Leaning against the corner, Li Dao took out a flatbread, dusted off the dirt, and brought it to his mouth.
Suddenly, just as the flatbread was about to enter his mouth, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding, first enemy kill completed, Enemy-Slaying Attribute Drop System activated.]
[One enemy killed, attribute gained: 0.2]
[First kill completed, attribute reward: 1]
The next second, Li Dao saw a flicker before his eyes, and a panel similar to a game interface from his previous life appeared before him, along with an introduction to this system in his mind.
[Owner: Li Dao]
[Physique: 0.8]
[Available Attribute Points: 1.2]
A system?
A golden finger?
Li Dao never imagined he would have something like a system.
When his memories first resurfaced, he had thought about the possibility of a system, but no matter how he experimented, he never saw any sign of it.
Who would have thought that activating the system required killing someone?
If he never killed, would the system never activate?
If he hadn't ended up in the Death Row Camp, he would still be that pampered Count Anyuan, and who knows when the system would have activated.
After a while, Li Dao suppressed his excitement. A late-arriving system was better than no system at all.
He glanced at his system panel.
Only three lines, ridiculously simple.
He swore it was the simplest panel he had ever seen.
Based on the information in his mind, he also understood the system's function.
Very straightforward and brutal: kill enemies to drop their attributes.
The dropped attributes could be added to himself to enhance his strength.
But why was there only the physique attribute available for enhancement? Compared to character panels in online games from his previous life...
Where was speed?
Where was spirit?
Where was strength?
Why was there only the physique attribute?
Though puzzled, Li Dao wanted to test the system's specific effects first.
He looked at the system panel and focused his thoughts.
The next second, both the physique attribute and available attribute points changed.
[Owner: Li Dao]
[Physique: 1]
[Available Attribute Points: 1]
It increased, but the effect...
Before Li Dao could finish his thought, a surge of heat suddenly arose in his body, flooding into every part of him, even a faint stream of clarity appeared in his mind.
The heat came quickly and dissipated just as fast, vanishing in a few breaths.
"This..."
Coming back to his senses, Li Dao was stunned.
He found that his body had undergone a very noticeable change compared to before.
His previously thin body had become more robust, his muscle lines more defined, and most surprisingly, his mind had become much clearer, enhancing him in every aspect.
At this moment, he seemed to understand why there was only the physique attribute in the attribute column.
Because the physique attribute encompassed his entire being.
Strength, speed, constitution, spirit—all were included within physique.
At this moment, Li Dao wanted to give the system a thumbs up.
Unexpectedly, simplicity and brutality became the system's greatest advantage.
According to the system's explanation, the average physique of a normal person was one, meaning his physique had just reached the average level of a normal person after one attribute point increase.
It should be said that as a pampered noble from a young age, his physical condition was even below that of an ordinary person.
Glancing at the system panel, Li Dao didn't hesitate much and decisively added the remaining attribute point to his physique.
The next second, an even stronger surge of heat appeared in his body.
Under the influence of this heat, his body, hidden under the prison clothes, began to show obvious changes, with muscles continuously expanding and contracting, even his internal organs felt a constant sense of expansion, and his mind became increasingly clear under a stream of clarity.
Many memories that had long been blurred began to reappear in his mind.
This time, the heat lasted for a full dozen breaths before dissipating.
Li Dao looked down and found that after the physique enhancement, his body seemed to have undergone a second development, becoming much stronger, and the previously loose prison clothes now fit much more snugly.
Fortunately, the cell was too dim, so no one noticed his changes.
He clenched his fist, feeling a surge of power.
Looking at the shackles, he felt as if he could break them at any moment.
He knew this was an illusion caused by the sudden surge in strength.
Thumb-thick iron chains couldn't be broken by a body twice as strong as an ordinary person.
According to the system's explanation, killing an enemy would drop one-tenth of the enemy's total attributes.
This meant that the burly man's physique was already twice that of a normal person, and he couldn't do it, so naturally, Li Dao couldn't either.
Based on his judgment, to break these chains, his physique would need to reach at least five points.
"Five points of physique, according to the system's calculation method, would require killing fifty ordinary enemies."
Thinking of this, he instinctively glanced at the other people in the cell.
But soon, he abandoned this idea.
He wanted to become stronger, but he wouldn't mindlessly pursue strength.
If he blindly killed for this reason, he estimated he would ultimately become a slave to power. Would he still be himself then?
