V3 Chapter 28

Still, Cian was not that desperate about it. He had already usurped three skills from the monster, so he felt it was enough for him. The others could use some upgrade though. So he turned towards Lamia.

“Do you want it?” he asked.

Lamia’s eyes widened as she stared at him. It seems like she had never expected that Cian would offer this kind of precious treasure to her without hesitation. However, she shook her head. Though, an additional skill, especially coming from an ancestral monster, is quite appealing. However, Lamia didn’t want it. Especially, if it’s from a JaggerJaw, full of creepy bones.

Whatever kind of skill it is, surely it would not be that good either. And besides, Lamia was currently in the very sensitive stage of reforming her Monster Core- a very important stage to prepare herself in reaching the Demi-God stage. JaggerJaw is not a Serpent-type monster, and because of that, it will just stain her blood and magic power. She can purify it, however, it will lengthen the process, and it would just become a problem rather than being helpful.

Though, if it was from a Legendary Serpent-type beast, she would not have minded it. In fact, rather it would be a great help. Unfortunately, it’s not so she doesn't have any interest in the jaggerJaw’s Soul Fire, even if it contains an incredible skill. Then, suddenly, Lamia realized something. The JaggerJaw’s Soul Fire is still intact? Then, how did Cian acquired the same skill as the JaggerJaw, that bone control skill he had displayed a few minutes ago? This is strange.

When she had seen him shooting and controlling the bones from his body, she had assumed that he had obtained and absorbed the monster’s Soul Fire. However, since the Soul Fire is still intact, then how did Cian use that kind of skill? Is that ability actually different from the skill of the JaggerJaw? But she had never seen him use something like that before?

What is going on?

What the hell is this Demon?

Lamia’s doubt became even deeper. It’s like the more she knows him, the more she couldn’t understand him.

“How about you, Leona?”

Cloud asked Leona. Though, he actually didn’t mind having it. However, the current Leona is much weaker for the team. She would surely become a liability, and worst, he might actually decide to abandon her if she becomes too much of a burden. In the first place, he had only taken in the Manticore on a whim. No, rather, because he wanted to use her as an experimental guinea pig for his Drain ability.

Well, somehow he had gotten attached to it. However, the problem is that he doubted he would grow attached to it forever. Sometimes, even he cannot control himself. He lives on a whim. No, rather, it should be said that he lives in the pursuit of entertainment. He abhors boredom. He hated to return to the life he had lived in the previous world- a peaceful student, or a killer with a redundant routine.

That’s who he really is.

And because of that, Cian fears that the time he lost the fun of having Leona, he would easily abandon her. In other words, he doesn’t trust himself.

Of course, he is not the type to abandon a friend or a comrade, or at least, he’s confident he wouldn’t do that. Just that, trust is the biggest issue. Especially if it comes to himself. He noticed that sometimes he wasn't himself recently. Like he had become foreign...

He thought he knows himself better than anyone else in this world. But right now, he was starting to doubt it. There are times that he was confused about his decisions- the uneasiness of becoming something, someone he doesn't know. It's creeping onto him. Thus, to avoid that tragic future, Cian wanted Leona to become strong. Very strong that he would not abandon her when the situation calls for it. Though it’s a very shallow reason, having a powerful guardian is also for his own as well, so it was not a problem really.

Leona stared at her master, then nodded her head. Though she didn’t know what her master was thinking, she was also aware of her own weakness. Protecting her master was Leona’s one and only desire. However, she can’t do that if she is weak. She needed power. She wanted strength.

Cian nodded his head with a faint smile, and give the Soul Fire to her. Without hesitation, Leona opened her mouth and devoured the Soul Fire. Immediately after, ash-colored flames appeared from her fur. Suddenly, pain assaulted her senses, and she started thrashing around wildly in agony.

Cian frowned. He tried to touch her to see what was happening, however, his hand stopped before he can touch her. Through his eye, he saw the wildly rampaging magic power and the shape of her soul (vessel) distorting. Is this normal? Her soul is changing... is she evolving?

After a while of convulsing and roaring in pain, suddenly, Leona let out one last roar, and her eyes slowly closed, going into a deep slumber. Cian watch as Leona curled up, covered in burning ash-colored flames.

She should not wake up for a while, he thought. It seems like the [Soul Fire] had forced her to [Evolve]. This kind of thing is something one can ask, especially for Magical Beasts. It's a very rare and precious opportunity. Well, it seems like giving her the [Soul Fire] has not gone to waste.

Cian decided to rest. But after a long time, Leona was still asleep. And before he knew it, he had gotten bored. It seems like, she wouldn't be waking up for a while.

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Looking at the curled-up Manticore who was clad in blazing flames, Cian let out a sigh.

Waiting is out of the question…

It's very boring.

After thinking for a while, Cian scratched the back of his head and finally decided.

“Lamia, stay here for a while and look after her, will you?”

“... …”

“Be a good big sister, okay?”

Lamia stared at Cian with a ‘What is this guy saying?’ kind of gaze. Is he asking her to look after this brat? And who the hell is he calling this brat’s big sister?

Give this demon a chance, and he will surely take advantage of you forever. Lamia was annoyed. If her people know that she was being treated as a pet, much less, being given a little sister to be taken care of when she didn’t even bother taking care of her blood sisters, they would surely die in shock. Lamia was about to flip out now. Though she doesn’t know the clear reason why she can’t start against him, nevertheless, everything must have a limit.

