---
[Name: Wang Lei]
[Lv. 1]
[Health: 70/70]
[Stamina: 40/40]
[Mana: 60/60]
[Strength: 5] [Agility: 4] [Defense: 7] [Stamina: 4] [Magic: 7] [Mana: 6]
[Status Points: 0]
Skills:
[Ore Consumption]
-Able to digest rocks or metals. Different effects is applied depending to what kind of rock or metal is digested.
---
Wang Lei tried to ignore the glowing screen in front of him, chalking it up to some hunger-induced hallucination. Maybe eating a rock scrambled my brain, he reasoned.
But then, one word on the screen caught his eye, and with it, his illusion of sanity crumbled.
[Ore Consumption]
The moment he read it, Wang Lei froze.
Just as the name suggested, it was a skill. A real, actual skill. One that allowed the user to eat minerals, rocks, metals, and who-knows-what-else. The description hinted that different ores could grant different effects.
"…What kind of RPG nonsense is this?"
But honestly, there was no other explanation. How else could he possibly eat coal?
Even now, his eyes kept drifting toward the lump of black rock in his hand. It was like his body had developed a craving for it. If he let his guard down for even a second, he was sure his hand would automatically stuff it back into his mouth.
Wang Lei exhaled shakily, trying to piece everything together. He vaguely remembered that cold, monotone voice, echoing in his head right before he passed out.
So this power… it came from that voice?
That would make sense.
But then he stared at the skill name again [Ore Consumption] and couldn't help but groan.
"…Seriously? A miner skill? Is the universe just dead set on making me a miner or what?!" Wang Lei shouted, his voice echoing through the dark cave and out into the cold night sky.
His words vanished into the silence, unanswered, just like every other question that had piled up in his head since this madness began.
He just sighed and tried to focus on other things. No point in arguing with the stars.
There was one thing he was particularly curious about.
"What effect does this coal have, anyway?"
He stared at his status screen, examining it with a sharper focus.
As far as he knew, his physical abilities had always been pretty average. Sure, he went to the gym from time to time, mostly to stay healthy rather than to get ripped. He was far from the kind of guy you'd find flexing in the mirror with a shredded six-pack.
If he had to guess, the average attribute stats of a regular person would hover around five.
His strength was decent, but his agility and stamina… well, those were on the lower end. He often skipped leg day. Don't ask why. It wasn't pure laziness, okay, maybe it was a little laziness, but it was also because leg day sucked.
Ahem. Anyway.
What caught his attention was something truly unnatural, his Defense stat. It was strangely high.
Why is my Defense like this? he wondered, frowning.
As far as he could remember, he didn't have rock-hard skin. In fact, his skin was practically porcelain, smooth, fair, and borderline fragile, thanks to a lifetime of being pampered by his parents.
Then… the coal must've enhanced my defense! Wang Lei concluded, a spark of realization lighting in his eyes.
But almost immediately, doubt crept in.
Wait… what if I've always had high defense? Maybe I'm just naturally tanky on the inside? he thought, side-eyeing his dainty-looking hands. Or… maybe the coal didn't do anything at all, and the screen is just messing with me.
After all, there could be effects that don't even show up on the status screen. There were so many possibilities.
Still, he didn't need to overthink it. Deep down, he already knew the answer. And the method to find out was, well… right in front of him.
Literally.
He glanced down at the lump of coal in his hands.
I know this is probably the best way to figure out what kind of effect it has... but still. Eating rocks? Seriously? Can my teeth even handle this?
Logically, he knew he could, he'd already done it once, after all. But that was when he was half-dead and barely conscious. This time, he was fully aware of how absolutely insane it was.
He stared at the coal for another second.
"…F*ck it! I already ate one. What's the harm in eating another?!"
With great difficulty, and probably a bit too much self-loathing, he shoved a fistful of coal into his mouth.
Disturbing crunching sounds came out of his mouth.
It still tasted like burnt toast, dry, bitter, and a little smoky, but it wasn't too bad.
