Yang Ling found a secluded corner in the mine vein and began mining, panting heavily.

A steady stream of cold experience flowed into his body, making him feel fulfilled.

As he mined, he kept an eye on his surroundings.

To enter the mine tunnel, he needed to find a spot where no one was paying attention.

Otherwise, being seen could lead to unnecessary trouble.

Time passed slowly.

As usual, Yang Ling changed mining spots several times.

During this time, he spotted Zhang Wei.

He seemed to have discovered an increase in his strength, mining with extra vigor today, a hint of excitement on his face.

Before long, he also saw Lin Guoliang, Chen Xu, and Wu Meng.

The three of them were working together to extract from a piece of Fire Crystal Rock, but due to their experience and strength, they only managed to chip off a layer of powder after a long effort.

"If these three are smart enough to gather one or two Fire Crystal Rocks together, surviving here wouldn't be too difficult."

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"This place, aside from being a bit tiring and tough, isn't really dangerous. It's quite a decent beginner's village."

Yang Ling thought as he continued to grind for experience.

With Zhang Wei as a precedent, he wouldn't outright dismiss all players.

He would offer some basic help, considering they all came from the same place.

But he didn't plan to easily reveal his player identity again.

Currently, only Zhang Wei knew he was a player in the entire mine vein.

Future players, if they couldn't see the attribute panel, would find it hard to know he was a player.

"If those three could see the attribute panel, they would surely recognize me as a player. But it seems they, like Zhang Wei, can't see the attribute panel."

"Unexpectedly, this ability might be unique to me."

This speculation made Yang Ling quite pleased.

As a professional gold farmer, he knew that if you encountered some 'loopholes' in the game, you could get rich quickly!

He now possessed a unique 'loophole'!

Although it wasn't as exaggerated as getting rich quickly, this ability was still very useful!

Time passed slowly.

The sky gradually darkened.

Some miners, after gathering one or two Fire Crystal Rocks, began to leave in groups.

Yang Ling quietly approached the No. 1 Mine Tunnel.

On the map, the No. 1 Mine Tunnel was the most winding.

Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't choose the No. 1 Mine Tunnel.

But this winding nature, to some extent, also provided protection and cover.

Seeing no one around and no one paying attention, Yang Ling quickly jogged into the No. 1 Mine Tunnel.

Inside the mine tunnel, it was pitch black. Yang Ling immediately took out a Fire Tinder and lit it, then slowly explored forward according to the map.

He wasn't the only one in the mine tunnel; there were others too, but they seemed afraid to go deeper.

Everyone's Fire Tinder didn't illuminate far, only showing light without revealing who was who.

Both sides had a tacit understanding, neither speaking nor provoking each other.

Yang Ling chose a side path and continued deeper.

The map indicated that the deeper areas were more likely to have large chunks of Fire Crystal Rock.

After walking for an unknown amount of time and passing several side paths, Yang Ling suddenly saw a special glow.

It was the glow of Fire Crystal Rock, which emitted a faint light, not noticeable during the day.

But in this pitch-black place, it was visible at a glance!

Yang Ling quickly headed towards the Fire Crystal Rock.

Judging by the brightness, he estimated he could extract at least a pound of Fire Crystal Rock!

Just as he approached the Fire Crystal Rock, he suddenly felt something was off.

"Strange, it seems like..."

"Breathing!?"

Yang Ling's expression changed slightly, and he immediately covered the Fire Tinder, holding the Refined Steel Pickaxe, cautiously retreating.

"Damn it, he noticed, get him!"

A cold shout rang out.

Then a rush of wind came, and several figures seemed to pounce towards him.

Yang Ling instinctively swung the Refined Steel Pickaxe, hearing a crisp clang.

"My knife broke!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

Yang Ling's expression changed slightly.

A knife!?

Damn, he really encountered Mine Bandits?

Those who ambushed in the mine vein were privately called Mine Bandits by the miners.

But these guys acted secretly, rarely discovered, and no one knew who they were!

At this moment, someone was already very close to Yang Ling.

Yang Ling felt a chill down his spine, as if a great crisis was looming.

Without a word, he struck with all his might.

Thud! Thud!

Pain shot through his shoulder.

A knife must have stabbed into his shoulder.

But his Refined Steel Pickaxe also struck someone.

Judging by the feel...

Yang Ling vaguely saw a shadow standing there, numb.

The top of the head, the Refined Steel Pickaxe had deeply embedded!

Did I kill someone?

Yang Ling's expression turned serious.

At that moment, a surge of cold energy flowed into Yang Ling's body.

Experience points!?

Killing also grants experience points!?

Is this right?

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, you have leveled up, gaining 1 free attribute point."

Days of mining, coupled with this massive experience.

Yang Ling leveled up again.

Without hesitation, he added the point to strength.

Holding the Refined Steel Pickaxe, his strength attribute reached an impressive 11 points!

More than double that of a normal person!

The other Mine Bandits hadn't realized what happened, still surrounding Yang Ling.

Yang Ling steeled his heart and frantically swung the Refined Steel Pickaxe.

In this situation where neither side could see, he nearly exchanged injuries for injuries, taking down three more Mine Bandits!

Three huge surges of cold energy flowed into his body.

Based on Yang Ling's experience, this was equivalent to mining for ten hours!

The pitch-black mine tunnel was now very quiet.

But Yang Ling knew there was still one person alive.

The one who spoke first.

He listened for any movement around him while opening his attribute panel.

Character: Yang Ling.

Profession: Miner

Level: 5

Strength: 11 (3)

Agility: 5

Spirit: 10

Health: 50/80

The strength attribute from the pickaxe didn't increase health.

"Luckily, I have a lot of health, or I might have been killed."

Yang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and immediately consumed three bottles of Healing Salve.

In about thirty minutes, he would be back to full health.

As for his wounds, he had confirmed they would heal on their own.

Previously, when Zhang Wei was injured by Steward Niu's men, his injuries healed quickly after recovering health.

This might be a special treatment "Divine Realm" gave to players like them.

"Brother, I know you're still there."

A voice suddenly echoed in the darkness:

"My men are all dead, right? Consider it an apology, please spare me."

"The Fire Crystal Rock I left as bait over there weighs three pounds, worth three hundred coins, all yours."

The more Yang Ling listened to the voice, the more familiar it sounded.

He suddenly chuckled, "Fifth Brother?"

In the darkness, Fifth Brother's face was full of panic:

"Who's Fifth Brother? I don't know!"

Being a Mine Bandit meant you couldn't be identified!

Otherwise, if exposed, even his cheap brother-in-law couldn't protect him!

"Fifth Brother, it's me, Zhang Wei. I didn't know it was you, sorry for the offense. Please don't retaliate when you get out..."

Yang Ling whispered.

"It's you, kid? How did you manage to kill my men? Wait, you're looking for death!"

Fifth Brother suddenly realized, instinctively dodging like a mad dog to avoid an attack.

But immediately, the Refined Steel Pickaxe pierced through his back.

The immense force even penetrated his chest, pinning him to the ground.

Fifth Brother spat blood, his mouth opening and closing, trying to say something.

The Fire Tinder lit up.

Yang Ling leaned in, "It really is you."

Seeing it was Yang Ling, Fifth Brother's eyes widened, but then, thinking of something, he suddenly chuckled:

"You, you'll soon... join me."

With that, Fifth Brother breathed his last.