And this is her limit!

Lamia was about to explode when Cian’s face turned into a gentle expression. He tilted his face up at her, a dazzling smile on his lips.

“I’m depending on you, Lamia. Please protect her for me, okay?”

After saying that, he stroke Lamia’s head before turning around, not waiting for her response at all.

"... ...."

The serpent stared at his disappearing back. After a while, she let out a sigh, and look in the direction where he disappeared with a very annoyed expression. If only she could return to her original form, she would surely beat this demon up, until he can’t even remember his name. However, she feared the consequences if she did.

She realized that the longer she continues this farce, the harder it is for her to say the truth. Even with her status, she can’t bring herself to reveal the truth. After all, she knows that when she did, their relationship would basically end. She doesn’t know him completely, but at the very least, she somehow understood a bit of that strange demon's personality.

Either serve him or leave. Especially, if he knows her true identity. He’s someone who can never be under someone, or else he would not see you in a good eye. Furthermore, Lamia didn’t want to leave his side for now, due to his magic power. She’s currently at the very important part of reforming her magic core, and she needed his assistance for it.

With an ancestral beast’s God’s Blood in his body, Cian’s effect on her ascension is not so little.

Just that, she was confused.

He clearly has God’s Blood, but how is it that he’s not refining it? She can feel its aura but there seems to be no substance.

It’s as if the God’s Blood inside him was artificially planted, and he has no idea how to make use of it, causing it to become wasted. The God’s Blood is too concentrated in one place, like a large lump of power that doesn’t know where to go, and thus, can only be kept at the very deep of his being. Though that’s a waste, however, because of it as well, Lamia’s advancement was proceeding smoothly.

The God’s Blood is still without a single taint of impurity. That would not be the case if Cian had completely absorbed it. Since his entire existence is an incredible amalgamation of different species, it would surely change the God’s Blood inside him. If that happens, it would be hardly of use to her.

Still, just by it being kept without being tainted yet, is already a mystery.

It’s like putting a treasure in a secure treasure box, without the fear of it being disturbed.

Just what kind of existence is this Demon?

What’s even more surprising is that he was able to retain the different aura without even mixing them, as if he was able to separate them from each other. As the best example is that, when he is a Werebeast, he became a complete Werebeast, with no hint of being anything else. When he is a Demon, on the other hand, he is a Demonic Evil that is completely different from when he is a Werebeast. It was incredibly amazing--becoming anything without any holes in his disguise.

Lamia can’t believe it’s just a mere skill. Even a shapeshifting Demon might mimic a person’s appearance, or their aura’s to some degree…but if one looks at them closely, no matter how flawless their disguise was, there were will always be a problem. Especially, the deepest aura of a creature, and its magic power.

Each race has a distinct aura or magic power that differs from others. It’s like having the same appearance but different in flavor. Though not many can differentiate it, high-level powers can easily do it. But Cian’s shapeshifting ability is a realm of its own. One that easily surpasses those she had seen before.

A Perfect Shapeshifting Ability.

But can something that defies the natural order even exist?

No, it should be...since he was the living proof of it.

But what kind of Godly Skill is that? And how did he obtain it? Just who is the Demon? And where did he come from? Lamia was full of questions. And for the first time, she doesn't how to find the answer for them. Truly an abnormal being.

... ...

Contrary to the intense battle that had just happened a few minutes ago, there was not a sound anywhere.

A total silence.

Because of Asceius company, he had never noticed how eerie this silence is. At least, until now. However, even with a will of steel, one can’t help but give birth to anxiety just by standing in the middle of this silence.

No. Cian shook his head as a comfortable warmth covered his mind.

His throbbing anxiety instantly calmed down, replaced by calmness.

Finally, he had reached the place where they have separated. He had managed to locate it using [Night's Eye]. And the corpses of the Werebeasts lying around were the proof of it. In fact, he had even found the secret symbols he had made on the trees to mark their location. However, both Asceius and Iris were nowhere to be found.

“Just where are those idiots?”

He wondered as it should have been impossible for him, or the others to get lost. Furthermore, even if the siblings have their senses and perception tampered with, his senses, however, are not. So it means, he was not the one who was lost, but them. But where did they go?

They couldn’t have lost so far with that short amount of time. He scratched the back of his head, but not daring to walk far away. There might be a chance that Leona and Lamia would be the ones getting lost. And that would be a problem for him. He couldn’t underestimate this world anymore. Exploring this world alone would be like signing his death contract.

At the very least, his current power is not enough to arrogantly walk through this world.

The two moons gleamed brightly in the night sky, though, Cian noticed that the distance between the two moons seemed to have widened once again.

I thought they are rotating this world on a similar axis, but it seems like that was not the case. Well, only if the law of nature here also works the same in the modern world, then at least, the basic physics should also be the same. Even still, I thought the moons are like pasted stickers. It seems like they are also really moving.

One of the moons is getting closer to the horizon, while the other moon was almost at the peak of the night sky…wait, is time, or rather, the nighttime actually moving?

Suddenly such suspicions occur. No, perhaps this is a realization of how this world works?

If that’s the case, then perhaps, this world didn’t have an endless night cycle, but just a case of a very, very long night?

Cian's eyes widened in that realization.

If the two moons reached the horizons that might be the case.

And the day would appear.

But the problem is... for how long?