Ch 14: Core of Darkness

After reviewing his status, Lucifer pondered the nature of his talent. He had heard that to improve further, one needed to understand the knowledge related to their talent, as it was tied to their affinity or attributes for growth. However, Lucifer had no idea what the Slave of Darkness could do. He suspected it was somewhat related to dark affinities or attributes.

[Slave of Darkness]: (White Grade)

(To level up, needs 1000 hatred points)

A rare white-grade talent, the holder of this talent is essentially a Slave of Darkness. This means that wherever you go, you will always be bound to the darkness. @#!

[Warning: Further information may alter some possibilities.]

"What the hell is this talent? And how am I supposed to make use of it, when I don't know what is it fully?

"Am I bound to the darkness? Am I cursed?"

- Ability 1: Dark Energy Control (Level 1)

(To level up, needs 500 hatred points)

Description: The dark element is one of the unique types of energy in this world. To use this ability, you must first forge your core; otherwise, you will face side effects. @#@

"What the hell? I'm speechless just thinking about whether this is a damn awesome talent or not. And what the hell? Do I really need 1000 points to upgrade? Isn't this the lowest-level talent?"

Lucifer knew that talents were ranked from lowest to highest: white, green, blue, yellow, orange, and red. He suspected there were even higher ranks, but that information was closely guarded by the higher-ups. If a talent of greater potential appeared, higher organizations would recruit that individual, providing high protection and endless resources to help them grow into one of their kind's protectors.

Shaking off his frustration, Lucifer returned to his status screen, his eyes lingering on the mysterious Umbral Infusion, a talent shrouded in mystery just much as the first Talent.

Asking Ego for help? Lucifer was one hundred percent sure she would remain as silent as a monk.

"Well, with my 25 hatred points, what can I upgrade? What can I use them for?"

Lucifer placed his hand on his chin, deep in thought, but found nothing to upgrade, as all the options required more points than he currently possessed.

"Fuck... nothing to upgrade?"

"Well then, let's focus on trying to create a core in my Lower Dantian."

Lucifer sat cross-legged on the bed, resting his hands on his thighs. Taking a deep breath, he began to meditate.

To his surprise, Lucifer found his mind unusually sharp, every distracting thought fading into the background as a calm focus took over.

In the past, he had tried countless times to improve his power ranking but had failed repeatedly. However, he sensed something had changed within his body, though he didn't care as long as he was gaining the power he desired.

His focus gradually shifted to his Lower Dantian, located in his abdomen. To cultivate or forge a core, one needed related skills, but there was also a raw path to follow. It would be a painful experience, but Lucifer was undeterred; he had endured similar trials many times before.

That's why he was currently at Mid-Level Dawnbringer.

Minutes later, a faint, crackling energy coursed through Lucifer's veins, tiny sparks of darkness flickering beneath his skin—barely visible, but noticeable to those with keen eyes.

Within him, a small dark circle started to form, each moment filled with the insanity of pain, akin to countless ants stinging his flesh.

First, the raw energy of a dark cloud began to coalesce within his Dantian, causing Lucifer's body to writhe in agony. Then, the seed of darkness began to take shape within the dark circle.

Lucifer had a gut feeling that any mistake could be disastrous, and despite the intense pain, he gritted his teeth.

[Warning: If the host loses concentration, he will experience backlash from this process.]

Ego's warning made it clear that losing focus would lead to dire consequences.

Now, what should I do? This fucking pain!

[Suggestion: Host can use hatred points to relieve the pain and maintain concentration.]

Lucifer followed Ego's suggestion, as there was no other option. The pain was overwhelming, and his veins began to bulge, but he did not falter. What Lucifer excelled at was sheer willpower—an unyielding determination.

When he could no longer endure the pain, he consumed hatred points periodically, watching his total decrease visibly. But he didn't care; if he survived, he would earn more hatred points later. If he didn't survive, who would care?

The process continued, pouring dark energy into the seed of darkness, but it still wasn't stabilized. After an hour, his hatred points dwindled, but the stabilization process didn't cease. The pain continued to escalate.

After another hour, As the final wave of agony crashed over him, Lucifer's vision darkened, the world fading as he went to the slumber of unconsciousness.

Thank God his core was officially forged, or the consequences could have been dire.

[Ding! Congratulations on reaching a high-level Dawnbringer!]

[Ding! Core of Darkness (Seed Core) forged.]

…

Lucifer's sleep was deep and dreamless, a merciful escape from the torment that had wracked his body, his breathing finally evening out as the pain ebbed away

Crip, crip.

Melodic bird sounds echoed in the surroundings as a new day began. The sun rose in the east, casting golden light through the window where Lucifer lay sleeping peacefully.

As Lucifer awoke, a rancid stench assaulted his senses, the sour, acrid odor clinging to his skin, almost made him vomit deeply.

"Urgh… What the hell is that smell?"

He rushed to the bathroom to wash himself. After freshening up, he sat on the bed and checked his status, eager to see the changes from the previous day's events.

[Hatred System Level: 1 (upgradable at 1000 Hatred Points)]

[Name: Lucifer]

[Physique: Dark Overlord Body]

[Talent: Slave of Darkness (White Grade) (upgradable at 1000 Hatred Points)]

[Umbral Infusion (currently locked, needs 100 Hatred Points to unlock)]

[Main Power Rank: High-Level Dawnbringer Rank]

[Core: Core of Darkness (Seed Core)]

[Skills Learned: (See More)]

[Hatred Points: 0.5]

As he examined his power ranking, he noticed he had reached High-Level Dawnbringer, filling him with a sense of accomplishment. And now he officially forged the seed core, which was the beginning of his journey.

Lucifer nodded, a rare smile playing on his lips as power surged through his bones and veins. The urge to test his newfound strength in battle coursed through him, itching for a worthy opponent.

Unfortunately, he couldn't utilize his power fully yet, as he lacked any skills related to it. As for purchasing skills? He was broke. With only 10 gold coins, could he buy any techniques? Hell no...

Who in their right mind would sell skill books at such a low price?

Still, there were many ways for him to earn money now that he was stronger, though he was not that strong to wreak havoc as he was still in the lowest power-ranking chain within this world.

Later he might become an Earthbringer then he might unlock further paths.