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

Chapter 739

The Wyvern pauses again and whispers under its breath.

"But it seems it is a unique skill. Like that goblin you came with. The past always repeats itself—lower lifeforms given just enough luck, only to have their dreams crushed once they're able to see the truth—"

I cut him off with a stern look in my eyes.

"Who cares if I'm born into it or not. What can you tell me about it? Why is this transformation I have referred to as a Path, and what are these vibrations? It feels real, but I'm certain their effects are an illusion."

The Wyvern's eyes sharpen as well, blocking out its memories of the past and stopping its cynical rambles to answer.

"Well, it is considered a Path because once you take a step into the world of Nobility, there is always somewhere higher you seek to climb. The simple transformation you're showing now may just be the surface of your power. All that unseal this bloodline have different potential..."

It hesitates and shows a look of curiosity and wonder again.

"Though, if what you say is true, you stole Nobility from a demon... I do not know if the end of your path is where that demon would have landed, or if the humans now have a unique Noble Bloodline of their own."

I raise an eyebrow, and the Wyvern sees that I am quite confused by its words still.

"Allow me to explain further. The world classifications—Fifth to First Class, then, of course, the Noble Grade Worlds—they are given these classifications to signify the density of mana or demonic energy present on each world. However, this isn't the only metric used for the true grading scale."

My attention is caught. "What other metric could there be?"

Reflexively, I begin sifting through tens of thousands of worlds in my mind, attempting to see the difference. However, upon first glance, the density of their energy is the only thing I really see.

I never thought to look at worlds in any other metric other than their mana or demonic energy contents. The average level of the beasts or intelligent life on them correlates almost exactly with these ranges.

Even in solar systems where divine threads are available in greater concentrations, usually only the strongest beings on those worlds wield them, so the total averages hardly change at all. My initial thoughts were that mana and demonic energy are the baseline of everything.

However, this Wyvern has planted a seed in my mind, and I can't stop looking deeper.

It speaks as I continue to search curiously for myself.

"The amount of abundant Ether, of course."

I raise an eyebrow. "There is Ether in the Lower Realm?"

Even now, sifting through thousands of civilizations with the advanced perception as if I'm standing on each world, I don't sense a thing.

However, something Arie mentioned before lingers in my mind: the 'Concentrated Essence' he spoke of, and the fact that when I scanned his being, it felt faintly like a rudimentary form of Ether. I had brushed it aside as being some unique form of Qi mixed with his unique Spirit Archer skill.

Seraphel replies.

"Of course there is. There is Ether in every living being, even on a Fifth-Class world, far enough from the source that isn't yet connected to the system. Though, once Ether is left dormant, either unused in one's psyche or body, it grows stale and tends to change its form... Even worse if it is left to deteriorate on a dead world."

I raise an eyebrow as something starts to click.

"Of course, with living organisms using its base form, it can be revitalized and eventually traded here in the Upper Realm as Low-Quality Ether. However, even now in the form we use it, it is certainly not fully refined..."

My mind completely wanders away from Seraphel and focuses on the strange outlier worlds in my consciousness. All the outlier worlds that have average levels over 10% higher than their class's average have an abundant amount of Qi on their planet's surface.

Large portions of the population in Second-Class and above worlds have cultivated some variation of Soul Energy. Most interesting of all, many of the high-density First-Class Demonic Worlds carry the highest percentage of outliers in individual levels. Those that outperform the masses commonly wield this 'Concentrated Essence' that Arie spoke of.

It is not Low-Quality Ether, that is for sure. However, it uses Qi as its conductor, and deep within the psyche and bones of its wielders, I can see it being slowly churned into a more refined source every second it resides inside a living being.

It subtly reminds me of the feeling locked away in my subconscious, when I slowly refined a small amount of Ether for over 900 thousand years in a simulated abyss.

The stagnant Qi in the air and the formation of crystals in the tombs of fallen great warriors of the past show this bright white material in its base form, ready to be refined on thousands of worlds.

I'm having a mind-blowing epiphany, but still have so many questions unanswered.

"What... does this have to do with Nobility then? What's so special about these Noble-Grade Worlds?"

I don't have a large sample to study. The only two Noble-Grade worlds in my possession look extremely similar. At closer inspection, they really just look like First-Class Demonic Worlds, with slightly more demonic energy on them.

Even when looking extremely closely, there are no other beings on these two worlds that have the [Noble Bloodline Transformation] buff on their status.

These strange vibrations that resonate between myself and Seraphel aren't present on any of these worlds either. These vibrations still don't give off any real energy signatures, making their relation to Ether even more confusing.

The Blue Wyvern replies.

"Well, to answer that, I'll need to explain the history of Nobility. Let us start with the fact that the Demons did not always rule the Upper Realm."

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