Moreover, the system was called the 'Enemy-Slaying Attribute Drop System.'
As the name suggests, he had to kill enemies.
Although the people in the cell were all death row prisoners, they had no personal grudge against him, so they couldn't be considered enemies.
Of course, all of this required his own judgment.
If he disliked someone, even without a personal grudge, that person would become his enemy.
In short, everything was based on Li Dao's instinctive judgment.
"Grumble..."
Li Dao touched his stomach, a sense of hunger arose from within, stronger than before.
A side effect?
But it shouldn't be considered as such. As the body grew stronger, naturally, it required more food.
Unfortunately, he only had a piece of soaked flatbread, which couldn't fully meet his body's current needs.
After dusting off the flatbread, Li Dao stuffed it into his mouth.
However, after one bite, Li Dao felt nothing, as if he had just filled a gap between his teeth.
He somewhat understood why the burly man had fought for food earlier; for someone with a good physique, this amount of food was insufficient.
"Sleep, sleeping can reduce energy consumption."
Li Dao leaned against the wall, slightly closing his eyes, still holding a sharpened wooden spike in his right hand.
Although his physique was now twice that of an ordinary person, he was still flesh and blood, vulnerable to death, so he had to remain cautious.
......
It was unclear how much time had passed.
In a daze, Li Dao was awakened by a commotion.
Opening his eyes, he saw two soldiers opening the cell door and entering.
"Yo, another one's dead."
The two soldiers seemed unfazed by the sight of the dead burly man, as if they were used to it.
One of the soldiers chuckled, "This one's mine."
"All yours."
The other soldier waved his hand dismissively.
The first soldier grinned, took out a small knife from his waist, and squatted beside the burly man.
He used the knife to slice off the burly man's left ear, taking it with him.
The soldier didn't find it disgusting; instead, he cheerfully wrapped the ear in a piece of rag and tucked it into his pocket.
Finally, the two soldiers glanced around the cell and dragged the burly man's body away.
Seeing this, Li Dao's face remained expressionless; he was already accustomed to it.
As for why the soldiers cut off the ear, he understood.
In the border regions, the left ear represented merit.
The Great Qian Dynasty was powerful because its army had a system similar to the ancient Qin State's military merit title system.
As long as one joined the army and fought on the battlefield, they could earn military merit and climb the ranks.
The calculation of military merit was simple: count the number of enemies killed by collecting their left ears.
After all, a person only had one left ear; cutting it off represented having killed an enemy.
Submitting the left ear would earn the soldiers a record of this merit.
With enough merit, they could get promotions and raises.
The burly man's ear was cut off to be used as a substitute for enemy kills.
Fortunately, the Ministry of War strictly managed the Death Row Camp, allowing death row prisoners to kill each other but not allowing soldiers to kill prisoners. Otherwise, death row prisoners would have to guard against both the camp's tasks and being killed by low-ranking soldiers.
In short, death row prisoners in the camp had no rights.
However, it wasn't entirely hopeless for death row prisoners in the camp.
In the border regions, since the creation of the Great Qian Death Row Camp, there had been a special rule.
A death row prisoner could earn enough military merit to leave the camp and start a new life with a clean slate.
At that point, their crimes would be erased, allowing them to live as free men.
Yet, since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, countless death row prisoners had passed through, but how many had actually left the camp?
Altogether, they numbered less than a handful.
This was because leaving the Death Row Camp was incredibly difficult.
To leave, a death row prisoner needed to collect five hundred left ears, representing five hundred enemy kills.
What did this mean?
For most ordinary death row prisoners, it was an unattainable dream.
Even if five hundred enemies stood still for someone to kill, it would take a long time, let alone on the battlefield.
Moreover, death row prisoners were often placed in the most dangerous positions on the battlefield, greatly increasing the mortality rate.
Most death row prisoners couldn't even survive their first mission, let alone kill and collect ears.
In short, the rule offered hope but also despair.
Li Dao had previously felt despair at this rule.
But now, he thought differently.
Five hundred was a lot, but as long as he survived, he believed he could achieve it with the system's help.
Moreover, he not only wanted to leave the Death Row Camp but also wanted to live better in this world.
Because he had experienced how comfortable the life of the upper class was in this world.
"Set a small goal: gather five hundred enemy left ears and leave the Death Row Camp."
Li Dao thought to himself.