29 days more.
I had my back to the cell wall.
I couldn't even feel the cold stone anymore.
With the energy and power boost, I had a warm body in this hell hole.
And with that, my hunger for crystals grew stronge.
Like an addiction to cocaine.
The others slept around me. Breathing slow.
Dreaming about things I couldn't imagine. I used to dream too.
Before they took Makena. Before I learned that dreams are just hope.
And hope is just pain waiting to happen.
I looked at my pocket.
43 crystals.
I ate 37 tonight. Could have eaten more.
That would have been the best bet.
But I heard the cultivators would pick up on something suspicious about me.
I didn't want to appear strong. Like I was a worthy opponent.
I held one crystal in my fingers.
Purple light between my skin. Warm. Like a heartbeat. Like something alive.
Ding.
[Progress on side quest: 43/500 Primordial Crystals.]
[Time Remaining: 29 days.]
I couldn't get the number out of my head.
I was like a kid who can't wait for Christmas.
I was lucky the overseer was sleepy.
And the special type of crystals, the Primordial ones, I needed 500.
I got 43. That left 457. At this rate, I could only get 17 Primordial crystals.
I ate more of the ordinary ones.
The door was open. The chest was full.
The next time isn't predictable as always.
And that's bad for business.
I hate not being in control of the circumstances.
One wrong action and I'm dead.
I swallowed another crystal without thinking. I didn't taste like anything.
I just Swallowed.
The warmth spread down my throat. Into my chest. Into my stomach.
My eyes gave out.
Damn. Whoever is speeding up time needs a whipping.
5 to 6 hours feel like 5 to 10 minute breaks we get a day.
Some motherfucker sped up time a thousand times faster.
The bell rang.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
I stood up. My body moved before my mind caught up.
It always did. Stand. Stretch. Shuffle to the food trough.
Take the grey paste. Eat.
The paste tasted worse than usual.
Or maybe my mouth remembered the bread from last night.
The chicken. The wine I didn't drink but smelled.
I ate anyway. Because eating was survival.
Because I needed my strength.
Because tonight I was going back.
The mines were the same.
Swing. Crack. Grab. Drop.
My hands blistered. My back ached. My lungs burned.
But something was different.
The crystals felt lighter.
Or maybe I was stronger.
The system said I could match a Pulse Awaken cultivator now.
Not beat them. Not kill them. Just match their strength.
I didn't feel stronger.
I felt the same. Just... less tired. Less hungry. Less like I was dying.
Swing.
Another chunk.
Crack.
Another piece.
Grab.
Another crystal in my pocket.
I had to be smart and strategic about it.
Those motherfuckers didn't have the time of day to count.
So they chose to weigh it. With a few crystals gone, they wouldn't see the large dip.
No one gets hurt.
Everyone is happy. But surviving is winning.
Everything else is secondary.
I play the man, not the odds. Humans are the wild card. Uncontrollable variables.
I made one magically enter my sleeve. Smoothly. Then another. Then another.
At the end of the shift, I had 6 more.
Night came.
I waited until the guards changed shifts. Same time. Same shadows. Same crack in the wall.
The overseers' room was quiet when I got there. No light under the door. No footsteps inside.
I pushed the door. Slow. Careful.
Empty.
The fire still shone bright like the sun in the sky.
Plates of meat not fully eaten. The bread was gone.
The chicken was gone. But the chest was still there.
I crossed the room. My feet made no sound.
The lock was the same. Iron. Simple.
I messed around with the wiring and bent it.
Intertwine like this. Press here. Turn slow. Click.
The chest opened.
I got a welcome fit for a king from the dangerous, cute purple crystals.
I got to business and reached in for my daily dose of addictive, dangerous, life ending snacks.
Like the other day, I lost track of time. Whoever controls time needs a whipping. He's been speeding up too much.
I was absorbed in chaotic eating. Then I started counting again. Then I lost count again.
The crystals filled my pockets. My mouth. My throat.
Ding.
[Consumed crystals: 12,900.]
Ding.
[13,000.]
Ding.
[13,100.]
My body started to get its new warmth again. My legs.
My fingers could crush a rib or skull. I could lift the mines and everyone except the cultivators.
I wanted more.
But I heard footsteps.
Outside. In the hallway.
I froze.
The chest was open. Crystals in my hands. My pockets are full.
I closed the chest up. Rewired it. Put it back in its perfect position.
So clean you'd miss it moving slightly to the west.
I moved to the door. Pressed myself against the wall.
Held my breath like my life depended on it.
The footsteps passed.
I slipped out. Super quiet.
Back in my cell, I counted.
52 crystals. I ate 48 tonight. 4 crystals left.
Ding.
[Progress on side quest: 95/500 Primordial Crystals.]
[Remaining time: 28 days.]
I swallowed 1 more crystal. Enjoying the moment as if it would last forever.
The warmth spread.
I let my eyes go. Drifted into sleep.
I pray whoever controls time takes a chill pill. He needs it.