Chapter 102: Devouring Yokai! Spirit Attack Skill Multiplied by x10,000!

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After the three Yokaified Yakuza finally died, Riven walked calmly toward Label.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a steady voice.

She nodded quickly, still catching her breath. "Y-Yeah...! Um, that was... amazing!"

Riven was slightly taken aback by how fast she had digested everything that just happened. "Well, I’m glad you’re alive... it was unexpected though. But if I connect the dots, I guess it was always going to happen eventually."

Label tilted her head in confusion. "W-What is it?" she asked.

She was referring to the drug they used to transform into those hideous monsters. It wasn’t something she ever thought possible, but after seeing it once, lots of ideas flooded her mind.

"They have a special drug that lets them transform," Riven explained patiently. "It’s made by extracting and synthesizing the spiritual essence of these creatures called Yokai... Unlike the normal monsters we’ve faced so far, Yokai are true Spiritual Creatures. Even a small amount of their blood contains powerful essence. If someone digests it, they can turn into a Yokai themselves. Through this drug, however, it’s possible to control and force the transformation at will."

"I see!" Label nodded with clear surprise. "That’s so amazing... I wish I could have that recipe, maybe I could try to make my own? If we could use the same formula but for every type of monster... we could revolutionize the world! Everyone could draw upon the strength of monsters..."

"That’s a little excessive," said Riven. "I think Yokai have something special to them that makes them more compatible with such a drug..."

Label nodded, realizing what he meant. "Will they return to normal...? Well, they’re already dead..." she looked at the corpses.

"Maybe in a couple of hours," Riven said with a small shrug. "Not like I’m going to let these corpses spoil."

His Aura surged outward like a living thing, resembling a pair of gigantic jaws. The crimson energy bit down and tore the three corpses apart completely, clothes and all, leaving no physical evidence behind.

Riven felt the lingering Spirits of the three Yokai surge upward, attempting to possess him for a brief moment. His immense crimson aura immediately shut them down with overwhelming force.

A deep beastly roar echoed from within him, and the spirits bowed in submission. They instantly became part of his strength, completely unable to resist.

He felt their cursed, spiritual, and phantasmal powers flowing into his body.

Ding!

[Red Tengu Mutant fully consumed.]

[Lake Kappa Mutant fully consumed.]

[River Kappa Mutant fully consumed.]

[Talent Devourer: Chance Failed.]

[Skill Acquired: [Spirit Attack – Level 1]: Channel Spiritual Powers deeply connected to the world’s nature and elements, dealing both Magic and Physical Damage to foes, ignoring some defense, and being capable of destabilizing Mana Flow.]

[x10,000 Reward Multiplier Activated!]

[Skill: [Spirit Attack – Level 1] has been multiplied by x10,000!]

[You have learned the Skill: [Spiritual Aura Arts – Level 1]: Channel your Internal Spiritual Power and unleash a potent series of attacks and an almighty pressure composed of your Spirit Power. This Energy is capable of destabilizing a foe’s Mana Flow, Drain their Mana, and destroy their concentration and respiratory abilities, while clogging their Meridians. Uninterrupted consecutive attacks can utterly destroy someone’s internal body if they are unable to respond in time. Synergy: Any Aura + Spiritual Aura Arts = Aura Embodiment.]

[Predator Class Level 65 reached.]

[Gluttony Triggered.]

[x10,000 Reward Multiplier Activated!]

[Vitality +40,000 | Mana +50,000 | Strength +60,000 | Endurance +10,000 | Intelligence +20,000 | Agility +20,000 | Spirit +40,000.]

[New Stat Unlocked – Spirit: The Essence of Spiritual Power and the Elemental Energies of the World. Spirits themselves are embodiments of said nature, and can be either malicious pranksters, human-eating monsters, or guardians of the forest and life itself. Spirit controls the internal energies of the body and the cultivation of supernatural energies, greatly affecting Spirit, Mana, and Ki Cultivation Methods and enhancing their effects. More Spirit also increases Aura size and the power of your multiple Mana Natures.]

Riven felt noticeably stronger. These three had not been weaklings. They were solid D Rank, and once they transformed into Yokai they became equivalent to strong variant monsters that could be found on the Third Floor of the Dark Cave Labyrinth, such as the Demonic Headless Knight.

Even so, they had been much easier to hunt down because they were clumsy and overconfident, still not fully accustomed to their true Yokai strength due to their original human nature.

Still, gaining a brand new Stat and a powerful new Skill was more than Riven could have asked for. He felt genuinely content with the results.

Besides that, his other Class had leveled up as well.

[Beast Class Level 50 reached.]

[Vitality, Strength, Endurance, and Agility have increased by +20,000.]

[New Class Skill learned: [Festering Wounds – Level 1]: Whenever you hurt a foe with your claws or fangs, you leave them under {Festering Wounds} Status Effect, which leaves wounds unable to recover normally unless they possess purification abilities. As Festering Wounds worsens, their stats decrease and their fear increases, gaining a chance to suffer yet another status effect between {Fear}, {Bleeding}, {Paralysis}, etc.]

"Not bad."

He still had the Fallen King’s corpse waiting. After thinking it over for a moment, he decided to consume it right then and there. He dropped the massive body in front of him and, before Label could even speak again, began eating it right in front of her.

"What’s that?! Such an amazing material— Wait!!!" she begged, but the giant corpse disappeared completely before she could take even a tiny piece. "No..."

"Sorry," he said calmly. "I might need a little extra oomph if we’re going to fight their boss, especially if he can turn into a Yokai too. With this though... I feel more than confident."

His stats skyrocketed once more as he felt the power of Ezekiel flowing into his soul. Unlike the resentful spirits of the Yokai, the old king had willingly allowed Riven to inherit most of his remaining strength.

This granted Riven both a new Skill and a new Talent, along with a massive surge of additional Stats!

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