Chapter 100: Aether Core


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    As Emir cultivated, Lyra took the opportunity to exin the intricacies of monster rankings to him.


    While the Born in Ruins novel in his memories gave a general overview of the known world, itcked in detail when it came to the rankings of monsters.


    Simr to the Celestial Hierarchy, there are monsters in the universe that rank above the maximum SS rank for Earth.


    However, unlike celestials, monsters can evolve beyond having more than a single Aether core due to their massive size, making them much stronger and unpredictable.


    And it is unknown what the maximum number of Aether cores that monsters can have.


    In addition to their Aether cores, monsters also possess abilities and skills that vary based on their species and individual characteristics.


    Some monsters have powerful physical abilities, such as immense strength, speed, and agility, while others have elemental abilities such as control over fire, ice, or lightning.


    A Youngling-ranked monster ranges from the typical F to S+ rank.


    A Fiend is a monster simr to the smander that Emir had encountered before, which had just mutated to use Aether, an SS-ranked beast.


    Fiends are considered one of the lower-tier monsters and are often seen as a nuisance to celestials, but they still pose a significant threat to initiates as was Emir at the time.


    They typically have one or two Aether cores and are simr in appearance to other monsters, but their behavior can be more aggressive and erratic.


    The monsters that follow are ranked higher, and Emir would have no chance of defeating them.


    These include the likes of the Tyrant, Behemoth, Chaos, and the highest-ranked of them all, the Mythic, which is only theorized to exist and has yet to be confirmed, at least to Lyra''s knowledge.


    And as anyone might expect, those monsters can never mutate to that degree due to the nuclear fallout, it was all premeditated.


    Would humans disregard their greed and strive for survival and luxury?


    Never.


    The scientists who first discovered Aether had conducted experiments on animals in controlled environments.


    However, before they could conclude with their research, World War III broke out, leading to a disastrous situation where these powerful Aetheric Monsters were set loose upon the world.


    During the long and harsh ice age on Earth, the mutated animals continued to evolve and adapt, leading to extensive crossbreeding for thousands of years.


    As they explored other habitables, they spread themselves throughout the universe, following the Order and other factions beyond.


    Their unique abilities and adaptability made them formidable creatures capable of surviving even in the harshest of environments.


    It''s a vicious cycle of monsters teleporting tos, depleting them of all their resources, and leaving them to rot-a phenomenonmonly known as a Monster Tide.


    However, their spread was not without conflict andpetition, leading to the creation ofplex social structures and hierarchies among different species.


    The monsters soon grew uncontroble as their numbers continued to increase, and the war between monsters and humans continued to increase as more celestials and Aetheric monsters joined the war.


    The humans were currently losing, but when has that stopped their greed?


    They still went after their own for personal gain.


    So despite the dire situation, there were still those who sought to take advantage of the chaos.


    Many factions and the Order itself sought to profit from the war by selling weapons, technology, and even monsters themselves to the highest bidder.


    The United Earth Federation and Hunter Association were established as a means ofbating the monster threat on Earth, but even they were not immune to corruption and greed.


    Many officials were more interested in gaining power and wealth than protecting humanity. And as Lyra finished her long-winded exnation, Emir found himself unsurprisingly unaffected by the current state of affairs, something she had anticipated.


    After all, he knew what he had to do, and knowing that there were more problems to ount for only made him adjust his ns, nothing more.


    So he continued on with his cultivation like normal as he began thinking of which ability to unlock while Lyra showed him a screen of all possible abilities for his specialization. ''Hmmm... Out of all the abilities that an Aetheric duelist has, this one has to be the best for the current me.'' He thought.


    {Aetheric Shield: The ability to channel Aether to create a shield that protects the user from iing attacks.}


    ''Although the other abilities can increase my attack power, while some can improve my agility, this would prove the best for the current me, after all, without my augmented suit, just a few bullets would do me in.''


    Emir''s body had already undergone a process of Aether mutation, resulting in the development of an organ that functions as an Aether core, simr to that of a Seraphim- ranked celestial.


    This organ is located in his chest, just above his heart, and is roughly the size of a clenched fist.


    The organ isposed of awork of specialized cells that can absorb and store Aether, which is then circted throughout his body via hisplexwork of veins and arteries.


    It is highly dense and resilient, able to withstand the immense pressure of storingrge amounts of Aether.


    And it functions by absorbing Aether from his surroundings, processing it into his chosen Aspect, and storing it within the dense tissue.


    His Aether core is highly efficient at processing neutral Aether to be used by his body, allowing him to store and utilize vast amounts of the Aetherpared to other Ascendant- ranked celestials simr to him.


    Thest two abilities he managed to unlock on the fly were simply because of their simplicity as most abilities require preparation and manuals to unlock.


    Though most of the Elite simply buy a skill imnt, automatically unlocking the ability, which wasn''t something the current Emir could do or afford to do in the first ce.


    And as exined by Lyra, to activate the Aetheric Shield ability, he needed to send Aether through specific pathways within his body.


    These pathways are essentially channels of dense tissue that have evolved within his body to help him manipte and store Aether more efficiently.


    So in order to channel Aether through these pathways, he needed to visualize the energy flowing through his body and direct it towards the specific channels associated with the


    Aetheric Shield ability.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    However, this process was not easy, and it required a lot of focus and practice to even learn the basics as he needed to have a certain degree of understanding of the pathways within his


    body.


    Any misdirection or mistake could cause Aether to dissipate or even backfire on him,


    potentially causing harm.


    So inplete focus, Emir turned his attention to the manual presented by Lyra, floating in front of him as a hologram.


    After memorizing the lines, he began by visualizing the Aether flowing through his body,


    from his Aether-storing organ in his chest to the pathways that ran through his arms and out


    his palms.


    He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling Aether pulsing through his veins like a current of


    electricity.


    And as he held this image in his mind, he began to feel a subtle tingling sensation in his palms, a sign that the Aether was beginning to flow more freely.


    Next, Emir started to shape the Aether, visualizing it taking on the form of a shield that


    surrounded his body.


    At first, the shield was weak and continuously flickered as he struggled to maintain control of


    the flow of Aether.


    But with practice and repetition, he gradually improved his control, strengthening the shield


    and making it more stable.


    Emir continued to practice this technique for hours, feeling the pathways within his body grow more familiar and easier to manipte with each attempt.


    And by the end of his training session, he was able to conjure the Aetheric Shield ability almost effortlessly, channeling the energy through his pathways with precision and ease. He still had a very long way to go to truly master this ability, but he finally achieved full proficiency in the basics.


    A simple chant of his ability is all that''s needed to activate it.


    He smiled as he looked at the shield surrounding him, happy at the new addition to his ever-


    expanding arsenal.


    Ring- Ring- His excitement was cut short as soon he heard his terminal ring out.


    Picking it up off the ground, he answered the call.


    "Hey Kiera, it has been some time since west talked." He said, his eyes not expressing the


    same happiness as his voice.


    Kiera replied soon after, her voice matching his:


    "Well, you were the one who denied my advances."


    "....What can I say? You got me there." He admitted with a chuckle.


    "Anyways, what can I do for you, mydy? As it is quite rare for you to call me for anything


    not business-rted." Emir asked, his tone turning serious.


    "I just need to ask you for something." She said.


    "Which is?" He asked as he stood up from the ground.


    "We need your help..."