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

No more voices ring out; only footsteps and hot Ether-imbued auras emerge from the green fog around us.

The pull in my Ether Senses tells me all the approaching Lizardmen have Ether strength similar to the one I just incapacitated in a single attack.

However, it most likely means these are all just miners, and their plot Lord is not present.

I try to sift through more of the Goblin King's memories as the hordes of lizards come out of the fog in full clarity.

Every single one of them has the exact same deep blue scales as the one lying unconscious nearby; however, many of them carry varying Soul Weapons.

I spot swords, shields, clubs, axes, daggers, hammers, and strange weapons I've never seen before.

All of them simultaneously glow with a bright white Ether radiance, and I draw a blank in my memories.

This patch of the middle ring is still a complete mystery to me.

The Goblin King always trekked many zones away from this one. All the surrounding zones from here until reaching the central peak—where the land actually slants upward to form a mountain—are unknowns.

Even conversations I recall with the merchants and slave traders in the black market never mentioned renting out these plots. They're all certainly privately owned...

I snap myself back to reality to deal with the situation at hand. It doesn't matter who owns this plot—I just need to make my way through.

I call out again, "I'm not here to make a mess. I just want to leave and make it to the access point in time..."

My gaze scans over everyone, and not a single one of them flinches.

I know that no matter how many physical attacks I take, my purple barrier can protect me.

However, the tightly gripped hammer in Ava's grasp, less than ten meters away from me, doesn't put me at ease.

There is no way to protect her with enemies coming from all sides, and her avatar limits the amount of Ether she can use in a single attack. Even if I gave her half of my stores right now, it wouldn't make a difference.

Transferring some of my base stats to her might give her a slight edge, but it would drastically decrease my own fighting ability and healing speed in case I'm injured. Only one possibility comes to mind.

I make the split decision to use my internal Rising Emperor's domain interface to share my mythic-grade All-Seeing Eye with her and transmit quick instructions on how to upgrade her skill.

It will drastically increase her reflexes—and, hopefully, a little luck. There isn't much more I can do other than yell through our link while I run forward.

"Stay near their fallen miner. I doubt they'll go all out and risk killing a fellow Lizardman."

I watch her skill proficiency tick up to Special Grade, then Legendary Grade, and finally Mythic Grade as her eyes widen and she steps backward toward the sleeping Lizardman.

My fists burn hot with condensed mental Ether, and my footsteps trail with bright physical Ether streams.

Even now, it's become easier to tap into this power than it was moments ago.

I just visualize and manifest the same feeling as I did in my last two battles and challenge the marching blue-scaled lizards without fear.

Their eyes show no fear at all either, and when I run far enough away from their fallen miner, a barrage of energy slashes comes flying my way.