My initial attack in Solaria City was successful: I had announced my arrival and demonstrated Epic-level power by effortlessly crippling two Rank A hunters. However, I hadn't defeated them with my current arsenal; I had defeated them by destroying their Epic artifacts and exploiting their predictability. To sustain a fight against a Grand Guild, I needed a power leap that moved me beyond highly effective tactics and into overwhelming force.
The current level of my Epic Gauntlet was a stable composite of Soulfire, Ice, and Kinetic essences. The next stage of Explosive Growth required something that moved beyond the confines of Vigan's relatively simple monster pool. I needed a true Epic-Echelon 2 essence, something that could grant me an area-of-effect (AoE) power to deal with platoons and massive defenses.
My primary strategic goal became clear: Infiltrate the Solaria Grand Guild's private vault and steal a unique, high-tier essence.
---
Using my Specter Sight and Silent Form, I spent the next 48 hours mapping the Grand Guild Headquarters. The fortress was a nightmare of layered rune defenses, but my Specter Sight allowed me to see the energy signatures of every trap and laser grid.
I located the Grand Guild's internal laboratory and vault. It wasn't guarded by hunters, but by automated, massive Sentinel Golems—old-world, non-biological entities that relied purely on concentrated, elemental energy for power.
I bypassed the perimeter and reached the vault's final chamber. Within a crystal stasis field, I saw the perfect essence: a colossal, crystalline heart pulsing with pure, chaotic electrical energy. This was the Storm Titan Core, rumored to be the power source of the city's ancient defenses.
The Guild had it improperly classified as a mere Epic-Rank item when, by my past life's knowledge, it was a true Epic-Echelon 2 essence, a transitional essence capable of producing Legendary-level AoE force. They intended to use it to power a new defensive grid. I intended to consume it.
---
The vault was simple to bypass with a precise pulse of Lich Soulfire aimed at the ancient locking runes. The heart was mine.
I didn't hesitate. I placed the massive, crackling Storm Titan Core against my Epic Gauntlet and began the process of Essence Absorption.
The growth was not a slow evolution; it was a violent, Explosive Surge. The electrical energy was chaotic and massive, surging through my arm like a billion volts of raw power. My blood felt like boiling water, and my skin threatened to vaporize. My carefully balanced internal essences were immediately thrown into disarray.
The Lich Soulfire (control) fought with the electrical chaos, the Gorgon Kinetic Force struggled to contain the vibrational feedback, and the Polaris Ursus ice nearly melted from the internal heat. It was a war for dominance within my arm.
I grit my teeth, channeling all my focus onto one command: Contain and Channel.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the electrical chaos was subdued. The Storm Titan Core Essence was absorbed, integrated, and completely mastered.
---
The change in my Epic Gauntlet was immediate and terrifying. The venous black of the shell now pulsed with crackling white and blue arcs of electricity.
The single greatest leap in power was the acquisition of Area-of-Effect (AoE) Control.
Kinetic Thunderclap: I could now infuse my Gorgon Kinetic Force with the Storm Titan's raw electrical output, creating a single, devastating AoE Thunderclap. This was a short-range, omni-directional blast capable of neutralizing multiple Rank A targets simultaneously or breaching massive, layered defenses.
Chain Lightning Evasion: My Shadow Step was enhanced. Instead of simply disappearing, I could now briefly dissolve my body into chain lightning, traveling instantaneously between conductors (metal, water, or even high-density stone) with zero energy resistance.
I had achieved Epic-Echelon 2 power. I was no longer merely capable of surviving the Grand Guild; I was capable of neutralizing its entire top layer of defense.
I left the empty vault, leaving no physical evidence—only the residual signature of pure, chaotic elemental power, a terrifying clue for the Grand Guild Master to find upon his inevitable inspection.
The growth was complete. The time for subtle infiltration was over. Now, I would challenge the Grand Guild directly.