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

With my Noble Vibrations completely suppressed, I just appear as a 20-meter-tall demon floating through the sky back toward the Ellipsia Citadel.

By the end of my week getting used to the sludge of corruption, I was able to push past its suppressive properties.

–

What felt like a tight, heavy lead blanket over my eyes and entire body at first, became much easier to sense through overtime, like a sea of clear gel.

While my self-regeneration and absorption true core ability were pushed to the limits in order for my body not to succumb to the pressure or poison of the sea, physical pain doesn't really bother me much anymore.

I've become quite numb to this sensation, actually, as subconsciously I know I'm nowhere near death, so the pain signals that would usually be blaring throughout my full body don't bother to go off anymore.

This is the result of the large amounts of low-quality ether flooding into my system, compounding with the memories of more and more past lives of the enemies I've killed over the last few weeks.

That Cyclops and Andras Vermillion really took a toll on my mind that I didn't realize fully until midway through this portion of training.

When adding up Drako's memories and the Goblin King as well, over 20 thousand years of life experience sit dormant in the back of my mind.

The hundreds of thousands of years worth of memories from the other Demonic Beasts around the central peak add up as well, but most of them are just mindless battles, and incoherent dark millenia filled with madness. While some battle instincts are transferred, there are not many life lessons or much useful strategic information that can be used.

So, even though the mental strain put on myself to start fresh and relearn how to control and optimize my Noble Vibrations in that clouded pool of darkness should have pushed me to the edge; It really doesn't seem that difficult with this new range of perspectives I have molding my subconscious.

Organizing my thoughts, memories, and intentions to stay on the path I've chosen was the true test while beneath that black sea.

Now, after successfully mutating my body and mind again to breathe through that disgusting waste pit and filter its toxic bits out of my being while keeping the pure ether, my own ether refinement deep within my mind grows far more efficient.

Every time more sludge came in through my pores, pure ether from my pool of stores was released subconsciously to handle the load, and while accepting new ether into my mental pool, I refined the existing stores over and over during the process.

Unknowingly, while this happened on autopilot, my mind was focused on my Noble Vibrations and controlling the broken pieces of Citadel, I was refining ether. It is not as efficient as the clear elixir Ember granted me as a gift that is still in my storage unused, this refinement is very similar.

–

While I can't test out my Noble Vibrations just yet, my ether senses have certainly improved.

I know this for a fact when I pass through the first ether surveillance bubble around the outer limits of Ellipsia.

Before, I had to focus on the strands of ether and actively think about deactivating and manipulating certain parts of the machine to float through undetected.

Now, it's even more simple than breathing.

Just the thought of altering an ether command is enough to have it done without lifting a finger or even looking its way.

When I finally touch down on the outer edge of the Citadel, I no longer have to shut off full city blocks in order to stand anonymous.

The Citadel's automatic surveillance system is far easier to manipulate now, so I don't have to resort to such crude tactics.