Monster Integration

I sent another wave through the method, this time even more powerful, going even deeper.

A second later, it came back with the response and toxins. As I read it., I found there are no doras of crystal in one nine deep in one square meter area.

Even with the method, the walls are hard to breach. I would need to use considerable power to send the method deeper. Will also need to be mindful of whether I could even dig into the deeper part, even if I find the crystals.

I sent another wave and then another, going deeper and deeper, till at eighteen inches deep, I finally found the crystal.

Cling!

I couldn't help but feel excited finding the small crystal, and immediately, I hit the pickaxe against the wall.

To my surprise, I could barely chip away a small rock. Though I did not use my energy, I still applied considerable physical force. It was not enough to break these tough walls.

Seeing that, I inserted my energy into the artifact and the runes on it had hit up and I hit the wall.

Cling Cling Cling

The ax went deeper, and a smile appeared on my face. I hit the ax and then again, using the perfect amount of force and energy.

Here conservation of the energy is extremely important. Because of toxic energy, one can't recharge here. If one uses too much of their energy in powering the artifact, they will drain themselves before could mine the quota.

Cling!

Finally, with the last hit, a fist-size stone fell down, and inside it was a thumb size crystal. I took out a chisel to carve it out and took a grading disk to measure its grade, even though I could already guess it.

"P1," I muttered, as I looked at the grey crystal. It is a P1, mostly used by Primary-I.

I would need to find over five hundred of this size to finish today's quota or find better-quality crystals.

I would need a hundred P2 for today's quota or ten P3. If I find an S1. Then I will earn my freedom, but those are extremely rare, considering it is a middle P-Grade mine.

Most crystals found here are of P2 grade.

I put the crystal in the storage and immediately noticed the collar taking a stock of it.

Since sleep eluded me last night, I had done other things. Like investigating this collar, which is quite hard to break. It is tracking everything I sent in storage and even sends an investigating wave across my body.

Though it is not recording, which made me take a sigh of relief.

Except for breaking the collar, I could deal with other things. Soon, I will find a way to break the collar and escape from this damn place. Though it will not be easy, might take months or even years.

A few hours passed, and it was afternoon. I have mined 65% of my quota. Which is 70% of P1 crystals, while 30% are P2.

It is a slow process, and if I continued, I might not be able to mine the quota on time. Seeing that, I decided to take the risk. It is not a risk from the things I had observed so far, but if I somehow got caught, there will be a huge consequence.

Even the library spirit had warned me about those consequences.

I pushed those thousands of hesitating away and activated the detecting method. Sending another wave, but this time, the wave had a tiny bit of forbidden power had mixed in it.

The wave returned sooner than I thought and when I looked at the response, my eyes couldn't, but wide.

The wave had not only covered three and a half times more area but also went seven times deeper, and the data it is provided also much clearer.

It is like the wave did not face any resistance at all.

It did not. I had changed the wave in such a way that it would be easily able to pass through the rocks here and discover the crystals.

It did. There are nine of them, with seven P1 and two P2.

I did not immediately dig and instead move away and sent a wave and a few seconds later, move again and sent the wave. I continue to do that for twenty minutes, till I have created a map of a large area around me.

With this, I won't have to use the forbidden power for days. It will lessen the chances of discovering. If I continued using it, I might get caught, so it is better that I use it in once in a while.

Cling Cling Cling!

I chose one area and begin to mine, and a few minutes later; I stopped as a big stone fell down.

I immediately took out the chisel and cleaned the rock, till only grey crystal had remained.

It is dull and looks like a normal rock; one could not see it as crystal, but its nature is crystalline. When purified, it shed the rockiness and looks like a crystal.

I chipped away a few small pieces and measure them into P1 and put them into the storage while taking the rest of the big crystal into my core.

A second later, a sigh of relief couldn't help but escape from my mouth. There was no reaction from my collar, I knew it but still felt relieved.

Since those bastards dared to capture me as a slave, I will make them pay. I will mine the shit out of out here, so much. That when I escape, I will be rich.

I erase the signs of big crystals from the place I mine. I am nothing if not cautious. After erasing the signs, I begin to mine again, while inside my core. My clones started on the job.

They divided the crystal and started purification through different methods. It is an impure crystal. It needs to be refined before it could be used.

The books in the library have many ways, but over 95% of them require supplementary materials. Those I do not have.

So, I will have to go with those methods I could use. These methods will be slow, but I don't mind.

Time passed as I continue mining. I did not always mine the biggest crystal. I chose smaller ones too and between the grades. Most of those I mine would go to my core, while a small fraction into my storage.

I have only found P1 and P2 grade crystals till now. As they have said, the P3 is rare, but I will find one, eventually.

Soon, there is only an hour remained, and I have mined over ten times. Which is great.

This place is huge and even if I continued to mine, even at such intensity, I wouldn't be able to mine it all in a decade.

The mine is active for over a thousand years; thousands of people mine here every day.

So, it could be said, it is quite hard for them to discover me, but I remain careful. Erasing all the signs.

I do not want them to suspect me of anything until I escape from this damned place.