Chapter 192: Devouring Core

The Earth-Devouring Serpent was stunned.

It had just advanced and was still immersed in the happiness of seeing its many-year plan succeed.

In fact, not only had it succeeded, but it had also managed to take things a step further.

With the “help” of this mysterious youth, it had not only been able to advance but had also taken the opportunity to devour its former companions, reaching Level 52 in one go.

Given its race and its extraordinary characteristics, the Earth-Devouring Serpent was certain that it had few opponents among Rank 3 monsters.

In the span of a few seconds, it had turned from a weakling into a local overlord.

Unfortunately, its happiness was destined not to last for long.

Under the serpent’s stunned gaze, its prey suddenly disappeared.

Before the Earth-Devouring Serpent could react, it saw a blurred motion at the edge of its field of vision.

It was a human fist. A fist that was rapidly getting closer to its head.

The Earth-Devouring Serpent instinctively wanted to evade.

It twisted its massive serpentine body, trying to dodge the incoming blow.

Unfortunately, it reacted a step too late.

Four Netherworld Seals flashed across the surface of the incoming fist, shining with an eerie black light.

Then…

Boom!

The Earth-Devouring Serpent’s head nearly caved in.

Its enormous body was forcefully brought toward the ground, as though an entire mountain were pressing down upon its head.

Its scales and bones shattered due to the overwhelming force of the impact, sending a wave of intense pain through its body.

“Hiss!”

The Earth-Devouring Serpent let out a shrill cry filled with pain.

However, its suffering did not end there.

A moment later, the same fist struck its head again.

Bang!

Then again and again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Aurelius kept punching the serpent’s massive head, ignoring the shattered scales and the large amounts of blood splattering around him.

The Netherworld Seals were activated to their fullest, unleashing their greatest potential.

Given his already high Base Stats, Aurelius’ physical strength was extraordinary.

Combined with the Seals, he looked much more like a humanoid monster than a human at this moment.

Punch after punch, his attacks were relentless.

At first, the Earth-Devouring Serpent could still struggle, twisting its body in an attempt to escape.

But soon, even that struggle ceased.

It could only watch helplessly as its head was repeatedly pounded, its vision becoming increasingly blurry.

The Earth-Devouring Serpent was filled with unwillingness.

It had planned for so long, all for the sake of obtaining the mysterious item within the underground cave.

It had wasted decades of its life suppressing its own advancement, waiting for an opportunity.

Yet the moment it finally advanced, it was instantly defeated.

By the person who had stolen its treasure, no less.

Although it was a monster, a trace of almost human-like resentment flashed deep within its eyes.

It was unwilling to accept this!

“Hissss!”

The enormous serpent let out one final cry before collapsing to the ground.

This time, it wasn’t pretending.

[Killed Level 52 Earth-Devouring Serpent. EXP +3200]

Despite the notification, Aurelius did not immediately stop his assault.

He continued punching the lifeless corpse of the Earth-Devouring Serpent, as though it had killed his parents and he wished to take his anger out on it.

It was only several seconds later, when his physical strength was nearly exhausted, and the skin of his hands nearly cracked, that he finally snapped out of this peculiar state.

Looking at the Earth-Devouring Serpent, which was now in such a terrible state that it could hardly be recognized, and seeing the blood and brain matter covering his right arm, Aurelius nearly vomited.

He had killed many times in the past. Yet this was the first time he had killed another creature so violently.

More importantly, when he recalled how he had almost lost control of himself, as though he had become completely immersed in the act of killing, Aurelius couldn’t help but let out a deep breath.

‘In fact, I could have simply used the Arcane Tower or even any other skill to kill the Earth-Devouring Serpent. There was no reason for me to personally get involved and take matters into my own hands.’

‘Is this the influence of the Underworld?’ he couldn’t help but wonder.

He suspected these were the side effects of constantly entering the Underworld during the engraving of the Netherworld Seals.

Perhaps affected by the power of Death, he had become more reckless and violent.

‘Thankfully, I stopped in time and didn’t engrave any more Seals. Moreover, I was lucky enough to realize something was wrong in time. Otherwise, I would have found myself in danger sooner or later.’

