[A/N: Another Bonus Chapter For Hitting Our First Golden Ticket Goal! Continue to support the book, guys!]
A dark, purplish-black wisp of curse energy floated in the air, twisting and writhing as if it had a mind of its own.
It lingered above the decaying remains of the curse, drifting like a ghostly tendril, refusing to disperse.
Creed held his breath, staring at the ominous strand with wide eyes.
’Okay, okay, just fade away... Go find soone else to ruin their day... I’m not even that delicious! I’m all skin and bones!’
The wisp continued to swirl lazily. A second passed. Then another.
Creed felt a flicker of hope. Maybe—just maybe—it wouldn’t mark anyone. Maybe it would just float there and vanish like morning mist.
Then it moved.
No, shot forward!
"OH FU—"
Before he could even react, the curse strand streaked through the air at an insane speed, slamming straight into his forehead like a bullet.
His brain barely had ti to process what just happened before a blinding, soul-wrenching pain exploded inside him.
It felt like molten lava was being poured into every nerve in his body. Every inch of him burned.
His muscles spasd, his bones ached, his very blood felt like it was boiling under his skin. It was an agony so raw and unbearable that it made him want to claw his own flesh off.
’I AM SO FCKED!’
A ragged breath left his lips as his vision blurred. His knees buckled. His mind felt like it was being torn apart strand by strand.
Then, amidst the overwhelming pain, sothing else appeared.
A translucent screen flickered to life before his eyes.
[Ding! 0.00001% of Primordial Energy Detected. Does host wish to absorb?]
Creed barely had ti to think. He didn’t know what the hell "Primordial Energy" was, but right now, the pain was too much.
His body scread for relief, his mind unable to process anything except raw suffering.
Without hesitation, he chose to absorb it.
"Yes!"
[Ding! Absorbing...]
The mont he confird, sothing changed.
It wasn’t imdiate relief, but a gradual, subtle shift.
The scorching pain that had been consuming him began to lessen, its intensity dropping bit by bit, like a fire slowly being extinguished.
His muscles still ached, his skin still tingled, but the unbearable agony was fading.
"Master!"
A panicked voice rang in his ears.
Through the haze of pain, he barely made out Lilith’s face hovering above him.
Her usually fierce expression was now filled with genuine panic, her violet eyes shimring with unshed tears.
"Master, what’s happening?! Say sothing!"
Creed forced himself to speak. His throat was dry, and his voice ca out hoarse. "I... I’m fine... I think..."
His words didn’t seem to convince Lilith at all.
Then his gaze flicked back to the system screen.
[1% Absorption...]
[2% Absorption...]
The numbers were increasing, but painfully slow. Creed clenched his fists, his breathing steadying as the pain dulled even further.
That’s when he noticed sothing on the back of his left hand.
A mark.
A tiny, barely visible purple-black symbol had ford, its edges faintly glowing before settling into his skin.
There was a slight stinging sensation, but compared to the pain before, it was nothing.
His heart clenched. It was a Curse Mark!
But... it was small?
Creed’s mind raced. He deduced what was currently happening.
The absorption process had lessened the curse’s effects, but it hadn’t eliminated it completely. That ant—
The mark’s influence would be far weaker than a normal Curse Mark!
Typically, when soone received a Curse Mark, it ant death. Not instantly, but eventually.
The mark would corrode their body, slowly turning them into a mindless curse themselves.
Worse, the Curse Mark carried the signature of a Beast King—the terrifying rulers of Dinsional Beasts.
If a marked person got too close to a Beast King, they would be imdiately detected and likely slaughtered on the spot.
But Creed’s mark was tiny. That ant the detection range was probably much, much smaller.
Instead of being tracked from hundreds of miles away, he’d probably have to be practically in front of a Beast King before they sensed him.
Which was still bad, but at least he wouldn’t drop dead the mont he stepped out of a bastion.
The corrosion process would also be much slower. He had ti.
Ti to find a cure.
Creed let out a long breath. His body still ached, but the worst of it was over. He looked at Lilith, who was still hovering over him with a worried expression.
"We’re going ho," he said, his voice firm. "I need to rest."
Lilith hesitated but nodded, helping him to his feet.
As they began walking back, Creed’s mind sorted through everything that had happened.
Yes, he had received a Curse Mark, and yes, that was objectively terrible news.
But, he had also helped Lilith break through to Stage 1.
Creed glanced at his summon. Lilith had always been powerful, but now?
Now she had comprehended Lightning Intent. Now, she was even stronger. And given her extrely rare grade—possibly even above Mythical—her power was no joke!
Right now, she was already comparable to a Peak Stage 1 Dinsional Beast!
That alone was a huge win.
And then there was the Primordial Energy.
Creed wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but the system had identified it as sothing incredibly rare.
If he could absorb more of it, it might help him get stronger—maybe even cleanse the Curse Mark completely.
But for now, he had a more imdiate thing to do.
