Chapter 51: New Monster Skills Multiplied By x10,000!

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As he continued to consume everything in front of him, Riven’s Aura grew stronger and stronger with each passing second. His stats began to skyrocket at an almost alarming rate. He could clearly feel the unique spirits of the beasts settling deep within him one after another: the heavy, unyielding shield of the Obsidian Turtle, the razor-sharp claws of the Mithril Claw, the powerful and bloodthirsty fangs of the Vampiric Bat, the dense muscles of the Muscular Voracious Myconid, the endless appetite of the Gluttonous Myconid, and finally the sadistic cruelty of the Whispering Scream.

Slowly, he exhaled a long breath and began settling down all these fluctuating energies that were raging inside his body. He forced them to assimilate rapidly and completely. For a brief moment his body grew immensely, muscles swelling and bones creaking as they expanded outward. Daniela staggered back in pure shock at the sudden transformation, her eyes wide with disbelief. Only a few seconds later he managed to reduce his size back down to a manageable and familiar level.

"It’s done..."

He immediately felt the changes settling into place. His scales had been upgraded and now felt metallic and extremely durable, just like the shell of the Obsidian Turtle. His claws could also grow enormous at will and were now metallic, forged from a mix of mithril and other natural components. His Biological Armor had gained a heavier, shell-like form that covered more of his body and offered far greater protection than before, along with many other subtle improvements.

Ding!

[Whispering Scream fully consumed.]

[Obsidian Turtle fully consumed.]

[Mithril Claw fully consumed.]

[Vampiric Bat fully consumed.]

[Gluttonous Myconid fully consumed.]

[Muscular Voracious Myconid fully consumed.]

[Talent Devourer: Chance Succeed]

[Skill Acquired: [Creeping Silence – Level 1]: Mute yourself and your surroundings, making you capable of moving while being completely undetected by sound. When you reach your target, strike them for additional damage with a chance to mute them and further confuse them, while negating their magic.]

[x10,000 Reward Multiplier Activated!]

[Skill: [Creeping Silence – Level 1] has been multiplied by x10,000!]

[You have learned the Skill: [World of Silence – Level 1]: Summon a Domain of approximately 40x40 meters capable of Muting all surroundings for 1 Minute. Silence reigns supremely and no natural phenomena nor living being within the Domain can emit or hear any sound, except you. You can hear sounds and feel your surroundings even better than before, with all Senses Amplified. Foes incapable of rationalizing what’s happening will undergo a state of distress and confusion, which will decrease their stats and make them susceptible to sneak attacks that are guaranteed critical hits. Negates all Chant-based Skills, Techniques, and Magic. Domain Duration and Potency increases with each Level. Synergy: Eternal Silence Ring + World of Silence = Eternal World of Silence.]

[Skill Acquired: [Blood Drain – Level 1]: You can drain the blood of foes to restore your own Vitality.]

[x10,000 Reward Multiplier Activated!]

[Skill: [Blood Drain – Level 1] has been multiplied by x10,000!]

[You have learned the Skill: [Asura Blood Sea Scripture – Level 1]: Drain the lifeforce of foes that you’ve inflicted damage from, the more damage the greater the amount of life you can drain, restoring your own life and mana in the process. The more their blood and lifeforce is drained, the weaker a foe becomes, decreasing their stats over time. As you drain blood and lifeforce, you can extract Innate Blood Essence into your "Blood Sea" formed within your Dantian and use it to reform your physical body to achieve near immortality. Synergy: Ten Thousand Poison Fang + Asura Blood Sea Scripture = Myriad Plague Asura Blood-Core Sutra.]

"?!"

Riven’s eyes widened in genuine surprise as the flood of new power and information settled into his mind. The sheer quality of the upgraded skills far exceeded anything he had expected from these particular monsters. The World of Silence Domain alone already felt like a perfect tool for ambushes and large-scale fights, while the Asura Blood Sea Scripture promised both recovery and long-term growth that bordered on true immortality.

Riven felt something deep within him beginning to awaken with sudden intensity. The power of his Ten Thousand Poison Heart Sutra was resonating tremendously well with his newly evolved form of Blood Drain, the mysterious Asura Blood Sea Scripture Skill. The latter felt almost like a complete Cultivation Method sealed inside a single Skill.

Although nothing dramatic happened outwardly, he could clearly feel it. Streams of red and purple ki continuously clashed against one another inside his heart, creating a strange yet harmonious pressure that spread through his entire body.

If he began to devour and absorb the blood of his foes more aggressively while hunting, and properly combined these two powerful methods, it almost felt like he could accelerate the growth of the Ten Thousand Poisons Heart Sutra by several times. The bloodlines he absorbed could even be transformed into deadly toxins themselves, greatly enhancing both his offensive and defensive capabilities.

"Impressive..." he thought with growing excitement. "If I got this much from a simple Vampiric Bat, what could I get if I eat an actual Vampire? Hm... no, they’re humanoid, right? Wouldn’t it be weird?" He felt a slight wave of disgust at the thought after considering it more carefully. "Well, is there any Vampiric Gate out there?"

Thinking about it further, he recalled that there were indeed a couple of Gates governed by Vampiric or pure Blood-attribute beings. These Gates also happened to be heavily Blood-Attribute in nature, making them rather dangerous for newbie hunters. However, strong and experienced hunters usually visit them regularly due to the incredible loot that could be found inside. Blood Weapons were especially prized. They were amazing tools for long-term dungeon exploration because they were capable of draining the life force of slain foes, keeping the wielder in good health as they advanced through lengthy and exhausting dungeons.

However, there were also certain Authorities that could be said to be "aligned" with the Vampiric Path. The most notable were the Blood Moon Goddess and Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. While the Blood Moon Goddess Sect was relatively non-aggressive and mostly kept to itself, the Order of Dracula was a well-known and extremely dangerous terrorist group. It was a genocidal sect set on destroying human society completely and replacing all humans with vampires.

Riven’s expression grew more serious as these thoughts settled in his mind. Eventually, if he wanted to properly protect his wife and the family he was carefully building, he would have no choice but to clash against them. He would need to stop whatever madness they were currently brewing before it could threaten everything he held dear.

But first, he had to see what Talents he had obtained!

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