Chapter 33: Buried Alive

Little Black Stone was stunned by this sudden strike from his master. Hadn't his master always been careful to skirt around even a single monster before? When did he become so powerful?

In truth, Liu Hen was also a bit startled by his own blast. He had originally thought that his air cannon might at best injure the horse, and that causing even a little trouble for this unknown enemy would be a success. Instead, to his surprise, the shot blew the horse to pieces and sent the rider flying. Although his body was nearly frozen because all his heat had been converted into energy, the moment he saw the scattered horse meat, he went wild and charged out without a second thought. Little Black Stone was the same; upon seeing the meat, his instincts took over, and he rushed out recklessly.

Just as Liu Hen was about to reach a piece of meat, he caught sight of the enemy—who had been sent flying—quickly climbing back to his feet. Startled, he suppressed his body's primal craving for the meat and abruptly changed direction, lunging at the enemy instead. Moving much faster than before, he covered a dozen meters in an instant, swinging his pickaxe down at the man with all his might.

"Unforgivable!" Zhang Wuyou rose with a livid expression and threw a fierce punch toward the strange pickaxe.

"Clang!"

[Inventory Full]

Amidst a deafening metallic clash, Liu Hen’s pickaxe vanished from his hand, returning to his mind, while the terrifying recoil left his arm numb. At the same time, Zhang Wuyou discovered that his metal arm had developed numerous cracks, with many internal parts damaged. Infuriated, he lashed out with a kick at the chest of this wretched "earth rat."

Because his body was nearly frozen, Liu Hen’s reactions were sluggish. Unable to dodge, he took the blow directly. Though his thermal suit kept him physically unharmed, he was too weak to withstand the sheer force, which sent him flying backward. Seeing the enemy closing in to stomp on his head, he hurriedly waved his hand, dumping all the large iron ore from one of his inventory slots.

"Rumble!"

A massive amount of iron ore materialized out of thin air, burying the stunned man alive. Not far away, Little Black Stone, who was struggling to drag a large chunk of horse meat, had been worried for his master, but he was left equally stunned by this sight.

"Un... for... givable!" A furious growl emanated from beneath the pile of boulders.

'He's still not dead?!'

Liu Hen, who had scrambled back up, was shocked. Was this guy human or a monster? Seeing a figure struggling madly through the gaps in the iron ore, seemingly on the verge of crawling out, he immediately emptied another inventory slot of its iron ore.

"Rumble!"

Two hundred more pieces of large iron ore appeared, forming a small mountain right before him. Zhang Wuyou, who had managed to find gaps to struggle through, was now completely pinned down. While he wasn't crushed to death immediately due to the voids between the rocks, it would be nearly impossible for him to escape now.

"Unforgivable," Liu Hen said this time.

The buried Zhang Wuyou: "..."

"What the hell? You provoke me time and again—what are you doing it for? I didn't steal your food!" Liu Hen didn't know why this lunatic was so angry, but he was furious himself. Anyone would be angry after being attacked for no reason.

The price of his anger was simple: he immediately activated "Free Build Mode" and began constructing directly on top of the pile.

*Snap! Snap! Snap!*

He placed block after block of iron ore, sealing every single gap. The ore he had initially dumped was independent, leaving gaps that could potentially be pried open. But now, as he used the build mode, the new pieces fused with the existing ones, acting like glue and turning the mountain into a single, solid mass.

He kept placing blocks, sealing every crevice he saw. The added ore merged with the environment as if it were growing together. Gradually, an irregular conical mountain took shape.

Deep beneath the pile, Zhang Wuyou used his implanted radar to scan the situation outside. The cold reality washed over him, extinguishing his rage and replacing it with terror.

"An Esper? No... you can't do this..." He screamed in horror. "Master Esper, I was wrong! Please, don't bury me alive!"

Realizing his enemy was an Esper, he began to beg, finally understanding that he had crossed someone he shouldn't have. He had only intended to kill some wastelanders to vent his frustration; he never imagined he would run into an Esper. He was utterly bewildered—how could one of the random wastelanders he attacked be an Esper?

What kind of luck was this? Seeing the man materialize boulders out of thin air and fuse them together, he knew for certain the man was an Esper. Only an Esper could possess such miraculous abilities. But weren't Espers supposed to be high and mighty? Why was this one wandering the cruel, misty night world like an ordinary scavenger?

Zhang Wuyou struggled with all his might to push the iron ore away, but the sheer weight of the pile pinned his limbs, rendering his strength useless. He couldn't even dig a tunnel to escape because he couldn't move his hands or feet—especially the arm that had been damaged, its internal components nearly ruined.

"No... how could it come to this... I was wrong, I was really wrong..." He was terrified, paralyzed by the fear of being permanently entombed and starving to death.

Outside, Liu Hen could vaguely hear sounds from beneath the ground, but the thick layers of iron ore muffled them until he couldn't make out the words. He couldn't be bothered to listen anyway; his rage could only be quelled by burying this man.

"I didn't provoke anyone, yet you attacked me for no reason. Unforgivable!"

He continued to place iron ore, using the build mode to seal every gap, letting the material fuse with the surroundings like glue. Once every gap in the small mountain was sealed, he added a perimeter ring of ore to prevent the man from digging his way out from beneath the soil.

Only when his inventory was completely empty did he stop.

'It feels like I never have enough materials,' Liu Hen thought with a hint of regret. If he had enough, he would have liked to build an entire mountain here and keep that dangerous fellow suppressed for five hundred years!

Not far away, Little Black Stone, who had finally dragged a millstone-sized piece of horse meat to the cave entrance, stood frozen, staring blankly at the strange mountain.

At this moment, Liu Hen's anger had finally subsided. He regained his composure, looked at the horse meat scattered nearby, and his heart began to race with excitement.