Chapter 3 "Absorbing the Red Emerald Stone"

After getting confirmation, he has already completed his task and has nothing to do without checking the time, which was 7 p.m.

As he wanted to check the reward, which was a holographic red emerald-like stone, it was really an item of mystery or just an image with no deep meaning behind it, only a joke done by this so called Dark Web hacker.

He placed the phone near his side.

He kept the holographic image of a red stone, which was the reward given by the Dark Web, near him while it touched his sacral chakra point, which is his navel chakra point, as per the instruction on the holographic image.

He had a big dough; anything would happen as this was only a holograph and not a real mysterious red stone.

Just when he thought nothing would happen, he felt a worming sensation spreading from his navel. It started to spread with tingling warmth throughout his body.

And to his surprise, this sensation was coming through his hand, spreading all over his body.

He felt like there was an invisible force brewing inside of him, ready to burst forth in a display of unimaginable power.

He was really amazed to know this was real, and he might really gain some advantage from it.

He opened his eyes to look at the stone near his navel, and the stone seemed to be glowing with a mysterious energy in the holographic image.

In the holographic representation, a % icon appeared next to the stone, indicating that the stone had been absorbed.

1% of the stone's energy was absorbed.

Stone energy absorption continued to grow in proportion.

He could not believe what he was witnessing.

His mental strain and drained vitality, which he felt after performing the task that was assigned by the Dark Web for 6 hours, were beginning to replenish rapidly.

He felt his energy increasing every second. 

He was amazed that this stone truly possessed the power that it had stated.

He kept his eyes closed while enjoying the warmth of the energy that was flowing inside his body.

(But he didn't know that this wasn't the environmental energy but the stone energy trying to integrate inside of him.)

Time was like water flowing very fast.

He could feel his body becoming stronger and more powerful with each passing moment.

After a certain period of time, he felt the warmth of the energy had risen to a certain degree.

He thought this might be the effect of the stone, but the only way to be sure was to continue observing and analyzing its effects on his body.

But to his surprise and pain, the warmth started to increase.

Suddenly, he realized that the stone was causing small burns on his skin.

But, to his surprise, he wasn't feeling much pain.

He looked at the absorption rate of the stone and saw that it was exponentially increasing.

(62% absorbed).

He once again closed his eyes, neglecting the small burns, as he didn't want to stop continuing, as it might take more time if he stopped.

(To Shivam's unawares, the Red Band was astounded by Shivam's body's ability to absorb such a high percentage of the energy in such a short period of an hour; it was faster than that of an average practitioner.)

The heat increased, but Shivam didn't open his eyes while concentrating on absorbing the red stone while enduring the heat of the stone's energy flowing inside his body.

The Red Band was also impressed by this party's ability to endure the heat; the Red Band did not warn Shivam that the stone heat energy may cause some injuries, but it will recover after a few hours of rest, as he expected Shivam to become scared and abandon the journey and absorb the stone when he performed the task, which would be a very bad situation for Shivam to endure the heat while performing the daily task.

That is why he did not warn him.

But Red Band prefers letting him absorb the stone separately to not hinder the daily task given by "Dark Web."

(99% …..100% absorption complete)

Suddenly, he felt a cool breeze flowing from the outside of his body, which startled him while tingling the burned parts of his skin.

The burned parts started to heal and regenerate with new skin cells.

He felt a cool sensation while he kept his eyes closed to the unknown.

He had absorbed the stone nearly in two hours, which amazed the Red Band, who was on his smartphone and watching him from start to finish.

Shivam didn't open his eyes to check on the stone, as in his mind he wanted to put all his concentration on absorbing the stone.

Shivam knew that opening his eyes would break his focus.

While Shivam was enjoying the cool sensation all over his body, he didn't realize the holographic image of a stone that was in his hand was not there any more. and had disappeared without his notice.

The stone has already been absorbed inside his body without his notice, and the stone has started its absorption process of the environmental essence inside his body, which has started to heal his burned wounds.

The healing process was slow and gradual, but he could already feel the pain subsiding while coolness was flowing inside him.

But to the unknown, the surrounding energy inside the room was getting depleted in minutes.

As he was inside his room while the window was closed, only his room's vital energy and essence were absorbed inside Shivam's body.

