'I am a monster.'
Droplets of red liquid clicked upon impact on a small pool of blood beneath him.
He stared at his hands, covered in blood, as was the lower part of his face.
Shredded pieces of meat stuck to both sides of his face. He had an expression of bewilderment mixed with confusion.
He couldn't bring himself to believe what had just happened.
However, the thing was, he did not care. He was power-hungry and could do anything to get it at the moment.
To no longer be weak, to be the strongest, to not be controlled—who wouldn't want that?
"I completed the quest. What next?"
The system interface changed, and a new notification blinded his gaze.
[The Darkgod, the Emperor of Darkness, admires your will.]
[You have now received his blessings.]
[DNA Temperament!]
(Warning! You might experience excruciating pain beyond recognition, but you will survive. 50/50.)
"The fuck you mean...?!!!"
Out of nowhere, a sharp pain struck his head. His skull ached in an extravagant way, unlike any headache he had ever known.
It was as if a blade pried open his skull, slowly and menacingly, taking its time to ensure the pain was properly felt.
The veins that connected the nerves throughout his body forcibly bulged out, expanding at an alarming rate.
The agony he felt was beyond imagination. To say that each and every one of his nerves erupted and burst through his skin, draining him of blood, was profound.
At that moment, he was a bloody mess. Tears could be seen throughout his flesh, with bits of muscle fibers turning into meaty disasters.
Well, he screamed his lungs out, unable even to move to destroy more veins.
Falling unconscious wasn't an option. Yeah… it could ease the pain to some degree. But unfortunately, it seemed the system had beef with him—or maybe it was his willpower—that kept him from passing out.
Well, he was unable to figure anything out, at least at this exact moment. Why? Because he was one step into the afterlife.
Ding!
[DNA Temperament Completed]
Whew!
Whew!
Whew!
Heavy breaths harshly left his lips, feeling the weight on his shoulders. The pain slowly subsided at an incredible rate.
And before he knew it, it had completely left his body. The unexplainable thing was that there were no strains or aftereffects, as if he hadn't just been gambling with death a moment ago.
[You now have access to the full interface.]
[Profile]
[Inventory]
> > > [Skills] <<<
'Hmm...'
It was strange, yet he casually proceeded with caution.
'Select skills.'
Initially, he had no idea where to begin. But since the skills tab was the most enticing, he started with that.
Everything just felt like he was about to start a cool game. Expectations had clouded his hatred for the system.
---
[Purple Wolf]
[Lunar Dash]
A skill that allows the user to move instantly within a short distance, leaving behind a spectral afterimage.
[Cost = -2H]
---
[Dragon]
[Draconic Overdrive]
Temporarily enhances strength, endurance, and size, allowing for overwhelming attacks.
[Cost = -4H]
---
[Phoenix] (Locked)
(Level too low to unlock.)
---
[Your DNA has been tampered with, merging you with the power and will of the three loyal beasts of the Darkgod.]
'Whoa.'
It was quite unexpected. The Darkgod had given him an incredible blessing of power. With this, he could finally take some vengeance.
Who was this Darkgod that had given him this blessing and this system that promised power? He had no idea.
He wasn't bothered either. He just had to get stronger to know the identity of the Darkgod.
With that, Victor decided to explore the other features.
---
[Profile]
[Name: Victor]
[Race: Half-Human]
[Level: 1 | 0/100]
[Ability: Draconium Essence]
[Health: 100/100]
---
[Attributes]
[Strength: 10 | (Average person = 10)]
[Agility: 10 | (Average person = 10)]
[Stamina: 10 | (Average person = 10)]
---
'Hmm, a detailed analysis of me… interesting. So that's what this [Profile] feature is for?'
Looking through his profile, he was concerned about a few things. Firstly, the race description confirmed him as a Half-Human.
'Why is that? Am I not a human?'
A picture suddenly flashed in his head.
[Relax, Host. You are neither a Drak nor can you be considered a normal human anymore. Your DNA has now been mixed with the three great beasts.]
'Hmm, true.'
Then he asked about another thing that caught his attention.
"Draconium Essence?"
[Due to ingesting parts of a Drak, you are now able to use an ability related to them.]
[The only difference is that instead of receiving external energy to refill and strengthen your body, you use internal energy that has been merged together to form a core.]
'Hmm, that's awesome.'
Unlike humans, he didn't need to borrow energy from nature or extract Veil energy from chaos like Draks. He was unique in his own way and used his own energy.
Things were getting better than he had anticipated. It felt like he had an angel looking after him.
'Or maybe… since he's called the Darkgod, he's definitely no angel. Might be my guardian demon then.'
The other features were pretty much self-explanatory, so he didn't put much thought into them.
Now, the most important thing was to get out of this canyon.
It was now noon, the sun high above the horizon. He looked in front of him, then behind him.
The canyon was vast, stretching as far as his eyes could see.
It was not wise to move without a plan. Dangers could lurk around the corners, or worse—he could get lost.
'What should I do, huh…'
He suddenly looked up, and an idea slapped him in the face.
'Uh-huh...'
'What if I could climb the wall?'
His gaze then landed on the wolf, which had been watching the human in front of him slowly descend into insanity.
"Hey… little pal. I would really appreciate it if you could help me scale the wall and get a rope or something to pull me up?" Victor asked nicely—so nicely, in fact, that it got creepy.
The wolf stared at him, its eyes filled with murderous intent.
'I am no slave!!'
The words reverberated in Victor's mind before the wolf immediately burst into purple, pageant-like smoke and disappeared.
He was flabbergasted.
"Wait… the wolf can talk?"
The next moment, a sharp pain stung his left arm. He quickly pulled up his sleeve, wheezing in pain—but then, it suddenly stopped.
When he saw his arm, the head of the exact wolf was now tattooed onto his skin.
[The Shadow is disgusted by the disrespect you have shown. It has now gone into slumber to get away from you.]
-_- "...."
T_T
---