Kae

Dungeon Diver CH672

17,742,991 people simultaneously receive a notification on their status and a gentle pull at the back of their consciousness, connecting them to a live video and sensory feed of what is happening inside the black tower at the center of the Dark Continent.

Some wake up with a lifelike movie playing in the back of their mind, unaware of what the link of loyalty they made on a whim for an extra stat boost was, but now they’re beginning to see the whole picture.

Others are at a fami...

Dungeon Diver CH671

I watch the black cube that Ember called an amplifier pulse with yellow and white light, moving for the first time since I found it underground in its tomb.

The static noise of a telepathy channel between myself and the cube flickers in my mind, but the glow fades, and the channel severs less than a second later.

I yell at it as the temperature in the room rises, and the flaming attacks Redgrave throws at the ceiling wrap around the room’s outside and come my way at the outer wa...

Dungeon Diver CH670

My vision and senses are filled with a pure silver light and a high-pitched ringing once my full greater form phases through the throne’s open door.

It feels warm and hot at the same time, similar to a far superior aura of perception moving through me, and it easily bypasses the purple barrier surrounding me like it’s not even there.

Once the flash of silver ceases, my vision goes black.

I expect my senses to go dark as well, but instead, they feel heightened.

The ...

Dungeon Diver CH669

Everyone stands before me in newly upgraded gear.

Many spent yesterday farming for MCP using my absorption skill in the higher floors of the labyrinth, crafting the highest-grade blood-bonded armor they could with A-Grade loot, while others rested and waited for these final hours to draw near.

While there are thousands of C and B-grade hunters around the 8 Great Regions and the Dark Continent who would happily put their lives on the line if I had their regional directors give the ...

Dungeon Diver CH668

With 10% of borrowed stats coursing through Ember, we fly through the desert faster than I’ve ever traveled, making it to the center of the dark continent in under a minute; coming to a halt right above the crater made by Arie and the Demon General’s clash.

Ember reverts to his human form, and we float down to begin restoring the immobilized demons scattered across the desert.

Green restoration circles powered by 1% borrowed stats and Abby’s yellow divine threads form beneat...

Dungeon Diver CH667

Four more orange-cored commanders nearby leave their posts, flying through the air just above the desert’s rising and falling dunes toward the last known point of the downed knights and the source of the distress transmission from minutes ago.

The thirteen monstrous purple eyes floating above the edge of the abyss blink simultaneously again as Luna speaks to Arie, while they run past their previous prey.

“More of those Orange Demons are on the way, and dozens of reds are comin...

Dungeon Diver CH666

"Beckman, you felt that too, didn’t you?"

Floating above central headquarters, the three strongest True Cored humans on the planet feel real fear for the first time in decades.

"I did, Redgrave. The Vermillion Family has returned..."

Beckman scrolls and taps through his system interface while sweat trickles down his temples.

Elara speaks through the link next.

"It feels like that True Core has grown stronger since the first visit... That Demon’s Aura made it ...

Dungeon Diver CH665

I watch dozens of red-cored demons, dressed head to toe in metallic black armor, step out from the rift. Some carry longswords, others shields, and a few wield axes and hammers.

Their horns vary in height and length, with colors ranging from black to brown to red. The exposed skin on some demons shares these color tones. Even their heights and builds differ—some standing near human height at 2 meters, while others tower up to 5 or even 6 meters tall.

These are all arch demons, r...

Dungeon Diver CH664

“So, they still know that name this far out? Interesting…”

Ember looks at me with a pondering gaze, then continues.

“I’ve already told you who I am in this conversation. My comments about the source should have explained everything. So, it seems all I can say is what you know up to this point. Yes, the throne is an artifact created by one of the divine beasts, used mostly for the ascension of demons to bring them to the next realm, the green core state.”

Ember wa...

Dungeon Diver CH663

As Abby looks down at her hands, still in awe of the power surging through her now that her yellow core is fully saturated, footsteps echo through the room.

Ember steps out from the isolation pod, and not a single thread of divine energy seeps from his body.

However, there’s a new aura about him, one that exudes pride and excitement, sending ripples through my purple barrier.

The silver and golden threads have vanished back into the center of his core, now impossible to se...