As the sudden depletion of coolness inside his body got depleted, he realized that something was wrong or that he had absorbed the stone completely.

He opened his eyes to see that the holographic stone image wasn't in his hands, while the room was filled with a bad smell.

He realized that he had inadvertently tapped into a powerful source of energy within his room, as the red stone had been absorbed inside his body while the stone started to absorb the vital energy from the room, causing the bad smell to intensify in the room as the vital energy was continuously being absorbed by him.

Red Band was also seeing the changes in Shivam; his injuries were healing, but very slowly, indicating that the red stone's power had indeed been activated.

But because he was in a closed room, he had less vital energy, which hindered the stone's full potential.

But if Shivam didn't stop to absorb the vital energy in the room, he would inevitably absorb the energy from surrounding things like the wall of the room, the machine, or any thing that has essence in it and isn't ash or completely lifeless.

Red Band is an extremely strong, enigmatic artificial intelligence that is unknown since it is smarter than a typical AI.

It was able to identify the problem and resolve it.

So Red Band was going to alarm Shivam about this, but to his realization, Shivam opened his eyes.

So he didn't say anything to Shivam.

Shivam realized that he had really tapped into a mysterious energy inside him with extraordinary potential.

He was really excited and was really amazed to realize that the energy was still absorbing the energy from his surroundings, making him feel more powerful and invigorated than ever before, but there is a hindrance: as the energy is getting depleted around him, he needs to do something about this.

As he prepared to rise from his seat, he suddenly became aware of the unsettling presence of perspiration and blemishes on his body, emitting an unpleasant odor.

The entire room was filled with an unfamiliar and overpowering scent, leaving him unsettled.

He observed and understood that the dark sweat he was experiencing was a sign that his body was purging toxins and improving his overall health and well-being.

Unable to bear the stifling air, he decided to open the windows of the room.

The room was spacious, with large windows that allowed for a refreshing breeze.

To his astonishment

After reaching the window, he saw that it was already dark outside, as the sun rays were nowhere to be seen on the glass of the window.

He opened the window and looked out into the night.

He felt the cool breeze hit him as the air was pure due to the absence of pollution or any unpleasant odors outside.

Outside of his window, there was his family's beautifully landscaped garden with vibrant flowers and lush greenery.

He started to enjoy the breeze while thinking about getting a shower and cleaning up all the dirt.

As it was already evening, the streetlights were beginning to flicker, his family would be more concerned about him, especially his mother.

She always worried when he stayed out late while hiding in his room.

When he checked his phone, he discovered that his nervous mother had left him with multiple missed calls and chat SMSes.

She had no idea Shivam was not actually out late but had been preoccupied with absorbing the red stone.

She may have misinterpreted my presence outside for so long because he had locked the door from outside.

The Red Band Emoji, on the other hand, has already departed and closed its application without any problems because he finished the duty assigned to him by the Dark Web and only used the phone to check on Shivam and make sure he was safe before leaving.

He opened all the remaining windows to refresh the room while allowing the cool breeze and vital energy to fill the space.

It was 9:15 p.m. on the clock, dinner time for his family, and he didn't want to miss out on it, as he had previously told his mom about his stomach ache and would only eat in the evening.

He called his mom to assure her he would be at the dining table in time.

Just when he got connected with his mom on the phone, as expected by him, he was bombarded with many questions from her, such as,

Where are you?

Why didn't you pick up my call?

Are you safe? by his mom.

He answered each question patiently, and he assured her that he was fine.

Shivam never stayed this long outside, as he had less social gathering with his friends, which he neglected the most.

He would be home all the time if he wanted to hide his room.

Shivam said Mom, don't worry; I was at a party.

I wasn't able to check my phone when it rang, as the DJ sound was too loud.

Don't worry, mom, I am safe.

I will be at home in 20 minutes, and I will explain everything when I get there.

I promise.

After completing his call, he put the phone aside.

Entering his bathroom, he took a cold shower to remove the black stains from his body.

Afterwards, he felt a sense of relief and a renewed sense of cleanliness.

He was finally ready to face the truth and confront his past, as he had gained a new profound power that was continuously breathing him vital energy.

His previous burned wounds, which were all over his body, were not to be found, while his spirit and bodily energy were doubled.