20 %

Ivan knew very well that the Red Devil's creation of a different space consumed a lot of his power, and he couldn't hold on for too long. So Ivan took this opportunity to act quickly. He removed a backpack from behind him and took out three strange-looking pieces of equipment. Each of them clamped onto a space energy crystal, which Ivan then placed on the ground around the Ether particle, forming an equilateral triangle.

He activated the devices, causing each of them to emit a blue light that formed a circular space barrier around the Ether particle, covering it. In terms of energy level, the space energy crystal extracted from the Tesseract was similar to the Ether particle derived from the Reality Gem. However, the energy contained in the crystal was too small, far inferior to Ether, not to mention the Reality Gem hidden within it. At this time, the Ether particles were uncontrolled and lacked significant attack power. When they touched the space barrier, they were immediately bounced back and could only remain inside the space barrier, unable to escape.

Observing that the Ether particles were securely trapped, the Red Devil withdrew his use of the space ability and stood aside, waiting for Ivan's next order.

Ivan constantly adjusted the devices and controlled the circular space barrier to slowly shrink until the sphere trapping the Ether particles was compressed to the size of a football before it stopped.

As Ivan observed the changing Ether particles inside the sphere, his eyes showed a hint of excitement. However, he quickly calmed down and took out a strange metal glove, putting it on his left hand. There was a hole in the palm of the glove emitting the same faint blue light as the space barrier.

Then Ivan opened the box containing CPH4, looked at the three blue injections, pondered for a moment, and took out all three injections, injecting them into his body.

The moment CPH4 entered his body, Ivan immediately felt a wonderful sensation, indescribably comfortable. Every muscle in his body trembled, and he slowly floated up, as if the Earth had lost its gravity.

When the Red Devil saw Ivan's situation, he wanted to step forward but suppressed the uneasiness in his heart. Ivan had explained to the Red Devil earlier that he should not act rashly without his orders, as it could put both of them at risk.

Under the influence of CPH4, Ivan opened the taboo field of brain evolution, and his entire brain domain rapidly developed. Ivan knew that this was the most critical moment, so he forcibly held back his physical discomfort and extended his hand wearing the metal glove, pressing it on the space barrier and trapping the Ether particles. The hole in the palm of the metal glove opened, and the ether particles found a breakthrough, drilling into Ivan's body from the hole.

Ivan had already anticipated the reaction of the Ether particles and adjusted the size of the holes on the metal gloves accordingly. The Ether particles could only slowly pass through the narrowed holes. At this moment, due to the development of his brain, Ivan's mental power greatly increased. It was easy for him to sense that the Ether particles entering his body contained a subtle consciousness. Ivan knew that this consciousness belonged to Malekith, the master of ether. He used his powerful mental power to forcibly erase the consciousness in the ether particles, inhaling it into his body to nourish his evolution.

With the addition of ether particles and the cooperation with CPH4, Ivan no longer needed to worry about insufficient energy. He focused all his energy on developing his brain, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%...

When Ivan's brain development reached 20%, he felt as if a bottleneck had been broken, and the scenery in front of him suddenly changed.

Ivan finally understood what the Red Devil had mentioned earlier about the ripples. What he saw now was more complex than he had ever imagined. Everything was no longer a secret. The distortion of the force field revealed infinite wrinkles and infinite extensions, every breath caused fluctuations, and each heartbeat couldn't sense changes throughout his entire body. The molecular structure of every stone, the sound of blood flowing, the breath of dust—all were vividly perceived. His brain seemed to be in a state of overclocking, and everything was incredibly astonishing.

21%, 22%... Ivan continued to use the power of ether particles to develop his brain. At this moment, Ivan suddenly sensed a powerful energy source inside the ether particle slowly approaching his palm. Ivan immediately guessed that it was the Reality Gem.

Ivan concentrated his mind and tapped a button inside the metal glove, sensing the position of the energy source. The metal glove made a clicking sound, and a few small steel ropes popped out, with a small rigid claw at the front. When it came back, it was holding a red gem.

"Is this the Reality Gem? One of the six infinity gems," Ivan wondered. He couldn't help but be fascinated by it. He was overwhelmed by excitement. The Reality Gem was exuding a powerful force into his body, and the speed of brain development suddenly accelerated. However, ordinary people simply couldn't bear it. With such a powerful force, Ivan's whole body swelled up, as if it might explode at any moment.

