Yesterday's actions are not without consequence. I've been assigned to a mine where the drop rate is hovering around 2%. This will continue for a week or two before I'm reassigned. Profits will trump emotion over the long run.

None of my other mates are down here along with me. It's a bummer. Things would've been a bit more bearable with a few jokes and a bellyful of laughter.

I swing my pick-ax at the wall. A chunk of the rock drops out. My strength stat is quite high for a low-level player. Apart from agility and intelligence, my vitality is quite high as well.

I keep on swinging at the wall. The monotonous routine is akin to a dull grinding in my mind. I'm on autopilot for hours and hours before I hit something. I don't know how many times I've hit the wall before I stumbled across a gem.

I don't let up with my swing. I move a little to the side and strike the wall as well. I activate my skill [Sense Shockwave]. It's not that big of an ore. It's spherical and twice as big as my fist.

I hit all around it and take it out. It's not normal. It's golden in color. I wipe my hand across its surface and it shimmers. This isn't normal. This is an azulite mine. Azulite ores are light blue to dark blue in color.

It's smooth, too smooth for a gem. It might be possible considering the fantasy setting here. I take off my glove and run my fingers along its surface. I feel a small indentation and it opens up like a beetle's shell. Small metallic plates part open.

[Equip Item?]

[Yes/No]

I answer by placing the helmet on my head. [Fusing...You are being devoured.]

[Forced Log-Out Blocked!]

I feel my face melting. That's how much this thing hurts. It's eating me from the inside. I scream with the pain and pass out. I don't know when I wake up.

The time function on my account is disabled. A side-effect of modding my rig. I keep track by using a timer.

I have a bucket of water on hand and look at myself. Something isn't right. My eyes are golden and something is floating around my forehead. Something is floating in my forehead as well. A golden gem cut and polished is embedded in my forehead.

A thin golden strip of light is floating around it. It undulates and moves around in a circle all by itself.

I check my [Status].

My stats are the same. There are no special effects on my body. Nothing. The only thing that's different is that I'm equipping an item.

It's under the armor tab. I click on it. [Armor: Unknown.]

[Unknown Armor Equipped.]

[Hibernation Mode: Activated]

I need to unequip this thing and sell it! I don't know what this is, but it's insane. I could be a millionaire overnight. Even if I don't get a million maybe a couple hundred thousand would be easy.

[Unequip Item?]

[Yes/No]

Yes!

[Item failed to disconnect. Permanent item equipped. Any efforts to unequip this item will fail.]

No! Nooooo! What the fuck!? I should have at least checked the stats on this item. This is a perma-item. These are insane. Anything like this would fetch a couple of million easy on the auction house.

I want to punch myself in the balls. This is just insane. I calm down after a few minutes. I can't do anything about this. I won't be able to sell this ID as well. These IDs are protected by retina identification.

I scroll through the modes on this item. There's three unlocked modes right now. [Hidden Mode]

[Hibernation Mode]

[Combat Mode]

Right now, it's in hibernation mode. I click on [Hidden Mode]. The little thin stripe floating around my forehead fades and disappears. The golden light in my pupils dims down and disappears. The gem is nowhere to be seen.

I know what to do right now. I should quit. I should quit right away but...I need to test the [Combat Mode].

What if this thing is just not meant for combat? If that's the case, I'm stuck here but even so, I let myself hope. There's an opportunity here. If this thing works then I might be able to get my hands on that skill shard. I might just have an opportunity for it.

The azulite mine is about a few hundred feet away from the copper forest. The forest has copper-like tree leaves. Giant coppery veins creep through the trunk of the tree. I activated combat mode.

A giant gem forms in the center of my chest. It melts and slides across my entire body. It forms a beautiful sleek gold-plated armor that covers me from head to toe. Even the soles of my feet are covered.

It crawled into every single corner of my body. I move forward and strike at the tree. A dent forms in the tree from my fist. I need to hunt something. I move around for a few minutes before something strikes me in the back.

I felt it, the armor is like an extra layer of skin. I turn back and equip a basic sword. Its got a short grip.

A giant leathery bat is screeching down and coming for me, the second it comes for me I move with insane agility. My agility stat shouldn't allow this. My short-sword cleaves through its wing. A spray of blood gushes out of its body and it falls out of the air. I move on top of it and slice its throat.

It's dead.