Chapter 15: Gain (a)
He spotted a dense rise of hair in the distance, thankfully, it was the direction he was ant to go. He was about to start toward it, but first he had to deal with the weapons still fused to his claws.
The cleavers were visibly bonded to him. Tendons and veins stretched out of his forearms, anchoring directly into the handles. He wasn’t looking forward to what that implied when it ca to, putting them away.
"What do i get? Can I evolve?!"
[Negative. Evolution requirents have not been t. User has consud an unknown resource. Result: significant alteration to demonic bloodline detected. Full effects: unknown. User has also bonded with a symbiotic-grade weapon. System functions and User physiology have been modified. User has gained significant combat experience, resulting in three Level-ups. Current Level: Five.]
His heart pounded. This was what he’d wanted from the start.
Growth.
But first things first; the cleavers stuck in his grip. He took a long breath... and focused.
’Return.’
He didn’t last a single breath before hot, wet tearing erupted in both arms. He dropped to one knee, fangs grinding together in agony.
The tendons and veins snapped taut, dragging the blades back inside. Skin peeled, bones realigned, muscles twisted and stitched themselves shut. He almost blacked out.
Gasping, he forced himself upright, chest heaving.
Both forearms stead as the skin reknit over raw tissue, sealing shut with jagged scars running from wrist to elbow.
"Every ti...?"
The question was ant for no one, but the system answered anyway.
[Correct. User will build tolerance through repeated use.]
At that mont, he realized, it would be smart to have so extra weapons.
"What’s that?"
He’d noticed a new tir appear in his vision as soon as the blades finished burrowing back into him.
[Weapons are subject to a thirty-minute cooldown period before reuse.]
Yet another thing to rember. Instantly annoyed, and beyond sore, he set off again toward the dense growth. All this could wait until after he’d found cover.
"You actually answered. Surprising."
[As previously stated: User has exceeded expectations.]
For so reason, he didn’t like that answer. But at least it was improvent.
The ground was littered with the shredded bodies of the imps he’d slaughtered. As he traveled, the flesh fields writhed eagerly beneath, agitated by freshly spilled blood, they expanded rapidly as the ground began fusing with and devouring the corpses.
He reached down, grabbing a severed leg, and took a bite as he ran.
’From now on, only two legs. I need to get used to it. I should be just as fast... well, almost as fast.’
While he contemplated the chanics of running upright, the foul winds shifted, blowing ash and dust into his face. Fortunately, he reached the stand of hair just as the windstorm began to rage.
The patch was small, about ten feet wide, but the flesh beneath was deeply pitted and scabbed, letting him slip into a hollow, sheltered from the worst of the storm. He settled into a shallow puddle of grease, pulling the hairs closer around him for extra cover.
"Display."
The familiar red panel appeared, cluttered with notifications. He scrolled upward, finding the ssage about the blood bead, and pressed it.
[System // Notification]
[!! WARNING !! // User has consud Unknown Resource]
[!! Foreign Soul Detected // Attempting Quarantine..... FAILED !!]
[!! Soul Integrity Compromised !!]
[!! Corruption Imminent !!]
[!! WARNING !!]
[!! External Energy Source Detected !! // Origin Unknown... Foreign Soul Eradicated]
[Soul Integrity Stabilized]
[Integration of Unknown Resource // SUCCESSFUL]
[Bloodline Refinent // COMPLETE]
[Bloodline Status // Enhanced // Full Effects Unknown]
[Soul Integrity Stabilized // 32% → 50%]
[New Racial Ability // ??????? // LOCKED]
[Racial Ability Upgrade // Minor Shifting // Rank X Unstable → Minor Shifting // Rank F]
[Latent Mutation Triggered // Effect Unknown]
[Evolutionary Requirent // Soul Integrity > 49% // COMPLETE]
[Final Evolution Requirent // UNLOCKED]
That last line felt like a stab straight to his eye.
He wished he’d seen that before. Before he’d taken those cursed cleavers from Charon, but it was too late now. Having sacrificed 5% of his soul integrity, the requirent locked again before he could see it.
"A foreign soul? What does that an?"
[Unknown Resource contained dormant soul fragnt. It attempted to override User’s consciousness. If successful, User’s soul would have been erased. Death.]
Cold sweat broke across his back. He’d seen how close he’d co from the notifications. But luckily, sothing had stepped in.
Still chewing on the toes of his snack, he frowned.
"What saved ?"
The system didn’t answer right away. For once, the silence made him nervous.
Finally, it responded.
[User recieved help from entity known as Charon.]
The revelation only deepened the knot twisting in his gut. That damn boatman saved his life, saved him from starving. Gave him a way out and even gave him weapons.
