Chapter 25: Absorbing An Avatar Crystal
[Two days have passed since you subdued the Sky High Gang and became its leader.]
[In that time, you led your gang to launch takeovers against not only the Earth Down Gang but also the Scorpion Gang.]
[The Scorpion Gang had an avatar crystal as well, bringing your total to three crystals.]
[Unlike before, you didn't leisurely stroll the city streets, having learned from the sudden explosive deaths you'd experienced in previous simulations. Because of this caution, you haven't died yet and have lived a day longer than in your previous simulations.]
[You are currently in your hotel room with the three avatar crystals laid out in front of you.]
[With Viktor managing all three gangs, you didn't have to intervene unless it was for another gang takeover.]
[You'd already tasked Viktor with gathering as many avatar crystals as possible. According to his information, there were a total of nine reigning gangs in this city, but only seven of them possessed an avatar crystal.]
[You suggested consolidating the power of the Sky High Gang, Earth Down Gang, and Scorpion Gang before taking over the remaining gangs.]
[However, the main reason behind this suggestion was your desire to experiment with the three avatar crystals before obtaining more.]
[After all, there was no point in collecting a large number of avatar crystals if you couldn't even put them to good use.]
[Sitting on your bed with the three avatar crystals in front of you, you muttered, "I've read a lot of novels in my past life, so my imagination is quite creative. I can already think of several ways these avatar crystals could be used to increase the power of my Invisible Providence avatar."]
["The most straightforward method is to let the avatar crystal come into contact with my avatar and see if I can merge it. If that doesn't work, I'll just stab the avatar crystal into the avatar and see how it takes effect."]
[With this plan in mind, you picked up one of the three avatar crystals and summoned your Invisible Providence avatar.]
[There was a slight problem in your conjecture that wasn't truly a problem. Domain category avatars like yours typically don't have a physical manifestation, unlike humanoid category avatars and others.]
[However, your avatar is a mutant type, with its invisibility manifesting in the form of purple-colored tentacles.]
[But this raised a question: how could normal domain category avatar masters improve the power of their avatars using the avatar crystal if they couldn't stab the crystal into their avatar's manifestation?]
[Faced with this dilemma, you naturally answered, "They could just use the same method as awakening the avatar. Domain category avatar masters can stab the avatar crystal into their body."]
["And since my method could work on all categories of avatars, it should at least be somewhat plausible. The only thing left is to test it."]
[You grabbed an avatar crystal and moved it close to one of your purple-colored invisible tentacles, but there was no reaction. Undeterred, you decided to take a more direct approach.]
[Without hesitation, you stabbed the crystal into the tentacle, hoping it would enhance your avatar's power.]
[As the avatar crystal punctured your tentacle, you felt the purple-colored invisible tentacles writhe and tighten around your body, attempting to restrict and suffocate you.]
[Your avatar rebelling against you was within your expectations. Rather than rebelling, it seemed your avatar had truly fallen into the instinct-type, now acting purely on instinct, beyond your control.]
[It was reminiscent of the experience you had when you first awakened your avatar, but this time, the intensity was far greater. You could feel that if you didn't assert control over Invisible Providence, it might have overwhelmed and even killed you.]
[An avatar was a manifestation of one's soul, not the soul itself, so it couldn't overpower your mind and body unless your willpower faltered or you allowed it to happen.]
[In that moment, you fought back against Invisible Providence's attempt to dominate you, channeling your willpower to force it into submission.]
[After several intense minutes, you finally regained control over Invisible Providence. Though it hadn't become sentient, you could feel its power had grown stronger.]
[You didn't gain any new abilities, but you could sense that the potency of your existing powers had increased, and the number of tentacles you could create and summon had multiplied.]
[Feeling the power coursing through your body, you muttered, "Just as I thought, this method works. But it seems not all avatar masters could use it. Without strong willpower like mine and enough power, an avatar master who absorbs an avatar crystal might lose control of their avatar entirely."]
["No wonder this method isn't widely known. Anyone who attempted it and failed wouldn't have lived to share their experience. And even those who succeeded might choose to keep it a secret to maintain their advantage."]
["Based on what I can sense, one avatar crystal isn't enough to fully enhance my power. I feel like I need to absorb six more crystals to unlock a new ability. And if I manage to absorb thirteen avatar crystals in total, I'm certain my avatar will undergo an evolution."]
[These insights weren't just baseless speculation; they were rooted in the instincts you gained when you first awakened your avatar. It was as if some mechanism within you was providing clues about the next stage of your avatar's evolution.]
[It reminded you of how you gained general knowledge about avatars and avatar masters when you first awakened Invisible Providence.]
[With this understanding, you decided, "I need six more avatar crystals to unlock a new power. I have two more here, so after consuming these, I'll focus on taking over the remaining gangs in this city to gather the avatar crystals I need."]