Leaning against the corner, Li Dao picked up the flatbread and brushed off the dust before bringing it toward his mouth.
Suddenly, just as the bread was about to touch his lips, a voice echoed in his mind:
[Ding! First enemy kill completed. “Kill to Gain Attributes” system activated.]
[Enemy killed: 1. Attribute gained: +0.2]
[First kill bonus: +1 attribute point]
The next second, a hazy light flashed before his eyes, and a game-like interface appeared in front of him, along with detailed information about the system in his mind.
[Host: Li Dao]
[Physique: 0.8]
[Available Attribute Points: 1.2]
A system?
A golden finger?
Li Dao never expected he’d actually get something like a system.
When his memories first returned, he’d wondered if a system might appear, but no matter how he tried, nothing ever happened.
Who would’ve thought the trigger for the system was killing someone?
If he had never killed, wouldn’t the system have remained dormant forever?
If he hadn’t ended up in the Death Row Camp, if he was still that pampered noble, the idle Count of Anyuan, who knows when the system would’ve activated.
After taking a moment to calm his excitement, Li Dao reminded himself that a late-arriving system was still better than no system at all.
He glanced at the system panel.
Only three lines—absurdly simple.
He swore this was the simplest panel he’d ever seen.
Based on the information now in his head, he understood the system’s function.
It was direct and brutal: kill an enemy, and gain that enemy’s attributes.
The gained attribute points could then be added to his own stats to increase his power.
But… why was Physique the only stat?
Comparing it to character panels from games in his past life…
What about Speed?
Mental Strength?
Power?
Why only Physique?
Despite his doubts, Li Dao decided to test it out.
Focusing on the panel, he willed a change.
The next second, both the Physique stat and available attribute points shifted:
[Host: Li Dao]
[Physique: 1]
[Available Attribute Points: 1]
It increased. But what did that actually do…?
Before he could finish the thought, a wave of heat suddenly surged through his body, flowing rapidly through his limbs, muscles, and even his mind—bringing with it a faint cooling stream into his consciousness.
The sensation came quickly, and vanished just as fast—only lasting a few breaths.
“This…”
Li Dao was stunned.
He realized his body had undergone a noticeable transformation.
His once-skinny frame had filled out slightly, his muscle tone more defined, and the most surprising part—his mind felt clearer and more focused.
It was as if every part of him had been upgraded.
At that moment, he understood why there was only one stat: Physique.
Because Physique encompassed everything.
Strength, speed, endurance, and mental acuity—all rolled into one.
Right now, Li Dao wanted to give the system a big thumbs up.
Who would’ve thought that such a simple and straightforward design would be the system’s greatest advantage?
According to the system’s explanation, the average physique for a normal person was 1. Which meant that, even after spending one point, his stat had only just reached the level of an ordinary human.
It should be said—no wonder he was a pampered noble since childhood—his physical condition wasn’t even up to the level of an average person.
Glancing at the system panel, Li Dao didn’t hesitate. He decisively added the remaining attribute point to Physique.
The next second, a surge of heat, even stronger than before, burst through his body.
Under its influence, his body beneath the prison uniform began to visibly change. His muscles expanded and contracted rapidly, and even his internal organs felt like they were stretching and relaxing. A cool stream flowed through his mind, making his thoughts incredibly clear.
Many memories that had long since faded began resurfacing in his mind.
This time, the heat lasted for a good dozen breaths before fading.
Li Dao looked down and saw that after the boost to his Physique, it was as if his body had undergone a second stage of development. He had grown noticeably stronger, and the once loose prison clothes now clung more tightly to his frame.
Thankfully, the prison cell was too dim for anyone to notice his transformation.
He clenched his fists, feeling a rush of newfound strength.
Looking at the shackles on his wrists and ankles, he even had the illusion he could snap them at any moment.
But he knew—that was just a side effect of his sudden increase in power.
Chains as thick as a thumb couldn’t be broken by a body only twice as strong as a regular person.
According to the system’s explanation, killing an enemy yields one-tenth of their total attribute points.
This meant that the burly man from before had a Physique roughly twice the average, and even he couldn’t break the chains. Naturally, Li Dao couldn’t either.
Based on his judgment, to have the strength to snap these chains, his Physique would need to reach at least 5.
“Five points in Physique… According to the system’s calculation method, that means I’d need to kill fifty ordinary enemies.”
Thinking of that, his gaze instinctively swept across the other people in the cell.
But soon, he dismissed the thought.
He wanted to grow stronger, yes—but not mindlessly so.
If he blindly chased power through killing, then in the end, he would only become a slave to strength. And would he still be himself then?
