Chapter 2: Practicing Murder

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【All-Things Pickaxe (Black Iron) Lv.1 (Upgrade Requirements: 2 Iron Ores, 2 Magic Crystals)】
The original hardwood pickaxe had transformed into an iron one. Although the dim light made it impossible to discern changes in color or material, the increased weight was proof enough. The tactile texture of the handle, in particular, felt completely different. Not only had the weight increased, but both ends of the pickaxe head had been altered. Previously, as a hardwood pickaxe, both ends were pointed—though blunt from heavy wear. Now, only one end remained pointed, and it was exceptionally sharp, capable of serving as a weapon. The other end was now a hatchet blade; while not wide—at most four centimeters—it was more than enough for chopping wood.

In addition to the original stats, more information appeared below:
【An iron pickaxe capable of gathering all things. Automatically returns to hand when released, never lost. The higher the level, the faster the gathering speed.】
【Contains one spatial backpack slot; one slot can hold one hundred units of the same type of item.】
【Unlocks Free-Building Mode. Some gathered materials can be used for construction; the defensive strength of items built in Free-Building Mode depends on the materials used.】
【Unlocks ‘Creation Workbench’ recipe (Manufacturing materials: 100 Iron Ores, 1 Magic Crystal).】

‘A spatial backpack? A Creation Workbench?’
Liu Hen was stunned, but he was immediately snapped back to reality by the sounds of fighting. He looked toward Huang Hu, his eyes turning cold.
‘How dare you try to steal my things!’
He crept up silently behind Huang Hu and swung the sharp end of his black iron pickaxe, smashing it hard into the man’s head. On Earth, he would never have dared to kill, but in this world, no matter how much he resisted, he had to adapt. Only by becoming more ruthless could he intimidate others and survive.

Huang Hu, currently locked in combat with Zong Ni, sensed movement behind him and instinctively tilted his head. The pickaxe grazed his face and drove deep into his shoulder.
“Ah…”
Huang Hu screamed, fiercely shoving Zong Ni back with his hardwood pickaxe. Liu Hen immediately kicked him in the back, sending him flying forward, the pickaxe nearly tearing his shoulder apart. As he hit the ground, Huang Hu swung his hardwood pickaxe at Liu Hen before scrambling to run away. Liu Hen couldn’t dodge in time and took a blow to the shoulder, staggering back with a grimace of pain.

“Quick, chase him! He still has the pyrite!”
Zong Ni gave chase immediately, her small frame surprisingly agile. Liu Hen followed suit. Soon, the three of them rushed out of the abandoned mine. The light outside was slightly brighter, revealing the environment within twenty meters. Suddenly, Zong Ni hurled her hardwood pickaxe, striking Huang Hu in the head and causing him to cry out. Liu Hen prepared to do the same, but as he released his iron pickaxe, it vanished, reappearing in his mind and overlapping with the shadow of the All-Things Pickaxe next to his data.

He paused for a second, then quickly grabbed a rock and threw it with all his might.
“Thud!”
The strike was accurate and brutal, hitting the back of Huang Hu’s head and sending him crashing down.
“There’s pyrite here!!” the moment he hit the ground, Huang Hu threw the pyrite away and shouted at the top of his lungs.

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Zong Ni’s expression darkened. Furious, she rushed over to retrieve her hardwood pickaxe and rained blows down upon Huang Hu’s head. Liu Hen’s heart sank; he hurried toward the pyrite. However, at that moment, five people emerged from a nearby mine. They spotted the discarded pyrite immediately, their eyes lighting up as they charged forward, hurling stones at Zong Ni and Liu Hen.

Zong Ni quickly hauled the half-dead Huang Hu up to use as a shield, glaring at the group: “Zhang Ling, are you looking for death?”
She knew the man, and so did Liu Hen. In fact, most of the scavengers in this vicinity knew each other. After all, the total population of scavengers within a hundred-mile radius of the ‘Red Snail Camp’ was barely over a thousand. They were born and raised here. Because the Night Mist World was so dangerous, few dared to venture far alone, despite the limited resources in the area.

By now, Liu Hen had reached the pyrite and was about to pick it up, but several stones came flying toward his head. He backed away in alarm, his face darkening as he stared at the five men.
“You are the ones looking for death!”
Zhang Ling, the leader of the five, dived to grab the pyrite and retreated rapidly.
“Zhang Ling, you’d better think carefully. My things aren’t so easy to steal!” Liu Hen’s voice was cold.
Having been robbed repeatedly, even a transmigrator like him could feel his anger boiling over. But they were five, and he and Zong Ni were exhausted, so he forced himself to hold back.

