3 Unique ability
Eric swung his pickaxe with incredible power and speed, sending rocks tumbling to the ground with each blow. Amid his work, he couldn't help but overhear the hushed conversations of the other miners.
"Wow, that rookie is something."
"He's a really skilled worker. Was he a miner before he came here?"
"Look at his mining speed."
"I wish he would join our team."
"Damn, we can't slack off now, or his team will surpass us."
Eric was aware that they were discussing his performance, but he ignored them. Instead, he diligently collected the fallen rocks into his bag and put them next to the ten others.
Although Eric had already met his quota of ten bags of rocks, he didn't stop there and continued his work. It wasn't because he enjoyed mining; his thoughts had consumed him to the point that he didn't even realize he had exceeded his goal.
"Wow, is this for real?" He mused. "I still can't believe it."
He marveled at the fact that, despite working for two hours, he didn't feel the slightest bit tired. He realized that this was one of the effects of his Iron Wall skill. Even though he had read the description of the skill, he was still surprised when he experienced its effects.
"Even though it's annoying how it passively consumes my mana without my control, it's a great skill for both defense and stamina."
'But how did the original Eric obtain such a powerful skill?'
Eric knew how valuable such a skill could be. It would cost a fortune to acquire.
'What is his origin?'
Eric really hoped that he could access the memories of the original owner, but it was too bad, as they seemed to have been erased when he took over.
Suddenly, a bright light caught Eric's attention and snapped him out of his thoughts.
The light was coming from a small hole in the wall where the rocks had fallen. It was too small for him to reach in with his hand, so he used his pickaxe to carefully chisel away the surrounding rocks. It took some time and effort, but gradually the source of the radiance became clearer.
It was a blue stone, and he knew exactly what it was from an earlier conversation he had overheard.
A mana crystal.
They were valuable ingredients for making potions, and some magical items even needed the energy contained in these crystals to function.
'So this is what the slaves work all day for, mining these crystals.
Eric reached out to pick up the crystal, but something unexpected happened. The moment his hand made contact with the crystal, a resounding message appeared in his mind:
[contact with an energy source. Starting to drain?]
He was surprised that the system could directly absorb the energy from the crystal without having to turn it into a potion.
'No, that is not a function of the system.'
He had read the novel, and the protagonist never showed such an ability despite having the same system.
'Could it be related to my ability?'
He looked at his status and tried to see his ability description.
[Drain: Third Grade - Lvl 4].
[1- Drain life force from enemies and use it to restore health and stamina]
[2- Drain skills from killed enemies]
[3- Locked]
Eric's eyes widened in surprise after reading the description of his unique ability and what it could do.
It was too strong.
However, he couldn't help but wonder why the original Eric wasn't mentioned in the novel with such a strong ability.
Did he die before he reached his potential?
That was the only reason he could think of why a man with a strong ability wasn't even mentioned.
'Or could the ability have manifested after I possessed the body?'
He thought, but looking at the status, he knew that it was just his wishful thinking. His ability was at level 4. If it manifested when he took over, it should start at level 1.
Abilities strength were divided into six Ranks:
Third Grade
Second Grade
First Grade
Special Grade
Legendary Grade
Mythical Grade.
The abilities would evolve with each rank, giving the user more skills and abilities that defied common sense. That was the main reason why the Magi hunted the System Users. They saw their terrifying potential and knew that if they were allowed to grow, there wouldn't be any peace in the world.
Well, that's not my concern right now. I should concentrate on what to do with this crystal.
He shook his head and looked at the crystal. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should continue to absorb the energy from the Mana Crystal. He was aware that the reason they were mining here was to find these crystals, and every time someone managed to find one, they were rewarded.
He thought, "What kind of rewards can they offer to slaves other than some food and pocket money?"
But all his doubts vanished when he decided to keep the mana crystal for himself instead of giving it away. Eric looked around to make sure no one was watching. Fortunately, there was no one around; everyone was so engrossed in their own work that no one noticed the faint glow emanating from Alan's hand.
Alan tightened his grip and mentally said 'yes' to continue absorbing.
[Continue absorbing....]
He didn't feel any immediate change, but he couldn't help but notice that the glow on the crystal was slowly fading. He suspected that the energy inside was gradually transferring to him.
When the glow faded completely, a message appeared in his vision:
"[You have absorbed energy.]"
"[Your Mana has increased by 1 point.]"
Although he was a bit disappointed that the mana crystal had only increased his Mana by one point, he didn't let his disappointment linger.
"Even though it only increased by 1 point, that doesn't mean it's bad. There's a whole mine where I can find more crystals," he thought.
Eric looked at his hand, which now held a lifeless stone that had glowed brilliantly a minute ago. Even though the energy inside the crystal had been drained, making it nothing more than a useless stone, he decided not to throw it away. Instead, he carefully tucked it away in his inventory.
He knew the risks. If he disposed of it, there was a chance that someone might stumble upon it, and he had no idea what the consequences might be if they decided to investigate. One thing was certain: the authorities would not take kindly to a slave caught stealing their precious resources. So he chose to be cautious and kept his secret.
