Chapter 9 end II

A loud metal clashing noise rang in Joel's ears as soon as he regained consciousness. He crouched down and glanced at a crowd of people with pickaxes. He hurriedly turned to look around and discovered that he was inside a cave.

The vast, dust-covered cave was filled with numerous pointy boulders that stood everywhere at the place. When Joel glanced above his head, he found that the cave was illuminated by several carved crystals that were intact on the canopy. Even though the light it supplied was dim it was enough for Joel to see where he was walking.

Joel was brutally kicked in the back by a man before he could even stand up, which caused him to snarl in agony. 'Who's that?'"

Joel angrily glanced at his rear and stared at the overweight man who had just kicked him in the back. The fat man chuckled, looking at Joel. "What are you staring at? Go to work you fucking worthless!"

Joel kicked the man's knees in frustration and anger. The man was startled, but before he could react, another fist was smashed against his face, intensifying the force of his fall.

Due to the impact of his crash, the man grunted and started to cough some blood. Joel took advantage of the circumstance by sitting on the man's chest and starting to pummel him with punches.

Joel suddenly felt a scorching sensation around his neck just as the man was about to fall unconscious. He intentionally ignored it at first since it was still bearable, but within a few seconds, it began to sting terribly. He quickly rubbed his neck and felt a slave bond fasten around it. He attempted to yank it out, but it only burned him further.

Joel attempted to terminate the fight first, but before he could turn to face his adversary, a punch to the face drove him flying a few meters away. Joel shrieked and clenched the slave bond around his neck as he stumbled to the ground.

"Ahh, stop this!" Pleaded Joel. The man stood up and walked toward Joel while trembling in anger. He then began to rain Joel a kick. "You fucker! Fucker! Fucker!"

Joel lost unconscious as the man continued stomping him. When the fat guy noticed that Joel had passed out, he started to pant for air. The man shouted, "Get this fucker out of my eyes!" After some time, two soldiers started sprinting in his way.

The fat man smacked the nearby soldier in the jaw and interrogated, "Where were you when this guy punched me?" The two guards answered in a terrified voice, "I'm sorry sir." Then they instantly hoisted Joel's body and left the scene.

...

Joel's body was riddled with wounds and bruises when he awoke. He attempted to stand up but lacked the strength to do so. He then carefully sat down on the gravel and glanced at a bunch of fellow slaves obstructing the path.

He was curious about what was there but didn't want to use his dying strength just to take a peek. But then there was an abrupt loud blast that shook the cave and created a shower of dust.

"How many times do I have to tell all of you don't swarm at me!" When the guy roared, some slaves flew and crashed into the sturdy cave wall. All of the slaves continued to push despite seeing how their fellow slaves soared away.

The man clicked his tongue and snatched a sack full of bread. He tore it open and began tossing it wherever he wanted. Like a swarm of ants following sweetness, the slaves hurried after the bread as it soared through the air.

One snatched a piece of bread, salivating as he prepared to devour it, but was interrupted when the pickaxe's edge struck against his head. As his brain plopped to the ground, blood started to gush from his head.

After smashing the pickaxe, the man immediately yanked the blood-covered bread and devoured it in less than ten seconds. Joel's stomach grumbled as he covered his mouth, trying not to vomit from what he had witnessed.

There was no longer bread left once the gruesome scenes reached their climax. Several slaves perished here, yet nobody showed even the slightest compassion. Joel admitted that he had killed several animals but that he still wasn't ready to kill a real person. He was traumatized for a full week. Every time he went to sleep, he had a nightmare, which gradually drove him insane.

It was four years since Joel became a slave. In the first week of being a slave, he resisted working at them but he was forced to do so because he was being severely beaten every day. If he didn't work for them, he would have perished from his wounds.

Lack of nourishment caused his body to become lean, and at the moment, his mind was chaotic and he was unable to think clearly. Joel received a lot of unpleasant work during the past four years that I didn't want to discuss, and every day the guards beat him because of the fat guy order.

Joel was able to avoid murdering someone for food for the first few months, but as time passed, his hunger increased. He killed numerous people for a single piece of food, but this was never enough for him; he felt as though he never ate anything at all, so he continued to kill.

...

Joel started to shed tears as his father's name, profession, and face started to escape his mind. "Why? Why? Why? What went wrong, exactly? Although I am aware that I am not the only one in pain, I find it inexplicable why the weak and the underprivileged must endure such treatment!" Joel yelled at his thought with a tone overflowing with wrath and despair.

Joel hobbled to advance along with the other slaves beside him. Joel paused and turned to face the drunken guard as all the mindless slaves continued to advance.

Joel wondered why the security here was so tight if the guards were intoxicated. Joel eventually understood it was a new year after a little interval. He, therefore, made the decision to escape.

He tried to minimize the noise he was making as he crept inside the guard's blind spot. When he was about to reach the exit, one of the guards abruptly moved. The guard was straining to keep his eyes open, "are you sure lord **** won't catch us?" he asked.

"He was on the central continent, therefore it's unlikely he can catch us hahaha," the man responded as the guards all started laughing hysterically till they collapsed.

Joel quickly moved cautiously and slowly. After a few minutes, Joel glanced back at the cave, but it was no longer visible. This indicates that he finally escaped, but he still had to look for shelter and determine his location.

Joel detected a loud stirring in the bushes, he turned around and saw 4 enormous creatures, perhaps 7 feet tall, with powerful forelegs and strong, compact body muscles. A giant shaggy hair was wagging beneath their neck as the air swept them, and their body was covered with golden fur.

They growled at Joel, revealing their large fangs as their saliva dripped to the floor, and yes Joel encountered a lion but this lion was different than the earth had because its tail was tall as their height, and the tip of it was sharp like a knife.

Joel swallowed down his saliva as he retreated gradually. After a brief moment, he sprinted out of the scene brushing the shrubs and tree limbs in his path.

The lions also started to pursue him. They scurried, one headed left and the other headed right, with the remaining two rushing directly in Joel's route.

Joel ran quite fast due to the adrenaline rush. But that didn't last long until his foot brushed across a lying branch, making him plunge against the ground.

Despite the fact that every part of his body hurt like hell, he only grunted and hastily stood up. He attempted to run once more but was stopped by an unexpected stomachache. A gallon of blood came out of his mouth as he touched his stomach.

He felt warm and sticky liquid splashing on his hands. He slowly looked at his stomach and saw a large hole in there. While attempting to control the bleeding, his body became immobile. He slowly slid to his front, but to his surprise, there was a massive cliff behind the bush, and beneath it was a vast, unsettling ocean.

Large nails rushed to grasp his body before he fell off the cliff but missed. Joel was rapidly whirling around the air. "Just one more time, just one more time... Father, what did I do, why, why, why, God, what did I do... I-I will make those fucker regret even if it costs my soul or my life," he swore at his thought in a tone bathed with rage and depression.

After a few seconds of plummeting Joel's body was brutally struck against the ocean, rendering him instantly unconscious. Seawater progressively accumulated within his body until he passed away due to a lack of oxygen.

But instead of floating, the corpse continued plunging underneath the ocean and eventually reached the sand. Then his chest was coated in a thick, dazzling thread that ultimately vanished.

The body immediately began to levitate after the cord disappeared. The corpse was suddenly accompanied by a creepy eyeball that trembled fiercely before slowly disintegrating into dark particles and suckling the corpse.

End of chapter.

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XP.

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