Dungeon Diver CH662

Even though I hardly used half of my power to release that intimidation pulse, it was enough to break both of their adrenaline-fueled concentration and stop them from fighting instantly.

Using my intimidation at full blast without these borrowed stats would most likely just scare them, an instant knockout with this much ease would not have been possible.

Even my doubles, who weren’t the focus of the attack and were 100 kilometers away, were greatly affected by the increase in my...

Dungeon Diver CH661

Maria tests out the full capabilities of her power while I continue to attempt peering into her Soul Energy core to figure out what this pulsing sensation really is.

In between our exchanges, she feels multiple times weaker than the moment before our attacks collide.

I even test out using my other elements with telekinesis to throw multiple projectiles her way from varying angles while our main focus of a sword clash continues on.

The pulses in her aura allow for ice walls t...

Dungeon Diver CH660

My aura makes the air for dozens of kilometers heavy, causing all the ice from Maria’s previous attacks to shatter, melt, and boil into steam at the bottom of the crater.

I’m still hovering at the same height above this desolate land as the last time I was here, but since then, I’ve absorbed a True Core, two Mid-Level Yellow Cores, and roughly three thousand additional raw yellow fragments.

Also, I’ve leveled up, fully healed my body through hibernation, and increased my b...

Dungeon Diver CH659

We fly away from Valor City, finding the nearest rogue dungeon, and I dungeon walk us to another rogue dungeon near the border of Sector 2 and Raven’s territory.

The massive crater in the desert, stretching hundreds of kilometers wide and deep, comes into view as we fly over.

My aura is controlled behind my barrier, but Maria’s radiates out around her for a few hundred meters even in her resting state as we continue to fly away from all civilization.

Once we’re far eno...

Dungeon Diver CH658

[Congratulations! Rising Emperor's Domain Milestone Reached!]

[1002098/1000000 Links of Loyalty Created]

[New Perk Unlocked: Rising Emperor’s Dominance]

__________________

Info:

All links of loyalty under the allegiance of the Rising Emperor will now be granted permanent Daily Use Tiered buffs, and a custom interface with the Rising Emperor as its admin. [i](Expand for more info)

The caster may borrow 10% of all Base Stat Points and Mana Control efficienc...

Dungeon Diver CH657

As the 16 scouts close in on my location, I think about how easy it would be to kill them all before they even take their next breaths. With only two days left until the abyss completely recedes and I have to face their leaders anyway, expediting the process and antagonizing them to come to the Dark Continent early would be the worst move I can make right now.

I crush a teleport crystal and find myself back inside the shielded bunker below the city, letting out a unique aura once I’m ...

Dungeon Diver CH656

As my gaze remains fixed on the silver contraption at the back of the room, where Ember is contained, I feel the mind inside the pod shift. In response, the link within my rising Emperor's Domain activates, bypassing the need for direct contact through my aura to enable telepathic messages.

“You’ve been quite busy since the B-Class exams. Our power has grown a substantial amount... While our stats and mana control are linked through our system pact, divine energy cannot be created n...

Dungeon Diver CH655

Everything that’s occurred in the last few minutes rushes through my mind as I watch the stone statue disappear and the massive cluster of housing and residents fall toward me.

The words of the artifact, and the memories it shared, are eye-opening, but after leaving its tomb, I’m even more confused about its origins and cryptic texts than when I entered. Even after viewing the millions of millennia of fuzzy memories it showed me, they all lacked detail, and none were from before the...

Dungeon Diver CH654

The text covering the walls, floor, and ceiling continues to glow bright yellow even after the room falls back into silence while the ancient voice echoes through my mind.

I think carefully about the voice’s words. It speaks in vague terms, but with its emotions streaming through me and a rough translation coursing through my mind with the full power of my true core backing it, many connections with past conversations—with Pluto the demon, the saint, Raven, Celia, and even Ember—a...

Dungeon Diver CH653

I don’t even take the time to watch the portion of the artifact I sliced off dissolve; I just let the cluster of crystals fall into my item storage and swim forward with the extremely fast-flowing water under enormous pressure.

The jet of water floods inside the artifact, dispersing down into the hollow shell of the statue plunging into total darkness below the ocean floor.

It is hot and humid, but I airstep away from the water stream and hover in mid-air, deciding to take a bre...

