After resting and getting some much-needed sleep, Levi awoke in the middle of the mucus-filled terrain, instantly disgusted by the sticky liquid surrounding him.

"Ugh–I can't get used to this…"

He grimaced but quickly calmed himself down.

Now that he had rested, Levi could feel the hunger gnawing at him, so he eyed the vile monster's body.

Who knew if the next floor would have any edible food or not? Better to be prepared. With that in mind, Levi began to fill his stomach with the insides of the worms, sucking on their exoskeletons to sustain himself.

As he ate, Levi decided to check his status.

-----------[Status]-----------

Name: Levias Drake

Rank: Demonic Follower

Patron: The Darklord of the Endless Abyss

Affiliation: Mercenary Federation (F-rank)

Crest: —

Demonic Core: Dormant

Demonic Essence: 1/200

Trait: Demonic Soul

Trait Ability: Demonic Transformation

Innate Ability: Shadow Self | Lunacy

Artifacts: —

Avatars: —

-----------[Status]-----------

The first thing Levi noticed was that the condition status had disappeared. He didn't know how it had triggered or how it had vanished, but for now, it was a good thing that he wasn't as exhausted as before.

Then, his eyes landed on the new innate ability that had appeared in his status: Lunacy. He had already used it and had a vague idea of what the skill did, but he wanted to check out its full description.

Levi concentrated on his innate ability, and the runes showing the description of Lunacy popped up.

---------[Lunacy]----------

Ability Description: In a world where sanity crumbles like fragile glass, true power lies in embracing the madness. Let the chaos within you surge forth, warping reality to your whim. Become the Lunatic, where your insanity is the only truth left standing!

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

---------[Lunacy]----------

"...As expected," Levi muttered, barely surprised.

Providence seemed to enjoy playing with riddles like this. It didn't even clearly explain what the ability did or what power it granted. All he gathered was that it seemed to be a premium ticket to becoming a lunatic.

Despite the vague description, Levi knew firsthand how powerful the ability could be. Mental abilities were rare on Earth—only a handful of people ever had them, and even fewer could resist them.

When it came to monsters, resistance to mental abilities was almost non-existent unless they were in the higher ranks of sub-categories like Wicked or Exalted.

This ability, while powerful, had already proven its worth. The fact that he had managed to kill a vile monster while still being just a Follower was testament enough, even though the monster itself might have been the weakest of its kind.

However, there was a serious drawback to the ability as it had intense effect on his own mind. Activating Lunacy was fine initially, but the longer he used it, the more severe the mental toll became.

He even started hearing strange voices, and his head felt like a boulder was pressing down on it. And that was just the mild effect. The thought of using the ability to its extreme and potentially losing his mind sent a shiver down his spine.

Levi clenched his fists, Lunacy could be his greatest asset—or his undoing. He needed to be careful, to find a way to harness its power without succumbing to the madness it brought.

Anyway, what mattered now was that he had managed to defeat the creature, and in his hand was the demonic crystal of the Lunacy Incarnate!

"I wonder how much demonic essence I would get from this," Levi mused.

Absorbing the demonic crystal of an Essence-level monster had filled one part of the 200 essence required for his evolution. But now, holding a crystal from a monster at the Inept-Vile rank—around two level higher—Levi wondered just how much essence he could gain.

There was only one way to find out- he had to absorb the crystal. But there was a problem...

Levi had no idea how to absorb the crystal. The first time, he had been unconscious and somehow ended up absorbing the crystal, but he didn't exactly know how he had done it.

Well, he had some idea…

Normally, humans would first purify demonic crystals at the altars of the gods and then absorb them by concentrating their essence around the crystal and drawing the essence within. And since he had no need to purify the crystal, he figured he could try the same method.

With that thought in mind, Levi sat down cross-legged—not because it was necessary, but because it felt more comfortable. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the demonic crystal in his hand.

As he focused, he could feel the raw essence thrumming within it, but accessing it was like trying to grasp smoke—slippery and intangible.

His attempts to channel his essence were clumsy, the energy within him resisted his will, refusing to bend to his commands.

Levi let out a frustrated sigh and opened his eyes to see the crystal still resting inert in his palm.

The process felt too complex, too foreign. Levi's control over his essence was rudimentary at best, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't force the energy to flow as he wished.

"What do I do?" he muttered.

It was moments like these when Levi acutely felt the absence of a mentor. If he had been from a powerful or wealthy household, he would have had someone to guide him. Instead, here he was, stuck with no idea how to absorb the essence crystal.

As he sat there, struggling to focus, then, sudden thought struck him.

Lunacy.

His new ability wasn't just about causing chaos in the world around him. It was about bending reality to his will, imposing his own order onto it. If he could do that to the world, why not to the essence within his own body?

Levi's eyes narrowed in thought.

The idea was wild—almost reckless. What if the essence went wild inside him, and he burst like a bubble? And what if Lunacy consumed him while trying to use it on himself?

But then again, wasn't that what his ability was all about? Embracing the madness, defying logic, and using it to his advantage?

"I'm already in deep shit, so I might as well try something rather than to regret it later," Levi decided.

He didn't know what awaited him on the next floor, but he could bet it wouldn't be anything welcoming. He needed to get as strong as possible before moving on, rather than regretting it when it was too late.

"Let's do this!"

Taking a deep breath, Levi concentrated again, this time focusing on the essence within him, and activated Lunacy.

---***---