Wang Lei paused mid-chew, raising an eyebrow at his own thoughts.
Am I seriously rating the flavor of rocks now? What's next, mineral cuisine? "Today's special: seared iron with a hint of sulfur."
He shook his head and kept chewing.
"…Yup. Definitely lost it," he muttered, but kept munching anyway.
[Defense +1]
"Ooohhh! So I was right! It really does enhance my defense!" Wang Lei shouted, a mix of delight and disbelief lighting up his face. It felt oddly satisfying to be correct for once, especially about something this weird.
As he continued chewing, another realization hit him.
I can't believe my teeth are still intact after eating a freaking rock.
What surprised him even more was how the coal softened the moment he bit into it, as if it wanted to be eaten. Whether it was because of his newfound skill or just his teeth's toughness, he wasn't sure. Either way, he was just thankful his teeth hadn't shattered like glass.
"This is… kind of an overpowered skill, isn't it?" Wang Lei muttered to himself, chewing slowly.
"In games, you usually have to grind monsters, level up, and carefully allocate stat points just to boost your attributes, yet here I am, raising my defense just by eating rocks!"
His eyes slowly drifted toward the old mining cart nearby, still filled with black chunks of coal he had mined earlier. A strange gleam lit up in his eyes. His mouth began to water uncontrollably.
"…Hehehe," he chuckled darkly. "I wonder just how high my defense will go after I eat all of this…"
Wang Lei lunged at the mining cart like a starved beast, as if it might sprout legs and escape at any moment.
He grabbed fistfuls of coal and crammed them into his mouth without hesitation, chewing furiously. Dust flew. Pebbles scattered. If anyone had seen him, they might have mistaken him for a wild animal—or a lunatic.
In no time at all, the cart was spotless. Not a single chunk remained. Not even the coal dust was spared.
A soft chime rang out.
[Defense +3]
"Hm? That's… a lot lower than I expected." Wang Lei frowned, staring at the floating text.
"Does it need more coal the higher the stat goes?"
He scratched his head, a bit disappointed. He'd practically inhaled that entire cart, expecting some massive boost—maybe even double digits. But if his hunch was right, then this skill wasn't as broken as he'd hoped. It had diminishing returns.
Still, even a small gain was better than nothing.
"My Defense attribute should already be double that of a regular person, right? So why… why doesn't it feel any different?" Wang Lei muttered, frowning.
Someone with twice the average defense should feel like they've got skin tougher than concrete. Yet, aside from a full stomach and coal crumbs in his teeth, he felt completely normal.
"No tougher skin... no invincible feeling…" he glanced down at his arm, then narrowed his eyes. "Do I need to hurt myself to test this?"
As Wang Lei tried to find out more of his strange power, something was stirring further deep within the dark cave.
Slithering, creeping, watching.
And the moment he lays eyes on it… will be the moment he realizes—
He wasn't the only one granted this strange power.
He wasn't the only one capable of evolution.
***
Meanwhile, at Yellow City, a humble settlement nestled just below Yellow Peak Mountain.
The city had long earned its reputation as the home of miners, not just for its proximity to the mountain, but for the generations of families who made a living carving into its stony heart.
On any given day, the streets would bustle with the sounds of heavy boots and rumbling wheels, as miners descended from the slopes with carts and trucks loaded full of ore. The metallic scent of freshly unearthed stone lingered in the air, as familiar to the townsfolk as the morning breeze.
But now, all of it was gone.
What once stood as a lively city was now reduced to ruins. Buildings and homes lay in crumbled fragments, scattered across the streets like shattered memories.
The scene looked as if the entire place had been trampled, whether by monstrous beasts or something far worse, no one could say.
Where once tourists and locals filled the streets, now only twisted, human-like creatures wandered. Their movements were sluggish and heavy, their pale, rotting skin stretched tight over exposed bone. With each dragging step, clumps of hair fell to the ground.
From their decaying mouths came a rough, screeching growl, a sound that echoed through the hollow city like a cry from the underworld.