Chapter 104: Traits of the Body of Ten Thousand Spirits from the Underworld
Kaito checked the Singularities he currently possessed: one A-rank, one B-rank, and one C-rank.
Considering that the A-rank Singularity had been generated by the near-total annihilation of a well-known team, and that the Reincarnator who had used the Hadoken was clearly a powerhouse, he knew that A-rank Singularities were exceptionally rare.
This meant the price for either [Refinement] or [Enlightenment] for his new constitution was terrifyingly high. As far as he knew, to wash away the [Weakness to Light] from a common demon lineage, even with the worst luck, would only cost about 4 C-rank Singularities. This meant that 1 B-rank Singularity was already almost equivalent to the price of removing a fatal flaw and slightly weakening the lineage's power.
And yet, his special constitution cost 1 B-rank Singularity for a single attempt at an unknown result. This lineage was an unimaginable money sink.
Of course, the Nexus was fair. A high price inevitably meant a high effect. This constitution, which even the Goddess called "valuable," must have a powerful, hidden potential.
"One refinement."
The Goddess's eyes curved into crescent moons. She felt that this stingy, sharp-tongued Reincarnator had never looked so pleasant. She pointed a giant finger. Kaito's body involuntarily floated into the air. The next moment, a purple-gold light was extracted from his body. The Goddess opened her mouth, and the light vanished into it.
[You have lost 1 B-rank Singularity.]
The Goddess had an expression of pure satisfaction. Even in the talent-rich East Sector, a tribute of this level was exceedingly rare. She then looked at him, her eyes glowing, and Kaito instantly felt his blood begin to boil. It wasn't an illusion. A terrifying heat was truly rising from within his body. The smell of blood began to seep from his pores.
This was followed by an immense, agonizing pain—the feeling of his entire body being ironed from the inside out. The pain instantly caused Kaito's eyes to turn white as his muscles swelled. He instinctively activated his talent to mitigate the pain, but this only made his blood flow faster, evaporating even more rapidly.
A blood-red steam began to pour from his body. Finally, after waves of black smoke and a thick, grimy filth were expelled, the dark, bulging veins on his skin began to fade. His body had lost so much blood that his Hamon breathing technique automatically failed.
The Goddess watched this with a smile. She raised her right hand, and Kaito felt a limitless, pure life force drill into his body, replenishing what he had lost.
[You have undergone one Bloodline Refinement. Effect: Excellent.]
[Bloodline Erosion effect has been weakened.]
[You have perceived a trace of the mystery hidden within your bloodline. Driven by this power, you can now partially awaken the true power of the Body of Ten Thousand Spirits from the Underworld.]
In Kaito's white eyes, he once again saw the white void, the River of the Underworld, and the 33,000 spirits wandering within it. A strange sensation arose in him, as if a new, hidden organ had grown inside him. He felt he could control that "organ," just as he controlled his hands and feet, only it was far more clumsy.
He held out his hand, trying to touch that feeling.
Black tattoos spread out from his chest, instantly forming a massive, complex pattern across his skin. The same curse-mark-like lines appeared on his cheeks.
VMMMM!
A powerful wave of energy exploded from Kaito's body.
The Goddess watched with interest. She let go, but Kaito didn't fall. Instead, he raised his hands, slowly drawing them to his waist. A powerful, dark wave of energy swirled and rotated, coalescing into a jet-black sphere.
Kaito took a step, floating in the air, and threw a punch that seemed to carry the weight of his entire body.
SHREEE!
The sphere of energy spun violently, letting out a terrifying shriek as it tore through the air, like a wave-motion cannon firing.
BOOM!
The black Hadoken shot out, parting the white clouds of the Goddess's domain, and vanished into the unknown.
"That imitation [Hadoken] of yours," the Goddess said calmly, "flew 2,300 meters and had the power of a [Strong-Low] tier's full-power strike."
Kaito landed on the ground. The black markings had already receded back into his chest, but he had now awakened this power. In future battles, he would no longer be a purely close-quarters fighter. He could even, at the right moment, simulate energy-projection techniques.
However… the consumption of this ability was not something he could reasonably control. He could feel that the energy intensity of that single blow was far beyond what his previous 7 points in Energy could have produced. This meant that his current [Energy: ?] stat was at a level far higher than he'd imagined. He felt like a man trying to move a mountain; he could only jiggle it, but even that jiggle unleashed immense power.
The bloodline erosion had cost him a total of 8 attribute points, but what he had gained in return was a pool of energy so vast it was beyond comprehension. He just couldn't control it very well yet. And this was just the unawakened state of his new body.
