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

Chapter 716

I try to visualize and pinpoint where we are heading in relation to the crude mental map I've pieced together from the Goblin King's memories, but this entire area of land in the Exile Zones is a complete unknown to me.

The only memories I have are of taking a long winding path around these zones, and my curiosity only grows the further in we fly.

Minutes pass, and our speed only increases, making me believe the stalling I've done fighting these past hours will probably be overcome. Entire plots of Exile Zones fly by beneath us, as Ava continues updating me through our internal telepathy link every time we pass through a barrier that is impossible for me to see.

The Wyvern stays silent, just flapping its wings and cycling dense Ether through its body; using up more stores with every flap of its wings than I've ever used up in my entire life.

I can't get a proper read on this mystical creature at all. As confused as it is about my existence, I'm equally confused about his. The wise, resounding voice breaks me out of my pondering after over half an hour passes.

"We should be nearing the edge of my claim soon. It borders the edge of the middle ring and the bottom of the Central Peak. My current avatar contract forbids me from leaving, so I must watch you complete my test from the sidelines."

I raise an eyebrow at its words, and simultaneously, the Wyvern's body tilts upward with its next wing flap, reacting to the shift in the ground's tilt.

Instead of flat mines with occasional pits, now we're flying up a steep incline that looks like it will never end.

Sounds of large amounts of stone moving hit my ears, along with the echoing vibrations of teeth grinding.

Loud thuds of footsteps fill my senses as well, along with grunts and screeches that vibrate through the air for all to hear.

An eerie cold, demonic presence radiates from in front of us, but it doesn't feel like it's coming from a single point.

The Wyvern keeps flying upward, and a bright light shines through the dense green fog far away, high in the sky.

Soon after it appears, the Wyvern's flight path shifts to begin flying in circles rather than moving forward.

"We're on the backside of the mountain. While you could pass through the zone barrier and leave my claim without ever fulfilling my test, you will have the Wyverns as an eternal ally if you do. Your appearance has been the first that has truly piqued my interest since the fall of the grand Citadel."

It pauses as my mind fills in the imagery of what my imagination hears.

An enormous mountain of Ether stones and dead, drained black rocks is before us.

It is thousands of kilometers wide.

The bright, glowing white light in the fog is the underside of the power plant.

Once a month, many Lords dump their worlds into the incineration artifact, and many dead stones are dropped down here. It stays open for many hours, and a black-market business formed to create opportunities for Lords to use this as an access point to and from the Citadel.

While a gang of Orcs mostly runs the Exile contract business and covers the logistics of renting out plots to lower-class Lords, like the Goblin King for example, the true owners of this Citadel are still the Demons, and they want to be in control and get a piece of every profitable avenue they can.

The Central Peak, a wide mountain rich with Third-Class Ether Stones and above, is now covered in Green-Cored Ascended Demonic Beasts.

I've only seen similar creatures once before in my life. That was within the Abyss that surrounded the throne on my homeworld.

However, memories of a long-lost past of Drako Vermilion, on his homeworld when he was a young fledgling Demon, come to mind. He fought off Ascended Demonic Beasts that covered his planet.

The Goblin King has seen what covers this country sized mountain, and I can instantly visualize the enormous Demonic Sand Worms churning through the rocks at the base of the mountain. They are surrounding it to make sure no illegal intruders come from unauthorized zones, making these grinding sounds ring through the air.

The heavy thuds, grunts, and screeches are the Demonic Orcs and Ogres that circle the higher, well-carved-out paths of the mountain near the middle area. They overlook and guard the areas above where the Demonic Sand Worms make their nests, circling the peak and making sure all approaching Lords take the single neutral path on the opposite side of the mountain that we're on to make it to the access point.

Lastly, right beneath the blinding white light, standing at the top of the peak, a 250-meter-tall Ascended Demonic Cyclops holds a Soul Weapon with a ball on a chain, overlooking the entire peak as its guardian.

Creatures like this are mindless and feral, infected by darkness and only good for war and destruction. The Demons often only use Demonic Beasts for training in the Lower Realm.

However, exceptionally strong ones are forcefully ascended to the Upper Realm, as there is always a use for tools like this.

As this visual comes to life in my mind, the Wyvern descends and slows its circling until it comes to a thud on the ground right in front of the final zone barrier between its land and the Demon-Owned Central Peak.

"This is your test. If you are truly an enemy of the Demons, and have killed the Vermillion family demon as you claimed, I want you to fight your way to the top of this peak. Surely, killing another Noble Demonic being shouldn't be a problem for you."

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Author's Note:

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