Endless Debt Chapter 1004 - 87: Advancement

The simplest way to learn and improve a skill is through repetitive practice. Bologue felt this way too. Although he often used Ethereal Amplification in regular battles, in the heat of combat, he rarely paid close attention to the trajectory of the ether’s surge for maximum efficiency in killing enemies.

"It’s like a circuit diagram."

Aimou once described the operation of ether within the Alchemy Matrix this way: "The Alchemy Matrix is like a complex integrated circuit, and the effects manifested by Secret Energy are like the programs running on it."

With this analogy, Bologue felt that he needed to compile a program named "Extreme Realm."

It sounded complex, but Bologue didn’t think it was very difficult, as long as he mastered the techniques within.

To operate ether with the highest efficiency, making the transmission of power more precise and swift, reducing the loss of ether during operation, and achieving the maximum effect with minimal power.

Bologue took a deep breath. Previously, when using Ethereal Amplification, he would release the ether unabashedly to seek maximum power output, rarely considering efficiency.

Now he had plenty of time to train himself in mastering efficiency.

Lowering ether output, condensing the power further and further, until it became pure and almost tangible, completely enveloping his fist.

He swung his fist fiercely toward the stone pillar beneath his feet. With a heavy blow, a booming explosion sounded, and the surging airwaves spread all around. Shortly after, cracks spread across the stone pillar, and with a creaking tremor, the tall stone pillar began to crumble.

Rubble mixed with dust fell, clattering as it hit the ground.

Bologue initially thought his power was enough to completely shatter the stone pillar, but with reduced ether output, he had only smashed one-third of it, with a large portion of the pillar remaining intact.

If he combined it with Secret Energy·Commanding Decree, Bologue could invade the pillar with surging ether while delivering a heavy strike, ordering it to collapse. But this would contradict his purpose of training Ethereal Amplification.

Bologue refrained from using his own Secret Energy, focusing solely on training Ethereal Amplification. He leapt toward another stone pillar, pondering the shortcomings of his previous strike and how to optimize the next one.

In the training room, the booming explosions rang out at regular intervals. After each explosion, a stone pillar was covered with cracks and teetered on the brink of collapse, but none of the pillars completely crumbled under Bologue’s heavy blows.

They stood resiliently. Bologue sat on an undamaged stone pillar, contemplating where he was lacking and how to improve.

Bologue spent the entire morning training his Ethereal Amplification. He could clearly feel that the efficiency of Ethereal Amplification was improving. With just a small amount of ether, Bologue could launch terrifying attacks, but it was still not enough to satisfy him.

From Bologue’s perspective, his current power was still quite far from the so-called Extreme Realm. Unable to continue advancing, Bologue shifted his desire for power to the study of Ethereal Techniques.

Dusting off the dirt on his body, Bologue felt hungry. Being too impatient would be counterproductive, so he decided to take a break, grab some food at the canteen, and then continue researching Ethereal Amplification in the afternoon.

The usually crowded canteen turned eerily quiet today. There were very few dining in, as most people packed food and took it back to their workstations, indicating the busyness of the Order Bureau today. It was uncertain how long this hectic pace would last.

Bologue’s leisurely manner appeared out of place among the crowd. He grabbed some food, sat in a corner with his tray, and pondered how to refine his Ethereal Amplification while eating.

Bologue never lacked training, but the morning’s practice also had its limits. Bologue felt that simply training further would yield little progress for him.

At times like these, relentless training was not the solution. It would only tire him out while progress slowed considerably. Bologue thought it was time to seek guidance from others.

Trying to research all on his own—who knows how long it would take to reach the Extreme Realm. Although he wasn’t sure if anyone in the Order Bureau had reached the Extreme Realm, there were certainly those who had attempted it from whom he could learn.

After some thought, Bologue decided on who to consult.

...

As the afternoon approached, a knock came at the door. Yas, seated behind the desk, said without looking up, "Come in."

