A faint yellow pus and a thick, dark green liquid splattered.
The foul-smelling mixture slid from the corners of Juanlu's mouth.
"Ugh... Hmm..."
Feeling nauseous to the point of retching, Juanlu did his best to swallow.
He had lost his sense of taste, his brain blocking it out.
His eyes were dull and numb, yet they revealed a fierceness.
"Hmm!" An angry snort emanated from his nasal cavity.
He chewed and swallowed, repeating this process.
Before him lay the remaining skeleton of the wild boar monster, its flesh scraped clean.
It hadn't even appeared in the surrounding swamp.
It had vanished into thin air.
Disappeared into Juanlu's stomach.
Without this flesh and blood,
it would be difficult for the wild boar monster to revive. Each resurrection was no longer as perfect as the previous one, lacking in weight and flesh.
The energy from his flesh was rapidly restoring Juanlu's magic and physical strength.
The contrast was the mental torture and the desecration of his taste buds.
Juanlu felt like a scavenger.
He stuffed the last bit of rotten meat into his mouth, swallowed it, and wiped his mouth fiercely.
"Ugh..."
After a few dry heaves, the weapon in his hand ignited with a blazing flame. This time, the flame shot up like a torch, illuminating the entire swamp.
He raised his hands high and smashed them down fiercely.
The pig skeleton, which had struggled to its feet, was shattered once more.
This time, even if the surrounding swamp mud and water gathered, it would be difficult to revive it again.
Only the skeleton remained, the rotting flesh already completely devoured and digested by Juanlu, transforming it into strength.
"Huff...Huff..." Juanlu breathed continuously.
The sound of his breathing was so harsh, even his breaths were tinged with anger.
"Are you angry?"
A tall, sturdy man, over two meters tall and unusually muscular, seemingly covered in fat, appeared before Juanlu.
From his attire, it was clear that he was an instructor.
He looked at Juanlu with a broad smile and asked.
Juanlu simply glared at him fiercely. "I used to respect you, but now I just want to say... you're lucky you can't leave the Trial Hall."
"You even know about the Trial Hall? That big mouth must have told you that. Haha. But how do you feel?"
The burly man laughed, unfazed by Juanlu's harsh words.
"Right now, I just want to use the cleansing water to scoop out my intestines and clean them thoroughly. No, not just my intestines and stomach, but everything."
"Haha, think of something happy? For example, if you successfully passed the challenging trial, achieved your goal, and are about to receive a reward, how about that? Are you happy?" the instructor said with a smile.
He walked over to pat Juanlu on the shoulder, but stopped.
Pinching his nose, he frowned and said, "Oh, you stink!"
"You... humph, whose fault do you think it is?"
This sentence nearly made Juanlu explode with rage, but he stubbornly held it in.
Compared to his previous experiences, this seemed insignificant.
"Oh, don't be so angry. You should feel the changes in your body. Shouldn't you be thanking me?" The instructor patted his fat belly, which rolled like waves. He said puzzledly.
Hearing this, Juanlu sat down on a rotten log nearby.
Looking at the instructor.
"Of course I feel it. I just feel that what I just experienced is not worth it in exchange for something like this. Remember, it is not worth it at all!"
Juanlu said, taking in his surroundings.
"What are you waiting for? Make this hell out of here!"
"Okay, okay, don't be angry, but this place does stink," the instructor said nonchalantly, waving his hand.
The surroundings faded, and they returned to the platform leading to everything.
"Tell me, what's the purpose of that last level?" Juanlu could feel the changes within himself, his once-powerful bloodline being revitalized, but he still didn't understand the purpose of this final level.
The instructor stood by and watched him.
He said, "You have the blood of the Glutton. I don't know why humans have this, but it's there.
And it's already manifested, albeit only slightly. But if you can activate it, it will be of great help to you."
"So that level just now was just to help me activate this bloodline?"
"Of course not only that. Activating your bloodline doesn't have to be that disgusting or difficult. It can be activated with a little difficulty.
But if you want to meet the requirements of the Trial Tower and have them judge you as enterprising and surpassing your former self, then you have to be that disgusting."
Hearing this, Juanlu scratched his head in annoyance. "If 'enterprising' means I'm more tolerant of disgusting foods than before, then I've certainly achieved that."
