20 Chapter 20: A True Monster (3)
After dragging what remained of the Claw Bear back to his temporary base, he used a bit of ice magic to freeze a section of the inside, thus preserving the corpse for a while. Though he had some dried meat kept within his traveling bag, it wouldn't last him forever, which meant that he'd have to eat something else, and that 'something' would no doubt be the monsters dwelling in the abyss.
As such, he was currently scouring the labyrinth, searching for the 'Divinity Stone' hidden somewhere on this floor. They were extremely rare items considered to be one of the greatest historical treasures throughout the world. Moreover, they naturally formed when large clumps of mana pooled together and crystallized over the span of a 1,000 years.
Due to that, the saturated mana is liquified, eventually secreted as a potent healing elixir called 'Ambrosia'.
With his prior knowledge of the world, Aziel knew all too well that monster meat was immensely poisonous to humans, regardless of whether they were consumed raw or cooked. The result of doing so would trigger a rapid deconstruction-reconstruction of the body on a cellular level, receiving trauma beyond what the human body could handle on its own.
There were people who tried to eat monster meat in the past, and they had all died without exception. Unless one could regenerate or heal on the same level, they stood no chance of surviving.
And so, for the last few hours, Aziel transmuted through various walls and crevices, avoiding the monsters prowling the abyss. At present, he was back at the location where he fought the Claw Bear, harboring the belief that it was likely contained in that general area.
Placing his hand on the wall in front of him, his black and white mana briefly shone through, opening up a wide depression. Although there was nothing behind it but more rock and stone, he continued moving deeper into the opening, intuitively feeling the correct course of action.
A few minutes passed, but he didn't quit, persistently transmuting the enclosure surrounding him, until eventually, his hand came in contact with something cold and slippery. Its texture was that of a stone, yet he knew instantly what it was.
Without hesitation, he steadily removed the rock encasing it, finally arriving at the source.
'Damn, I must be a genius…'
What lay in front of him was a basketball sized crystal that emitted a pale blue light, buried into the wall around it. Its appearance was mystical, wreathed in an aura of wondrous beauty. Clear liquid slowly secreted from it, sliding the wall as it formed a small puddle beneath it, prompting Aziel to carve out a makeshift container.
After all, this wasn't any ordinary liquid, it was capable of healing all wounds. Although it couldn't regrow missing limbs, it could sustain one's life as long as they continued to drink it—often referred to as the 'Elixir of life'.
This very crystal was what was required to survive through the rapid cellular regrowth of eating monster meat, though one would be forced to deal with the tremendous pain all on their own.
Exiting the cavity, Aziel closed it back up, only leaving a small gap in the wall.
He arrived back at his temporary base of operations within the span of a few dozen minutes, setting down the container which held the Divinity Stone on a large dugout in the ground. He propped it up on a pillar, allowing the ambrosia to fill up the aperture below.
The pale blue crystal also served as a light source, illuminating the pitch-black darkness around it.
By this time, Aziel had already butchered the Claw Bear's corpse, bleeding it out before skinning it carefully. Left with the extremely tough and stringy meat, he chopped it up into thin slices, his 'Cooking Proficiency' skill finally showed some use. Despite the highly resistant flesh, he had no problem cutting through it, completely ignoring its defenses.
After searing the meat on heated coal-like ore he recently synthesized, he seasoned it with the spices he packed in his bag beforehand and prepared to dine on this rather unorthodox meal.
"I tried…I really did, but this shit still smells disgusting…"
Despite his preparations, the aroma wafting from it was anything but pleasant. Still, it didn't deter him from eating it, puncturing the meat with an exquisitely crafted fork and knife as he sliced off a piece. A canister filled with Ambrosia sat at his side, arranged for quick consumption.
Releasing a tired sigh, he inserted the fork into his mouth, gracing his taste buds with absolute garbage. While he had indeed seasoned it, the only effect it had was, in his words, adding a bit more flavor to a pile of dogshit.
He chewed expressionlessly, the familiarity in his actions evident. He was far past the point of crying over an unappetizing meal, though he still couldn't say he'd eaten worse.
'Just chew and swallow…'
And he did exactly that, scarfing down pieces of cooked meat one after another, followed by a few swigs of ambrosia. This cycle continued on for minutes, even if he wasn't hungry, he persisted until he was finished with the entire Claw Bear.
Guzzling multiple canisters of ambrosia, he leaned back against a wall, waiting for the monster meat to take effect. He'd done all he could, so he could only await the result of his actions.
However, he didn't have to wait long as his heart suddenly throbbed violently, feeling as though it would leap out his throat. It pulsed with enough force to resound from outside his body, prompting him to hunch over, gipping his chest.
Surprisingly, it wasn't out of pain, but the feeling of something crawling throughout his insides. All of his senses tingled intensely, accompanied by an occasional burning sensation. Vision blurring, he felt intoxicating, watching the room spin and twist around him.
Overwhelmed by confusion, only one word came to mind amidst the spiraling array of sensations—
'Apex Constitution'
The skill that made his physical makeup second to none, enhancing him to untold levels. Monster meat was said to be fatally poisonous to humans, but what if he wasn't anything close to a human from the beginning.
As that thought crossed his mind, his vision gradually cleared, experiencing firsthand the ongoing cellular deconstruction and regrowth, yet it felt millions of bugs crawling beneath his skin.
He fumbled around, grabbing a canister of ambrosia and gulped it down, attempting to relieve the itch spreading throughout. Though the absence of pain was mildly shocking, it didn't change what needed to be done.
