Chapter 169 - 5: Two Talents

Chapter 169: Chapter 5: Two Talents

The Demon had never felt so lucky.

The hierarchy among Demons has always been rigid. The power gap between High-level Species and Low-level Species was often insurmountable.

In such a brutal society, Low-level Species were nothing more than slaves and food for the High-level Species.

To survive, they had to be cautious every step of the way, striving to transform themselves from prey into predators.

It hadn’t been strong when it was born, but fortunately, its luck was good.

Several times, it was nearly killed by High-level Demons, only to escape by the skin of its teeth and kill its attacker at the last moment.

Not only did it survive the danger, but it also turned around and devoured those who had tried to kill it.

And so, its power grew steadily.

Once it had accumulated a certain amount of power, it gained sentience.

It didn’t know the name of this river; its walnut-sized brain couldn’t possibly comprehend such a complex concept. Of course, it didn’t need to.

It only needed to know that this river was the birthplace of Demons, and that many newborn Demons crawled out from here. That was enough.

The Demonic Qi in the river water was too dense. Even a Demon would be constantly corroded if it stayed inside for too long.

But such minor injuries were insignificant compared to the enormous rewards.

High-level Demons were rare, and a Demon born as a High-level Species was even rarer.

It had been lurking here for... who knows how long.

Most of the time, the Demons it encountered were like the big one it had just finished off—low-level species with muscle but no brain.

Only once, while lurking, had it seen a newborn that was extraordinary from the start.

That one’s strength was pitifully weak; it died after struggling only twice in its grasp. But after devouring it, the power it gained was far greater than what it got from hunting low-level Demons!

It was from that moment on that the Demon learned to speak.

It realized that there were differences between Demons, and among the various types and classes, a newborn High-level Species like that one was the absolute best prey—low risk, high reward!

Just like the little one before it now.

This little one was much stronger than the unlucky bastard it had met before, the one that died right after being born. As long as it could eat her, it would surely leap up to become a High-level Species!

Overwhelming greed seized the Demon’s mind. It let out an excited shriek and charged toward the girl in front of it!

At an extreme speed, the distance closed rapidly.

Ten meters... five meters...

Just within reach!

The Demon could even smell the unique, sweet scent on the girl’s body—a fragrance that represented power, the aroma of a class barrier about to be broken.

For some reason, the girl who had reacted so quickly just moments ago was now completely still.

The Demon didn’t have the spare brain capacity to wonder what she was planning.

It shot out its sharp claws, aiming straight for the girl’s neck!

In the next second, the Demonic Qi that had been quietly hovering in the air suddenly exploded!

A tremendous shockwave radiated outward from the girl. The Demon felt as if it had crashed into an extremely solid wall. After a brief pause, it was instantly thrown backward!

BOOM!

The Demon’s massive body slammed heavily into the ground, carving a deep crater into the solid earth.

It shook its head and was about to get up when its pupils suddenly constricted as it saw the scene before it.

It saw the Demonic Qi that had been scattered all around forcibly gathered by an invisible hand and forged into spears.

They were arranged in a circle in the air, their tips all aimed in its direction.

The Demon had never seen such a weapon, nor did it know that something called Magic existed in this world.

But it instinctively sensed danger.

Having survived so many perilous situations, it trusted its instincts completely. So, it turned to flee without the slightest hesitation!

But it was too late.

With a sharp whistle through the air, dozens of spears stabbed down from the sky at once!

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere.

The Demon’s limbs, torso, and even its head were pierced through, pinning it firmly to the ground. It didn’t even have time to let out a final cry before its dark red pupils lost all color.

"Hah... hah..."

In the distance, Lilia was panting heavily.

She had won the gamble.

’Just as I thought. For a Demon, Demonic Qi is the equivalent of Elemental Particles.’

With the experience from her past two playthroughs, Lilia could command the Demonic Qi for her own use. But it was much more difficult than it had been in the Human World.

’Maybe it’s because the Magic Technique isn’t compatible...’

Lilia didn’t dwell on it.

She glanced at her own shoulder.

A Demon’s claw had just grazed it, tearing away a large chunk of flesh. She could even faintly see the stark white bone beneath.

The moment her eyes fell on the wound, her demonic instincts took over her thoughts.

She mobilized the Demonic Qi within her body, and as the power circulated, new flesh squirmed and grew.

In just a few seconds, the wound had healed.

Lilia couldn’t help but widen her eyes.

’This... is this the talent of a Demon?’

Amid her surprise, Lilia also felt an uncontrollable hunger.

She was smart. She understood almost instantly that this power came at a price.

To rapidly heal her body’s injuries, the Demonic Qi inside her would be quickly consumed. At times like this, if she didn’t want to fall into a weakened state and become prey for other Demons, she had to replenish it promptly.

Lilia’s gaze fell on the Demon she had just killed several dozen meters away.

She strode forward and came to the Demon’s side.

An image suddenly appeared in her mind.

A Demon bursts from the water, kills one of its own kind, then chews up and swallows all of its flesh and bones.

To feed.

To devour.

This was the only way for a Demon to replenish its energy, and even to grow stronger.

Her talent for this playthrough was named [Monarch]. Its ability was that when a Demon’s talent was triggered, the Talent Effect would be doubled.

’Does this "talent" refer to the Demon’s ability to recover by consuming Demonic Qi, or the ability to increase its strength by devouring its own kind?’

’Or... is it both?’

Lilia pushed the chaotic thoughts aside for now.

Pinching her nose and enduring the slimy feeling on her hands, she began to feel around on the Demon’s body.

A Demon’s body is composed of Demonic Qi, but its power isn’t evenly distributed throughout its muscles and organs.

She really couldn’t bring herself to devour an entire corpse, crunching and munching, like that other Demon had.

Lilia couldn’t get over the mental block.

’If I remember correctly... Demons should have an organ similar to a "heart." It’s where the Demonic Qi is stored, and it’s the power source for the entire body.’

That was the only "food" she could accept right now.

Lilia felt around on the Demon’s body for a while but couldn’t find the thing.

Just as she frowned, wondering if she should search somewhere... "deeper."

Lilia’s gaze suddenly froze.

She felt it... something had just crawled up her ankle!