He could maybe balance out the cleavers trying to kill him... but even counting that, Charon still ca out ahead. It still left three favors. Three debts.
Grimacing, the imp decided that was a future problem.
For now, he focused back on the panel, ignoring the blurred-out new racial ability for the mont. Instead, he tapped his claw against the Minor Shifting ability.
[Racial Ability // Minor Shifting]
[Type // Passive / Active Hybrid]
[Category // Mutation]
[Sub-Category // Physical Form Encoding]
[Rank // F]
[Description]
[Ability to absorb and permanently store biological mutations from consud enemies.]
[Slots Available // 1/1]
[Cooldown // None]
[Cost // None]
[F Rank // Stable Form Initiated]
[Mutation Slots // 1]
[Absorbable Traits]
[Basic physical structures only // Claw shape // Bone plates // Basic muscle fibers]
[Absorption Source]
[Must kill and consu vital organ from a creature with no System barrier.]
[Physical Mutations // UNLOCKED]
[Mutation Abilities // LOCKED]
[Note]
[User may experience partial rejection symptoms during early activations.]
His imdiate impression of the ability was huge, only for it to crash when he saw his only available slot was already filled.
Confused, he twisted around, trying to spot any changes. Nothing obvious.
[User is unable to see Mutation due to its location. Two new growths now protrude along the upper spine.]
Another panel blinked into view.
[Physical Mutations]
[Slot 1 // Twinback Growth]
[Description]
[Two nubs ford along the upper spine // Mutation cannot be classified by System.]
[Phase 1 // Dormant]
Stretching, he reached over his shoulder. His eyes went wide when his claw scraped across sothing hard and rough, almost circular, about two inches across.
"Let guess. You have no idea what this is going to grow into?"
[User is correct. Increase in basic intelligence noted.]
He growled low, but left it. No point arguing with a wall.
Swiping through the panels, reading, fighting with the system’s voice now and then, but he finally pieced it all together. Everything he’d gained.
And it was imnse.
All he had to do now was Accept. The final tab pulsed in his view, almost begging for it.
Smiling, he stabbed his claw into the screen.
A baleful red light pulsed from inside the patch of hair, hidden beneath the howling storm. In front of the imp, a glowing notification began to list everything, starting from his level up rewards he’d received from earlier.
He hadn’t even noticed he was getting stronger while he fought.
[System // Notification]
[Level Up // x3]
[Level 2 → 5 // STR 5 → 7 / VIT 3 → 4 / AGI 4 → 6 / INT 2 → 3 / FLH 1 → 3 / WIL 0 → 3 / AP 9]
[Soulmass Pool // 10 → 13]
He hadn’t felt it when he was cleaving through his own kind, even ignored the glowing tabs in his view, but his strength had surged. His heart hamred as he looked at his new stats, even his mind felt clearer, like a cold wind had blown the dust away.
The natural stat gains were incredible, but they were nothing compared to the nine free points now burning a hole in his hands. Nine AP. Almost made the mory of the blood and agony taste sweet.
Along with the larger Soulmass, he was starting to feel like he truly was the luckiest demon in the entire Maw.
And it only got better. The level up rewards.
[New Passive Skill Reward // Demonic Will]
[UI Unlock // Health Bar]
Demonic Will.
Just reading the na gave him chills. He already knew the basics, he hadn’t liked the activation thod when he first skimd it, but the effects? Passive healing and pain suppression. In Hell, that was as good as fresh air.
[Skill Profile // Demonic Will]
[Type // Passive]
[Category // Pain Resistance]
[Sub-Category // Regeneration]
[Rank // F]
[Description]
[User’s body adapts to violence through numbness and self-repair // Reduces pain and accelerates recovery with each consecutive hit.]
[Cost // Passive upkeep tied to Soulmass Pool // Requires 50% or higher Soulmass to remain active]
[Effect]
[First attack triggers full pain and no regeneration bonus.]
[Pain Reduction // 5% per hit received]
[Passive Regeneration // 1%/5sec per hit received]
[Maximum Stacks // 5]
[Cooldown // None]
[Ti Active // Continuous while Soulmass Pool ≥ 50%]
[Note]
[All stacks lost imdiately upon receiving external healing.]
[Flavor Text]
[The flesh rembers, the body obeys. Pain is not a warning. Only fuel.]
Beautiful. Breathtaking. Growth was music. And this song was just getting started.
The final string of notifications sealed it.
[UI Unlock // Map]
[New Curse Reward // Hellfire]
[System Host Flag Upgrade // Anomalous Host Detected → Unrecognized]
Hellfire.
His first Curse.
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