Starting as a Class Five Mutant

Chapter 248: Chapter 248



"This is a mystical stone. Legend has it that whoever holds it can see their own death."

"Of course, that's just a rumor. So far, no one has successfully seen anything, though I've experimented with it," said the Collector, Taneleer Tivan. "Perhaps it's missing a specific kind of energy."

With that, he stopped explaining the black stone, which he had kept specifically due to the rumors and a sense that it was special.

At this moment, his gaze fixated intensely on the mysterious man in white before him.

"Sir, would you permit me to purchase your body?"

"Of course, I would only take it after you've died."

Hearing the Collector's creepy request, Syd's mouth twitched, and Star-Lord and the others shuddered in disgust.

Gamora, unable to stand it any longer, spoke up, "Enough with the chatter, Tivan. We're here for serious business."

"We have something you need."

As she spoke, Gamora glanced toward the mysterious man in white not far away.

Syd, noticing this, understood what she meant.

He glanced at the Collector briefly and, after a moment of thought, decided not to use his Chaos Magic.

Instead, he reached behind him and pulled out a black backpack.

As he rummaged through the bag, the sound of clinking objects echoed, drawing the surprised and curious eyes of the Collector and the others.

"What is that sound? Gems? Stones? Or something else?" Star-Lord wondered instinctively, growing more curious about the backpack.

Aside from the orb, what else was inside? What treasures could it hold?

Soon, as they speculated, Syd pulled out a silver orb from the bag-the Orb containing the Power Stone.

At that moment, Gamora said, "Tivan, we're here to show you this orb."

"Alright, then. Let's take a look at your item now," the Collector nodded.

With that, he took the silver orb from Syd's hand.

As the Collector walked toward the mechanical room, Syd cast a glance at the black stone in the distance.

Truth be told, he had some interest in it.

He thought that perhaps the rumors surrounding it weren't entirely false. After all, it was an artifact, and it likely did possess some form of divine power.

Because of this, he briefly considered acquiring the stone for study.

However, he didn't voice his thoughts aloud. Taking something from the Collector's

collection would be no small feat, and it wasn't likely that a few words would convince Tivan to part with it.

Syd remembered that later, the Power Stone would go out of control, destroying much of the Collector's collection.

Perhaps, he could use that opportunity to obtain the black stone.

With that thought in mind, he followed the Collector into another room.

After a series of manipulations, the Collector placed the orb on a disassembly device.

Then he said, "Oh, my new friends, let me explain. Before the birth of the universe..."

As he spoke, the Collector began explaining the origin of the orb while operating the machine to dismantle it.

The mechanical arms twisted in a rhythmic pattern, and the orb was successfully opened slightly.

In an instant, purple light spilled out.

At the same time, something the Collector did caused projections to appear in the room- projections of the six Infinity Stones.

The Collector began to explain.

"These are the Infinity Stones. These stones can only be controlled by beings of immense, supernatural power. Watch this..."

In the holographic projection, a massive Celestial clad in armor appeared-none other than Arishem the Judge.

Holding a scepter embedded with the Power Stone, Arishem struck the ground with it.

The Power Stone's purple energy surged forth, instantly destroying vast expanses of land and life, reducing everything to ash.

Moments later, the purple energy engulfed an entire planet.

"The wielder of these stones can destroy entire civilizations in an instant, like harvesting wheat... effortlessly."

The projection ended there, but it was clear what fate had befallen the planet.

This also meant that, if it were Earth, Arishem could easily annihilate it as well.

"I'm so scared I might wet myself," Star-Lord gasped, dumbfounded.

He quickly turned to Syd, shocked. "So what you told us earlier was actually true?"

Then he turned toward the Collector, muttering, "Hey, what you just said sounds exactly like what he told us before. Are you two in on this together?"

Gamora and the others nodded in agreement, confirming that the mysterious man in white

had indeed said something similar earlier.

"Wait, that huge guy... was that a Celestial?" Star-Lord asked.

"What did you just say?" the Collector asked in surprise, staring at Star-Lord, astonished.

"How do you know about the Celestials?" he asked.

Star-Lord glanced at the mysterious man in white.

Realizing the answer, the Collector was taken aback, deeply observing Syd.

This man knew far more than expected.

He even knew about the Celestials?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Mysterious... far too mysterious...

After regaining some composure, the Collector continued his explanation. "There was once a group of people who tried to absorb this energy into their own bodies, but they were instantly turned to ash..."

In the projection, figures clad in black attempted to draw energy from the Power Stone. The purple energy exploded, erasing them from existence in an instant.

At that moment, the orb was completely opened!

A purple, glowing, oval-shaped stone floated quietly, unaffected by gravity.

Gazing at the radiant Power Stone, the Collector trembled with excitement and admiration, exclaiming, "Magnificent! Absolutely unparalleled!"

Meanwhile, Rocket, growing impatient, sarcastically remarked, "Yeah, yeah, we're all scared

of you, old man. But we'd rather see some money!"

"How would you like to be paid?" the Collector asked in his soft voice.

"Cut the nonsense, old-timer. Cash!" Rocket snapped impatiently.

"Very well." The Collector walked over to a cabinet and opened it, preparing to retrieve

something.

But just then, he noticed something.

His gaze shifted toward the purple-skinned woman who had guided them in earlier. She was

slowly approaching the Power Stone.

The Collector's voice rang out in warning, "Karina!"

"Step away!"

(End of Chapter)

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