The demons and I stared at each other for a few moments.
I was sure they could speak.
In fact, they were always really talkative.
And yet, not a single one of them said a word.
Instead, they began channeling their Gifts.
All of a sudden, I found myself surrounded in dark fog.
It was similar to that time I fought the five barons.
Just this time, there was a faint crimson hue in the fog.
This was not Shadow Manipulation anymore.
It was Darkness Manipulation.
So before I could even completely react, a sharp claw brushed past my chest.
A massive gash opened up, and without any downtime, another attack came my way.
This was the problem with Darkness Manipulation.
It consumed a lot of energy to use the domain ability, but there were no actual limits.
The only thing that came close to a limit was the fact that they were forced to only target vitals.
So I could predict their attacks a little, but that did not make the whole Gift less troublesome.
Especially since there was not only one demon with the Darkness Manipulation Gift.
However, I was also a little different.
I would dodge this in the past.
But now, a thought was all it took to summon a lightning storm around me.
All the demons around me were hit.
The domain was instantly dispelled, and I once again saw the white room.
Just this time, every single demon began to move toward me in unison.
I steadied myself and decided to pick off the weaker demons too.
In the blink of an eye, I located every single demonic core.
Then, I focused on the cores I could destroy.
The Baron ranked demons disintegrated instantly.
And then, by slightly pushing myself, I was able to destroy the cores of the Viscount ranked demons too.
Even I was surprised by how much my limit had increased.
But regardless of that, with hundreds of demons dead in an instant, there were ten demons left that were more powerful than the one hundred combined.
So with a wary look, I took a few steps back.
Just then, the demons created yet another domain.
I immediately countered with another lightning storm.
But for some reason, I was not able to break their Gift this time.
I did not even come close.
A claw pierced me straight through the chest.
The attack bounced off my heart since my Blessed Set's effect triggered.
I groaned in pain and grabbed the head of the demon and tried to inject lightning into it to destroy its core.
But instead, the demon just kicked me away in time for one of the other Earl ranked demons to go ahead and pierce me through a vital.
Within ten seconds, my Blessed Set blocked six vital attacks.
Just then, one of my stray arcs of lightning pierced straight through one of the Earl ranked demons.
Coincidentally, the lightning went straight through its core, killing it instantly.
I was surprised that it had died.
I mean... I played the game enough to know Earl ranked demons were no joke.
But the only explanation I could come up with was that something was wrong with their head.
Why else would they be down here?
The back and forth continued for a couple more minutes until eventually, my armor blocked one last attack before suddenly shattering.
I was not protected anymore.
And only now did I manage to kill another demon with a lightning attack.
But before I could kill another, I halted, feeling a sharp pain in my chest.
As I glanced down, I saw a black claw piercing me straight through the heart.
I could not breathe.
And yet, the demons were not done as the remaining eight surrounded me, and despite me pushing them away with Telekinesis, they stabbed my chest from every side.
My consciousness began to slowly fade, and that was when the demons finally backed off.
It was like they were never here.
But my injuries were way too severe.
The pain was close to unbearable too.
So as I dragged my body across the ground, my arms eventually went limp.
And with that, my vision faded.
I was not sure how long had passed.
Was I dead?
...Again?
I overestimated myself.
Honestly...
It was stupid to think I could kill ten demons that were double my Grade.
So what now?
Do I go back to my body in my old world?
Will I get a game over message?
Haha.
This is the last time I am following the game's plot.
I soon felt my body again.
Not only that, I felt that familiar black liquid entering my bicep.
Just this time, it was different.
The amount was different.
They usually gave me syringe-sized doses.
But this was like a whole liter.
So I quickly reacted.
I formed a wall around my brain with Telekinesis and began redirecting the liquid throughout my body.
There was no poison this time, and this was by far the purest dose I had ever taken.
It nourished my body way better than the others too.
For a moment, it nearly made me relax on the barrier I had made, but I quickly snapped out of it and saw the whole process through.
The liquid wrapped itself around my organs, and after I carefully made sure it would not damage anything, I let it set.
It strengthened my organs and improved my blood flow once again, but it also significantly strengthened my bones.
As I thought that was all, I suddenly felt a change inside my heart.
My energy grew denser, but the amount seemed to decrease slightly.
It was a strange sensation.
Within just a few hours, my energy was at least three times denser, whereas my energy capacity seemed to be half of what it was before.
But even if it decreased, I felt much more powerful.
Soon enough, the liquid settled with the rest of my body, and after just what felt like another couple of hours, I finally opened my eyes.
I was in my personal room, laying on my bed.
Yet I was not alone as I spotted William solving a Rubik's cube by my table.
But he abruptly stopped when he realized I was awake.
"Oh! Amon, how do you feel? Tell me everything. Do you feel more powerful? Did you unlock any new Gifts? Did any of your Gifts mutate, or maybe..."
"You're too loud. Can you be quiet...?"
To my surprise, he actually stopped speaking.
When I met his eyes, he looked back at me in shock.
He pointed at his throat, then at my mouth and began trying to laugh.
Did I just somehow shut him up with my energy?
...Did my Dragon Heart reach Intermediate rank?
•—Amon Everness—•
Level 197 → 277 [High-Grade 19 → High-Grade 27]
▷Stats
[Strength 198 → 289]
[Stamina 232 → 300]
[Speed 189 → 255]
[Perception 168 → 239]
[Vitality 200 → 300]
▷Inherent Gift
★Telekinesis [Advanced] (Lv.32 → Lv.36)
★Lightning Manipulation [Intermediate] (Lv.78 → Lv.99)
▷Special Abilities
★Blood-Sight (Lv.31 → Lv.34)
★Demonic Energy Resistance (Lv.29 → Lv.40)
★Lightning Resistance (Lv.7 → Lv.10)
▷General Abilities
☆Sprint (Lv.32)
☆Pain Tolerance (Lv.65 → Lv.70)
☆First Aid (Lv.12)
☆Mental Resistance (Lv. MAX)
▷Core Traits
◆(NEW) The Demon King of Wrath's Blood [Beginner] (Lv.1)
◆Dragon Heart [Beginner → Intermediate] (Lv.1)
•——•
"...?
Let alone my Dragon Heart reaching Intermediate rank and the massive jump in Grade and stats... I got a new core trait?
The Demon King of Wrath's Blood?
What?