Chapter 51: Converging Rivals
The Weaver’s calm, synthesized voice faded, but the information it had given him remained, stark and clear on his tactical map.
The red dots representing his rivals were getting closer. He estimated he had minutes, at best, before the first of them arrived. There was no time to gawk at the magnificent machine or ponder the mysteries of the universe.
It was time to get ready for a fight.
He immediately turned his attention to the loot he’d just acquired from the two Labyrinth Wardens. The two "Warden Power Matrixes" were still in his inventory, humming with contained energy.
They were powerful, but just sitting there, they were useless. He needed to extract their secrets, and he needed to do it now.
He pulled out the first power matrix. It was a perfect, heavy cube of dark metal, covered in complex, glowing circuitry. He placed his hand on it and activated his Ultimate Infinite Extraction System.
He didn’t just want raw power; he wanted the knowledge within. He focused his intent, searching for the defensive protocols that had made the Wardens so tough.
His system, now incredibly powerful and efficient, latched onto the matrix’s core programming. It was like downloading a massive file directly into his brain. The process was intense, a flood of complex data about energy fields, damage mitigation, and shield harmonics.
"You have successfully extracted the B-Tier talent: ’Adaptive Shielding Protocols’!" the system announced.