Chapter 20
BLING!
Immediately opening up his system interface, Astaroth saw this:
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{[Infinite Energy System]}
[Host: Astaroth]
[Evolution Stage: Mini Sponge (Rank 1)] - [0.01/100 (G9)]
[Evolution Area: Sponge Pore]
[Energy Level: 1] - [0.01/100 (G9)]
[Energy Storage: 0.01/10 (G9)]
{[Current Energy Abilities:]}
[Level 1 (Spore): (Energy Absorption), (Unlimited Energy Absorption), (Spore Slash), (Spore Propulsion)]
[Level 2 (Micro Jellyfish): (True Energy Absorption), (Jelly Lash), (Undulation Zoom), (Razor Whip), (Pulsation Lazer), (Multi-Pulsation Lazer), (Super Pulsation Lazer), (Jelly Slice), (Razor-Cross Slash), (Micro Learning]
[Level 3 (Mini Sponge): (Bounce Boost), (Pit Eruption), (Fragment Expulsor)]
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"Hmm? The Energy was reset once again? And the last and final Ability of my last Evolution Stage turned out to be |Micro Learning|?"
[Ding! The Energy has been converted from (G8) to (G9), and also 'Jelly Energy' to 'Sponge Energy'. The actual names are far more sophisticated than this, but for convenience, these denoters will be used.]
[As for |Micro Learning|, it is an ability that gives the host a passive |300% Comprehension/Learning Speed| for anything below a certain Tier.]
"Ahh… So Micro Learning is something that will help me remember things easier… I see…"
Astaroth didn't know when he would have a use for something like that, but he would certainly keep it in mind for the future.
However, right now, he had some rather hostile Moni Sponges to deal with…
Skip! Skip!
Skipping in from the distance were eight light yellow square-shaped creatures. With countless holes punctured through their bodies and hundreds of fang-like teeth protruding out of what should be their mouths, these were Mini Sponges!
"Wow… These things are a little different than what I imagined a harmless sponge to be like… Seems like SpongeBob has gone off script…"
Skip!!!
Jumping right at him, a similarly-sized Mini Sponge bared its fangs and prepared to rip out a good chunk of him!
|Bounce Boost|
After using bounce boost to evade the vicious sponge, Astaroth activated |Pit Eruption| and felt as high levels of condensed air bubbled up within his numerous holes. Then, with a blast of tension, the air shot out of his front-side holes!
Aiming for the Mini Sponge that attacked him, the air hit it with full immensity and dealt huge amounts of damage to it!
The outer, spongy layer of the Mini Sponge was the first to go, then came the inner gooeiness of the sponge, which also ruptured within milliseconds of contact. Before long, the Mini Sponge was split up into hundreds of different pieces, all ominously floating in the water.
"So that's what that does… Hmm… It felt kind of tingly when I used it," Astaroth said awkwardly. "Welp, it does a lot of Rupture and Energy damage, so I will keep on using it."
Putting that matter aside for now, he used |True Energy Absorption| to clean up the mess he made with the Mini Sponge.
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.02 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
OOOM!
After watching his body size increase three times what it once was, Astaroth looked toward the rest of the violently attacking Mini Sponges. Seeing that all of them were either green-tagged or yellow-tagged, he discarded his caution and went all out.
|Bounce Boost| X7
After using this movement ability a few times, Astaroth managed to slide right into the middle of the group of Mini Sponges. From there, he used |Pit Eruption| exactly seven times while spinning in a circle like a beyblade.
As if he were a cracked-up porcupine, an uncountable number of air beams shot out of his holes, subsequently creating more holes in the other holed creatures.
Spinn…
Stopping his spinning action, Astaroth looked around at the damage he caused, only to comment, "Damn, that's a lot of holes…"
The Mini Sponges were already filled to the brim with holes, and yet Astaroth took it upon himself to quadruple their hole count.
Was he an angel or a demon…?
|True Energy Absorption| X7
The oddest thing about his energy absorption abilities was the fact that, no matter his Evolution Stage, slimy black tendrils would always shoot out and do the absorbing.
Even weirder than that was that the black tendrils were not stored in his physical body…
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.02 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.03 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.06 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding you have absorbed 0.02 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding! You have…]
A total of 0.25 (G9) Energy had been transmitted to Astaroth. Immediately after, his body started to rapidly expand, achieving a size more than 9 times what it just was!
|Bounce Boost| X12
Wasting no time on nonsense, Astaroth bounced over to a group of 15 or so Mini Sponges, all of whom appeared to be sleeping.
'Can Sponges even sleep?' He thought as he gathered energy from the core of his existence.
|Super Pulsation Lazer| X20
Super Pulsation Lazer now had around the same effectiveness as what a basic Pulsation Lazer used to have, so Astaroth had to activate it quite a few times.
The end result of this Ability test was a rather spectacular one. Without mustering up the slightest bit of resistance, the sleeping Mini Sponges were utterly eviscerated!
BAZING! BAZING!
As the Lazers finished blasting into the surroundings, Astaroth did his duty as the clean-up man.
|True Energy Absorption| X16
After enveloping a good chunk of the airspace in a canopy-like blanket of black slime, Astaroth assimilated everything that used to be the Mini Sponges.
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.10 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.18 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.09 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 1 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding! You have absorbed 0.65 (G9) Energy from a Lvl 2 Mini Sponge!]
[Ding! You have…]
After the system notifications finished ringing out, Astaroth's cumulative Energy Mass surpassed the 4.0 marker. And as his size increased appropriately, he decided to bring up the relevant ability details for his |Fragment Expulsor| Ability.
{[Mini Sponge (Rank 1) Ability: Fragment Expulsor]}
[After sucking in the microgunk and tiny universes from the air, it can swirl around inside one's body and congregate. The micromaterial will then explode out of one's body, similar to a metal cannon.]
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