"You've surpassed more than just these... You'll find out later."
The instructor glanced at him without elaborating.
"What does the Glutton mean? Why do I have his bloodline?" Juanlu asked, puzzled.
"I don't know, because I'm curious too," the instructor said, spreading his hands.
He was indeed curious.
"In my time, the Glutton was a very famous divine monster.
Creatures with his bloodline are mostly monsters and beasts of all kinds, with no record of humans appearing."
Upon hearing this, Juanlu nodded.
He said nothing more.
"Well, you've successfully passed the challenge. Under my guidance, you've met my expectations.
Now, collect your reward. It should be something worthy of you."
Upon hearing this, Juanlu stood up.
A golden light appeared above the space.
A spherical metal object floated down, its surface etched with fine lines.
The emotionless voice rang out again.
"Congratulations, Trialist! Your challenge has reached the point of striving, surpassing your former self. Your performance is highly regarded. Earn your reward."
Juanlu raised his hands slightly, allowing the floating metal sphere to land in his palms.
The sphere landed in Juanlu's palms, then opened like a flower, revealing its contents.
A reddish-orange ball of light, radiating a hungry glow.
"Oh, so it's this thing! You have to thank me." The instructor smiled, looking at it.
"I personally hunted this thing. It's the essence of the first offspring of the Gluttony Demon, an extremely powerful divine beast, almost as powerful as his father."
"What a pity... Unlike his father, his rationality is slightly different. Although this child is powerful, he is also full of madness and savagery. We have to hunt him to prevent him from causing more harm."
The instructor spoke, as if reminiscing.
He also explained the origins of the item to Juanlu, explaining its close connection to him.
"Alright, close the box and find a good spot to open it. This thing won't fit in your little ring. Be careful."
Juanlu nodded, and the metal sheet, cracked like petals, automatically closed again, cradling it in his arms.
"Although this last leg made me incredibly nauseous and uncomfortable, you certainly helped me a lot before this. Thank you."
Juanlu said, looking at the instructor before him.
"Haha, you've got some conscience, but don't thank me. Thank the Aspirant for bringing us together."
"Of course, but don't let me catch you."
"Hahaha, if there's a chance."
The instructor waved at Juanlu, disappearing from the scene.
Juanlu stood there, nodded, and whispered, "Praise the enterprising."
…
When a blue light appeared on the teleportation platform.
Juanlu successfully returned.
The people waiting nearby immediately stood up and gathered around.
Matlisa swam up and checked on Juanlu's condition.
"...Uninjured? And in very good condition, very good. But why is there a foul odor?" Matlisa frowned and waved her nose after checking him.
"Anything else?" Hearing this, Juanlu sniffed carefully inside his body. The stench lingered.
It seemed as if it couldn't be washed away.
On his way out, he had thoroughly rinsed himself in the Trial Tower.
He even rinsed his stomach, but he could still smell that phantom odor.
"No smell?" Jason and Simon sniffed nearby but didn't detect any.
"I just felt it inside you while checking. Don't worry if there's nothing outside," Matlisa said.
Juanlu finally felt relieved.
"Did you succeed?" Jason asked curiously.
Juanlu nodded.
Then he turned to Matlisa and asked, "How was your instructor? I mean, was he a bad person?"
"He was fine. A very nice person." Matlisa, though curious about Juanlu's question, recalled it.
"Really? That's good.
The challenge is very difficult, but at this stage, you can succeed if you work hard."
Hearing Juanlu's words, Matlisa nodded, her nervousness slightly eased, and she slowly made her way to the teleportation platform.
He repeated Juanlu's previous move, placed his right hand on the red stone, and disappeared.
After watching Mathilda leave, everyone turned to look at Juanlu.
"How was this challenge? How did it feel?"
Hearing this, Juanlu sighed and sat down on a nearby rubble.
He recalled his own challenge.
Everyone could tell by Juanlu's state that his past wasn't proportional to his current state; he was feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
He placed the iron ball at his feet, patted it, and said, "This is the reward. As for my experience... it was very uncomfortable. I might not even feel like eating for a while."
He glanced at his hands and said, "Maybe I'll even lose the ability to cook for a while."
