novelraw Chapter 58: Omnivision
Chapter 58: Omnivision
Silence returned to the industrial tunnel. The only sound was the hissing of steam from the pipes.
Daniel stood up, sheathing his daggers. He checked his energy levels. That [Forceburst] had taken a chunk of his stamina, but it was worth it.
A notification flashed on his Databand.
[You have slain: Energy Leech (Level 2) x6] [EXP Gained: 180 EXP]
[-25% EXP reduction for lower-level kill: -45 EXP]
[Total EXP Gained: 135 EXP]
[Level 4: 1415/1500 EXP]
"Eighty-five points," Daniel whispered, looking at his experience bar. "I am just eighty-five points away from Level 5."
He looked at the spot where the leeches had died. They didn’t leave behind corpses of flesh and bone. Instead, small, glowing motes of blue light drifted in the air, slowly fading away.
It was their essence. It was pure energy. Daniel knew he had to be quick. This kind of essence dissipated faster than a physical soul.
He walked over to the first mote of light. He reached out his hand. He could feel the static tingling against his palm.
"Time to eat," he said.
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (6/15 Remaining).]
The energy rushed into him. It zipped through his nerves, making his brain feel sharp and fast. He moved to the next one. And the next.
He moved fast, grabbing the fading lights before they vanished. Each time, he felt a jolt of power.
He grabbed the last one just as it was about to flicker out.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Dissipating Leech Essence (Level 2) x6]
[Total Gain: Spirit +36]
[Total Gain: Agility +42]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (1/15 Remaining).]
Daniel gasped as the stats settled in. "Whoa," he breathed out, steadying himself against a warm pipe.
The boost was massive. His Agility had skyrocketed. And his Spirit... his mind felt expansive. The range of his [Omnivision] seemed to push outward naturally, cutting through the interference of the Verge with ease.
He looked at the ruptured pipe the leeches had been feeding on. Raw blue energy was still leaking from it, hissing into the air.
Daniel stared at it. He had one Assimilation Charge left. "If the leeches gave me this much power," he thought, licking his lips, "imagine what the source could give me."
It was right there. Pure, unfiltered energy. It was a buffet. He took a step toward the pipe. He reached out his hand.
The blue light reflected in his eyes. Suddenly, a violent red warning box flashed in his vision, blocking his view.
[WARNING: FATAL ERROR PREDICTED]
[Target is Raw Environmental Energy. Unfiltered. Corrupted.]
[Attempting assimilation will result in 99% probability of System Corruption and Mana Circuit Burnout.]
[YOU’RE ADVISED NOT TO PROCEED.]
Daniel froze. His hand was inches from the leak. The warning text was pulsing urgently.
"System corruption," Daniel whispered, pulling his hand back as if he had touched fire.
"Right. Bad idea." He shook his head. He was getting greedy. The power was intoxicating, but he couldn’t let it make him stupid.
"Focus," he told himself. "Stick to the plan. Find the Core." He turned away from the pipe and continued down the tunnel.
The path led deeper into the facility. The walls were covered in dirt and ash. After walking for about five minutes, Daniel stopped. His boot had kicked something on the metal floor.
He looked down. Amidst the debris and rust, there was an object that didn’t belong. It was a boot. But it wasn’t a normal boot. It was made of a high-tech white polymer, reinforced with silver plates.
It looked really advanced. Daniel picked it up. One side of the boot was melted, fused into a lump of blackened plastic.
It looked like someone had stepped in lava. He scanned it.
[Damaged Magna-Guard Boot (B-Grade)] [Durability: 0/100 (Ruined)]
[Description: High-tier footwear designed for gravity manipulation. Its circuits have been fused by extreme thermal damage.]
"B-Grade," Daniel murmured. This was high-level gear. Much better than anything he had. And it belonged to the previous explorer, the one who left the log.
"He was well-equipped," Daniel realized. "He had B-Grade armor. And yet... look at this." He turned the melted boot over in his hands.
Whatever had done this used heat. Intense heat. "Maybe the Guardian uses fire," Daniel guessed.
He looked at the boot again. It was useless as it was, but it gave him an idea. He wanted to test his new skill. The one he had laughed at earlier.
[Scrap Armor Patch]. He looked around the floor. He found a piece of curved metal plating that had fallen from the ceiling.
It was rusty, but it was solid steel. "Let’s see if this works," Daniel said. He held the ruined boot in one hand and the piece of scrap metal in the other.
He activated the skill. "[Scrap Armor Patch]!"
A faint, brown light glowed around his hands. It felt like sticky mana. He pressed the scrap metal against the hole in the boot.
SQUELCH!
The metal didn’t just stay there. It seemed to bond with the boot.
It hissed and smoked for a second. When the light faded, the hole was covered. It looked terrible. It was ugly and rough.
Daniel tugged on the patch. It held firm.
[Repair Successful (Sort of).]
[Item Status: Functional but Degraded.]
Daniel chuckled. "Well, it works," he said. He dropped the boot. He didn’t need the shoe, but the test was valuable. If his vest got torn apart in a fight, he could patch it up quickly.
It wouldn’t be pretty, but it might save his life. "Emergency repairs only," he decided. He continued down the tunnel.
The environment was changing again. The narrow maintenance tunnel was widening. The ceiling went up higher.
The hum of machinery grew louder. It was a deep, rhythmic thrumming that he could feel in his chest.
THUM... THUM... THUM...
Daniel checked his map. He was getting close to a large junction. The map labeled it "Flow Regulator Chamber."
The ambient energy in the air became heavy. It was harder to breathe here. Daniel slowed down. He crept toward the end of the tunnel.
He activated [Omnivision]. He pushed his senses into the chamber ahead. The room was massive. It was filled with pipes the size of subway trains. But Daniel didn’t care about the pipes.
He cared about the signal he was picking up in the center of the room. It was a single life signature, but it was huge. It was a wall of power standing between him and the Core.
"A major guardian," Daniel whispered, gripping his daggers tightly.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He stepped out of the tunnel and into the Regulator Chamber.