[CH598+ Continued] Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster's Power

More notifications stream into my mind, ranging from a massive MCP absorption option, an upgrade option for my [Extreme Strength] skill to [Divine Grade], and 166 notifications for the transfer of worlds into my possession. However, there are no level ups.

In the deep sea of darkness within my mind, where the 3rd Class human world lies, tons of new planets begin flowing into my consciousness. Billions of links of loyalty, along with a full expansive view of their worlds down to the last mana particle, become visible to me—crystal clear in my mind.

While this overstimulation of information is immense, so many more things are happening at the same time.

The Goblin King's memories start to flow in, just like Drako Vermillion's, and my mind temporarily blanks out while thousands of years of information play out as if I'm witnessing them in real time.

–

Vivid images of a small green goblin being born into a village in the mountains rush into my mind.

Their leader is an old hobgoblin that holds power over many villages in this isolated mountain range. Many dungeons form all around this wilderness, regulated and maintained by small societies of a few hundred goblins at a time.

Their technology is not advanced at all, relying on hunting the local wildlife for sustenance and using weapons found in dungeon drops to level up.

It is fascinating to see the early memories of this goblin flash by, as it trains in lower-grade dungeons against human mobs with nothing more than swordsmanship and body hardening as their skills.

About a decade passes, and the goblin grows used to this simple life. It becomes stronger, leveling past the mid-200s to 300s, and begins its journey in learning to gather mana and refine its energy control. Not only does it become stronger in being, but in society too, becoming a local leader of a village run by the hobgoblin elder that controls them all.

That is, until one fateful day, their peaceful mountain grouping of villages are attacked by a rogue clan for resources.

Their army of goblins outnumbers this peaceful village clan ten to one, and their front lines are filled with dozens of hobgoblins of varying strengths.

Some goblins awaken their hobgoblin forms at level 500, while others achieve this feat at level 1000. Just as with humans and their energy forms and special buffs, it is a culmination of fighting style, life experiences, and some luck of the draw.

The goblin's mountainous home is decimated by the overwhelming forces. It manages to fend off some of the lower-leveled goblin hordes, but watching the hobgoblins kill its leader with a single energy slash from kilometers away—and decimate over 90% of the goblins on this mountain in minutes—makes it realize it is weak.

The goblin runs away and never looks back.

What it thought was a stable life was swept away from under its feet. Its reality is forever changed.

That day, it realized the only way to survive was to become stronger than others.

Images of this goblin's long and arduous life flash by as more decades pass. The goblin travels to many mountainous villages like its home, working as a mercenary and seeking out the strongest dungeons while honing its mana control, slow and steady.

Without a single skill other than extreme strength, its mana control increases far slower than humans with elemental skills.

This is clear as, at age 47, the goblin finally hits level 500 and receives a buff called [Heavy Strike]. It allows it to pool all of its mana stores into any weapon in its grasp. This increases its growth speed significantly, giving it new hope.