Matilda had just checked him out and found nothing wrong with his body or mind, but Juanlu said this again.
Then it must be a psychological issue.
Thinking this way, no one said much, merely nodding and encouragingly looking at each other.
It seems this challenge isn't just about one's own strength.
"If you want to hear it, I don't suggest repeating it."
"Before reaching the level of equal strength, as long as you're diligent enough and pay a small price, you can pass the levels.
But the final level, where you're equal, becomes instantly more difficult, presenting me with a scenario I least want to face or fight.
The method I use to pass it is also unacceptable to me; it's the ultimate torture."
Hearing this, Simon frowned and scratched his chin.
He knew he shouldn't ask what this torture was, but he couldn't help his curiosity.
He could only endure the discomfort.
However, Juanlu wasn't about to skip over it.
He directly described the scene. "..."
After he finished, everyone fell silent. The look they gave Juanlu wasn't just sympathy and comfort, but also the look of a warrior.
"Oh my god... If it were me, I'd definitely fail," Lucilia couldn't help but exclaim.
She definitely couldn't do it; she'd rather fail.
Then everyone quickly passed over the incident, no longer discussing it.
They had already raised the difficulty of the challenge mode.
This wasn't just a test of strength.
If they couldn't accept it, then Juanlu would definitely be even more unacceptable.
Juanlu was a skilled cook, and the food he'd eat was usually carefully prepared by him.
Asking a chef to eat that would be torture, what else could it be?
The others, on the other hand, also put themselves in the same position.
If they were to participate in the challenge mode...
What would they face in the end?
It was the scene they least wanted to face, the scene they least wanted to contemplate.
It was chilling just thinking about it.
Perhaps even they themselves didn't know.
Alka fixed his gaze on the round metal ball Juanlu had received after winning the challenge.
"So what kind of treasure is this?"
It was clear he hadn't yet mastered this state, and it looked truly ordinary.
Hearing this, Juanlu picked up the ball at his feet, shook his head, and said, "It's not a treasure, it's a container."
"Not a treasure?" Alka was puzzled.
If the reward for completing the challenge wasn't a treasure, then what was it?
"What's inside... well, I can't quite put it into words."
He thought for a moment and recounted his conversation with the instructor and the situation at the time.
After listening to his story, Alka frowned, his chin resting on his hands as he pondered.
"I think I have an idea that might explain why you have the blood of the glutton."
Everyone turned their heads at this.
"I don't know if I've ever told you, but when I gained Mirmi's memories, besides the formula for godhood, there was also a very interesting piece of information."
Alka had discussed the formula for godhood with everyone before, but they didn't have much of a clue.
Everyone was very weak.
He didn't know if he'd ever mentioned this information.
"Treasures are part of the gods."
"And the gluttons are called divine beasts. Doesn't that mean they actually share some of the qualities of the gods?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. This line of thinking was indeed logical. "Think back to the mural in the city-state of Vastva. The monster slain by the king named Vastva. Could it be that it was also a powerful divine monster?"
"A portion of the monster's divine essence was reshaped by the gods into a treasure."
"Huanlu also said that his family once controlled a treasure for a long time, endowing their descendants with certain characteristics.
Could it be that the treasure was the one that the Gluttonous Demon gained after his death?"
A treasure transformed from a portion of divine power?"
He then pointed at the iron ball in Juanlu's hand and said, "The essence inside is the main component of a treasure. Can it be used to forge a new treasure?"
After all, the information on the light spot on the map clearly stated that what was obtained should be a treasure.
There was no reason it couldn't be that kind of thing.
Hearing this, Juanlu immediately opened the iron ball in his hand.
"Hey! Wait, let's go back and fight..."
Simon was a step behind, and Juanlu immediately opened the iron ball.
"It's okay, he won't float away. "Huanlu said, looking at the opened iron ball and the divine aura within it.
However, the opposite happened.
The orange ball of light suddenly began to absorb the surrounding magic power, concentrating on it.
This situation was so unexpected that everyone around was at a loss as to what to do.
Watching this, Alka's eyes dimmed, his thoughts completely focused.
He was quickly going through Mirmi's shattered memories, trying to find the reason for this.
Then, the moment he opened his eyes, he shouted, "Quick, throw your bat in."