Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster's Power

My gaze sweeps over my new buff, and I feel my stats automatically increase by a massive amount. Not only have I gained over 200 million new links of loyalty in an instant, but the amount of stats I can borrow in total has risen to 50%.

At the same time, I feel a new wave of perception explode out from the tower and wrap around the entire globe.

Not only can I feel and see every single human connected to the system on the planet, but now I feel connected to all 21,480 dungeons covering the globe. There are five labyrinths that hit my senses as well... three of which are not ranked up, all below the threshold that the one in the Crimson City achieved.

However, there is one large labyrinth in Central City that is on the same rank as the one I've been building from the leftover mana in the artificial mountain range.

This sudden rush of information sends hundreds of thousands of notifications into my consciousness.

My personal certificates of ownership for all of these mana constructs are the first things I see, but the vast majority of the notifications I receive are contracts that are linked to these dungeons. The individuals' names flash through my mind, but I don't recognize anyone on the list to match the over 500 million human names I have access to on this world.

I wonder if they're old contracts from before the great war, or if these names are from beings on other worlds...

It's quite the information overload, but the notifications in my ears don't stop there.

For some reason, the voice that reads them aloud is different, more proper and elegant. The text before me shimmers with dense green threads.

[Analyzing New Lord of World M3-99051...]

[Prepayment For 1 Set of Premium Avatars Detected, No Further Resources Required...]

[Mana-Qi Soul Energy Core Detected...]

[Pure Demon Lord's Core Detected...]

[Fully Formed Green True Core Detected...]

[1.20001 Low Quality Ether Detected...]

I feel green divine energy ripple through my body. At first, Celia's barrier blocks it, but I witness Ember allowing the light to probe him, so I relax and do the same.

Once it finishes and disappears a few seconds later, a perfect body double of myself forms a few meters in front of me; however, it is made completely of mana, and there are three empty cores in its chest.

The same cloning design is being made in front of Ember's body too, and when they finish, a final text option appears before me.

[Assimilate With Avatar]

[Re-Synchronize]

Ember grins and walks right past the lifelike designs in front of us.

"We're not going to need these."

He allows the silver light that's been shimmering around him to retract back into his chest, and I see a bright green True Core cycling the threads he absorbed on the walk up emit a dense pressure on our surroundings.

Trace amounts of silver threads vibrate in his flesh in microscopic areas that haven't yet fully adapted, but seconds later a wave of white energy washes over his whole body to completely mask all of the silver threads from my gaze.

He turns back and raises a hand to motion for me.

"Come on, those avatars were for that Vermillion Family Demon. There's no point in claiming a fake body if we have our own real ones."

I look at him, then back at the floating image of myself. Then, I grin and walk past it too.

"I guess you're right."

We cross the disk of black material floating in the tower, and the whole world watches.

I speak up to the 517,230,991 Links of Loyalty still watching.

"We did it. This world belongs to the humans, and it will remain that way."

I simultaneously feel the [World Wide Connectivity System Interface] activate in my mind, showing panels to share live videos through anyone's eyes peer to peer, text broadcasts to the whole world, and even information and item trading marketplace interfaces rushing through my mind.

Users have already begun using this, as the moment I accepted the [World Token], everyone gained access.

Private groups can be created, instant transmissions enabled, protected sales initiated, and even quest creation features activated where a random link of loyalty anywhere in the world can ask for anything they need, and anyone connected to the network can accept.

My mind rushes through hundreds of other features, even virtual combat training showing all of the Rising Emperor's skills and imagery of me using them in combat scenarios in the past. Plus, request options to borrow those skills, all handled and moderated by generals, commanders, and knights in real time.

The resources that are now instantly available to this planet are quite impressive. I can think of thousands of ways new hunters have far more opportunity to succeed in this new world, but I push this to the back of my mind while continuing to walk forward and speak.

"I will be leaving for the Upper Realm. I suspect my victory against the demon that sought to claim this world won't go over well with their leaders. It will be my job to protect the world above, and your job to become stronger and work together below for when I return. We are humans, rulers of our own world, and soon, many more. Become strong, enjoy your lives, and make me proud."

I smirk, turning off my spectate mode while turning to Ember, then stopping a few meters in front of the dense green Divine Rift.

Stolen story; please report.

"This is safe to jump through? We're not falling right into the demon's territory full of their Green-Cored Lords, are we?"

He laughs.

"No. All these green rifts lead to highly regulated zones. We will be in no danger for quite a while once we arrive. Well—then again—I've never attempted entering the Upper Realm without an avatar. It should be fine... as long as you can handle the pressure..."

I raise an eyebrow, but he just shrugs and continues.

"It's all new territory for me, but I say it's worth a try. Your body has adapted so far, it'll do it again. You certainly don't like doing things the easy way, but that ring of yours should help."

My heartbeat starts to rise as I look back at the rift. I can't see through it at all.

The slow clouds of green threads coming out are incredibly dense, to the point where I'm still struggling to stand properly without using a large amount of strength and concentration.

Right on cue, like my ring was listening in this whole time, I feel a warm ripple of happiness come out from the purple artifact, and feel the sensation of the thin barrier around my body hardening like an unbreakable shell.

No more green threads in the atmosphere hit me at all, and I hear a soft woman's voice echo in my inner ears.

"You made it. I didn't think I'd ever reach this place again. I've regained enough strength to help you like I promised. An ascended human keeping his body in the Upper Realm. You are quite odd..."

She chuckles in my inner ear until her voice fades, and I lose connection with her conscious mind. All I'm left with is her strengthened barrier around me that simultaneously blocks all threads from hitting me, but also limits me from growing and adapting.