It was expected that injecting such powerful energy into his body would cause severe pain, but Ivan didn't feel any pain. His eyes lost their color and became dull as if he didn't know his current situation.

"Dr. Ivan, Ivan... How are you? Stop and tell me what to do. How can I help you?" The panicked voice of the Red Devil rang in Ivan's ears. Ivan's dull eyes began to shine, and he finally reacted, attempting to withdraw his palm.

However, another accident occurred at that moment. Ivan found that he couldn't control his body. Every cell in his body entered a heightened state of activity, robbing him of control. They instinctively absorbed the ether energy and couldn't be stopped.

In the super body, Lucy had also experienced cell rebellion, but she could only swallow a large amount of CRS4 to temporarily relieve it. Ivan's situation was different. His cells were attracted by the energy of Ether particles after the rapid development of his brain, making his condition even more troublesome than Lucy's.

"I didn't expect to reach this stage. I can only fight. I hope my guess is correct," Ivan thought.

He closed his eyes and imagined various stories he had seen and heard from childhood to adulthood, guided by his spiritual power. He directed these thoughts towards the Reality Gem. A strange fluctuation appeared, and the stories in his mind manifested as illusions. Fictional characters seemed to come to life, and Ivan empathized with their joys, sorrows, and experiences. All kinds of emotions welled up, even for fictional characters. These emotions gathered and intensified.

Finally, under the influence of this extreme emotion, Ivan regained control of his body. He retracted his hand and, at the same time, cut off the energy transmission of the Reality Gem with his powerful mental power.

Ivan breathed a sigh of relief. Through what had just happened, he was sure that his thoughts were correct. This was the real use of the Reality Gem. The transformation of illusion and reality could be achieved according to one's mind with the help of the Reality Gem. Ivan could enter and exit the illusion world, learning the knowledge he desired, whether it was technology or magic, as long as the power level did not exceed that of the Reality Gem.

He pondered the possibilities of learning various combat skills in the realm, mastering the art of crafting weapons, and then returning to reality. While he might not immediately possess the skills he learned in the fantasy realm, he would at least have the experience to learn them more quickly. This method could produce knowledgeable and talented individuals, powerful warriors, and various other talents in large numbers. With patience and gradual development, it could make any race one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Creating ether particles like the dark elves would be a simple matter.

The Red Devil saw that Ivan was back to normal and put his mind at ease. He took a few steps to support Ivan, still shaken by the recent events.

"Dr. Ivan, you looked terrifying just now, as if your body was about to dissipate," the Red Devil said.

Ivan, with a puzzled look on his face, replied, "Dissipated? Azazel, did my body change just now?"

"Didn't you notice? Your hair seemed to wither instantly, and then your skin started to dissipate. Fortunately, this change only lasted for a while. I called out to you, and suddenly it all stopped. Your skin returned to its original state, and even your hair grew back," the Red Devil explained.

Ivan secretly wiped away a cold sweat, realizing the danger he had been in. "It was very dangerous. If it had been a second slower, my cells would have been completely compromised, and I might not have survived."

"Azazel, thank you very much for this time. If you hadn't woken me up in time, I would have been in real danger" Ivan expressed his gratitude to the Red Devil.

The Red Devil responded, "Dr. Ivan, you're joking. I'm your bodyguard, and it's my job to protect your safety. Besides, it's nothing compared to what you did for me. I couldn't have gained these abilities without your help. However, please don't take such risks in the future. I don't want to see you in that situation again."

Ivan smiled and shook his head, saying, "High risk often comes with high rewards. This time, I gained a lot. Not only did I acquire a valuable treasure, but I also unlocked my hidden genetic abilities. Now, we share a common bond."

"Similar? Hidden genes?" The Red Devil was intrigued, a look of surprise on his face.

"Yes, just as you suspected. I am now a mutant, inheriting my father's ability to absorb and release all forms of energy—kinetic energy, thermal energy, and electrical energy. I can even replace metabolism and have an extended lifespan" Ivan explained. He picked up a pistol from his backpack and fired three shots at his hand. The bullets hit, but the impact was absorbed, and Ivan remained unharmed.

In reality, Ivan's awakening of mutant abilities was quite normal. He was a descendant of a mutant and possessed the X gene. At this point, with his brain development at 27%, he could even carry out molecular reorganization, similar to what was seen in the movies. Ivan had modified his genes, absorbing the potent energy of ether particles during the rapid development of his brain and activating his latent abilities. While he might not be as powerful as Shaw, few individuals could harm him now.