After stepping down from the raised platform of the 3rd stage, Aksai and his team settled down for a quick respite.
He took this chance to break the silence, glancing at his teammates as he asked, “So, what’s the deal with these rewards? Do we get to keep what we find here?”
The team leader let out a humorless chuckle and shook his head.
“Nope, not quite. Nothing we earn here can be kept without a price,” he replied. “That’s the whole point of exploring the cave in groups. When we’re out, everything we collect goes to the group leader.”
“Wait, everyone who enters through the various tunnels…they’re all handing over their treasures, too?” Aksai asked, a bit taken aback.
“Exactly,” said the leader, leaning back on his hands as he spoke.
“Once we’re out, we deposit everything with the group leader, who’ll then exchange each item for contribution points based on its value. And from there, those points become our ‘earnings’ for clearing stages.”
Aksai’s brows furrowed as he glanced down at his potion vial. So, even though he’d received the reward, he wouldn’t necessarily get to keep it?
“Is there any way to keep the treasures?” he asked.
One of his teammates chimed in. “Technically, yes,” the guy said, holding up his own treasure—a small, ornate shield that glimmered faintly with protective energy.
“See, I’ve got this defensive treasure. If I hand it in, I’ll probably get around 300 contribution points for it. Plus, I get another 200 just for surviving the third stage. I’ve been here a few times, so I’ve already accumulated about a thousand points.”
“So… if you’re earning points, what’s stopping you from keeping that shield?” Aksai asked, curious.
The teammate shrugged.
“Every week, there’s an auction event run by the grand elders of the three major demonic sects. You can use your points to buy back any treasures you want—if they come up in the auction.
But here’s the kicker: just because I’m awarded 300 points doesn’t mean that shield will go for the same amount. In fact, the shield might go for 2000 points, depending on the bidding.”
Aksai’s surprise grew as he realized what this system actually meant. This auction was rigged from the start.
The sects had created an artificial economy where sect members competed for the very rewards they earned with their lives on the line, forced to spend points to access their own gains.
He glanced at his potion and thought angrily. ‘So I’ve got to pay an imaginary currency to keep what’s rightfully mine?’
The contribution point system was essentially designed to drain the resources and efforts of the weaker members, funneling their work toward strengthening the elite members who could afford to hoard points.
This forced the newer or weaker members to grind endlessly, while the elders and top disciples raked in the best of the rewards.
His teammate gave him a knowing look, sensing Aksai’s thoughts. “It’s tough if you’re not already well-established in the system,” he admitted. “You have to grind just to have a shot at getting a few useful items.”
Aksai exhaled sharply, his frustration barely concealed.
‘This is exactly why I hate sects. They exploit their members when they’re too weak to resist, but they happily fuel the growth of those already strong. All they’re doing is stacking the deck, widening the gap between the lower and upper ranks,’ he thought.
Despite the frustration simmering within him, Aksai kept his expression neutral. He’d continue to play along, for now, but he was making a mental note to find any loopholes in this system.
After all, this cave was supposed to be a place for training and reward. If the rules were designed to make the strong even stronger, he’d have to find a way to stay ahead, without sacrificing his hard-earned gains.
‘Maybe I’ll exploit these sects’ systems to my advantage when I’m strong enough,’ Aksai thought to himself.
As Aksai’s teammate smirked, an air of barely-hidden envy in his eyes, he said,
“Glaven, I know what you’re thinking. But you’re not going to keep that potion. The group leader made it clear from the start that the grand elders are specifically looking for rare potions that come from these rewards.
Yours could very well be the one they’re after. Potions like that don’t go up in auctions; they go directly to the Core Formation Lords themselves. Why do you think that we didn’t attack you after you received that potion? That’s because we knew that we wouldn’t be able to keep it to ourselves. Hahaha.”
He chuckled, adding, “You’d probably get about a thousand contribution points for it, so it’s not like you’re getting nothing.”
But seeing the sour look on Aksai’s face only fueled his amusement. Aksai felt his frustration morph into something colder as he processed all the options that he had.
“Can you not tell the group leader I received it?” Aksai asked, his voice laced with ice. But the only response he got was mocking laughter from his teammates.
“Oh, no way! Besides, we’d probably get a nice bonus if we reported you for trying to smuggle it out,” another teammate taunted, eyes glittering with spite.
