Alex collapsed against the stone wall of his cell, exhaustion crushing his enhanced frame like a vice. The suffocating silence of the underground chambers smothered him, punctured only by the distant grinding machinery of the arena complex's relentless operations. His body still blazed from the coordinated assault against the SS-ranked Devourer, but the Enhanced Recovery skill was already weaving together the worst of his wounds.
The gray slop materialized on schedule, delivered by the same Ironhide servant who never dared meet his gaze. Alex devoured it hungrily, his mind churning through the implications of his recent advancement. Level 3 had shattered his relationship with the suppression field where before it had strangled his abilities completely, now he could siphon a trickle of his vast essence reserves even while imprisoned.