However, Ember seems to agree with Celia's decision.

"Good. You won't die the second we walk through the rift."

He steps forward and disappears before my eyes without another word.

I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and look at the whole world, then send a private message to all of my generals, commanders, knights, Bri, and Rodrigo.

"See you soon. We'll stay in touch."

Then, I step through myself, feeling the strong, invisible purple barrier that covers my body heat up with intense energy, like I'm walking into the sun.

My vision turns completely green, but I feel my feet hit a hard surface below, so I continue walking forward.

I can still sense the human world, but I'm positive I'm no longer on it.

It feels as though it's floating in a dark black void in my mind, and wherever I'm headed right now is on a whole different plane of existence.

My slow steps continue forward until I see an archway with white Divine Ether Mist pouring out of it.

I'm standing on a nonexistent floor in a sea of green Divine Energy.

I can't sense Ember or much of anything in my surroundings, but the comments of the Order members speaking of a final door replay in my mind as I continue taking steps forward, then eventually walk right through.

My vision goes completely white, then green text appears in front of me, as the same voice from within the tower speaks to me.

[Welcome, New Lord!]

[Check In At A Citadel Required!]

[Nearest Citadel: Ellipsia]

[High-Speed Travel Time: 0.5 Hours]

[Accept] [YES]

I choose [YES], but there is no other option to click.

The text fades, and so does the white light all around me.

It feels as though I'm not moving, but when I turn my head back, I watch a bright cloud of white Divine Ether disappear into the distance. When I turn my head back, I'm sent flying into a dense dark green cloud of divine threads.

All around me, I see the clouds pass at extremely fast speeds.

I'm standing inside a small white orb, made of the same translucent glowing Ether material as the cloud I left.

However, the reason I can't sense anything isn't because of this protective orb; it's because of Celia's barrier.

Plumes of green threads move right through the orb I'm being transported in at extremely fast speeds, but my body isn't making contact with them. The thick green clouds just move around me, and trace amounts are absorbed by the purple ring.

Ember's voice rings in my ears.

"You're headed to the Ellipsia Citadel, right?"

Still confused about pretty much every single thing that's going on, I reply through our Rising Emperor link, not needing to physically sense him to communicate.

"Yes, I am, but..."

I'm captivated by the endless sea of green clouds all around me, and my words fade off.

"Good. See you soon. Enjoy the ride," he replies in an amused tone.

Minutes pass, and I press my hands up against the side of the transparent orb with wide eyes to see the vastness of the realm I'm being rocketed through.

If I could sense anything, I can only imagine it'd be even more amazing...

Far off in the distance, the imagery of thousands of tall green towers floating above the clouds comes into my sight.

It looks like an enormous city, hundreds of kilometers wide if the buildings were the same size as normal skyscrapers on the human world...

However, as the minutes continue to pass, the buildings I approach get larger and larger; but I feel as though I'm not getting any closer to the city.

I start to see millions of windows and floor markers far off in the distance, and the true enormity of these structures become clear.

The impossibly large towers are actually hundreds of kilometers wide each, and tens of thousands of kilometers high. The city itself begins to stretch past the distance my peripherals can keep up with as I continue to get closer and closer.

The towering structures look like palaces created for gods...

Then again, when I think about what kind of beings live here, this statement might not be far from the truth.

A new textbox rings in my ears.

[Level 1 Surveillance Zone Reached: Stated Cargo: World M3-99051 Lord]

[Analyzing Cargo...]

Green light from high up in the sky comes raining down on me, scanning every inch of my body, but not making it through Celia's barrier at all.

It stops a few seconds later, and another textbox with the same voice appears.

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

The green light covers me again, but the same result occurs.

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

It happens a few more times, and my heart speeds up each time it does.

I re-open my link with Ember and tell him exactly what's happening while the process continues.

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

"Not good... Try to open up your barrier and let it scan your body. I managed to make it through, but I have an Ether Cloak on my silver threads. This zone is too well-surveilled for me to come over and help."

I do as he's instructed and lighten the airtight seal that Celia has created, as our minds and emotions are linked.

However, the instant I even make the barrier waver, I gasp for air and reflexively fall to my knees.

My senses are overwhelmed by a divine pressure that makes the tower we just climbed feel like childsplay.

Not only is the thread count in the air mind bending, the gravity that pushes down on me is far too strong to withstand when Celia isn't supporting my body like an exo-skeleton.

The incredibly dense green clouds of threads tear through my saturated body and almost evaporate every last physical cell I have left in mere fractions of a second.

The remaining flesh is forced to press against the bottom of the Ether Orb.

I seal the barrier back up and begin writhing in pain on the bottom of this clear orb, continuously regenerating my flesh while processing the new green threads in my core for over a full minute.

The green light from above catches this momentary glimpse of my being.

[Hold Still: World Token Detected]

[Detection Lost]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

As I stand to my feet and try again, the same process repeats, and I fall again, unable to even withstand a drop of the pressure outside this protective orb.

[Hold Still: World Token Detected]

[Detection Lost]

[No Cargo Found: Re-Analyzing...]

It's impossible for me to even use any normal mana or skills, as doing so opens up a small portion of the purple barrier and exposes me to the outside world.

I'm stuck in quite the odd scenario...

When I stand up again, a new notification hits my ears.

[Level 2 Surveillance Zone Reached: No Valid Cargo Detected]

[Following Safety Protocol: Eject Unauthorized Load]

The white orb sending me flying through the sky toward this massive floating city stops moving.

Then, it completely disappears into thin air.

The sensation of falling takes over as my vision turns green again while I plunge into the depths of the endless clouds below.