[CH598+ Continued] Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster's Power

Chapter 703

Beneath the Citadel, my training and mining sessions with Ava carry on.

I begin using the same instinctual ether summoning I did to block her attacks, but this time, I cover my fists in the warm white glow.

My footwork and movements are slow, and I can't land a single attack on the hobgoblin's body. However, she lets me practice my punches, slowing her movement speed to block with her hammer instead of going fully on offense during our sparring sessions.

After three hours pass, and 30 more ether stones are collected from two other mining pits, it's clear I've improved a lot.

I'm able to block all of her attacks, summoning ether extremely quickly to cover the areas on my body where she makes contact.

Before, I was lucky to stop one out of ten attacks, but now I can block every single one.

I'm even able to imbue my footsteps with warm streams of ether to dodge and counter; however, Ava is able to do the same with much greater efficiency.

Using this lower ether setting, our attack power is identical, but every time I have a breakthrough with my speed, she manages to outmaneuver me.

She speaks up, breathing heavily after we finish our latest session. "Not bad... Looks like you're getting used to your Ether Commands. Your natural fighting instincts are extremely sharp, maybe even sharper than mine. It's just that Premium Avatar of yours. Your level threshold when you ascended must not have been very high. Your speed and strength are similar to the non-ranked-up goblins."

I think to myself that this is only because I'm being held back by my weight and the constraints of the purple exo-suit I'm wearing.

"Yeah... hopefully, I can overcome this soon..."

We climb out of the mining pit we're in, as all the surface stones have been taken out, and head further into the green divine fog in the direction of the Citadel.

After about a kilometer of walking, stopping sporadically to dig out ether stones from the surface, we pick up nine more in no time. However, as we continue walking forward, I feel an extremely warm sensation pulling at my consciousness, urging me further in the direction we're already heading.

It's far hotter than any of the stones we've found so far, but Ava calls out from my side before I even get the time to point it out.

"We're approaching the outer limit of our mining territory. My exile contract won't let me pass this point. We'll have to turn back and check out some of the other old pits. There are quite a few left."

I raise an eyebrow and point in the direction we're heading.

"Let me check this out first. I can sense a few stones just up ahead, no more than 100 meters."

Ava stops in place, looking down at the ground in front of her, then up at me while I keep walking forward. Her eyes widen.

"You can pass through the borders...? But how? Your avatar should have automatically created an exile contract the moment you entered our zone..."

Her confusion mirrors my own, as I have no idea what border she speaks of or what these exile contracts really are. The burning sensation in my mind only gets hotter the more steps I take, so I reply while continuing forward.

"Right, I don't know. I'll be back in a minute."

I run off toward the ether stones, leaving Ava behind to disappear into the green mist.

As I move forward, fewer mounds of black rocks pile up around me, and the surface becomes completely flat.

It's as if no stones have been moved here by living hands. Everything looks like it has naturally settled, and the bright white glows all around hit my senses.