Besides, the system was called the “Kill Enemies, Explode Attributes System.”
As the name implied—enemies had to be killed.
The people in this cell, though all condemned to death, had no personal grudge with him—they couldn’t be considered enemies.
Of course, it was all up to his own judgment.
If he didn’t like someone—then even without any grudge—they could still become his enemy.
In the end, it all depended on Li Dao’s instincts.
“Grrr…”
Li Dao clutched his stomach as a wave of hunger hit him—stronger than before.
A side effect?
No, not exactly. As the body grows stronger, it naturally demands more sustenance.
Unfortunately, all he had was one water-softened flatbread, hardly enough to meet his body’s new needs.
He lightly dusted it off, then shoved it entirely into his mouth.
Yet after swallowing, Li Dao felt absolutely nothing. It was like filling a crack between his teeth.
Now he understood why the burly man had tried to snatch food earlier. For someone with a strong body, that tiny bit of food wasn’t nearly enough.
“Sleep. Sleeping reduces energy consumption.”
Leaning against the wall, Li Dao slowly closed his eyes. In his right hand, he still clutched the sharpened wooden spike.
Even with a Physique twice that of a normal person, he was still just flesh and blood. He could still die if attacked—so he had to stay cautious.
Li Dao had no idea how much time had passed.
In a daze, he was awoken by the sound of movement.
Opening his eyes, he saw two soldiers enter the cell after unlocking the door.
“Yo, another one dead.”
The two soldiers looked at the corpse of the burly man without any surprise—it was clearly something they were used to.
One of them grinned and said,
“This one’s mine.”
“All yours,”
the other replied with a wave of his hand.
The grinning soldier squatted next to the corpse and pulled out a small knife from his waist.
With a quick motion, he sliced off the man’s left ear, now dripping with blood. He didn’t seem disgusted at all. On the contrary, he cheerfully wrapped the ear in a rag and tucked it into his chest pocket.
Then, after giving the cell a final glance, the two soldiers dragged the body out and left.
Li Dao’s expression didn’t change. He had grown used to scenes like this.
As for why the soldier had cut off the ear—he understood.
In the frontier regions of the Great Qian Dynasty, the left ear symbolized military merit.
The reason Great Qian was so powerful was largely due to a military system resembling that of ancient Qin from his past life: the military rank system.
As long as one joined the army and fought on the battlefield, they could earn military rank through combat achievements—thus gaining opportunities to rise in class.
And the way they calculated combat achievements was simple: count the left ears of slain enemies.
After all, each person only has one left ear. Kill the enemy, cut off the left ear—it proved you made a kill.
Submit the ear, and the military would record your contribution.
With enough merit, one could be promoted and get a pay raise.
As for the burly man’s ear, now cut off, it would of course be counted as the soldier’s “kill”—a contribution falsely claimed.
Fortunately, the Ministry of War maintained strict control over the Death Row Camp. While fights between inmates were allowed, soldiers were forbidden from killing prisoners themselves. Otherwise, inmates would have to worry not only about dying on missions but also about getting murdered by low-ranking soldiers.
In the Death Row Camp, death row prisoners had no human rights whatsoever.
But that didn’t mean there was absolutely no hope.
Ever since the Death Row Camps were established in the frontier regions, there’s always been one rule:
If a death row prisoner earned enough military merit, they could legally leave the camp, be granted a new identity, and return to normal society.
At that point, their crimes would be erased—they could start over with a clean slate.
However, since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, countless prisoners had entered the Death Row Camps. And yet, how many have actually made it out alive?
All of them combined… wouldn’t fill one hand.
That’s how difficult it was to leave the Death Row Camp.
In terms of numbers, a prisoner would need to collect 500 left ears—meaning they had to kill 500 enemies.
What kind of concept is that?
For most ordinary inmates, this was a completely impossible dream.
Even if 500 enemies stood still and let themselves be killed, you’d get exhausted halfway through—let alone actually fighting them on the battlefield.
And most crucially, Death Row prisoners were always sent to the most dangerous frontlines. This made the chances of survival even slimmer.
The vast majority of prisoners didn’t even survive their first mission, let alone collect ears.
In short, this rule gave a sliver of hope—only to push people into despair.
Li Dao used to feel that same despair when he first learned the rule.
But now? He thought differently.
Five hundred people was a lot—but as long as he could stay alive, he believed that with the help of the system, he could do it.
In fact, he didn’t just want to leave the Death Row Camp—he wanted to thrive in this world.
Because he had experienced how comfortable life was for the powerful and privileged in this world.
“Let’s set a small goal—gather 500 left ears and walk out of the Death Row Camp.”
Li Dao thought to himself silently.
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