The power bifurcated at Carlo's heart. One stream revitalized his limbs and bones, slowly replenishing the lost essence of blood and vitality. The other surged upward to his brain, and a torrent of chaotic images flashed before his eyes.

Carlo felt his mind sharpen with unprecedented clarity—a sign of enhanced "wisdom" and an elevation of his soul. According to legend, the forbidden fruit of Eden was a fruit of wisdom. It endowed Adam and Eve with a sense of shame, but it was also the fruit of humanity’s original sin, the dawn of all evil.

Sin is the perfect fertilizer for demon growth. Having consumed the forbidden fruit, Carlo’s nature became more transparent, and he would grow even more cunning and malevolent in the future.

The purgatory fire seed in his heart also thrived. Having absorbed thousands of souls, the purgatory fire seed had expanded considerably and began to scorch Carlo’s dark purple heart. The pain, however, made him stronger, and his vitality surged continuously.

With the fruit consumed, Carlo’s face was already flushed. He noted that he still needed over ten thousand evil points, which he had initially intended to save for acquiring “Leviathan’s Claw.” Now, he had no choice but to use them immediately.

Carlo exchanged five more fruits in one go and consumed them consecutively, subjecting his body and soul to a baptism of sin.

From the third fruit onward, Carlo’s injuries were entirely healed, and the power of the sin fruit began to enhance his physical form. His demonic body rapidly strengthened, doubling, then tripling... The blood energy surged, and the five fruits made his body three times stronger than before.

The sensation of this dramatic increase in life essence was unparalleled, and Carlo became almost addicted, spending all his remaining evil points on more fruits.

The enhancement continued, but by the time he consumed the eighth fruit, the effects had become very weak. Carlo realized that the limits of the sin fruit had been reached. He abandoned the thought of eating more and stored the remaining two fruits. At this point, he had undergone a transformation akin to rebirth.

Carlo’s stature had grown by half a head, and he now resembled an eighteen or nineteen-year-old youth. His streamlined muscles and nearly perfect physique were exposed, with a tail like a steel whip trailing behind him. His demon wings had also grown considerably, with a single wing span exceeding three meters, radiating an impressive aura.

Carlo clenched his fists slightly, feeling the powerful surge within him. As his mind turned, countless schemes and plots emerged.

Yet, despite his current strength being several times greater, facing the previous Holy Light Knight still left him with only one option: to transform into a blood bat and flee. His ability to fly with his fighting spirit indicated that the knight’s strength was at least at the level of a grand knight, equivalent to that of a great demon.

Carlo’s strength was only at the high-level minor demon stage. Although his power and combat skills might now match a grand knight’s, that enormous two-handed sword remained an insurmountable obstacle.

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If he had a suitable weapon, he might consider engaging in combat. Carlo extended his crimson tongue and licked his lips, contemplating.

Unfortunately, all his evil points had been spent on sin fruits, leaving Carlo utterly impoverished, with no clear idea of when he would be able to acquire “Leviathan’s Claw.”

Originally, Carlo had considered killing or seducing several Children of Grace, but this near-death experience had made him abandon that idea. High returns meant high risks and challenges. If the Children of Grace were as powerful as the Holy Light Knight, he would rather continue stealthily slaughtering in the city to accumulate experience.

Oh, Carlo suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He remembered he still had one lottery chance left.

Desperately seeking to enhance his power, he chose to draw immediately.

“Lottery ended. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Enchanting Eyes.”

Carlo felt a slight warmth in his eyes, which then returned to normal. He examined the system’s description.

“Enchanting Eyes: Anyone who looks directly into your eyes will be captivated by you. They will follow your will, kiss your feet, and willingly become your most loyal servants.”

Essentially, it was similar to the basic magic spell “Charm.” However, since it was obtained through a lottery, the ability should be more than just basic.

With no one around, Carlo couldn’t test it.

If Carlo could see his own reflection now, he would notice that his once blood-red eyes had turned a faint pink. His appearance was strikingly handsome, but anyone who gazed upon him would be captivated not by his looks but by his eyes. Carlo’s eyes seemed to conceal an unfathomable abyss; anyone who stared would inevitably become lost.

Although Carlo had spent nearly all his accumulated evil points, his condition was better than ever, reaching a new pinnacle.

He was now completely naked, his perfect form exposed to the air. His next tasks were to find some clothes, then kill—kill many people, level up, and eventually eliminate those damned heavenly cultists.

Carlo’s broad demon wings flapped lightly behind him, and he vanished.

...

Deep in the forest, a doe and her fawn discovered a small stream and lowered their heads to greedily lap up the sweet water, clearly parched.

A rustling sound emerged from the nearby bushes. The doe raised her head warily, her pointed ears twitching, prepared to flee at any moment.

The rustling ceased, seeming to be merely a passing small animal.

The doe relaxed her guard and continued drinking.

Suddenly, a black shadow swooped in from a distance. The doe, alarmed, bleated and was about to urge the fawn to flee when the shadow swept across her neck, causing her head to fall off and land in the stream, turning the water red.

The fawn, stunned and unable to grasp the reality of its mother’s death, was seized by a veined, muscular hand that twisted its neck.

With a “crunch,” the poor thing followed its mother.

Two figures emerged from behind the trees. One approached the stream’s edge and picked up the black shadow that had fallen on the ground. It was a crudely made axe, simply bound with grass rope and wooden sticks, though the blade was exceptionally sharp.

One of the figures grabbed the dead fawn and, with blackened teeth, bit through its throat to drink the blood, intensifying the bloodstained air.

“Doss, don’t make yourself look like a jackal. Take it back and let the woman cook it into roasted meat.”

The companion scolded him.

The one covered in deer blood grumbled in dissatisfaction, “I don’t like cooked food…”

The two dwarfs who had killed the deer appeared very unusual. They were short, under one meter tall, but with extremely stout limbs and sharply protruding features. Their appearance was grotesque.

If the dead bearded mercenary were here, he would recognize them as the killers of his three companions.

Evil and ruthless dwarves.

The Lost Forest had somehow become a stronghold for these dwarf bandits. Exiled from the hills, these dwarfs were greedy, lazy, deceitful, and cruel, so hungry that they might even kill their own kind to satisfy their hunger.

“Let’s go. These two deer, along with the potatoes the woman grew, will be enough for our dinner tonight.”

The dwarf strapped the axe to his waist, carried the deer carcass, and called his companion to leave.