Dungeon Diver CH652

I airstep over to the meeting taking place in the mansion that still bears the rubble and blood of the king and queen on the main hall’s floor.

My double has already received a detailed update from Bri and Rodrigo about the progress in the 8 Great Regions and their restructuring of the contracts and trade routes.

However, as I arrive, I have fresh news to share.

“We’re going to be creating many more crimson domes… This is how we’re going to do it, and this is what ...

Dungeon Diver CH651

All of my perception around the city focuses solely on the scouts that seemingly appeared out of thin air.

Some of them touch down in random areas of the city while others fly far away to the other side of the massive mountaintop to other districts.

There are even some nearby that fly to the top of tall towers, but the only three guards I focus on are the ones coming straight my way.

A faint noise emanates from the orange core, and I channel all of my perception toward him a...

Dungeon Diver CH650

The streets are lit with neon lights, and different songs are playing on every corner.

Bars, restaurants, and late-night entertainment of anything one desires line the streets, with towering skyscrapers high above stacking hundreds of floors into the air.

I follow the flow of people to fit in, making my way into one of the largest nightclubs in this small portion of the city.

Rhythmic beats compete with the loud noises of laughter, cheers, clapping, and dancing, while I’m ...

Dungeon Diver CH649

A planet tens of times larger than the human world rotates around a massive red star. It is the only planet with life within this solar system, however it houses enough life to count for hundreds of planets.

Endless varying landscapes rise and fall from natural disasters, civilizations are born, and cultures thrive to grow and go to war on every corner of this world.

Some regions are devoid of life for tens of thousands of kilometers, while others are full of monsters wielding dar...

Dungeon Diver CH648

Just a few dozen meters away, the orange and yellow-cored hunters watch the scene before them unfold.

They’re secured behind the heavy silver door in the transparent hallway.

I have a few fractions of a second where I can easily pull out a teleport crystal and make my escape; however, the instant the top of the dome cracks open, my perception is able to seep out much further than before.

I’m able to see past the endless abyss of flames around us.

Every moment that ...

Dungeon Diver CH647

The A-Class hunter is still shaking with wide eyes, but over the last few minutes, he’s come to terms with the reality in front of him.

He pushes himself up off the floor and stays as outwardly calm as possible while the dead king and queen stand on either side of me.

I speak up again while doing a quick scan of his status.

“How much time do we have…? And what can I call you?”

The [Lv. 2944] mage with two skills, Mythic Grade Dagger mastery and Extreme Grade Li...

Dungeon Diver CH646

The entire island of Palmyra is quiet.

Contracted hunters are deep within the mana-shielded structures down below me on the palm, farming away to fulfill their quotas.

A few high-level guards line the streets near the center of the cities, and on the finger islands, there are quite a few C and B-Class hunters awake, spending their leisure time inside the facilities.

However, on the largest finger island, the thumb, where I currently stand, there are only three other individu...

Dungeon Diver CH645

I immediately reply, as I’ve heard many monsters in the past refer to Ember using this name, but none have given me a clear answer.

“The Fallen One… Who are they..?—or what—have they done?”

The earth dragon’s dark black eyes stare into mine, holding many secrets behind them, yet full of curiosity still.

“It sounds like you have heard of the legend too. There are only fractured memories from the pool of this being. A dragon that came before us all… Or at lea...

Dungeon Diver CH644

The Arch Demon looks at me, filled with curiosity once again.

“You really know nothing of the inner workings of the Demonic Realm? How far away from the capital were you born?”

I don't react to the question, and lift the red shimmering fragment of divine energy in front of the demon’s face.

It stares into the beautiful glowing crystal full of vibrating divine threads, but judging by its expression, it has no idea what it is.

Eventually, the Demon responds.

...

Dungeon Diver CH643

I enter the canyon of dungeons and make my way down to the labyrinth.

There are hundreds of hunters farming in the dungeons all around, and dozens of Crimson Army hunters training on the mid-level floors of the labyrinth.

I dungeon walk all the way to the top, to the 99th floor, materializing with all of my mana and divine energy suppressed when I arrive in the final boss room.

I see a [Lv. 6908] Arch Demon, and a dark maroon-colored earth dragon sharing the same level, guar...