New Abilities
If there was something Leylin enjoyed more than perpetrating an act of murder, it had to be that of obtaining more power.
And right now, he felt it coursing through his veins. Pulsating with every breath he took.
He could feel his cells silently obeying his commands without the need for the ESP Matrix. Dividing themselves over and over again. Fixing his damaged tissues, mending his fractured bones, restoring the blood he had lost. And they were reformed stronger. Better.
Yet, this went far beyond a mere healing process. Leylin had taken the chance of reforming his body at such an early stage of his cultivation, and even though he had done so at great risk, he had come out on top in the end. The ordinary benefits of ascending to level 3 acolyte had been more than doubled. He had succeeded in not only refining his mind runes but also his physique down to his very DNA.
'Wonderful... The Mankestre Snake's healing factor... As long as I have the necessary Spiritual Force, it will passively activate to heal me. I theorize that I could also use the ESP Matrix to focus my Spiritual Force and trigger a rapid healing buff, allowing me to regrow even a lost limb in a matter of seconds.' -Leylin inferred with a smirk, as he cleaned the dagger with a nearby rag and then put it back in its stand with the other weapons.
'The Hayflick limit should not be a concern either, given how the sparking of my inner life energy is fundamentally a biological hack that nullifies it. When I become a Grand Knight I will be capable of abusing the mitotic regeneration skill, and thus, reach the apex of pseudo-immortality. This power combined with whatever arcane items, spells, and potions I have at my disposal, shall guarantee that my survivability rate goes through the roof.'
[Do you believe you could tank even a Rank 1 spell? With the aid of other means like a magic artifact, of course. I can run the simulations if you want.] -Asked the A.I. with genuine curiosity.
'I wouldn't go that far so as to test that hypothesis of my own volition. Although, chances are we will find out someday. Nevertheless, you go ahead and run every possible scenario your processing capacity can come up with. It never hurts to be prepared for everything.'
Leylin then began to use his signature water/fire basic spell to cleanse his entire body of any grime and dry blood he was smeared with.
[I must say, you have surpassed my expectations yet again. Congratulations are in order. You technically died 13 times in a row... but here you are. Level 3 acolyte AND one-third demon, one-third snake, one-third human. As if that weren't enough, your body has been upgraded to nearly the same level Viscount Jackson had in his prime. It's also worth noting that this is without even practicing his Grand Knight Technique.] -Aralis mentioned with a tinge of awe.
'The concurrent alterations I experienced hurt like a motherfucker, yes. But the profits delivered by my struggle were outstanding... As I'm sure you are aware, I have already modified my DNA before today. In my past life, I had genetically augmented myself on over a hundred occasions. Even when I reincarnated into this idiot's body, I stepped into a new classification of the evolutionary journey by uniting man and machine into one flawless entity.'
Leylin moved his neck around, still enjoying the high the breakthrough had produced in his brain.
'However, all of that pales in comparison to what I felt at the instant of my final resurrection. Cultivating is similar to an extremely addicting drug, and I want even more of it. A lot more. Not just the bliss an advancement carries along with it, but the power as well.'
At that juncture, Leylin unlocked the access to his lab and called with a snap of his fingers to his bodyguards who were standing next to the reinforced steel doors.
"Master." -Both slaves immediately entered the lab and knelt. They did not even dare to look up from the ground since they had caught how their lord wore only a pair of black trousers.
"I have one simple task for you. I want you to fetch all of the maids except for Anna. My hard labor has yielded its fruits, and now it is time to celebrate properly." -Leylin told, as he nonchalantly put on his gray acolyte robes and the rest of his magician gear.
The Knight slaves did not notice at the time, but their Master still had this wicked expression on his face. There was a type of craving within it that seemed to be endless, only for it to subside shortly after.
The bodyguards left to carry out their orders, and Leylin closed the doors behind them.
'I will have to wait for my entourage of hot females to arrive. Meanwhile, give me the full status report of my breakthrough.' -Leylin inwardly told, as he licked his upper lip in anticipation of what was to come.
[Here you go, Doctor.]
//
Dr. Fang Ming (Leylin Farlier's body)
<Power Scaling>
Level 3 acolyte (ADVANCEMENT) || Knight
<Physical Stats>
Strength - 4.10* (upgraded from 3.10)
Agility - 4.82* (upgraded from 3.32)
Vitality - 7.20* (upgraded from 3.28)
*Average Grand Knight values at 5.0
<Mystical Stats>
Spiritual Force - 3/15.02 (upgraded from 7.0)
Mana Energy - 14.89/15.02 (upgraded from 7.0)
<Innate Abilities>
Mitotic Regeneration (Mankestre Snake) || Lesser Dark Absorption (Giant Tree Demon) || Seductive Aura (Green Forest Sprite)
<Perks>
Enhanced Plant & Dark elements affinities (Giant Tree Demon) || Boosted illusion resistance (Green Forest Sprite) || Reptile-class Mysterious Entities of ≤ power are positively biased (Mankestre Snake)
<General Skills>
Cross Blade Technique (master) || Potioneering (master) || Neela's Secret Skill (+AGI -STR) || Various Rank 0 spells
//
Observing the information displayed on his holo screen, Leylin smirked. Most of this stuff he already knew instinctively, but it was still nice to have them listed on his A.I.'s scan.
