8: Chapter 8 Fortune Lies in Peril

Man Hai felt a surge of relief when he heard someone coming to his aid.

However, discovering it was merely a Mining slave was like having a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

In that moment of distraction, his arm was clawed again by the Leopard-Tailed Dragon, the pain making him nearly lose his grip on his waist saber.

At that moment, Tang Long rushed forward, leaped up, and grabbed the large Crossbow Bolt embedded in the Leopard-Tailed Dragon, using his body weight to pull down hard. Suppressed by the pain, the Leopard Dragon Beast was actually successfully wrestled down by him.

As the beast's body flipped, Man Hai twisted his wrist in surprise, pinning the Leopard Dragon Beast to the ground.

Tang Long immediately let go, scrambled to the other side, and used every ounce of strength he had to pull out the bolt that had pierced through the Leopard-Tailed Dragon's spine.

Without stopping for a second, he took another step forward and plunged it ruthlessly into the Leopard-Tailed Dragon's eye.

The Leopard-Tailed Dragon jerked its massive head up, throwing him back, but it let out a low whimper as its life came to an end.

[You have ultimately killed a Leopard-Tailed Dragon {LV6}. Gained 112 experience points. Level gap bonus (5 levels) {50%} +56 points.]

[Your level has increased to LV3! Vitality +1000, Health Recovery +100/hour, Psionic energy limit +100, gained 5 Free Attribute Points, gained 1 Skill Point!]

Gaining 168 experience points all at once and leveling up instantly made him even more excited.

He scrambled back to his feet and rushed to Man Hai, pulling out the large bolt with all his might and stabbing it repeatedly into the eye of the other Leopard-Tailed Dragon that Man Hai was pinning down.

After a dozen frantic stabs, the second Leopard-Tailed Dragon's health bar was quickly depleted.

[You have ultimately killed a Leopard-Tailed Dragon {LV6}. Gained 135 experience points. Level gap bonus (5 levels) {50%} +68 points.]

He hauled in 203 experience points from this Leopard-Tailed Dragon, totaling 371 from the two kills. His total experience reached 272 at level three, only 130 points away from level four.

If he worked a bit harder, he might even reach level four today!

At the thought, he plopped down on the ground, his body trembling as he couldn't help but grin.

Vulture was stunned, and Hei Zi was speechless.

Even Man Hai, standing opposite him, was staring in shock.

It felt like... this little Mining slave actually had some guts.

At first glance, his running speed seemed terrible and his movements floaty, clearly lacking much power.

But once he acted, it was completely different; almost every move was incredibly effective. Moreover, the ruthlessness and madness he displayed when dealing the killing blows were truly fierce.

If it were a well-trained martial artist, this wouldn't be surprising.

But for a Mining slave who had only just learned the Breathing Technique... it was truly impressive.

The Demon-Hunting Crossbows fired again, killing the last two Leopard-Tailed Dragons, and the scene gradually calmed down.

This sudden ambush had caused nearly thirty casualties among the lower-tier Mining slaves and two among the upper-tier Mining slaves.

Though the situation was quite chaotic, the losses weren't catastrophic; it was merely a minor interlude.

Tang Long saving Man Hai at the critical moment and helping him kill two Leopard-Tailed Dragons had ended this interlude on a high note.

As the Mining slaves gathered once more, he realized his tattered clothes were soaked through.

A Sprint of several dozen meters, then pulling out a bolt weighing dozens of catties from a Leopard-Tailed Dragon and using it to kill two of them in succession.

This sequence of actions relied solely on his combat experience from his past life and a moment of courage. Seven points of strength were enough for Mining, but far from sufficient for fighting exotic beasts. Now, his small frame felt weak after the burst of power, and sweat continued to pour out.

However, his harvest this time was also very bountiful.

Besides gaining a level, he had earned Man Hai's appreciation.

"Everyone saw it. 5726 helped me out big time just now. Tell me, what kind of reward should he get?"

