Ether stood amidst the icy wreckage that was once a man named Paul. There was no glimmer of victory in his eyes, only the analytical gaze of a surgeon observing the results of his experiment. The air around him dropped several degrees—not due to the mine's climate, but because Ether's body had begun absorbing heat from the environment to fuel the "new engine" settled in his marrow.
"Benefit is the only truth," Ether thought, lifting his hand and examining it under the (Spiritual Microscope).
He no longer saw pink human flesh; he saw a hybrid tissue. The threads of blue light he had extracted from Paul's raven were not "grafted" atop his collarbone as they had been with Paul; they were interwoven into his neural fibers. Ether had reprogrammed the "Frost Protocol" to function as part of his sympathetic nervous system.
"Paul possessed 40% of the phantom's power, the remaining 60% wasted in his immune struggle against it. I, however, have achieved 'Cellular Fusion.' I no longer need to summon the ice... I am the ice."
Ether clenched his fist, and the sound of ice cracking echoed within his joints. In this moment, he had officially ascended to (Early Rank 1). In the Izguldur system, this is the step where 90% of slaves fail, their bodies exploding due to phantom rejection. But for the "Master of Aberration," it was merely a matter of precise calculation.
"The next step: Waste disposal."
He looked at Paul's shattered corpse. He wouldn't leave it to chance; in this world, even corpses were spectral forensic evidence. Ether channeled his new power, directing an intense "cold exhale" toward the remains. The flesh didn't just freeze; it reached a temperature so low that molecular bonds began to disintegrate. Paul turned into a fine powder of icy crystals that melted and vanished into the mine's humidity.
"Perfection is not in the killing, but in the erasure."
Ether returned to the dormitory with silent steps. With every stride, he felt his brain processing massive amounts of new sensory information. His ears could now hear the energy frequencies of Noble Arkon in the distant sector; he could feel the pulse of Arkon's (Eye of Insight) sweeping the area like a distant lighthouse.
In his usual corner, Kai was awake, his eyes wide with terror. Kai couldn't see what had happened, but his human instinct screamed that the person who had just returned was not the "Ether" he knew.
"Ether... you... your smell..." Kai stammered, trembling. "You smell like cold death."
Ether sat beside him, no emotion reflected on his pale face.
"Kai, death is not a smell; it is an absence of function. What you smell is 'Efficiency.' I have removed the obstacle that stood in our path."
"Did you kill the overseer?" Kai asked in a voice barely audible.
Ether looked at Kai coldly, analyzing the boy's frantic heartbeat.
"Paul no longer exists in the equation of this mine, Kai. He has been converted into fuel for my promotion. Now, we face a larger problem. Arkon will feel the disappearance of Paul's 'energy signature' soon. He is at 'Peak Rank 2,' and the power gap between us is still vast by traditional standards."
Ether pulled out a piece of raw energy stone and began carving intricate alchemical runes onto it.
"Arkon relies on his sight. And in the science of optics, nothing is easier than deceiving an eye that trusts itself too much. Kai, you will be the 'Lens' through which I will shatter the god's vision."
There was no remorse in Ether's voice as he decided to use Kai as bait. In his mind, everything and everyone was merely a "tool" to reach the ultimate goal: reclaiming the throne in Izguldur and achieving material immortality.