Chapter 334: Overwhelming

Daniel was shocked to the core. As the son of a famous Hollywood director, he had grown up watching all kinds of movies, including action and fantasy films filled with spectacular battles.

Thanks to modern CGI technology, he had witnessed countless fights that would have been impossible to recreate in real life.

He had even watched scenes that never made it into the final versions of movies, some of which involved destruction on an enormous scale. After seeing so much, Daniel had genuinely believed that no battle between Ascenders in this new world could surprise him.

However, he had been terribly wrong, and he was only now realizing just how wrong his assumption had been.

’I’m one hundred percent sure he wasn’t that strong when he fought the second Stone Basilisk,’ Daniel thought, staring at the destruction spread throughout the enormous hall.

He couldn’t stop recalling the sight of Alex floating near the ceiling, surrounded by hundreds of gigantic water weapons that had stopped in midair before suddenly reversing direction and crashing into the Krakens.

He lowered his gaze toward his hands and realized they were still trembling. Even though the battle had ended, his heart continued beating rapidly, and the adrenaline circulating through his body showed no signs of calming down.

In fact, Daniel had been so overwhelmed by the spectacle that he had completely forgotten he was supposed to be fighting. It was only when Matthew dragged everyone toward a corner of the hall, warning that Alex was about to do something enormous, that he finally snapped out of his daze.

Daniel turned toward Matthew, who was currently watching Alex with a smile.

’Even after Alex defeated the Stone Basilisk, I thought he would probably lose against Matthew because of how strange Matthew’s abilities are. But after seeing this, I honestly can’t imagine how Matthew could defeat him anymore.’

He swallowed nervously before glancing toward Samuel. Let alone Matthew. even someone like Samuel, who possessed several strange and powerful Blessings, would probably struggle to defend himself against the attacks Alex had just demonstrated.

As for actually defeating Alex, Daniel had to accept that Samuel had practically no chance.

...

Alex was examining the notifications floating before his eyes with a satisfied smile. Several of his spells had leveled up twice during the battle, and Mana Sphere Spell had finally reached Level 9, bringing it another step closer to evolution.

However, he had no intention of evolving it immediately. There was still something he wanted to experiment with, and he needed some uninterrupted time to properly develop the technique before making his decision.

’If I can obtain the evolution I’m thinking about, my strength might increase by an absurd amount,’ Alex thought, feeling excited by the possibilities. Of course, becoming stronger was just one source of motivation. He was also interested in the knowledge that such an evolution might provide.

As Alex slowly descended toward the floor, two more notifications appeared before him.

[Sunken Vault Dungeon cleared.]

[Origin Energy: 1/20 → 9/20]

Alex smiled upon seeing the increase in Origin Energy before finally landing. However, when he examined his surroundings, his expression gradually changed.

The enormous hall was covered in the remains of dead Krakens, and the water weapons he had launched earlier had scattered their blood and flesh across a considerable area. He had been so absorbed in experimenting during the battle that he hadn’t properly considered how gruesome the aftermath would be.

’Well, that’s unpleasant,’ Alex thought, frowning slightly. He was about to turn toward his companions when something unusual caught his attention.

The Origin Energy circulating throughout the hall was moving, and strangely enough, all of it seemed to be gathering toward the golden portal near the center. Alex concentrated on the phenomenon before noticing something even more interesting.

The corpses scattered across the floor were slowly disintegrating, with tiny portions breaking apart and transforming into energy that subsequently flowed toward the portal.

’So it’s absorbing both the surrounding Origin Energy and the remains of the monsters. I wonder what it’s doing with all that energy,’ Alex thought.

He wanted to approach the portal immediately, but before doing so, he decided to check on his companions. When he turned toward them, he discovered that everyone was staring at him with expressions of disbelief.

Joseph seemed particularly shocked, with his eyes opened so widely that Alex couldn’t help wondering whether he was high. Even Sarah, who had gradually become accustomed to his unusual abilities, seemed unable to find the right words.

"What... what exactly was that? How did you even do something like that?" Emma finally asked, breaking the silence.

"He created a gigantic field of Kinetic Mana and used it to absorb the kinetic energy from those attacks. Then he transferred the accumulated energy back into the weapons and launched them toward the monsters. That said, even I don’t understand is how he managed to extend his manipulation range that far, or how he maintained control over such an enormous amount of kinetic energy without blowing himself up," Matthew explained as he approached with his group and Mia’s group.

Matthew reached Alex and patted him on the shoulder, shaking his head with an incredulous smile. "That was completely ridiculous. Tell me something, Alex. Did you actually come up with that idea in the middle of the battle?"

"Yes," Alex replied, nodding, which caused Matthew to stare at him for another moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahahaha! So you didn’t even know whether you could safely control that much kinetic energy, and you still decided to try it while dozens of monsters were attacking you?" Matthew asked, looking thoroughly amused.

"As absurd as it is," Samuel added, examining Alex with a strange expression. "The fact that he actually succeeded makes it even more ridiculous. I genuinely don’t know which part surprises me more. That he attempted something so dangerous without testing it first, or that he managed to pull it off without any major mishaps."

Alex merely shrugged at their reactions, since he believed his decision had been perfectly reasonable under the circumstances. He understood that experimenting with enormous quantities of kinetic energy involved considerable danger, but avoiding every dangerous situation would only slow his growth.

If he wasn’t willing to take calculated risks, he might eventually encounter a monster so powerful that none of his existing abilities would be enough to save him. And since Alex had absolutely no intention of dying, becoming stronger as quickly as possible was the most sensible decision he could make.

"Um..." Sarah suddenly coughed, attracting everyone’s attention. She looked around at the devastated hall before turning toward Alex with a helpless expression. "Wasn’t the whole point of coming to this Dungeon supposed to be training?"

..

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