'Excellent. Now, I just need to test a few things before setting out to plunder Alfonse's base. Thanks to the daily ingestion of my perfected strength potion, overusing the ESP Matrix is no longer a problem, and neither was dying multiple times while breaking through to level 3. My new healing factor took care of that earlier.'
Just then, a knock on the lab's door could be heard, making Leylin shift his attention to the giggling and chatter on the other side.
'However, I am running considerably low on Spiritual Force, and I am not about to wait three hours for it to replenish naturally...'
"Come in." -He said, as he crossed his arms.
Promptly, the squad of tantalizing young maids entered the lab, with the bodyguards closing the doors just as the last of them went inside.
"My Lord? We heard you wanted to... celebrate your success with us." -Cooed a blonde maid, as she began to slide the top of her uniform to reveal part of her milky chest.
"Indeed. Now, undress. Do it fast, no need to play the alluring damsels with me." -Leylin said, this time with a distinct velvety voice that drove the girls mad with lust.
They blushed instantly, their faces turning red and their breathing hastening. The constant dripping of love juices ensued as well.
As they quickly got rid of their clothing to unveil their pristine features of well-rounded asses and bountiful breasts, Leylin seemed to be trying to hold a chuckle.
"Is... something the matter? Are we perhaps not to your liking?" -A brunette with a long braid asked once she had finished her stripping.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's the complete opposite actually." -Leylin claimed with a spirited behavior that deviated from his usual aloofness.
This made the girls sigh in relief and smile with eagerness. They had thought he wasn't all that interested in them given how he exclusively ordered them to service him orally or with their hands.
"Look at you. So young, so beautiful... Not so pure though." -Leylin said, as the last part came out with none of that former gentle tone he had employed so far in this conversation.
It was at that moment that the maids analyzed the new appearance of Leylin. His crimson eyes, his face, even the color of his skin were completely different. He was not what they had known as Leylin Farlier all these months. They nervously eyed each other, not too sure of how to react or if they even should at all. This was their Lord, not their lover.
"Confused, are you? Don't be. Just know that I will duly enjoy taking you for myself." -Leylin paused, as he suddenly extended his left hand toward the girls.
"I do wonder though..." -The sleeve of his robe rolled back, and his fingers turned into black and purple tendrils that immediately shot forward. "What will your souls taste like!"
The dark tendrils caught each and every maid by their throats. They could not break free, only squirm and cry. They did not feel agonizing pain, but the situation was scaring the living hell out of them.
"Alas, I am not a full-blooded demon, so I cannot simply eat you up all at once. It's a bigger shame that my diet can only consist of humans, given how my Dark Absorption skill is quite limited." -Leylin continued to strangle the maids with his tendrils as a grin appeared on his countenance.
"But that doesn't mean I am willing to let go of the opportunity to feed on the souls of others. It's always been a dream of mine, truth be told."
It was with an arcane siphoning of her vitality that the blonde maid was the first to go. Her throat had been pierced by the tendril, and soon, her body was left a stone-like carcass of skin and bone.
Leylin's expression turned cold. "Underwhelming, to say the least. But what else could I hope for when it's just a bunch of mortal whores. Your inferior vital energies are equivalent to the airline peanuts of souls. Anyhow, I guess it would be a waste to just let you go after you've come all this way to die."
Not saying another word and ignoring the cries for help and mercy from the girls, Leylin mentally guided his dark tendrils to feast on their essence.
In seconds, all of the mummified corpses of the maids had been neatly lined next to the doorway, but leaving a small gap so that one could step over them without tripping.
[Spiritual Force levels at 14 points and rising. Even if you didn't like the taste, they fulfilled their purpose, Doctor.]
'I suppose. Would Anna's flavor be more delectable since she's a Magi-bred slave? Be that as it may, I used to frown upon the sour aftertaste of human flesh when I tried cannibalism in my past life, but human souls are definitively an upgrade. It just goes to prove why evolving is always the right choice for the most superior beings.'
[You make it sound as if you won't devour that slave eventually.]
'That's because I won't. I have other plans for her. But all things in their due time.'
Leylin once again snapped his fingers and his Knight bodyguards came forth with a knee bent down on top of the brunette's decayed remains.
"Prepare the horses, we're going back to Dark Night Woods to finish what we started. Furthermore, I need you to tell Anna to clean this entire mess without delay. Oh, and while you're at it, instruct Welker to find 5 replacement maids of identical characteristics as the last ones. Fortunately for him, there won't be a need to buy them new uniforms. They can use those on the ground; I made sure not to stain them with any blood. I know how hard it is to wash off via conventional means." -Leylin ordered, as he casually began to put on his enchanted set of armor.
"Yes, Master." -The Knights immediately used their great speed and left the room.
Forthwith, Leylin activated the Transfiguration spell to return his features to the fake visage he had worn since he had arrived at Extreme Night City. No more reptile eyes either.