My SSS-Rank Clone Talent: I Level Up Endlessly!
Chapter 156: Liutinium

"Interesting."

Zarek observed the scene with a nonchalant gaze. It wasn't just him, others with two guards received the same treatment. The prisoners with only one guard avoided them entirely, lowering their heads and refusing to make eye contact.

It was obvious. Those with two guards were considered far more dangerous, so dangerous that the others were scared out of their minds, too afraid to even glance their way.

As Zarek continued walking deeper underground, he eventually came upon a cavernous area, dimly lit, with countless ores embedded in the rough stone walls.

"Get to mining," said the first soldier beside him, his voice tinged with lingering fear.

"Hmm." Zarek simply nodded.

Then he looked down at his cuffs:

"How am I supposed to mine like this?"

"Oh, right." With trembling hands, the first soldier took out a key and unlocked the chains.

Now free, Zarek stretched his body casually, his movements calm and unbothered.

The soldier handed him a strange, silver pickaxe. But before Zarek could examine it, his attention was drawn to the other prisoners around him.

Every time they struck the wall with their pickaxes, their entire bodies trembled violently. They screamed in agony, some collapsing to their knees. A few coughed up blood, and others were so badly injured they fainted on the spot.

All around him, the air was filled with the chorus of pain, screams echoing through the dim, ore-filled chamber.

Zarek's eyes narrowed with curiosity.

These ores weren't ordinary.

There was more to them than met the mortal eye.

So, he raised his pickaxe and slammed it into the wall.

Bang!

Cracks spread across the stone with ease.

"Hmm?"

Zarek tilted his head, confused, until a terrifying vibration surged from the pickaxe through his entire body.

His frame trembled violently.

In an instant, his internal organs were damaged. Bones cracked. Muscles tore apart.

"Ho."

Zarek closed his eyes as Regeneration and Adapt activated simultaneously.

Within mere breaths, his body was completely healed, no, not just healed. It had grown stronger.

A glint flashed in his eyes as he opened them once more.

Then, without hesitation, he resumed mining, slamming his pickaxe into the wall again and again.

Each strike destroyed his body anew but just as quickly, it healed. And with every cycle of destruction and regeneration, his body was reforged… tougher, stronger, more resilient.

The loud clang of Zarek's pickaxe striking the wall echoed through the cavern, drawing everyone's attention instantly. All mining ceased. Eyes widened. Bodies froze.

One prisoner collapsed to his knees, trembling as he pointed at Zarek.

"H-How is that possible?"

"This… this… can't be real," another stammered, disbelief written all over his face.

"Every strike destroys your body, no matter how strong you are… but this bastard, he's mining like it's nothing!"

"How strong is his body?!"

Even the soldiers, momentarily entranced by Zarek's inhuman performance, finally snapped out of it and exchanged glances before grinning.

"Get back to work, scum!" one of them barked.

"If you don't manage at least a quarter of his output, then none of you are getting food tonight!"

The prisoners, gripped by fear, scrambled to their positions and began mining with everything they had.

The results were immediate. Pickaxes slammed into stone, and fresh waves of screams filled the air as bodies broke under the strain.

But as they worked, a dark resentment began to fester in their hearts.

'If this bastard wasn't showing off, we wouldn't be forced to mine like this.'

That bitter thought echoed in the minds of nearly everyone.

Even the prisoners guarded by two soldiers, though treated better than the rest, shared the same growing hatred for Zarek. His monstrous output had raised the standard for all of them, making their lives even more unbearable.

And yet, unaware of the animosity he had stirred or perhaps simply indifferent to it, Zarek continued to mine without pause, his movements steady and relentless.

Even if he did know, it was unlikely he would've cared.

Truthfully, Zarek would've been just another lazy bum if not for one thing, he could feel the improvement in his body.

And the improvement was significant.

His body had already toughened under the brutal beatings from that man earlier, but now, with every strike of the pickaxe, his physique was evolving even further.

If this pace continued, it wouldn't be long before his body alone became a formidable weapon. And once he combined that with his telekinetic abilities...

'I'll become a terrifying entity.'

A glint of excitement flashed in his eyes as he doubled down, swinging the pickaxe with renewed vigor and full force.

After several hundred strikes, the wall finally gave way and with a satisfying crack, a glowing crystal gem fell into his palm.

Zarek's eyes lit up.

His True Eyes skill activated automatically, scanning the gem in an instant.

[Liutinium]

[Description: A conductor for Telekinesis]

'Woah.'

Just as Zarek was about to examine it further, the gem was swiftly snatched from his hand by the nearby soldier.

His eyes snapped toward the guard.

"U-Umm, it's protocol," the guard stammered, wearing a bitter expression. "We're required to collect all mined gems."

Zarek said nothing.

He simply picked up his pickaxe and resumed mining, wordless and indifferent.

By the end of the day, he had mined fifty-six gems.

For the average prisoner, even unearthing a single gem was nearly impossible.

When the grueling day finally ended, Zarek was handed a piece of cold, hard bread.

To most, it would've been barely edible.

But with his Devour skill, Zarek's body broke down every bit of nutrients within it.

In fact, if it ever came to it, he could consume and digest even raw metals, his body would process it all effortlessly.

The cycle resumed the next day.

By now, Zarek's body had strengthened to the point where he could completely resist the destructive vibrations from the pickaxe. His movements were faster, more fluid—almost effortless.

Within just a few minutes, he had already unearthed twenty gems.

It was at that moment a familiar figure silently approached him.

The shirtless scarred man.

He stood before Zarek with an expression of complete calm, almost too calm. His eyes narrowed, and a faint, unsettling smile played across his lips.

Zarek turned to face him.

"What is it?" he asked coolly.

The man didn't answer.

He simply kept smiling, gaze fixed on Zarek like a predator toying with its prey.

Suddenly, Zarek's instincts screamed. A terrible premonition surged through him like lightning.

But before he could react—

Bang!

The shirtless man's fist smashed into him with merciless force.

This time however Zarek was prepared…