Chapter 62: Netherworld King Swordsmanship & Spectral Ghost King’s Aura

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Riven felt the energies of the ghosts and the undead he had just consumed coursing strongly through his body.

At first they felt incredibly volatile and restless, swirling inside him like a storm that refused to calm. Over time, however, those wild energies slowly settled down and became something he could freely control and shape according to his will.

One of the greatest advantages of Gluttony was exactly this: the power of devouring things and then completely controlling the power gained from whatever had been consumed.

This meant there would never be some kind of unexpected, funny business where he suddenly got possessed by all the Undead he had eaten.

His Gluttony ability seemed completely absolute, giving him incredible authority over every monster he consumed.

He had attempted to eat other things besides monsters, such as the dropped weapons for example, but those attempts never worked. It seemed Gluttony simply did not accept them.

Or rather, it was his Class, Predator, that limited him to only the "monsters" he personally hunted. He had also tried eating monster corpses bought online from various shady markets, but he could not gain anything useful from them either.

Thus, there were two clear requirements for Predator to work properly.

First, the monsters had to be hunted by him personally.

Second, they truly had to be Monsters. Other things simply did not work.

He assumed normal Humans were not considered Monsters. However, when they turned into monstrous forms such as that Cultist — what was his name again? Vladimir or something similar — they clearly counted as Monsters in the eyes of his ability.

There were additional limitations, such as only gaining full power from completely new species. Yet special variants, such as the Muscular Voracious Myconid and the Gluttonous Myconid, were counted separately. He assumed it was the same with the various types of Undead he had just finished consuming.

"Now, let’s see what I got this time."

He wanted to test his new ghostly powers right away, but he needed to first carefully examine what kind of powers he had even gained.

One interesting detail he noticed was that the horses the knights had ridden counted as part of the same monster and not as a separate entity.

Ding!

[Headless Knight fully consumed.]

[Demonic Headless Knight fully consumed.]

[Ghost fully consumed.]

[Dark Specter fully consumed.]

[Dark Infantrymen Bowman fully consumed.]

[Dark Infantrymen Spearman fully consumed.]

[Dark Infantrymen Shielder fully consumed.]

[Death Knight fully consumed.]

[Talent Devourer: Chance Failed.]

[Talent Devourer: Chance Succeed]

[Skill Acquired: [Netherblade – Level 1]: Conjure a small speck of the true flames of the netherworld into your sword to unleash a powerful, soul-piercing attack capable of ignoring physical defenses. Enough strikes can destroy an unprepared soul.]

[x10,000 Reward Multiplier Activated!]

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

[You have learned the Skill: [Netherworld King Swordsmanship – Level 1]: Summon the might of the Netherworld King into your blade, unleashing the full, devastating power of Netherworld Flames, capable of ignoring 90% of a foe’s defenses and pierce through their soul to deal devastating damage. Each powerful attack leaves a {Festering Soul Wound} which slowly decays and burns the targeted soul while transferring the Soul Energy to the wielder’s Soul, feeding their Soul Cultivation. Weak Souls that are unable to respond may die instantly upon being touched by the Netherworld King’s Blade. Synergy: Assassination Shadow Blade + Netherworld King Swordsmanship = Decapitating Death Blade – Azrael.]

Riven’s eyes widened slightly as he read the detailed descriptions. The new skills felt heavy with potential, far more refined and dangerous than many of the abilities he had gained before. The idea of ignoring most physical defenses and directly attacking the soul itself opened up entirely new possibilities in combat, especially against tougher opponents who relied on heavy armor or regenerative abilities.

He could already imagine combining these netherworld techniques with his existing sword styles. The synergy note about forming a Decapitating Death Blade named Azrael particularly caught his attention. It suggested that with enough practice and the right conditions, he might unlock an even more specialized finishing move.

The volatile undead energies inside him continued to settle, now feeling more like a deep well of controlled power rather than a chaotic storm. Riven flexed his fingers and sensed faint traces of cold nether flames flickering around them for a brief moment before fading.

This was only the beginning of what these newly consumed undead could offer him. He still needed to test the practical applications of Netherblade and the more advanced Netherworld King Swordsmanship in real combat. For now, though, the sheer volume of power he had absorbed left him feeling sharper, hungrier, and more dangerous than before.

"?!"

Riven felt the immense power contained within these black-red flames surging from both of his hands. The incredible synergy skill that had appeared as a direct result of his pre-existing Assassination Shadow Blade left him momentarily stunned.

Abyssal Assault was already his staple technique in battle, but what sort of terrifying power could this new synergy ability bring to the table? And it carried such a damn cool name at that. The evolved Skill by itself was already amazing, and the title "Netherworld King" immediately reminded him of a certain powerful Authority he had heard about in the past.

"This is great, but what else is there?"

He continued reading the flood of system notifications with growing anticipation.

[Skill Acquired: [Ghostly Wail – Level 1]: Release a soul-destroying scream from your very soul, unleashing phantasmal flames towards the direction you wish for, causing heavy magic and soul damage to anybody within the range of your attack. Leaves vulnerable foes under the {Nether Infection} Status effect, which slowly drains their Mana and Health and lowers stats by a small extent for a couple of seconds.]

[x10,000 Reward Multiplier Activated!]

[Skill: [Ghostly Wail – Level 1] has been multiplied by x10,000!]

[You have learned the Skill: [Spectral Ghost King Aura – Level 1]: Unleash the powerful Aura of the Spectral Ghost King, channeling the depths of the Netherworld and the World of Ghosts into your very body. Your Soul permanently mutates into a Half-Ghostly Soul, capable of transforming and expanding beyond your physical body as you consume souls. Your Aura can unleash a deadly pressure; weaker foes will receive a heavy penalty to their stats and fall under the {Fear} and {Nether Infection} status effects for several minutes. Ghostly Energy can be cultivated and manipulated to conjure Ghost Magic. Synergy: Spectral Ghost King Aura + Netherworld King Swordsmanship = Assassin King of the Netherworld – Hassan-i-Sabbah’s Execution.]

"..."

Riven was left completely speechless as he felt everything suddenly click into place inside him. That ghostly power he had sensed earlier was this damn skill. It literally turned half of his soul into a true ghost! As a direct result, it allowed him to somehow expand his own soul outside the limits of his physical body.

So far the ability had not shown that many practical uses, and it honestly carried a serious risk to his life if he ever let his soul wander too far and then it got attacked or destroyed. Still, the potential this held was immense and almost frightening to consider.

And the Synergy Ability by itself... just what was that mysterious combination? Didn’t the name sound way too ominous and powerful?

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