Chapter 371: Golden Pill Of Ascension

"Merit?" Caelus questioned the notification with confusion.

He looked around and tried to make sense of his surroundings.

He seemed to be in space.

Stars glittered across the infinite darkness above him, countless celestial bodies scattered across the void like diamonds on black velvet.

Then he heard the noises.

The noise of screaming and shouting.

The sound of a player echoed from somewhere nearby, their voices filled with fear and desperation.

Caelus turned toward Sylvia who had already noticed the commotion.

She nodded at him without a word.

They moved toward the source of the sounds.

What they found made Sylvia’s blood boil.

A group of five players surrounded a small figure on the ground.

The figure was a boy who couldn’t have been older than fifteen.

He was thin and frail, his clothes torn and his body covered in bruises.

Tears streamed down his face as he looked up at his tormentors.

"Please... please let me go..." The boy begged with a trembling voice. "I don’t have anything... I just got here..."

The leader of the group was an arrogant looking man with slicked back hair and expensive armor.

He laughed cruelly at the boy’s plea.

"You don’t have anything? Then why did you come to the Path to Worlds, you worthless trash?"

He kicked the boy in the stomach.

"Gah!"

The boy curled up in pain, coughing violently.

"Look at him! He can’t even take a single kick!" One of the other players mocked.

"What a waste of a ticket." Another added with disgust.

The leader crouched down and grabbed the boy by the hair.

"You know what? I’ll do you a favor." He smiled sadistically. "I’ll end your misery right here."

"No... no please..." The boy’s eyes widened with terror. "I have a little sister... she’s waiting for me back home... please..."

"A little sister?" The leader pretended to think about it. "That’s so sad, I might cry."

His companions burst into laughter.

"Just kidding, I don’t give a fuck."

He drew his sword.

"Wait! Please! I’ll do anything! I’ll—"

SLASH!

The sword came down without mercy.

The boy’s body went limp, his eyes still open and filled with frozen terror.

His last words died in his throat along with his life.

A small golden orb floated up from his corpse.

It was his Merit.

"Nice, free Merit." The leader grinned and reached for the orb.

But a crimson blur shot past him.

Sylvia scooped up the Merit before anyone could react.

[Merit Absorbed]

Everyone’s attention immediately fell onto her.

The leader’s face twisted with rage.

"She got the Merit! Get her!"

All five of them charged at Sylvia simultaneously.

The first attacker swung his axe at her head.

Sylvia sidestepped casually and formed a blood spear in her hand.

She activated Hemotoxin Synthesis.

The blood shifted and changed at the molecular level, transforming into highly corrosive acid.

She thrust the spear into the attacker’s chest.

"AAAAAARGH!"

The man screamed as the acid ate through his armor and into his flesh.

His body dissolved from the inside out within seconds.

The second attacker hesitated after seeing his companion’s gruesome death.

That hesitation cost him his life.

Sylvia launched a barrage of blood needles infused with paralytic neurotoxins.

They pierced through his body in dozens of places.

His muscles locked up instantly as the toxins invaded his system.

He couldn’t even scream as Sylvia’s next attack took his head off.

The third and fourth attackers tried to flank her from both sides.

Sylvia activated Blood Seal.

Her repeated attacks left invisible marks on both of them.

Within seconds, the seals completed.

Their mana was completely blocked.

"What?! I can’t use my skills!"

"What did you do to us, you bitch?!"

Sylvia didn’t bother answering.

She formed two blood swords and cut them down simultaneously.

Their bodies fell to the ground with no life left.

This is what they deserved for what they did just now.

Only the leader remained.

He stared at Sylvia with a mixture of fear and fury.

His four companions had been killed in less than thirty seconds.

But then his expression shifted.

An evil grin spread across his face.

"You bitch, how dare you."

He straightened his posture with arrogance.

"Do you know who I am?"

Sylvia’s crimson eyes were cold as ice.

"I don’t need to know who you are."

"You should." The leader laughed. "We are from the Hollow Faction, one of the most powerful factions in the Path to Worlds."

Hearing this, Caelus stepped forward.

His eyes gleamed with killing intent.

"The Hollow Faction?" He smiled coldly. "That’s more than enough reason to kill you."

The leader’s confidence wavered for the first time.

"Wait... who are you? Your aura..."

He didn’t get to finish his sentence.

Caelus activated Decay Touch and grabbed the man’s face.

The leader’s skin began to rot and wither immediately.

"AAAAAAARGH! MY FACE! MY FACE!"

His flesh decayed rapidly, spreading from his face down to his neck and chest.

Within moments, his entire body had withered into a dried husk.

He collapsed to the ground, dead.

[Ding!]

[Pill is ready for extraction.]

Caelus and Sylvia turned around simultaneously.

A golden pill floated in the sky above where the battle had taken place.

It glowed with warm light, pulsing gently like a heartbeat.

"Is this the pill?"

Caelus and Sylvia glanced at each other.

They approached the floating pill cautiously.

As they got closer, an interface appeared before their eyes.

[Golden Pill of Ascension]

[Contains condensed essence that can boost Combat Score.]

[Option: Extract]

Sylvia looked at the pill with slight hesitation.

"Hopefully this pill isn’t similar to the ones made by the Heavenly Faction."

Caelus shook his head.

"Probably not, this is administered by the Origin Network." He studied the pill carefully. "The Heavenly Faction’s pills were made from corpses, these seem to be pure condensed essence from this world itself."

Sylvia nodded, reassured by his words.

"Then let’s extract it."

They both selected the Extract option simultaneously.

Golden energy burst from the pill and flowed into their bodies.

Caelus felt the energy surge through him like liquid fire.

It traveled through his bloodstream and reached every cell in his body.

His cells absorbed the energy greedily.

He could feel them compressing and strengthening, becoming denser and more powerful.

His muscles tightened and grew more defined.

His bones became harder than steel.

His organs optimized themselves automatically.

The energy continued compressing inside his cells, pushing his physical body to a whole new level.

It was like being reborn from the inside out.

[Combat Score increased!]

[+15.7 Combat Score absorbed!]

[Current Combat Score: 112.45]

Sylvia experienced the same sensation.

Her body glowed with crimson light as the golden energy merged with her vampire physiology.

[Combat Score increased!]

[+15.3 Combat Score absorbed!]

[Current Combat Score: 107.97]

Once the initial extraction was complete, a new option appeared.

[Pill can be portioned for additional extraction.]

[Would you like to portion the remaining essence?]

[Y/N]

"We can get more?" Sylvia’s eyes widened.

Caelus immediately selected Yes.

The pill split into two smaller portions, one for each of them.

They absorbed the remaining essence.

Another wave of power surged through their bodies.

[+7.8 Combat Score absorbed!]

[Current Combat Score: 120.25]

Sylvia received her portion as well.

[+7.5 Combat Score absorbed!]

[Current Combat Score: 115.47]

Once the absorption was complete, the golden pill finally faded away.

Caelus clenched his fist and felt the overwhelming power coursing through his veins.

He had broken through 100 Combat Score.

He was now officially at the level of a true Ace-Rank powerhouse.

They then turned to look at the world around them more closely.