Chapter 5 - The Importance of Appearance

"yo" - Speech

'yo' - Thougths

*yo* - Sounds

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*Yawn~*

As the incessant beeping sound echoed in his head, Kael gradually roused from his slumber. He extended his medium-sized limbs, the muscles in his arms and legs flexing as he yawned softly.

His eyes blinked open, still heavy with remnants of sleep, and he peered around the room—cave, momentarily disoriented.

It had been a week since he came to the upper part of the abyss, and he had finally adapted to his life here.

Over the past week, Kael's range of exploration also continued to expand. However, he had actually only reached about 4 kilometers away from the mouth of the cave. During this period, his hunting capability greatly increased.

He had been steadily amassing souls, a grim accumulation borne from the ruthless massacre of every creature he encountered along his journey, be they demons or monsters. The mountain of corpses in his inventory stood as a haunting testament to his unyielding pursuit.

He kept the corpses as they may have some use later, his soul count also rose from 37>65, his earnings amounting to no les than 28.

Besides hunting, Kael also made sure that he was always on top condition. After getting down from the cliff mouth, he quickly ventured to the right direction, quickly finding himself a cave.

Though occupied, It was nothing that he and Jaggy can't take care of. Then quickly settling his self in, he started making drafts and planning some things for his future, he also added a new feature of a clock in the system which he can access anytime.

The beeping or rather the—alarm being one of its many features.

The clock 'App' only costed him 2 souls, which made him sigh in relief. It seems that things closely related to him and have nothing extravagant in its description is relatively cheaper.

The reason for my purchase was quite simple. In this abyss, determining the exact date and time was a challenging feat. The supposed sky appeared as a domed rocky cover, obscuring any natural markers of time. He doesn't want to be like Roy when he wakes up, unaware of exactly how long was he asleep.

Afterward, he settled into the cave, establishing it as his temporary makeshift base. He ventured out solely for hunting, before returning to eat, sleep, sketch some drafts, and meticulously plan his next moves.

And after a week of accumulating souls, he was ready to implement his first plan.

Just like Roy in the original, he also made a 'Modification Plan' Making drafts about future body modifications and other stuff.

Getting up, Kael performed some light stretches, his curiosity piqued by the noticeable change in his body's size. Over the past week, he had transformed from a mere 2'3 feet tall to an impressive 3'1.

"It's frightening how fast demons grow," he managed to say, his vocal cords now fully developed, enabling him to communicate reasonably well. Surprisingly, learning the mother tongue of the demon wasn't too difficult.

Kael then ate his breakfast, savoring the taste of a roasted monster that resembled a rabbit-like creature. Though not so Lavish, It was enough to Satiate his hunger.

Creating food through the system was also a viable option, he can create Luxurious delicious foods but he find it a waste of souls, so he quickly resorted to—hunting. Not only can it solve his food problem it can also provide a stable source of souls, it was hitting two birds with one stone.

After eating his breakfast, sat at a clearing in his cave and quickly called out his stats.

[Status:

Name: Azazel Zephyrion Emberheart Vanthor... Zorin Malgorth Xerxes

Race: Demon

Bloodline: At least three different kinds

Form: Premature Demon

Attribute: dark

Strength: 13

Speed:15

Magic Energy: 9

Hierarchy: Low-Rank

Progress to Next Rank: 0%

Body Mods: None

Loaded Materials: None

Perks: Soul Peer, Demon Blood, Soul Devouring Addiction

Skills: None

Souls:65

]

In the top right corner of the screen was a detailed image of his current form, a gremlin looking creature was depicted on the screen, a hunched 3 feet tall striking(?) demon with glistening black skin emanating an otherworldly red glow from its eyes. Two black horns adorned its head, with a mesmerizing hint of purple at their tips. The creature's back displayed sharp spikes running along its spine, extending all the way to its tail, giving it the appearance of a relentless predator. This gremlin-looking entity, was none other than me.

After a quick inspection of his stats, Kael then clicked the [Create] button, a drop-down menu then materialized before me.

[Skill]

[Item]

[Body Modification]

[Perk]

[Drafts]

After clicking on [Drafts], he was presented with a collection of all the drafts he had been working on in the past week. Without hesitation, he quickly selected one and inspected it.

In this draft, the main focus was on Body Modification, with a specific emphasis on Kael's legs. Similar to Roy, Kael also faced the challenge of not being able to walk upright due to his altered body structure. While he could momentarily straighten his upper body, he still couldn't stand up straight and walk like a human because of his hind legs.

While my hind legs offer some advantages like;

Speed: Hind legs are well-suited for generating powerful bursts of speed, allowing me to quickly close the distance between myself and the target or swiftly evade attacks.

Agility: The flexibility and range of motion in hind legs enable agile and acrobatic movements, making it easier to dodge incoming strikes and perform complex maneuvers.

Leaping Ability: Hind legs provide excellent leverage for jumping and leaping, allowing the creature to reach elevated positions or escape from dangerous situations.

It is still outweighed by its cons, such as; Stability, Limited, Reduced Defensive Capability, Slower Reaction Time, Vulnerability to Attacks from Behind and lastly Fatigue and Endurance.

Therefore, in order to address this weakness, Kael's first modification plan was for his legs.

In addition to making it bipedal, Kael underwent drastic changes to his lower body design. From the hips down to his soles, a cool and glossy black exoskeleton covered his entire lower body, serving both as pants and armor. The exoskeleton not only enhanced his appearance but also provided added protection.

Kael's feet underwent a complete transformation, now featuring a stable and powerful structure. His foot now consisted of three sharp fingers, with two positioned at the front and the last finger uniquely situated at the back, precisely on his heel bone. The jet-black claws were razor-sharp, ready to strike with deadly precision.

If done according to his vision, this leg modification, once combined with his body, could even give him a vast increase in height, making him look more domineering and savage.

He found himself with no other option. As Roy had previously stated, in this world where appearance meant everything, it was truly disheartening. The same held true even in this Demon World, where the importance of looks loomed large—intimidating and savage. If one's appearance lacked the power to deter or invoke fear in others, even ordinary monsters might dare to challenge you.

Satisfied with his design, he glanced at the two descriptions and modifiers he've set; [Bone Material] and [Hard as DuraSteel]

As for why, well, you'll see in a few chaps.

After double checking everything and the price which was 40 souls, he gestured with his hands and pressed save.

Within moments, Kael felt a searing heat radiating from his lower body, swiftly spreading through his thighs, kneecaps, and calves, until it reached the soles of his feet. He then heard the unsettling sounds of bones popping and cracking.

"GAHHHhh!!"

Kael roared with pain, only now remembering one crucial thing! He forgot to add—

[Painles]!!

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AN: Hey there, what's up guys! Good morning to all of you. Well, it's morning here, and am so happy at the response I've got so far, so I guess that's why I'm feeling so chipper. Anyway enjoy!

Oh and don't forget the stones~-<