The office door opened, and the person entered naturally, moved a chair over, and sat at the desk. Yas, in the midst of grading documents, sensed something amiss, lifted his head, and an unexpected individual appeared before him.

"Bologue?"

"Good afternoon, Team Leader Yas." This time, Bologue showed extra respect toward Yas.

Yas squinted, sensing something strange. Logically, Bologue should be on vacation, so why was he here?

"Is something the matter?"

"I want to seek your guidance on some techniques." Bologue didn’t beat around the bush, stating directly.

Yas grew curious. Bologue wanted to consult him, "Guidance on what?"

Bologue replied, "About Ethereal Amplification and the Extreme Realm."

Yas’s expression grew serious. He set aside his documents and pen and asked further, "Are you sure?"

"I am," Bologue began to explain his purpose. "I need power, yet clearly, in the short term, I’m unable to obtain greater power through advancement rites."

The promotion for Defenders is not as easy as for Negative Power Users. It consumes vast resources and is fraught with dangers. Bologue had yet to become familiar with the power of a Negative Power User, and rashly advancing to Defender would lead the Decision Room to reject his application, even if he met the qualifications.

"Alchemy Armament does offer considerable assistance, but I always feel it’s something external. Once the Alchemy Armament is damaged or even taken away, I would lose that power..."

Yas interrupted, "So you want to start with Ethereal Skill."

"Exactly."

"Are you also attempting to step into the Extreme Realm?"

"Yes... I know it sounds greedy, even somewhat delusional."

Bologue understood how outrageous his thoughts were, considering he hadn’t even grasped Etherealization as a Negative Power User and was already thinking about the Extreme Realm. It was beyond mere arrogance.

Yas raised his hand, making a stopping gesture to signal Bologue to keep quiet.

Bologue fell silent.

"First, I understand your dissatisfaction with the status quo and your thirst for power."

Yas rubbed his temples. Enough trouble was already before him, yet here came Bologue, whom he couldn’t simply dismiss, considering how much Bologue had helped him and protected his team members.

"You need to know one thing: mastery of Ethereal Techniques is not just about proficiency; it’s also closely linked to our Tier," Yas said. "No matter how skilled you are in this art, without sufficient Tier to support it, your efforts will be in vain."

"So you’re saying... my current Tier makes the Extreme Realm still incredibly distant."

"Precisely, you can think of the Extreme Realm as the Condenser’s ultimate control over ether—a control so seamless that it doesn’t waste even a single bit of power, achieving nearly 100% efficiency."

Yas continued to explain, "But this requires a very high affinity with ether, and besides a rare few gifted individuals, the vast majority of people can only touch the Extreme Realm when reaching the Defender level."

Listening to Yas, Bologue nodded slightly. The reason he approached Yas was because Yas was part of the Origin School, which excelled in various Ethereal Techniques and possessed a much higher affinity with ether than other Secret Energy schools.

Bologue asked, "So have you reached the Extreme Realm?"

Yas paused before responding, "Reached, but also not reached."

"What do you mean?"

"As I said, a few people have the talent to overlook Tier restrictions. Fortunately, I have a bit of talent in Ethereal Techniques, and being from the Origin School, my affinity with ether far surpasses other Secret Energy schools."

Yas flexed his numb hand. "I can activate Extreme Realm Level Ethereal Techniques, but the number of times I can do it and the intensity is heavily restricted, unlike Defenders for whom it’s easy. I rarely do it unless absolutely necessary."

Upon hearing this, Bologue’s eyes lit up. Yas, as if realizing Bologue’s thoughts, said, "You think you have such talent?"

"I don’t know... I enjoy practical application, and I believe I can give it a try."

Bologue continued, "I’ve encountered some issues, like hitting a bottleneck, making it difficult to make further progress."

"So you’ve come to me?"

Yas felt an extreme headache but had no option. Bologue had helped him considerably, and he could only say in response to Bologue’s request for advice.

"Tell me your problems, and I’ll see if I can teach you."

Yas let out a long sigh. "I’ve never taught an Undead before."