Karlo’s experience points were rising rapidly, by several thousand each day. The sensation of growing stronger effortlessly was exhilarating, and along with it came an influx of evil points.
His total had now surpassed four hundred thousand—a staggering amount. Unsurprisingly, the prices in the Demon Shop had also increased significantly.
Karlo spent 320,000 evil points to upgrade both "Basic Martial Arts" and "Basic Magic," advancing them from "Novice" past "Proficient" and "Expert" all the way to the peak level: "Mastery."
The benefits of "Mastery" were immense. Karlo had gained a demon’s innate instincts for combat and slaughter. His mind and every muscle in his body were now under perfect control, engraved with countless killing techniques.
Whenever any creature—regardless of its size—entered his field of vision, he could instantly devise more than a hundred ways to kill it.
Had he possessed this skill back in the Abyss, that monstrous bird demon, which had left him with no place to hide, would have died at his hands.
In the right hands, superior technique could easily overcome gaps in strength.
As Karlo grew stronger, the shop unlocked even more skill enhancement options. From the day he was born until now, Karlo had never awakened any innate abilities. It was as if his demon bloodline had been stripped of all inherited memories—or perhaps the system itself was his true inheritance.
"Blood Boil," "Soul Burn," "Corrosive Wings"—every skill looked overwhelmingly powerful, making Karlo’s eyes gleam with greed. Yet, the abundance of choices left him uncertain. One misstep in choosing his skill tree would be irreversible.
After much deliberation, Karlo decided to spend only 30,000 evil points to learn "Burnout," an innate ability.
"Where your gaze falls, all lesser beings will turn to ash."
True to form, the system’s description remained cryptic, but Karlo didn’t mind. He had chosen this skill primarily to control the ever-growing "Hellfire Seed" inside him—or rather, the Hellfire, since it had far surpassed the size of a seed.
After devouring the souls of tens of thousands, the Hellfire had grown to the size of a baby’s fist. The crimson flames, now physically manifest, could cover Karlo's entire body, making him resemble a demon freshly emerged from molten lava.
After all, Hellfire was a product of hell itself.
A surge of unfamiliar memories flooded into Karlo’s mind, and with the system’s assistance, he absorbed and processed them in an instant. When he opened his eyes again, the Hellfire around him erupted, as if it had awakened.
The air shimmered from the intense heat, and the ground in his line of sight began to turn yellow and scorch, eventually catching fire for no apparent reason.
With just a thought, the flames on his body retracted smoothly, flowing back inside him as if they were part of his very being.
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Karlo understood that the crimson flames were not the pinnacle of Hellfire. Perhaps the dark purple flame nestled deep within his heart was its true form. He would need more souls to feed it.
Next on his list was the long-anticipated Demon God's Inheritance Seed.
"Do you wish to exchange for the Demon God's Inheritance Memory Seed?"
"Yes."
"Deducting 10,000 evil points. Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Inheritance Seed of Leviathan, Demon God of Envy, one of the Abyssal Seven Monarchs."
As the system’s voice echoed, a fiery red speck of light appeared in Karlo’s mind, floating silently and radiating waves of jealousy and hatred.
An Envy Seed? So, it seemed he had some affinity with the Demon God of Envy after all.
Karlo mused, and at that moment, the Scythe of Envy—crafted from Leviathan’s claw and hidden within a dimensional space—began to glow faintly red.
Another prompt followed: "Leviathan’s claw is undergoing mutation. Its dormant power has been awakened. To unlock it, you must offer blood and souls.
"Leviathan’s Claw, first seal unlock condition: One hundred thousand souls, one hundred thousand evil points."
Karlo was initially shocked, but then a surge of joy overtook him. A weapon forged from a Demon God's body part was already considered a bargain at thirty thousand evil points, but now it seemed its true potential was yet to be unleashed.
The Scythe of Envy was a growing weapon, capable of increasing its power over time!
Karlo briefly felt the overwhelming urge to rush out and start harvesting souls to unlock its power, but he quickly reined in his excitement.
He still had some evil points left to spend.
Originally, he had planned to learn one or two more skills. However, when his eyes returned to the shop and landed on the Demon God's Inheritance Memory Seed, he was surprised to find it still available.
His heart pounded as a thought occurred to him: If there are seven Monarchs, then aren’t there six more seeds? Could he keep exchanging?
"Do you wish to exchange for the Demon God’s Inheritance Memory Seed?"
Karlo nodded eagerly. "Yes."
"Deducting 10,000 evil points. Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Inheritance Seed of Mammon, Demon God of Greed, one of the Abyssal Seven Monarchs."
It worked!
This time, a golden speck of light floated out, taking its place next to the fiery red one.
Without hesitation, Karlo continued to exchange.
...
"Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Inheritance Seed of Samael, Demon God of Wrath, one of the Abyssal Seven Monarchs."
...
"Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Inheritance Seed of Beelzebub, Demon God of Gluttony, one of the Abyssal Seven Monarchs."
...
"Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Inheritance Seed of Belphegor, Demon God of Sloth, one of the Abyssal Seven Monarchs."
...
"Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Inheritance Seed of Asmodeus, Demon God of Lust, one of the Abyssal Seven Monarchs."
...
"Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Inheritance Seed of Lucifer, Demon God of Pride, one of the Abyssal Seven Monarchs."
...
Seven evil points were spent, yielding seven radiant specks of light, which now formed a circle within Karlo’s mind.
And then, something strange occurred.
The seven specks began to spin faster and faster until they merged into a chaotic vortex. Finally, everything went still.
When Karlo looked again, the seven colored specks had vanished, replaced by a single gray speck, quietly floating.
No matter how Karlo tried to provoke it, the gray speck remained unmoved. Even consulting the system revealed nothing beyond its name.
"Original Sin Seed."
Everything else was unknown.
With the inheritance seeds no longer available in the shop, Karlo decided to leave it be.
With over thirty thousand evil points still remaining, he used them to exchange for a large stock of Sin Fruits.
After advancing to a greater demon, the Sin Fruits had regained their miraculous effects. Karlo suspected that these fruits contained a mysterious power capable of pushing a demon’s body to its absolute limits at every stage of evolution.
This was fantastic news. He had already decided to snack on Sin Fruits from now on, each bite filled with the anguished wails of dozens of souls—the ultimate delicacy for a demon.
Once again, having spent all his points, Karlo didn’t mind at all. After all, there was an entire treasure trove waiting for him out there, ready to be taken whenever he wished.