“Get lost immediately, or today next year will be the anniversary of your deaths!”
He wanted to finish these people off, but since they had already taken the pyrite, it wasn’t worth the risk or the potential injury without sufficient gain. They were all common scavengers with comparable combat strength; even with three more people, they couldn’t form a crushing advantage, and there was a risk of getting hurt. Scavengers were a contradictory bunch—greedy, willing to risk their lives for a bite to eat—but because they lacked medicine, they wouldn’t fight unless it was a last resort.

Liu Hen felt his stomach burning with hunger. He looked at Zhang Ling and his group with a cold, grim expression, his gaze lingering on the pyrite in Zhang Ling’s hand. The only magic crystal he had that could be traded for food had already been used, and the pyrite was precious to him. However, being new here—even with the original owner’s memories—he wasn’t familiar enough with the world to act impulsively. He took a deep breath, suppressed his frustration and anger, and pulled Zong Ni away. But he remembered Zhang Ling.

Zong Ni looked unwilling, but she knew this wasn’t the time to be stubborn. With a dark face, she dragged the half-dead Huang Hu as she followed Liu Hen. Throughout the process, both sides remained on guard against a sneak attack. Because visibility in the Night Mist World was so low, archery was largely ineffective, and most people didn’t bother with bows. Once they were out of stone-throwing range, Liu Hen and Zong Ni turned and quickened their pace.

As he walked, Liu Hen observed his surroundings. Even with the original owner’s memories, seeing it firsthand was far more jarring. This was a rocky mountain region, filled with jagged, monstrous stones that looked like lurking demons in the dark. Between the stones, one could occasionally see low, twisted, leafless trees. Perhaps because they didn’t need to compete for sunlight, these plants were short and thick, growing as stout as possible to conserve heat. Due to the lack of photosynthesis, the plants of the Night Mist World had very few leaves; any that did grow were usually eaten by scavengers, leaving them bare.

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Even the roots had been dug up. Scavengers ate everything edible or dug it up to trade at the camp. This meant it was basically impossible to find food in this area anymore, unless one was lucky enough to encounter a weak animal. Walking through the extreme cold, Liu Hen felt the frigid wind cutting into his face like a blade.

“Damn it, that was pyrite. A piece that size could have been traded for at least ten pounds of grain vouchers. If we saved, it would have lasted us half a month!” Once they were far enough away, Zong Ni spoke with a dark expression, venting her frustration by striking Huang Hu’s head with her hardwood pickaxe. If not for his internal treachery, they wouldn’t have lost that pyrite.

Huang Hu screamed, begging for mercy: “I was wrong, please spare me…”
“You know you’re wrong now? Why didn’t you think of that when you attacked your own teammate?” Zong Ni was even more furious. Even though they were only a temporary team, attacking a teammate was unforgivable.

“Put him down,” Liu Hen said suddenly.
“What?” Zong Ni asked, confused.
“I said, put him… on the ground,” Liu Hen repeated.
Though puzzled, Zong Ni lowered Huang Hu to the ground. Huang Hu scrambled to speak to Liu Hen: “Liu Hen, it was my fault before…”
“I know.”
Liu Hen took a deep breath. Just as hope flickered in Huang Hu’s eyes, Liu Hen suddenly swung his pickaxe down, smashing a bloody hole in the man’s head. Huang Hu shrieked and expired instantly. Liu Hen pulled the pickaxe out and struck again, and again, smashing the man’s skull to pieces. Even after his head was destroyed, Huang Hu’s eyes remained open, still reflecting fear and regret.

Zong Ni was stunned: “What are you doing?”
“Practicing.”
Liu Hen said it casually. He was trying to adapt to the laws of survival in this world, wanting to get used to the feeling of killing someone with his own hands. Zong Ni didn’t fully believe him—after all, among the scavengers, who hadn’t killed someone? She assumed Liu Hen was just venting his anger, as she was angry too.

Liu Hen didn’t explain. Seeing that Huang Hu was thoroughly dead, he pulled out his pickaxe, took a deep breath, and began searching the corpse.
‘Hm?’
Suddenly, he pulled out a magic crystal—a grain-sized crystal emitting a faint blue light. His eyes lit up; today’s meal was secured. A magic crystal could be traded for a pound of grain vouchers—a good find.
‘But…’
He hesitated. Creating the ‘Creation Workbench’ also required a magic crystal. He was caught in a dilemma. The Creation Workbench would undoubtedly be of great use; if he could build it quickly, it would be a huge advantage. Should he use this crystal to eat, or to build the workbench?