33 Book 3 Chapter 29

Demon.

The word held multiple meanings, and inside the tower meant something specific. If you performed a particular action, you would be recognized as a demon. All you had to do was steal the strength of another creature, usually by consumption.

The reasoning was straightforward: why bother training for years on end when you could just take someone else's strength for yourself?

Demons generally skyrocketed in power faster than anyone else, but they lived short lives. Stealing the strength of others was taboo. Most lifeforms held hatred toward demons and would work to hunt them down at all costs.

It was tough for a demon to reach great heights. Besides being hated, consuming the strength of another was inefficient. It was only after countless years that a new species was born, solving this issue.

A pure demon.

The universe was full of abilities, and a pure demon could consume them all with frightening efficiency. Vex, the god of darkness, was one such demon.

The floor Jason found himself on was not unlike a farm. Countless demonic monsters hunted each other, evolving until pure demons harvested them. And now, those very demons lived just forty-some miles away from the base Jason and his companions occupied.

Inside the haven, Peter sent off the construction team, much to their relief. When the last teleported away, he turned, appreciating the defenses as he made his way over to Shenlong, who was recounting his experiences outside the haven to the top ascenders. "…the lycan's stats were about thirty percent higher than mine, but its technique was crude."

Carly blinked as she voiced her doubt. "Just thirty percent? How were you wounded to that extent?"

Shenlong shook his head, "The beast cared little for its life. If you were about to take a hit, you would normally retreat, but the lycan doubled down. I didn't want to trade blow for blow. It was frustrating."

Sam, the leader of the scout team, leaned forward. "We saw numerous fights between monsters while we were out. As you said, they care little for their life."

Jason listened silently next to Roy and Olivia. At Peter's suggestion, he refrained from holding their hands through every problem the team encountered. It was only in this way they could adapt and grow. Unfortunately, it seemed his knowledge became less useful the more time passed.

After several minutes of discussion, Jason spoke for the first time, his gaze on Sam. "Did you find any points of interest?"

"None," Sam furrowed his brow. "Though we went out, it was just a preliminary expedition. We didn't go far."

"Hmm." Jason folded his arms with some disappointment.

Peter added with a stern tone. "Speaking of, how confident are you in heading out again tonight?"

"Pretty confident," Sam smiled with pride, "most of us get a boost to our stats and skills during nightfall."

The usually silent Ebba raised her hand. "There is a large density of death energy to the east."

Hearing her comment, Jason came to a sudden realization. As a necromancer, Ebba harnessed death energy when killing monsters, thus making her particularly sensitive to it. Peter had been paying close attention to Jason in the past few weeks, so he immediately noticed Jason's change in expression. "Figure something out?"

"I just realized something – on this floor, Ebba is a living treasure radar." Jason looked at Ebba with strong emotions, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

Peter's swift mind quickly figured out what Jason meant. "Right, this floor is related to the god of darkness. Death energy gathering in large amounts should indicate something special."

Sam clapped his hands. "East it is."

"I'll come with you." Ebba volunteered. She was particularly interested in gathering all the death energy for herself, as it could strengthen her skills and undead.

The conversation gradually changed from small talk to a discussion between the various leaders. They brainstormed how to best strengthen themselves before the week was up, and only after several hours did the meeting finally end.

Inevitably, the sun fell over the horizon. The floor was dyed pitch black, and if you stood on the edge of the haven, it would seem as if you were staring into an abyss. Even specialized skills did little to pierce the veil. There was no moon in the sky. Instead, a giant eyeball with a red slit for a pupil stared down.

You are being suppressed. All stats have dropped by 20%.

Your willpower has allowed you to partially resist!

Ebba led Sam and his team east. While Sam's specialized skills allowed him to detect danger, Ebba's minions were the perfect scouts. As a renowned scout himself, Sam wasn't frustrated – his team had many things a necromancer couldn't replicate.

It wasn't long before they left the save zone designated to their haven. The constant howling and stench of blood gave it away.

Under Ebba's direction, she steered the team away from ongoing brawls, keeping them safe. She couldn't see anything in the dark, but the death of her minions was a good enough indication of danger. Although a few demons ran into them, Sam and his team were able to bait the intruding monsters away from the party, preventing a fight to the death.

The night dragged on. What was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission was instead a fight against oneself. The combination of mental suppression, darkness, howling, and inability to use the communication necklace left the team tense and on edge. Even their battle-hardened wills were left strained. Any weak-willed ascender would have found themselves unconscious, or worse, deranged.

Eventually, after several hours of detours, they arrived at their destination. The team could only see less than twenty feet out, but they all stopped without a word. Ahead, corpses of monsters riddled the ground. Strangely, the blood didn't pool together but instead sunk into the ground.

Countless roars came from within, these much fiercer than before, and the ground frequently trembled from powerful attacks.

Ebba ignored all of that. Being so close to this much death energy left her intoxicated. She couldn't help it – the nature of her abilities gave rise to a type of gluttony that wasn't human.

When Sam's danger sense skill suddenly went off, he immediately motioned for his team to retreat. Ebba snapped back to attention. Her affinity for death energy gave her insight into what was happening. Something was absorbing death energy at speeds she couldn't imagine.

The team turned and fled, but it was too late.

A figure flew out from within the corpse-riddled field, hitting the ground and rolling for twenty feet before coming to a stop. Ebba and the others froze, afraid to make a sound.

(Mutant) Demon Arand - Level 250

Health: 378,400/500,000

Besides an absurdly high level, the demon had ten tattoos. According to demon society, that signified the demon before them was on the verge of becoming a mid-grade demon.

Ebba was astonished. This was only a low-tier demon? Based on her estimations, they would need an entire raid party to kill this demon.

"Ahh, damn beast." Arand's tail pushed off the ground, bringing him to his feet. He clutched his dislocated shoulder and popped it back into place. Only then did he notice Ebba and the others standing nearby. "Oh? What manner of life are you? Strange, you look like a demon, but not quite."

Upon taking a closer look, Arand laughed in disdain. "You don't have a single tattoo? How pitiful."

A deep roar cut off Arand's laughter. His eyes narrowed as he let out a guttural growl in response. "Think I fear you? You don't know your place!"

One of the tattoos on Arand's body took on a gaseous form. It spread out to cover his entire body before transforming into a suit of flexible bone armor. Another tattoo came to life, evolving Arand's tail into a fearsome weapon reminiscent of a spear. Three more symbols activated, though their effects were unknown.

Ignoring Ebba's group entirely, his tail smashed against the ground, shooting him forward like a bullet. Ebba could barely trace his body, much less react. Thankfully, Arand's target was the monster behind them.

"Let's go!" Sam hissed. He was soaked in sweat from just those few moments.

Luck seemed to be on their side, as they returned to the haven with little trouble. Upon entering, they collapsed to the ground, feeling as if a significant burden had lifted from their shoulders.

It was only then they understood. The mental suppression on this floor possessed an insidious nature, weakening their resolve and raising their fear. After reporting to Peter, they returned to their homes and fell into a deep slumber.

In conclusion, it seemed although Ebba could lead them to a fortuitous encounter, if they didn't possess enough strength, it would instead be a disaster.