“Old Bennett is truly missing.”

He spoke coldly, and seeing the young man trembling with a knife in his hand, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Losing the pillar of the family was nothing short of a catastrophe for such a household.

For a moment, he couldn’t find the words to say, and could only utter, “I’ll handle the compensation!” before turning to leave.

“Take care, Warden Harris.”

Edward Carter let out a sigh of relief, glanced worriedly at Samuel Bennett, then turned and left as well.

“This knife…”

Samuel Bennett, however, seemed unconcerned with the two men’s attitudes or their departure, murmuring absentmindedly to himself.

He gripped the broken knife in one hand, while the other clutched his chest.

Hot!

Burning!

Scorching!

Chapter Two: The Cauldron of Gluttony!

Between heaven and earth, life passes by like a fleeting horse through a crack; it’s all over in a blink.

Yet people leave their mark, just as wild geese leave traces in the sky—someone, in the end, will leave behind their own unique imprint in this world.

Some use books as their vessel, so that even after thousands of years, their words remain as vivid as their presence.

Some entrust their hopes to future generations, and though the seas turn to mulberry fields, their will endures.

This knife was just such a vessel.

All was silent!

The moment he gripped the broken knife, Samuel Bennett could hear nothing at all, as a tidal wave of memories surged into his mind.

Fragmented and chaotic, impossible to make out.

The jumbled memories spun like a lantern show, and only after a long while did they gradually sort themselves into words and forms he could understand, appearing before his eyes.

【Ingredient acquired】

【Ingredient: Broken Knife】

【Grade: Inferior (Lower)】

【Quality: Acceptable (Medium)】

【Evaluation: Ordinary, unremarkable, but perhaps with a small surprise】

【Consuming it may grant minor knife skills】

【Current refining progress (0/100)】

【Begin refining?】

At last, has it begun?

Samuel Bennett felt a bit dazed, with more melancholy than excitement at the awakening of the ‘Cauldron of Gluttony.’

He thought of that The Old Man he’d only met once, who had pulled him back from the brink of death, and that The Old Woman who had cared for him as if he were her own son.

A swirl of emotions filled his heart.

It took a long time for him to fully digest the memories in his mind. Only then did Samuel Bennett barely manage to calm himself, focusing his attention on the ‘Cauldron of Gluttony’ that only he could see.

Inside the black cauldron, a broken knife could be faintly seen.

“Refining? Does it mean this broken knife? If I refine it, I’ll gain some of The Old Man’s knife skills?”

Looking at the long knife in his hand, Samuel Bennett found it hard to believe.

A person’s knowledge and skills are always accumulated bit by bit through years of hard work—could he really obtain them just by refining?

Should I try?

Samuel Bennett took a deep breath, set the broken knife in place, sat back down, and read for a while longer.

Only when his mind was completely calm did he focus his spirit on his chest, on the ‘Cauldron of Gluttony’ that had turned from blue to black.

“Refine!”

…

Boom!

Light and shadow shifted before his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, it was as if he had entered another world.

Samuel Bennett shook his head; all around was pitch black, with the only light coming from the knife in his hand—a broken blade.

Wait…

Samuel Bennett snapped back to his senses, looking at the space around him that resembled the inside of a cauldron, then at the broken knife in his hand.

A thought couldn’t help but arise: “This… this so-called refining, don’t tell me it wants me to practice with the knife here?”

“This can’t be right…”

Samuel Bennett was dumbfounded—this was nothing like what he’d imagined.

If it was as he thought, and this broken knife contained The Old Man’s knife skills, then how long would he have to practice here to master them?

But no matter how much Samuel Bennett called out, there was no response.

With no other choice, he could only raise the knife and begin to practice.

The moment he lifted the knife, he noticed something strange: as he swung the broken blade, similar memories and techniques would surface in his mind.

Allowing him to compare and learn.

At the same time, a faint light appeared on the pitch-black cauldron wall.

【Refining ingredient ‘Broken Knife’】

【Current progress (0/100)】

“…Is it really like this?!”

Samuel Bennett was stunned, on the verge of tears.

He had imagined countless possibilities for what would happen when the ‘Cauldron of Gluttony’ awakened, but never expected this.

But with no other way, he could only grit his teeth and, comparing with the memories in his mind, swing the knife in the darkness.

One stroke,

Then another.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. When the progress on the cauldron wall jumped again and reached 10, Samuel Bennett finally stopped after countless swings.

He could sense the outside world again.

Weak, hungry, dizzy…

It felt just like waking from a hangover after a night of nightmares. For a moment, Samuel Bennett could barely lift his hand, and his vision kept going black.

‘Damn! How much time has passed?’

Samuel Bennett panicked.

At that moment, a choked, tearful voice reached his ears:

“Merciful mother above, please bless my poor Junior Bennett to wake up soon! As long as my son is safe and sound, The Old Woman is willing to give up ten years of her life…”

A warm cloth wiped his face as The Old Woman prayed and trembled, her voice thick with tears.

Grandma…