Villain: Ultimate Mutation System in the Alternate World

The guards began distributing ragged clothes to the prisoners. They were old, dirty, and barely holding together.

Some even had bloodstains on them, probably from a prisoner who had died while working to death.

Alongside the clothes, each prisoner received a rusty pickaxe, chipped and worn from years of use.

The tools looked barely fit for the workload.

"Listen well!" the guard said firmly. "You must search for a glowing black gem in this mine. If you succeed, you may have a chance to rest and eat. But if you fail, you will be punished."

The new prisoners exchanged anxious glances.

Rest and food were basic human needs, yet here they were, treated worse than animals.

Even pigs had better lives—eating without labor, only meeting their end when necessary.

Reign, now dressed in the ragged clothes and holding a pickaxe, looked around.

He kept looking around the dark mine, trying to get his bearings. His eyes landed on the madman, who was still acting carefree.

"A black gem, hmm?" the madman mused with a wide grin. "It could be a clue, little one."

Reign decided to ignore him completely and focus on more important matter.

At the same time, he hoped that the system might still find a way to save him.

So for now, his goal was to survive as long as he could.

'First, I need to secure some food and rest time,' he muttered to himself, the feeling of hunger already starting to set in.

It made him realize how fortunate he had been before, when he didn't have to worry about basic human needs like this.

"Begin working!"

The guards patrolled the mine, their eyes sharp and unforgiving.

They kept a close watch on the prisoners, ensuring no one slacked off.

Reign gritted his teeth and began working, his pickaxe striking the stone walls with a series of sharp clangs.

CLANG!

Chunks of rock flew off with each swing, but he found himself working much slower than the others.

In comparison , the madman worked with vigor, his pickaxe moving fast.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

It looked as though he had an inexhaustible supply of energy.

'Damn it, at this rate, this madman will outlive me,' he muttered to himself.

He redoubled his efforts, and searched through the rubble, always looking for the black stone.

The other prisoners were also digging frantically, their efforts fueled by fear.

"Keep working! Don't waste time!" one guard shouted.

"The gems won't find itself!" another one chimed in.

Reign's arms ached, and his hands were blistered, but he still hadn't found a single black gem.

Just when he was about to give up, his pickaxe struck something different.

A sharp clink echoed, and he spotted a faint glimmer beneath the rubble. It was a tiny gem, no bigger than a grain of wheat.

He carefully cleared away the stones, revealing it completely.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

'Lucky!' he exclaimed.

But before he could grab it and celebrate, one of the prisoners punched him in the face, snatched the gem, and ran away.

"Bastard!" Reign shouted, getting to his feet. He was about to chase the thief, but a guard's stick hit him hard in the side, sending him crashing down.

"Why aren't you working?" the guard demanded, glaring down at him.

"That guy stole my stone!" Reign protested, but the guard ignored him.

Instead, he got hit five more times, each blow meant to teach him a lesson.

"Now, get back to work!"

Reign was visibly annoyed. As he reached for his axe, a dark thought crept into his mind: to go wild and crush the guard's skull.

"Little one, don't do it. You must wait for the right moment."

The madman grabbed Reign's hands and gave him something. "Go rest and eat for now."

"I…" he was at a loss for words, amazed by the madman's unexpected kindness and selflessness.

"Don't worry about me," the madman said with a smile.

"Idiot, this is just an ordinary stone!" Reign grumbled and threw it to the ground.

He couldn't believe he had ever thought for a moment that the madman was a sane person.

"Don't disturb me again," he said, turning around and diving back into his work.

As he raised his pickaxe and resumed digging, his mind began to wander.

The dark and heavy atmosphere of the mine, along with the constant hard work, was starting to wear him down.

He also noticed something troubling happening to himself—he was starting to feel more childish and easily frustrated.

It was like he was slipping back to a more vulnerable and less mature version of himself. Not like he was that mature to begin with .

'Could it be? Is she trying to mess with my soul?'

The idea was both terrifying and plausible. While he was here, he could feel changes in his character that shouldn't be happening.

Unfortunately, all he could do was try to survive for now.

After hours of nonstop digging, he finally found another gem.

This time, he kept his excitement to himself.

'What's this…' he muttered as the gem dissolved in his hand.

He noticed a boost in his strength, and the fatigue and hunger that had been troubling him started to fade.

'These are condensed negative energy!'

'But what are they doing here? Isn't this just a memory? '

His mind raced with questions, but at least he had uncovered another option.

If he could keep absorbing these stones, he was bound to get stronger and could fight his way out of this place.

With that in mind, he started digging again with renewed energy.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

Hours went by, and he got into a rhythm of digging. With each gem he absorbed, he felt less tired and more powerful.

Not only that, but he had also grown accustomed to the energy. Now, he knew exactly where to look, which made him mine even faster.

Unfortunately, the improvement wasn't enough for him to take on all the guards alone yet, so he decided to wait and gain more power in secret.

Once he was strong enough, he planned to take advantage of the situation and rob the entire place.

He also made a mental note to remember the guard and the prisoner who had hurt him before.

Even if they weren't real, his pettiness and spiteful nature was .

'You will regret messing with me,'

Just imagining their shocked faces was enough to lift his spirits.