‘It’s fine if I’m a little more violent. However, if I become reckless when facing an equally powerful opponent, it could very well mean my death.’

Aurelius soon suppressed his wandering thoughts. There was no point in dwelling on it now.

After using a towel to wipe the blood from his hands and body, his gaze swept across his surroundings.

The death of the Earth-Devouring Serpent meant that every Rank 2 monster in the Dryad Forest was dead.

Two dozen monsters, all stronger than ordinary Rank 2 Awakeners, had perished at his hands.

Among them was even a Rank 3 monster.

‘Unfortunately, the Earth-Devouring Serpent devoured all the corpses. Otherwise, I could have used them to refine Potions and forge Relics.’

Aurelius shook his head.

Of course, he knew that he hadn’t really missed out.

Although the corpses of so many Rank 2 monsters were certainly valuable, the corpse of a Rank 3 monster was no less precious. Especially when considering the special nature of the Earth-Devouring Serpent.

‘Although I killed it easily, and it was unable to put up any resistance throughout the process, I can feel that its combat prowess indeed faintly surpasses Rank 3.’

‘Furthermore, there appears to be something special about it.’

At that thought, Aurelius leaned down.

Ignoring his inner disgust, he searched through the bloody remains of the Earth-Devouring Serpent.

Soon, his eyes lit up.

He found something.

A small black orb, roughly the size of a child’s fist, was embedded in the serpent’s throat.

The moment Aurelius picked it up, his Alchemist’s Touch Talent allowed him to recognize its extraordinary value.

He was somewhat curious about its existence.

Although he had never seen anything like it before, he had some guesses about its identity.

He had heard that the bodies of some powerful monsters would develop a core where their power resided.

Unless that core was destroyed, even if their bodies were completely shattered, they would be able to recover given enough time and energy.

Yet, to give birth to a core, a monster normally had to reach Rank 4.

It was similar to the Domain of Rank 4 human Awakeners, being the signature ability of Rank 4 monsters.

Now, however, a mere Rank 3 monster possessed something similar.

‘No. It’s not Rank 3.’ Aurelius suddenly shook his head and corrected himself.

‘Its ability to suppress its advancement may have something to do with this core. This means that it already possessed a core while it was still at Rank 2.’

For a moment, Aurelius was surprised.

Had he actually encountered a genius among monsters?

Was the Earth-Devouring Serpent a talented individual destined for greatness?

Suppressing these thoughts, Aurelius examined the orb in his hands.

It was pitch-black.

The only noteworthy feature was a small gray line that traveled along its surface.

At first, Aurelius did not recognize what the line was.

Yet, as he took a closer look, he discovered that its shape resembled a snake. To be more accurate, it very much resembled the Earth-Devouring Serpent he had just killed.

Aurelius raised his eyebrows, already having a guess about why that was.

However, he didn’t rush to confirm it.

Instead, he concentrated on the black orb and employed the Player Panel to examine its information.

Soon, lines of text materialized in front of him.

…

[Nascent Devouring Core (Rank 3?): The core condensed prematurely by a talented Earth-Devouring Serpent. It carries its power and soul, allowing it to be reborn if supplied with enough energy. The Devouring Core contains a trace of the Devouring Law. It can be used as the main material during the forging of Relics, as well as an extraordinary item.]

[Effects:]

[Devour: The Devouring Core can devour everything, converting it into pure energy. That energy can be used to recover from injuries or help during advancements.]

…

Aurelius read through the description without much excitement.

For him, the ability of the Devouring Core wasn’t particularly useful.

He seldom suffered injuries, and even when he did, he had many ways to help himself recover.

As for advancement?

He had always relied on the Player Panel, meaning he had no need for additional assistance.

Compared to its effects as a standalone item, what Aurelius was more curious about were its other characteristics.

Firstly, this core could potentially allow the Earth-Devouring Serpent to revive. Secondly, it could be used as the main material to forge Relics.

The latter in particular filled Aurelius with joy.

For the Player Panel to specifically mention that it could be used as the material for forging a Relic, the resulting Relic was bound not to be weak.

At the very least, it should reach the Rare rank.

Moreover, it would almost certainly inherit the core’s devouring properties.