As Nick put the diagram down, he felt something happening at the back of his neck.
Quite some pain was going through him, but he could deal with it.
As he looked at the canvas that was his unfurled Specter Core, he saw his diagram lighting up.
Its base was shining in a bright yellow light, and it almost looked like it was burning into the canvas.
Within the next ten seconds, the entire diagram started to shine in a wave, starting at the bottom.
Eventually, the wave washed through the entire diagram before vanishing.
When Nick looked down, he saw that his new diagram looked just like the other ones, just vastly inferior in complexity.
'My first self-made ability,' Nick thought. 'It's not much, but it's a start.'
As he looked at his new ability, Nick had a thought.
'Envy uses Zephyx Synchronizers as reference material for its abilities. Back then, it wanted to capture me at all costs so that it could get its hands at the Null's ability.'
'Most likely, one of Envy's primary abilities is the power to analyze Zephyx Synchronizers. If I could just look at a Specter Core or a Zephyx Synchronizer, I could just copy the abilities in it.'
'Sadly, I don't think humans can do that. I can manipulate my Specter Core since that is also where my consciousness resides. Humans have to conjure any self-made ability and manually manipulate the Zephyx to make it work.'
'The thing I just did, integrating my diagram into my Specter Core, is not something humans can do.'
'Although, when one becomes a Specialist, they get a wiped Specter Core. Humans could probably use that to integrate self-made abilities.'
Nick furrowed his brows.
'But analyzing the Specter Cores is beyond our means.I can see through my Specter Core since it is mine, but I can't see through the Specter Cores of other Specters. If there were an ability that allows me to do so, things would be much easier.'
'Is that the ability Envy would grant a human if they interacted with it while advancing? The ability to look into Specter Cores?'
'Could I get this ability during my next advancement?'
Nick remained silent.
'Possible. It might be worth a try, but I'm not sure if that's the best way forward.'
'The ability to copy other Specters' abilities is definitely powerful and will increase my power rapidly, but is that enough?'
'I don't just have to be powerful as a Fallen or Adversary. I also have to be powerful in the ninth level, and if there is one, the tenth level.'
Nick looked at the diagrams again.
'What if the Sun doesn't allow me to advance at some point? This is bound to happen.'
'I am the Sun's enemy, and when I become dangerous to it, it won't help me anymore.'
'I have to plan for the far future.'
'While Envy doesn't seem different from the other Corruptors, I believe it has the greatest potential. As long as it continues learning, its abilities will become more and more powerful.'
'Its power is the least reliant on the Sun.'
'It has started to create its own path while all the other Specters just follow it.'
'It's not wrong to learn from a powerful enemy.'
'I believe I should follow Envy's example.'
'Creating abilities is almost useless in the beginning. It takes so much effort and time just to make an ability that's considered trash.'
'But with enough work, it can break open the sky.'
'When you copy, you can only become equal to the most powerful being. Self-actualization is the only way in which you can become superior.'
Nick looked at his new diagram for a bit before leaving his mental space.
He found himself in the real world again, and he stood up.
'I should put my newest ability to the test. If it works as envisioned,it will make it much easier for me to find traitors and hidden Specters.'
Nick left the central pillar beneath Crimson City and entered the actual city.
Then, he focused on a normal person who was just walking down the streets while activating his new ability.
Nick's Zephyx ran through the diagram, and he could feel it drain.
Luckily, since this was only a normal person, the drain wasn't bad.
'I really need to take a shit.'
These words appeared in Nick's mind as he watched the man, who was walking at a brisk pace, keeping his ass cheeks clenched.
'Fuck! Where's the next toilet?! I'm not sure I can make it until I'm home!' the person's thoughts appeared in Nick's mind.
'A bit of a strange example,' Nick thought, 'but my ability seems to work.'
When Nick used his new ability, his senses for analyzing humans were pushed into overdrive.
The Zephyx turned into something that stimulated that sense drastically.
Just by the tiniest movements, Nick could tell what someone was thinking.
Of course, the faster the brain worked, the harder it was to read someone's thoughts.
The brain of a Hero worked hundreds, if not thousands, of times faster than a normal human's brain.
However, that was also exactly why Nick could read the thoughts of a normal person.
His brain was so much faster that it could make thousands of different calculations to analyze the thoughts of a normal human.
Nick was essentially emulating a normal human's mind.
As Nick kept looking at the man, memories shot through his mind.
People's minds were constantly active, and short memories shot through them from time to time.
By just looking at the guy for a couple of minutes, Nick had already harvested hours' worth of memories.
He saw the man's family, what the man thought about his family, what he did for a job, and what he was about to do, assuming he survived the way to his home without a mishap.
'It works pretty well on normal humans,' Nick thought.
'Now,I should test it on a couple of Extractors.'
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