Just like the chosen ones in various novels, once their "Sacred Body" reached great completion, they could suppress all others. This constitution of his, which the Nexus had classified as both [Mythical] and [Myriad], was surely an S+ tier bloodline of that same, ultimate caliber.
At this thought, even Kaito felt a surge of heat in his chest—a longing for that unseen, ultimate power.
He looked at his A-rank Singularity, preparing to break it down into three B-rank ones, to refine his bloodline several more times and see if he could get lucky and awaken it.
But the Goddess, seeing his greed, simply tapped him. Kaito's pupils dilated. He felt as if every blood vessel in his body had just exploded. A second later, the feeling was gone.
"A bloodline [Refinement] is something that even a Dragon-lineage body must wait a full cycle to endure. As much as I want your tribute, I can't have my little worker bee dying so early."
This giant Goddess, comparing herself to a Queen Bee and him to a worker bee, only further convinced Kaito that she was not just a simple program.
"Then I choose [Enlightenment]," Kaito said. He would not let his treasure remain buried. If he had the resources, he would dig out every last bit of his potential.
The Goddess nodded, pleased. Her left hand suddenly shot out and grabbed him. She was so fast that Kaito didn't even perceive the movement. It was like a skipped frame in an animation. One moment she was nodding, the next, he was in her grasp. A different power surged into his body.
[You have lost 1 B-rank Singularity.]
The purple light faded, but an even greater light was gathering within Kaito. For an instant, he felt as if a million insects were crawling inside him, and then they were gone. He knew these strange sensations were all related to his special constitution.
[You have undergone one Bloodline Enlightenment. Effect: Perfect.]
[You have acquired the trait: Spirit Art Affinity.]
[You have acquired the trait: Death-Taint of the Myriad Gods (Exceedingly Rare)]
[Spirit Art Affinity: You are exceptionally sensitive to soul-based power. You possess the aptitude to learn all soul-related energy systems (Spirit, Cursed Energy, Spiritual Power, etc.). Your learning speed for these abilities is increased by 30%.]
[Death-Taint of the Myriad Gods (Exceedingly Rare): Your bloodline contains the power of the Underworld. Every attack you make now has a small chance to inflict an [Instant Death] check on the target. Any target with an insufficient will to live will be swallowed by the UnderView of the Underworld. This trait can trigger multiple times on the same target.]
"Hoh. You've hit the jackpot, kid."
The Goddess could see all of a Reincarnator's information. At this moment, Kaito was radiating an aura of exceptional talent. The true face of his special constitution was already beginning to show, and this was after only one Refinement and one Enlightenment.
This guy… his [Luck] is surprisingly high.
Kaito looked at his own fists. He now possessed an ability that many high-level Reincarnators would kill for.
[Instant Death].
It was exactly what it sounded like: an ability that, once the check was passed, would kill the target instantly. It didn't matter how durable, how strong, or how fast you were. Once it hit, you were dead. The [Death Note], or Ainz Ooal Gown's [The Goal of All Life is Death]—they were all different forms of this same, ultimate power. And now, Kaito possessed a [Trait] that could achieve it.
He looked at his remaining 2 C-rank Singularities (having broken his last B-rank). Since he couldn't use them for his constitution, he didn't spend them. He knew that he was now, finally, extremely close to being able to learn the scroll that had been sitting in his inventory for so long. To spend his Singularities on C+ abilities like Hamon or Devil Lance now would be a complete waste.
As the Goddess watched with a hint of regret, Kaito quickly left and hurried to the [Training Hall]. He initiated the武道 (Martial Arts) training.
[Ability Scroll: Dodon Ray (A+)]
[Quality: Purple (Exceedingly Rare)]
[Description: A special martial arts ability from the world of Dragon Ball. It gathers a powerful concentration of ki at the user's fingertip, possessing astonishing destructive power.]
[Requirements: Martial Arts Aptitude > Lv4; Must be able to sense ki; Energy > 15.]
Kaito tried to crush the scroll. It didn't react.
[You are attempting to use the Ability Scroll: Dodon Ray. Checking qualifications…]
[Judgment: FAILED.]
[Reason: Martial Arts Aptitude level insufficient.]
Kaito just smiled. As he'd thought. His hidden Energy attribute was already higher than 15. The only thing standing between him and this A+ ability from the Dragon Ball world was his Martial Arts Aptitude level.
With his [Mercenary Tao's Pink Robe] equipped, his Aptitude was Lv4. He was only one level short.
~~~
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