I prepared to activate the new skill I acquired before, hoping I would be able to break from the heavy suppression.
"[Internal Recoil]!!" I muttered under the pressure."????!!" I was in disbelief. My skill had no effect, as if these monsters had no physical body.
Then, just as I struggled to gather my strength, I received a familiar notification
[Ding! B-rank skill "Platinum Skin" has evolved to "Platinum Body"]
My rapidly draining HP finally slowed, but it was still slipping away bit by bit, like sand through my fingers. The overwhelming force of the monsters' combined skill pinned me down to the ground, heavier than anything I had ever felt.
I tried to push myself up, muscles straining, but the crushing pressure was relentless. My insides felt like they were being compressed, but thankfully, my bones weren't breaking.
Even though the warning notification had stopped appearing, I was still completely immobilized, trapped under the weight of something far greater than myself.
Frustration and pressure clawed at my chest as I fought to stand up, my every breath was a struggle. For several agonizing seconds, I struggled in vain.The force was so great that even a quiver felt like moving a mountain.
I continued to struggle under the overbearing suppression until suddenly... I felt something. A spark of power deep within me."
[Due to Infinite Adaptation, User's strength is increasing rapidly. Strength has risen by 2.....6...40..]
"The crushing weight pressing down on me was easing, little by little. I could feel my strength increasing as the force of suppression I was feeling faded, bit by bit. In mere seconds, the force completely vanished. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself upright, completely unaffected by the suppression now. "Time for a good beating," I muttered with a grin, my voice low but filled with intent.
I activated [Telekinetic Control], the violent force teared through the fog. As the blanket of thick fog disappeared due [Telekinetic Control], I noticed ghost like creatures with a crystal in the center of each of them.
"Ahh, now I understand why [Internal Recoil] didn't work."
Their eerie forms flickered in front of me as I again summoned [Telekinetic Control], hurling their scattered shadowy figures in front of me, gathering them all in one spot before me.This was all happening while their suppression skills were still active.
I took a stance, my fist clenched tight, focusing all my energy. With a single, powerful punch
BOOOOOM!!!!!!
A loud explosion sound was heard.The impact shattered the ground before me, destroying everything within a 700-meter in front of me. The ghosts disintegrated, leaving nothing but the echo of my punch in the now chaotic air."
[Ding! Your level has risen by 2]
"Huh!... huh!... haaah!," I breathed heavily, utterly astonished by the sheer force of my punch. The raw power coursing through me was overwhelming, more than I had ever anticipated.
Now, nothing lay ahead of me but a destroyed landscape and a barren, scorched land with piles of mana stones scattered across the ground. This was all caused by a single punch....just a single fucking punch.
"I knew my strength had increased, but this....this is beyond anything I imagined."
The destruction left in my wake, the shattered ground, the decimated trees, it was almost terrifying.
"If I can achieve this kind of strength without even absorbing an A-rank mana stone, then what's the point of raiding this dungeon?"
"What kind of monster will I become with even more power?"
A shiver ran down my spine, thinking about the potential of [Infinite Adaptation]. My heart raced from the realization that my [Infinite Adaptation] was growing beyond my imagination.
"Not that I am complaining about my [Infinite Adaptation] or anything," I muttered, shaking off the unease creeping up on me. The thought of being terrified by my own power was...foolish?
"I have come too far to let fear cloud my judgement about my actions now." I quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind, focusing on the fact that this strength was exactly what I needed to survive in this world.
With a deep breath,"I'll use to my heart's content. This is my power after all."
I collected the mana stones into the bag, which I kept levitating above me with a casual flick of my power. During this whole incident I kept my [Telekinetic Control] active. As I picked one up, I examined it closely, a smirk forming. "Let's see what kind of skill those damn ghosts were using."
Holding the mana stone, I was eager to absorb it. Those damn ghosts had unleashed a suppression skill that nearly brought me to my death and now it was time to make that power mine.
I quickly absorbed the mana stone.
[Congratulations! You have acquired B-rank skill "Graviton."]
"Finally, a gravity-related skill," I thought, a rush of excitement flowing through me. After seeing the effects of my [Infinite Adaptation], my primary goal was to gather all element related skills for a very specific reason. Now, with gravity in my arsenal, I was one step closer.
Without hesitation, I opened the skill description:
-----
Skill: Graviton
Description: Adds the weight of 10000 kg to a target. Effects cannot be stacked.
-----
"What!!," a sudden shout escaped my mouth seeing the description of the skill."No wonder the combined effect of their skills felt like I could be crushed at any moment," I thought, staring at the description.
The weight of 10000 kg, multiplied by all the wraiths, explained the immense pressure that had almost brought me to the death door.
I imagined the scenarios where this could come in handy. "Just imagine the chaos I can cause with this..." A thrill ran through me as a smirk tugged at my lips. "This dungeon is turning out to be more rewarding than I expected."
I thought of an idea that I'd experiment with later, but for that, I would first need to absorb some good quantity of mana stones. The thought of absorbing 515 mana stones crossed my mind.
"Nah, too much."
Sure, they would give me quite a bit of power when used simultaneously, but money was far more valuable right now. If I was going to get stronger and push my limits, it was necessary to gain more dynamic skills.
"And the reason for it? I think explanation will have to wait a bit."
"Time to conquer the dungeon," I muttered as I activated [Flight]. After raising myself about 1 kilometer in the altitude I closed my eyes to sense the ominous mana I had been feeling since I arrived in these foggy ruins.
After concentrating for a bit, I found the direction it was coming from. I flew in that direction, tracking the ominous mana and , at last, I saw a black castle. The notorious Malakar Castle.
A grin spread across my face. "About time..."
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Enjoy..