As soon as Man Hai threw out the question, Ba Lian quickly chimed in.

"The Mine Manager's bravery was clear for all to see. While I believe the Mine Manager would have eventually triumphed over the exotic beasts, this kid 5726's performance was indeed outstanding. Personally, I believe he can pass his apprenticeship early and become a formal upper-tier Mining slave immediately."

Vulture sneered, "A few minutes ago you thought he was suspicious, and now you're speaking up for him. You certainly change your tune fast."

"I am merely using the Mining laws as my yardstick and facts as my basis. The facts have proven that he is indeed a loyal and reliable slave."

Ba Lian responded with a smile, but he was cursing inwardly.

He cursed Vulture, and he cursed Hei Zi.

Because Hei Zi had approached him this morning and bribed him with a piece of spirit residue, hoping he would find a way to transfer Tang Long away.

That wouldn't have been a problem, but who could have expected Tang Long to suddenly show such guts and earn the Mine Manager's favor?

If he offended his superior just for a piece of spirit residue, it would be a real disaster.

In the crowd, Hei Zi was even more depressed.

He knew the plan to transfer Tang Long was ruined.

Not only was the spirit residue wasted, but the way Ba Lian was looking at him was very unfriendly; Ba Lian likely blamed him for causing trouble and might even make things difficult for him in the coming days.

Vulture, having scored a point, suggested to Man Hai with satisfaction: "Sir, 5726's loyalty has been verified. There's no issue with him becoming a formal Mining slave, and his Work Shovel should be issued immediately. However, his apprentice benefits shouldn't be revoked; his quota should remain at ten pieces for the next two days."

"Exactly! But those are things he's entitled to; they don't count as a reward."

Man Hai laughed and slapped Tang Long on the back with a hand as large as a cattail fan. "Kid, what do you want for yourself?"

This question surprised everyone.

It turned out the Mine Manager valued Tang Long so much that merely issuing a Work Shovel wasn't enough; he was letting the boy choose his own reward.

Tang Long was nearly knocked apart by that slap. Grinning as he regained his senses, he made a request that truly caught people off guard.

"Sir, can I also help with butchering the carcasses of these demon beasts?"

Tang Long made this small request because it involved another life skill—Gathering.

Killing monsters was indeed a fast way to level up, but such opportunities wouldn't come often.

Relying solely on Mining experience was too slow. If he could add another source, his growth rate would increase significantly.

But Man Hai didn't agree immediately; instead, he frowned.

Because butchering beast carcasses required knives and axes.

In theory, no Mining slave was allowed to touch weapons; such tasks were reserved for the Overseers.

However, butchering carcasses was dirty and exhausting work. The Overseers didn't want to do it themselves, so they arranged for trusted Mining slaves to do it, albeit under strict supervision.

But while the Overseers didn't want to do it, the vast majority of Mining slaves didn't want to either, as it required extra physical labor.

Tang Long's proactive application didn't seem logical.

Especially when Man Hai clearly wanted to give him a benefit.

Even Vulture was a bit displeased and immediately barked, "5726, think carefully before you speak, don't..."

Before he could finish, Man Hai raised a hand to stop him.

"Why do you like doing such filthy work?"

Tang Long knew this was hard to explain, but luckily he had prepared an excuse.

He pointed to his head. "Sir, my head seems to have been badly injured, and I can't remember anything from before. But looking at the beast carcasses just now, I vaguely remembered that I used to do this kind of thing often. I want to see if it's true, and if I can remember more."

"You have amnesia?"

Man Hai was somewhat surprised. Following where Tang Long pointed, he indeed saw a prominent scar.

"The back of your head did suffer a severe trauma. But you don't look like a butcher; you look more like a battle-hardened warrior."

Tang Long's heart skipped a beat, thinking Man Hai was actually clever enough to see through his lie.

But Man Hai immediately added: "Vulture, take him with you. Let him butcher these two trophies of his first and see if he really has experience in this. Dismissed!"