If he used his Primordial essence to comprehend Spear Intent, he would be able to push his mastery to Stage 1 today!
The thought made his exhaustion fade slightly.
He was cursed. He was injured. He was exhausted. But he was also stronger.
And in the end, that was all that mattered.
.....
The journey back to the city wasn’t just a simple walk—at least, not for Lilith.
She was in hunting mode.
The mont they entered the outer regions of the wilderness, her sharp violet eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for prey.
Before Creed could even ask what she was doing, she pounced.
A Stage 1 Dinsional Beast, a hulking gorilla-like creature with bone spikes protruding from its arms, barely had ti to react before Lilith ripped through it like a thunderstorm.
Lightning crackled around her body, her fur standing on end as she moved with terrifying speed.
Boom!
The mont her fist made contact with the beast’s chest, a deafening boom shook the air, followed by sothing shocking.
The gorilla’s chest disintegrated!
Not exploded. Not shattered. Disintegrated!
The fur, the skin, the muscle—everything vanished in an instant, turning into scattered particles that disappeared into the wind.
The gorilla barely had ti to let out a strangled roar before its entire upper body ceased to exist.
Creed blinked. Then again.
"What... the hell was that?"
Lilith tilted her head, her ears twitching. "Master, I think my lightning... changed."
Creed’s eyes flickered. Then he grinned.
’Oh, hell yes!’
An attribute!
They were like unique perks or traits that could sotis develop alongside a person’s talent.
They were rare, powerful, and incredibly difficult to awaken.
And Lilith’s attribute was disintegration!
That ant her lightning wasn’t just lightning anymore. It had an additional deadly effect.
The mont it struck sothing, it would begin breaking it down—turning flesh, bone, and even so defenses into nothingness.
Creed’s excitent skyrocketed.
She had already been strong after breaking through to Stage 1, but now? Now, she was even more insane.
Her current strength was already close to Low Stage 2 Dinsional Beasts!
"Lilith, you’re a monster."
Lilith smirked, clearly pleased with herself.
With her newfound power, she didn’t stop at one kill.
Over the next hour, she hunted six more Stage 1 Dinsional Beasts with terrifying efficiency, each kill just as brutal and precise as the last.
The best part was the pure Crystals.
Creed collected seven of them!
More crystals ant more money. More money ant better resources. And right now, Creed had sothing specific in mind that he needed to buy.
.....
2 Hours Later...
The mont Creed stepped into the towering, luxurious building that housed Empire Enterprise, he was instantly reminded that this wasn’t a place for poor people.
And he was very, very poor. Which didn’t feel nice.
He ignored the fancy setting and headed straight to the appraisal counter.
A few minutes later, he walked out 4,500 credits richer.
Creed frowned slightly as he counted the amount.
Back at the Tier 5 Bastion Moonlake, the price of a single Stage 1 Pure Crystal was at least 1,000 credits.
Here? He had to sell seven just to get 4,500!
That ant this city’s market price was much lower.
Still, money was money. And he already knew exactly how to spend it.
He marched toward the technique section of the store, scanning through different books and manuals until he found what he wanted:
Aura Core Formation. It cost 2,000 credits.
Creed smirked as he grabbed it without hesitation.
After witnessing that red-haired bastard use aura to match his strength despite being physically weaker, Creed had realized sothing important.
Aura mattered. A lot.
If he could develop his own aura, it would enhance his physical power, increase his durability, and even allow him to infuse it into his attacks.
There was no way in hell he was falling behind!
After buying so other necessities, he rushed back to his hotel at top speed. Then he consud a healing serum before taking a shower.
The warm water from the shower washed over Creed’s body, soothing his aching muscles as he leaned against the cold tiled wall.
He exhaled slowly.
He had been in this world for less than a week, and yet, his body was already beginning to collect scars.
A thin line ran across his side from the battle with the Curse. A faint claw mark on his arm from a Dinsional Beast’s counterattack.
Even his palms had rougher skin from gripping his spear so tightly during fights.
Creed didn’t mind scars that much.
But he did mind the fact that this was only the beginning.
He stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. As he wiped the fog from the mirror, his mind wandered to everything he had gained today.
Then—
[Ding!]
His system screen suddenly popped up.
[Absorption Complete. Distributing Energy!]
Creed blinked. "Wait, what—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a warm, intense burst of energy exploded inside him.
His entire body tensed.
The energy rushed through him with trendous montum, surging through his 729 pathways and 9 ridians, strengthening them, refining them over and over again.
Each ridian was like a river, and the energy was like an unstoppable flood.
Faster. Stronger. Denser. More crystallized!
Then—
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed inside his body.
Creed’s eyes widened as a deep, shuddering breath left his lips.
His skin began oozing black impurities, a foul, sticky substance leaking from his pores. The air around him grew heavy, his very presence changing.
He had broken through in one go!
Stage 1 Bronze Awakened!
A slow, satisfied grin spread across his face.
"Now we’re talking."
Reviews
All reviews (0)