After a tense period filled with fear, they finally reached their destination. The boy stepped out of the carriage and dusted off his clothes. As he turned around, his eyes fell on a towering sword piercing the heavens. 

The sight captivated him for a moment before the burly man accompanying him gave him a swift kick. "Damn it! Did I bring you here to admire the scenery, or to work, you insolent brat?"

The boy lowered his head and glared at the man with hatred. Noticing the look, the man shot him a warning glance, prompting the boy to quickly replace his expression with a fake smile.

The man turned away and continued walking, the boy trailing behind him. The surrounding area was genuinely beautiful, with trees, grass, and flowers of various shapes and colors lining the path, filling the air with a pleasant aroma. 

However, they soon reached a zone where life seemed to have been extinguished within half a mile. All forms of life—plants and even animals—dared not venture closer than fifty meters.

For some inexplicable reason, humans were allowed to enter and even mine the area. No one understood why, but it was said that anyone who ventured there would perish shortly after leaving.

This was the reason the man had brought the boy. Although he didn't fully believe the rumors, he was cautious enough to use the boy as a test subject to verify their accuracy.

After venturing less than a hundred meters into the barren area, the man ordered, "Go. Start mining in one of the tunnels at the base of the mountain. Once I evaluate your work, you'll receive your next task." He handed the boy the necessary tools and pointed him toward the mine, which was only a few hundred meters away.

The area wasn't particularly vast—just half a mile from the mountain itself. Several mines had been carved into its slopes decades ago, only to be abandoned for mysterious reasons. While some tried to resume mining, they too fled after a short time, unable to explain why. Those who left reported memory loss about what had occurred, recalling only that they should never return. They described an invisible force that squeezed their insides, causing an indescribable, fleeting pain. Over time, the site was forsaken, surrounded by rumors and fear.

Carrying his mining tools, the boy sprinted toward the mine, only to feel a strange presence as he neared it—a sensation of being watched and crushed simultaneously. Fear gripped him. As he entered, the pressure intensified with every step. Less than fifty meters in, it became unbearable. The boy clutched his tools tightly, his body trembling.

Suddenly, the mine plunged into complete darkness, swallowing every trace of light in an instant. Panic seized him as he screamed and bolted, only to trip and fall—this time not onto grass, but onto the hard ground. His head struck the surface, rendering him unconscious as blood pooled beneath him.

Some time passed before he regained awareness, finding himself outside the mine. He couldn't recall what had happened, but terror was etched deeply into his being. Too frightened to approach the mine again, he returned to the man, his expression carefully blank, as though he hadn't just endured unimaginable horror.

The man's face darkened as he saw him. "You bastard! Did I tell you to return empty-handed? And you even lost the tools!"

The boy barely flinched; he was used to such outbursts and insults, having heard them countless times during his work.

"There's nothing in the mine. I think it's completely depleted," the boy stammered, his fear of the man overriding his desire to appear strong.

The man's face grew darker, and after a tense pause, he barked, "Go search that cave on the mountain. I'll give you four hours. If you're late, you know what will happen!" He added with a sneer, "And if you dare lie to me, not only will you die, but your old father will join you soon after. As for that little beauty of a sister... heh, I have other plans for her."

The boy bowed, clasped his hands, and headed toward the cave.

Climbing the mountain was arduous, but fortunately, the cave wasn't very high—about twenty meters or so. Once he reached it, he secured a rope and lowered it down before collapsing onto the ground to catch his breath.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him felt slick, as if coated in oil, and tilted downward, almost flinging him out of the cave. He barely managed to cling to the rope, the effort splitting his skin and causing searing pain. Gritting his teeth, he climbed back up, determined not to lose his grip again.

Without wasting any time, he ventured deeper into the cave.

After about a hundred meters, all traces of light vanished, leaving him in pitch darkness that rekindled his fear. Each step seemed to amplify his terror, a sense of déjà vu haunting him, though he couldn't place when or where he had felt this before.

Suddenly, a deep roar erupted from within the cave, accompanied by a force so overwhelming that it reached beyond the cave's mouth in an instant. The cave walls cracked, collapsing moments later, as if the entire mountain had roared. From outside, one could see the ground fracturing within a half-mile radius. In mere fractions of a second, the force expanded to encompass a hundred-mile diameter, ripping the land apart.

Though it resembled a colossal earthquake, it felt more like the earth had expelled a great burden. The mountain rose hundreds of meters in the process.

Despite the scale, it all unfolded in less than ten seconds.

As for the boy, he had been transported to an unknown place.

Some time later, in this mysterious location, a finger twitched on a body lying on the ground. The boy opened his eyes cautiously, his gaze wary. Once he regained awareness, he quickly stood, scanning his surroundings. 

All he could see was pitch-black darkness. At first, he thought he was still in a cave, but after walking for a while, he realized otherwise.

There were no walls or obstacles, only a flat, stone-like surface beneath his feet—remarkably smooth, as if it had been meticulously polished. It felt more like an endless plain of stone than any cave.

After wandering aimlessly, his foot finally struck something. His face lit up with uncontainable joy, like a starving man stumbling upon a feast. He crouched down and began feeling around. After a few moments, his hands found a square object—a book.

However, his excitement quickly turned to despair. What use was a book if he couldn't even see it? Still, desperate for any chance of survival, he clung to the hope that there was no such thing as coincidence. With trembling hands, he opened the book, convinced that something would happen.

But as the old saying goes, "Not everything one wishes for comes true."

Nothing happened. He flipped through page after page, his despair growing with each turn.

Suddenly, as he turned another page, a single word echoed in his mind without warning: "Heir."