Chapter 237
His brows were knitted tightly, his eyes closed. The iron-like scent from the dried blood still lingered as he slowly parted his lips and took a small bite.
The taste was metallic, bitter, and unsettlingly warm, making him gag, but he forced himself to chew. There was no particular taste—well, even if there was, he didn’t want to feel it. He quickly stuffed the entire thing into his mouth and began chewing vigorously, running around in circles as if trying to distract himself from what was in his mouth.
Gulp
Finally, he managed to swallow the entire heart of the demoness.
Instantly, he felt something—a strange heat spread all over him, while his mind felt as if it was being plunged into a bucket of ice. His body was hot, his mind cold, and a prickling sensation covered him.
He felt a subtle change happening at his core; his usually calm Abyss energy began to stir and react violently, as though excited by something.
Swish!
His vision blurred, and an intoxicated feeling overcame him, like he had just drunk the strongest wine.
Boom!
In the next moments, his entire body convulsed. Heat and cold clashed within him, the intense cold flooding his mind, as if frostbitten needles pricked every corner of his consciousness. His heart pounded erratically, each beat sending waves of heated energy through his veins, making his skin tingle as if jolted by a low current.
Shiver!
It felt as if his Abyss energy had come alive, writhing and pulsing beneath his skin, clawing to escape and consume more. He gasped, his breath visible like mist as freezing tendrils of energy swirled within his chest, meeting the fierce heat rising from his core. A violent shiver racked his body, not just from the cold but from thrill. The taste of power—the demoness’s essence—was now his.
With each heartbeat, he felt his senses sharpen, his mind both intoxicated and clear, able to see, hear, and feel in exquisite, overwhelming detail. His hands tingled, his vision flickered, and his veins surged with something dark and primal, like molten metal flowing beneath his skin. It was intoxicating and excruciating, as if every fiber of his being was being reforged from the inside out.
A dark urge whispered within him, urging him to consume more, to seek even greater power. And then, with a final shudder, it settled. The fierce, electrifying energy coiled within him, waiting, like a beast at his command.
He opened his eyes, feeling the world differently, almost as if shadows themselves leaned closer, whispering secrets that only he could now understand.
“Hmm… what is this…?”
Oliver thought, sensing a change within himself. He could tell he had gained something from consuming the demoness’s heart. He focused on identifying it and quickly found the answer.
“A basic heat resistance trait? Interesting… does that mean I gain something unique every time I consume a heart?” He frowned, pondering.
“No, that’s definitely not the case; there’s something more complex at play here.”
He decided to test it out. Moving to the nearest demon, he swiftly extracted its heart, and, suppressing his disgust, swallowed it.
All he felt was a subtle shiver—no new trait, just a slight increase in his Abyss energy.
“So it’s not guaranteed,” he murmured, frustrated. “This must be random, perhaps. If I’m lucky or certain conditions are met, then maybe I’ll receive a specific trait or ability from the creature whose heart I consume…”
“Wait, now’s not the time to think about these things.” He realized he was getting distracted; time was ticking away, and he had to hurry.
His eyes turned cold as he surveyed the demons lying around him.
“Forgive me; it’s revolting, but necessary. Survival has no room for morals,” he muttered, his voice low.
He knew the world was vaster than he had thought, with monsters beyond imagination lurking in the shadows, ready to devour the careless.
If he didn’t adapt, he would be just another casualty in this brutal world. He had to devour them before they devoured him. Eat or be eaten.
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“What do you mean, he’s disappeared?”
Jenna paused, looking up with raised brows and an unmasked emotion as she looked down at her subordinate.
“Where did he disappear to?” she asked.
“This… I don’t know, ma’am,” the kneeling man replied, looking up. “As per your orders, I reached the city to keep him safe in case the clan exorcists found him. But by the time I arrived, he had already completed his mission in the playground.”
“Already?” Her eyes flickered with surprise. She knew this was no random mission but one that would determine ranks.
The Black Codex Federation was extremely resourceful and had experts in divination. All the missions were meticulously designed and had deep significance to the organization.
These missions were crafted to analyze the potential and capability of its members.
And rank-change missions were especially challenging.
Completing such a task so quickly bordered on the unbelievable.
She had never heard of anyone completing a rank mission in a single day. It was almost absurd.
Just how capable was he?
What would his initial ranking turn out to be once he submitted the report?
She felt an unexpected sense of anticipation.
What was he hiding to have achieved this so quickly?
She shuffled through the documents on her desk, retrieving a sheet of paper with the details of Oliver’s mission.
The specifics weren’t written, only a rough description to find the root of the problem.
She narrowed her eyes and made a brief call.
“Paula, I sent you something. Look into it and see if you can find the details.”
She hung up and waited a while, soon hearing the notification ring. She picked up her phone, her eyes revealing a trace of evident surprise.
Paula had sent her something that made her feel surprised.
Even her subordinate noticed the shift in her expression; Jenna was rarely rattled by anything. This must be something extraordinary.