Aksai’s expression cooled. He could feel their jealousy, the envy simmering just below the surface. While he’d been the backbone of their defense against the corrupted druids, they seemed to care little about fairness when a rare reward was at stake.
But if they thought he’d quietly accept this injustice, they were mistaken. He wasn’t here to play a sect member anyway. This was merely a guise that he had used for convenience. He always knew that it had an expiration date. He might as well burn this identity in the most effective way possible.
Before his teammates realized what was happening, Aksai had already made his move.
Channeling his druid essence, Aksai shifted, his body flowing with the raw, fierce energy of his true form. He appeared beside the nearest teammate, his sword unsheathed in a blur, slicing through the air with lethal precision.
The teammate’s head barely had time to register shock before it separated from his shoulders, his body crumpling lifelessly to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Aksai used his movement spell to appear behind his second target. His hand plunged into the man’s back, fingers wrapping around the still-beating heart, and with a vicious squeeze, he snuffed out his life. The teammate gasped, a strangled sound of terror as the light faded from his eyes.
The remaining teammates, too stunned to move, finally began to understand the fatal danger they were in. But Aksai wasn’t done.
As he stepped toward his third teammate, his sword cleaved downward in a brutal stroke, splitting the body vertically. The sickening sound of flesh and bone parting reverberated around the space.
“Glaven… what… what the hell are you doing?” the fourth teammate cried, stumbling back, terror flashing in his eyes as he tried to rationalize what he was seeing. In his panic, he almost believed Aksai was possessed by a corrupted druid. He pissed his pants when he felt that Aksai’s aura had some similarities with the corrupted druid.
Aksai didn’t respond to a silly question. Why talk when you can take action instead?
His expression was impassive, calculated. With a flick of his leg, charged with his Argent Realm Qi, he struck his teammate’s head in a brutal kick, the impact crushing the man’s skull instantly. He slumped to the ground, motionless.
It had to be said that Aksai had a much easier time dealing with his teammates because they were all exhausted. He had chosen an apt time to strike. Even the dying members thought that Aksai had already planned this move when they entered the tunnel.
Only the team leader remained. Knowing he had no chance, the leader mustered whatever spirit energy he had left and launched a desperate attack.
But his movements were sluggish, weakened from exhaustion and fear, and Aksai easily sidestepped each frantic blow. His sword flicked out, and in seconds, the leader’s body hit the floor, joining the others in a final, silent sprawl.
Aksai stood alone among the scattered bodies of his team, the faint glow of his druidic energy dissipating around him. For some reason, the mysterious essence that his teammates had accumulated was also absorbed by him after their death.
The scene was silent, save for the residual hum of the cave around him. Aksai took a breath, his expression hardening.
Unfazed, Aksai methodically looted his fallen teammates, rifling through their belongings with a cool efficiency.
Rings, amulets, and small pouches were carefully pocketed, each containing the treasures they’d fought to obtain. The irony of it wasn’t lost on him—his team had tried to deprive him of his potion, only for him to claim everything they’d received.
As for consciousness and honor? Aksai always believed that those things were not of any value inside the isolated dimension. If the three major demonic sects could exploit its sect members, he could also do the same.
‘They were demonic cultivators anyway,’ the Spirit farmer, who could be said to be the most demonic by his action, justified his actions in his head.
After sweeping the area to ensure he hadn’t missed anything, he turned his gaze back to the 3rd stage’s platform.
‘If I could clear it alone…’
He mused. This idea intrigued him; without a team, he wouldn’t have to deal with anyone’s greed or share his hard-earned rewards.
Aksai took a breath and waved his hand, a flicker of fire-element Spirit energy gathering around his fingertips. The flames crackled to life, burning hotter and brighter as they engulfed the remains of his teammates.
The fire roared and sputtered, swiftly consuming their bodies until all that was left were smoldering ashes. Satisfied with the cleanup, he settled down cross-legged, activating his Spirit cultivation technique and letting the world around him fade as he sank into meditation.
Hours passed, and the lingering effects of his earlier battle had melted away. His spirit essence was renewed, and he opened his eyes, feeling sharper and more ready than ever. Rising, he strode back to the raised platform, determination flashing in his eyes.
‘My puppets… come out to play!’