
He cradled the ore like treasure. "No tier… so it's probably just used as currency here."
"Still—this is a jackpot."
He stashed it in his system inventory and opened the Ore Encyclopedia.
At the top, it read:
Bronze Tier Ore Encyclopedia (Incomplete)
"So it upgrades with Refining Level?" Jasper muttered. "Makes sense."
He kept mining.
By the time Jasper emerged from the mine, his clothes were torn and filthy.
He looked down at himself and laughed bitterly. "Almost got jumped by a damn Skeleton. If I'd been slower, I'd be dead."
Then he thought of the inventory packed with ore.
His mood shot straight up.
"Oh—right. Can't let anyone see the system inventory."
He pulled out a dozen raw ores, stuffed them into his physical backpack, and headed back toward the village.
Careful.
Quiet.
And stronger than anyone there realized.