Sinner System-Chapter 427: Assimilation

Wait, how many Monsters did I consume by the time I reached my upper limit?

<This is a bit of an approximation since there were some Monsters that you didn’t fully consume, but...>

<Somewhere in the range of two hundred and ten to two hundred and twenty thousand>

"Forget just getting a power boost, this might actually be enough to push you all the way up to your upper limit," I remarked in bemusement.

"Holy shit...I was fully prepared to go through years of grinding to reach that point, but to get there already? This is so surreal," She responded, looking like she was having trouble processing it.

"Wait, do you absorb Cores one by one? If so, we’re going to be here a while," Realized Lachlan.

"No, I can absorb a bunch at once, though I have to be pretty close. So, I can’t absorb all of them at the same time, but I’d say it should take around...maybe ten activations of Assimilation to get through each pile?" She replied uncertainly.

There were twenty of those massive piles, so she’s going to have to use her Skill around two hundred times, assuming that was accurate.

"Well, might as well get started, then," Suggested Aria, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

"Is...is this really okay? Can I really absorb all of these? It just...it just seems too good to be true," She responded, looking like she could barely contain herself.

"Of course. All we ask in return is that you use your powers to aid our cause in this war against the Monsters," Nodded Lachlan with a smile.

"Oh, that goes without saying. My main goal is to wipe the Monsters out of existence," She declared, before turning her attention back to the piles of Cores with a bright gleam in her eyes.

"Glad to hear it. By the way, I’m pretty sure we’ve got Cores from every known Monsters species, except for the Calamity Level species. So, everything besides Archdemons, Dragons and King Ants," Lachlan informed her, right as she leapt off the balcony and landed below with a soft thud, before practically sprinting towards the nearest pile of Cores.

She had a wide, beaming grin on her face, like a kid given an unlimited budget at a toy store. Actually, that comparison fits pretty well.

She then proceeded to use Assimilation over and over, the Cores she targeted glowing as she absorbed them, before moving around to a different section of the pile.

"Er, she seems a bit flushed," Remarked Lachlan in bemusement.

"Yeah, apparently it feels good when she uses that ability," I replied wryly, as she got done with the first pile after using Assimilation twelve times, and then moving on to one of the other piles.

"Her Aura is growing so fast, this is insane," Added Aria, as we stared while Cleo continued absorbing the Cores.

It took her around three minutes or so to get through each pile, which was definitely reasonable, considering the sheer number of Cores down there.

But it does mean that it’ll take at least an hour before she’s done. Well, it’s fine, I’m not going to leave, I’m way to curious for that.

I definitely want to see how much more powerful she gets, particularly if this is going to be enough to push her to her upper limit.

If nothing else, it’s all but certain that she’ll have crossed well past X-Ace territory by the time she’s done here.

After about fifteen minutes, by which time she’d absorbed four of the twenty piles of Cores, the growth of her Aura visibly slowed down.

Hm, looks like she’s reached her second slow-down point, which means she’s at approximately half her upper limit right now.

I’m tempted to use Appraisal on her, but I should save it for after she’s done absorbing all the Cores down there. In the meantime, I should figure out a way to kill some time up here.

"Wanna play a card game or something? It’s definitely going to be a while before she finishes," I pointed out, before taking out a deck of cards from Treasury.

"Yeah, sounds good," Nodded Aria, as I took a seat on the balcony.

"Sure, count me in. It’s actually been a while since I’ve played any card games," Smiled Lachlan, joining us as I began shuffling the deck.

We got to playing as I dealt the cards, regularly glancing at Cleo to get a look at her progress while we played.

While it still felt like a long wait, the games were definitely helping pass the time, the clock steadily ticking over...

...

"Hm? Oh, she’s onto the last pile!" Grinned Aria, as we finished our tenth card game, having playing a bunch of different games.

I gathered the cards up and put the deck back into Treasury, before getting up and approaching the railing, Lachlan following along.

Yeah, looks like she’s almost done, she-...hm? She just used Assimilation, but I didn’t see any change in her Aura. Does that mean...?

"Hey, I’ve reached my upper limit! I can’t absorb any more Cores!" She called out.

"Huh, guess she didn’t even need all of them," Mused Aria thoughtfully, before adding, "Her Aura’s increased like crazy, wow."

Yeah, she’s crossed X-Ace level and then some. I’d say her Aura’s a good five, maybe six, times larger and more intense than it was before.

It also looks darker and murkier. Maybe that’s because she’s absorbed Cores from a wider variety of Monsters now?

"Mhm, we have our eighth X-Ace. I don’t think she’s got any reason to keep hiding her powers anymore," I replied with a smile.

"I wish I could perceive Auras, with the way you two are reacting. Though, I do feel an extra intense pressure in the air around her," Chimed in Lachlan.

She certainly has gone through a drastic boost here...but while she can’t get any more powerful than this, she can still acquire new abilities.

She’s yet to absorb any Calamity Level Cores, after all. And now, she’s probably on par with Calamity Level Monsters, despite never having even seen one before...