Vikram's mind raced at lightning speed. The supervisor standing before him was powerful. The thickness of his single arm was greater than Vikram's entire thigh. Fighting him was an invitation to death.
"Rules are rules," Vikram said, feigning fear. He bowed his head and clenched the blue stone tightly in his fist, as if he were just about to hand it over.
"Smart boy," the supervisor laughed and extended his hand.
But during that single second, as his hand moved from his pocket to the open air, Vikram took a massive gamble. He utilized his new understanding of the 'Dongxuan Sutra'. He opened the meridians in his palms and attempted to pull the energy from inside the stone.
Usually, absorbing the energy of an 'Origin Stone' took hours. But Vikram's body was starving. Like water falling onto a parched desert, his 'Jadeskin' sucked the stone's pure energy in a single violent jerk.
A sharp burning sensation shot from his hand up to his chest.
[Warning: High-density energy entry. Body restructuring initiating...]
[Origin Gene +2]
All of this happened in an instant. When Vikram opened his fist and placed the stone on the supervisor's palm, it was no longer a glowing blue crystal. It had become a dull, gray, and lifeless rock. All its shimmer had vanished.
The supervisor took the stone, greed shining in his eyes. But as he looked closely, his face turned red with rage.
"What is this trash?" The supervisor threw the stone onto the ground. It shattered into dust. "You fooled me? This is a 'depleted' stone!"
Vikram put on his most innocent face. "Forgive me, Boss! I thought it was shining. Maybe it was a trick of the eye. I... I am new here, I don't know how to identify stones."
The supervisor glared at Vikram. He was suspicious, but there was no technique in the 'Origin Universe' that could suck a stone dry in a second. He figured the boy was truly an idiot and had just found a useless rock.
"Useless trash!" The supervisor kicked Vikram in the stomach. "Waste my time again and I'll make soup out of your bones. Get to work!"
Vikram rolled backward and fell into the dust. The supervisor stomped away.
Lying in the dust, Vikram placed his hand on his stomach. There was pain, but no broken bones. On the contrary, where the supervisor had kicked him, the skin was now glowing a faint silver.
The System's voice echoed in Vikram's mind:
[Origin Gene: 3/100]
[Jadeskin optimization started. New Status: 'Origin Jade Body' - Level 1]
[Physical Defense increased by 10%.]
Vikram clenched his fist. He felt that his muscles held more life than before. That kick, which could have killed him moments ago, now felt like a minor injury.
"He thought I gave him trash," Vikram laughed a devilish laugh internally. "But the real treasure is now running through my blood."
He picked up his pickaxe. He didn't feel tired anymore. He had found a method. There were thousands of stones in this mine. If he kept stealing energy slowly, avoiding the supervisor's gaze, he would become a monster before ever leaving this place.
Just then, the old laborer working nearby softly cleared his throat.
"Boy," the old man said in a low voice, breaking stones without looking at Vikram. "Your acting was good. But if you dig in the 'Blue-Blood Spiders' section, you'll find stones that don't dry up in a jerk... and neither does the supervisor dare to go there."
Vikram was shocked. This old man knew what he had done.
Author Note: "If you like the story, please vote with Power Stones! It helps me write faster."