Closing his eyes, he focused internally, ignoring the acute throbbing of his heart and honed in on the severe itching. Unseen to him, the original cells were sublimating, filtering the invading monster cells and devouring them. Everything useful to him was automatically absorbed, destroying anything unessential.
This was the true strength of his Apex Constitution, reaping the major benefits while suppressing any unknown mutations. His body rapidly evolved at a smooth rate, breaking down and healing without damage. Due to that, no changes were made to his already perfect physical appearance, his hair remaining the same without the addition of immense pain.
Aziel's eyes suddenly snapped open, feeling extreme hunger overtake him. Swiftly looking around for something to eat, he realized the Claw Bear had been completely consumed by him.
However, he eventually caught sight of the remaining bones strewn across the ground. Hastily crawling over, he took them within his grasp before snapping them open and sucking the bone marrow from each one.
After a few minutes, he just barely managed to sait his appetite, finally feeling the end result of the evolution as the prior effects subsided. His eyes widened slightly, explosive strength coursed through him, all five senses were far sharper, enhanced to immense levels.
If he were to compare what he previously boasted to black and white resolution, now it felt like HD resolution on top of color vision. Everything was much clearer now, incomparable to before. His body felt much lighter.
Not only that, he felt as though he had eyes on all sides of his head, seeing in a full 360 degrees. His speed of thought and information processing met a drastic increase, granting him a completely clear and comprehensive mind.
The evolution enhanced his physical aspects as well as mental.
Clenching and unclenching his fists, he glanced toward the pool of ambrosia beside him, noticing his reflection. He remained unchanged, his usual eye and hair color persisted alongside his significant height, though his physique had become even more sculpted.
'You're joking…'
Still, as if to spite him, he watched his fingernails slowly transform, replacing their initial color with jet black. His eyes twitched, inwardly cringing at the sight.
'You had to get me with something, huh…'
It wasn't life changing as much as it was a nuisance, since he was fully capable of covering them with gloves. While it had indeed annoyed him, he decided to put that off for later, gazing back at his reflection before activating a skill.
'Analyze'
{}——————{}
Name: • Aziel Nox •
Age: • 18 •
Gender: • Male •
Race: • Doom Primordial •
Estimated Alignment: • Neutral Evil •
Level: 7
Job: World Nemesis
Strength: 1445
Vitality: 1205
Defense: 1140
Agility: 1410
Magic: 1395
Magic Defense: 1395
—————
Skills: • Rule Divergence • Natural Alpha • Mana Manipulation—[+Mana Discharge]—[+Mana Compression]—[+Remote Manipulation]—[+Mana Emission]—[+Ether Absorption]—[+Increased Efficiency] • Gale Claw—[+Triple Gale Claws]—[+Flying Gale Caws] • Magic Proficiency—[+Spell Control]—[+Remote Spell Control]—[+Multi-Spell Casting] • Ethereal Constitution—[+Immense Body]—[+Peerless Mind]—[+Gargantuan Presence] • Scavenger—[+Healing Digestion]—[+Self Sustenance] • ...…[EXPAND]
—————
Current Condition: Perfect
—————
Threat Level: Dangerous
—————
Potential: Limitless
—————
Overall: Potential World Threat
{}——————{}
As expected, his stats had risen astronomically, leaping by a staggering margin. He had also acquired 7 new skills, 6 if you didn't count 'Ethereal Constitution', which evolved alongside his body due to the Derivative skill: 'Ability Transcendence'.
Even then, his level had only risen to 7. As a person's level represented the total potential they had reached, it seemed that Aziel's growth limits had increased as well. By now, none of the creatures on this floor, or even within the lower floors, were worth less than fodder to him.
'Rule Divergence. I'm directly bypassing this world's pre-established rules.'
The skill 'Rule Divergence' functioned like an immunity to the restrictions of Tortus, granting him the ability to leave behind the mechanics that shackled him. As such, skills that couldn't originally be acquired were now within his reach, possibly even creating new skills that suited his achievements.
His potential was quite literally 'Limitless'.
There was also the 'Mana Manipulation' skill.
He had gained the power to directly control mana.
Upon focusing on that unfamiliar sensation, he could feel it rushing into his hand, gradually emitting a beautiful mist that consisted of various colors but was primarily black. Swirls of purple, blue, and pink could be seen, alongside speckles of white that resemble stars in the night sky.
The color of his mana, it was enigmatic and otherworldly, akin to holding a galaxy in the palm of his hand.
There was still a lot to examine, and he would make sure to cover all of it without fail. After all, he couldn't have secrets dwelling within his own body that he wasn't aware of.
It was time to complete his routine training. There was no point in having new skills if he couldn't use them properly, thus, he would continue his pursuit of excellence and perfection.
'Would've been 10x better if you didn't fuck me over with black nails…'
********
After exiting his base, Aziel spent hours traveling throughout the entire floor, no longer cautious of the creatures hidden within the darkness. He eventually entered a tunnel-like cavern that stretched on for hours, leading into a large opening.
The sound of running water could be heard. There was no other living being in sight, with the exception of a sole figure. It was one of the main reasons he'd followed the summoned hero's schedule to the labyrinth; to experiment with a concept he wasn't sure existed in this world.
Gazing at the figure lying unconscious within a pool of water, he realized now that this world wasn't dictated by any kind of fate or destiny.
There were no certainties, just like he'd expected.
