Returning home, Ivy locked herself in her room, focusing on her hand.

A moment later, her hand moved, and a pale bone blade extended from her palm, blood flowing down her hand.

Ivy manipulated the bone blade, testing its length—about fifteen centimeters, the length of a dagger.

“If I hadn’t restrained myself this afternoon and had fully transformed, it might have been twice as long,” Ivy thought.

She wasn’t regretful. Hiding her true form beneath her human disguise was advantageous.

Being openly different would make her a target. Concealment, on the other hand, allowed for greater harm.

“My inherent goodness is being corrupted by these abilities,” Ivy sighed.

Ivy continued her experiments.

She discovered, to her delight, that she could extend bone blades not only from her hands but also from her shoulders; bony protrusions could form on her back; jagged bone claws could extend from her ribs.

Ivy experimented, surprised by the transformations.

She was fascinated, exploring her body like discovering a hidden pleasure zone, a manic smile spreading across her face.

Her elbows and knees could extend bone spikes that could inflict bleeding wounds.

Her toes could extend five bone claws, like a cat's paws.

The bones in her face could cover her face, forming a white mask that concealed her features, revealing only her black eyes.

This was the full extent of the [Iron Eater] Rank 2 transformation.

“Each transformation doesn’t allow for complete control over the form, only the length. And I can only transform a maximum of two areas at a time.”

“Theoretically, if I maintain the mask, I can’t use claw attacks from my legs or shoulder spikes when using my arms for a strike. The same is true in reverse.”

“Except for my ten fingers, which I can control freely, I need to switch between different body parts, resulting in gaps between attacks and defenses.”

Ivy’s understanding of the Rank 2 bone transformation deepened. Further refinement would require real-world combat.

She decided to call this state the bone transformation.

“If I had allowed my bones to fully transform this afternoon, my form would be a combination of all these bone transformations.”

Touching the cold mask on her face, Ivy thought,

“More accurately, my current bone transformation is a base form. A good base form!”

As for the overall increase in strength, Ivy found it difficult to assess precisely, but compared to herself from yesterday… she estimated she could defeat her past self ten times.

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Having assessed her increased strength, it was time to plan her next upgrade.

The Rank 2 [Iron Eater] skill had several noticeable changes.

Rank 2 had two additional slots for iron types. Theoretically, she could now consume two types of metal simultaneously.

Two types meant absorbing two properties. Reaching Rank 3 would require maxing out both absorption rates, doubling the experience points needed.

“I could also choose the same type of iron twice. This would result in only one property, but that property would likely be enhanced.”

“For example, the rairity of the Plastic Embryo might change from white.”

After considering her options, Ivy wrote down three plans.

Plan One: Two different types of metal, neither cast iron. This would give her three properties at Rank 2, likely all in their initial (white) stage. However, she could combine them, increasing her arsenal.

Plan Two: Two types of cast iron. This would result in a single property, but the [Plastic Embryo] would be significantly enhanced, and the Crane Claw Technique would also be significantly enhanced due to the improved [Plastic Embryo]. This was a more specialized approach.

Plan Three: Two different types of iron—cast iron and another type to be determined. This would allow her to obtain two properties at Rank 2, with an enhanced [Plastic Embryo] and an improved Crane Claw Technique. This was the most balanced approach.

Ivy leaned toward Plan Three. She preferred a balanced approach, disliking extremes.

She decided to wait a couple of days to see what types of metal she could find and make a decision then.

More importantly, she needed to wait for Ma Ban’s investigation to determine if she needed to save a slot for the Iron Fragments of Evil and Resentment.

So,

She didn’t train, eat iron, or draw blood that night. She found herself with unexpected free time.

Ivy, who had been relentlessly training day and night, felt strangely disoriented without anything to do.

After a moment of blankness, she checked the time—just past midnight.

She read Ma Wei’s message, similar to the previous one, offering nothing new. There was no need to respond.

“Fine. I’ll just sleep,” she decided.

Before getting into bed, Ivy took off her torn and bloodstained shirt, crumpling it into a ball, planning to burn it with a corpse tomorrow.

“The bone transformation is hard on clothes,” Ivy thought. “I need to bring an extra set of clothes when I go out.”

Lying in bed, her thoughts drifted. She imagined her villainous identity being exposed, being hunted and forced into hiding. She imagined transforming into a evil corpse and leading a horde of evil corpses to attack humanity.

Then, she imagined collecting enough Iron Fragments of Evil and Resentment to become a god.

Finally, she imagined the collapse of Higher City, the sky tearing open, countless [Destiny] members descending from the heavens, kneeling before her.

Her thoughts becoming increasingly fantastical, Ivy drifted off to sleep.

...

The black market.

It didn’t operate during the day, only opening after nightfall in Higher City.

It wasn’t a traditional market; it was a cluster of stalls with no storefronts or walls, allowing for easy access.

Entry and exit were unrestricted.

If they ever put up fences or gates, most people wouldn’t come.

From its inception, the black market was inherently lawless and chaotic.

Most people wore masks to conceal their identities, the atmosphere wild and untamed.

It wasn’t that they lacked humanity; it was simply the rules of the black market, mimicking the animal kingdom. Goods were goods, and the traders themselves could become commodities.

Robbery, theft, and murder were commonplace.

Zhang Hao had operated in the black market for many years without incident. This was partly due to his bodyguards but also because he consistently dealt in low-value, low-risk goods.

He only bought one thing—black beads.

To most people, black beads were the crystallized remains of incinerated corpses, similar to the radioactive residue found in the ashes of those who died from radiation poisoning. Medically speaking, it was similar to kidney stones.

The black bead trade had always been low-key and safe. But recently, there were unsettling signs that had Zhang Hao on edge…