NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 283: ESSENCE DEVOUR
Greg landed on the ground, his golden eyes scanning everyone around him.
The weaknesses and information of every being in sight—players and shadow slaves alike—were laid bare before him, as though the world itself had unfolded before his gaze.
"Nemesis! Help us!" a female player cried out, panic thick in her voice.
"Yes! Nemesis, please save us!" the other players echoed, desperation coloring their words.
Greg paid little attention to their pleas. His gaze remained locked on the shadow slaves, numbering around a hundred. Each core pulsed visibly within their distorted forms, glowing like twisted hearts—vulnerable, exposed to his evolved perception.
"Buddy, it's been a while. Let's run riot together," he muttered, a grin tugging at his lips as Heaven Defier materialized in his hand, its black blade humming with excitement.
"Stay out of the way. Don't disturb me," he instructed calmly, not even sparing them a glance.
With effortless speed, Greg shot toward the nearest shadow slave. His sword flashed. A single precise swing sliced through its neck, cutting cleanly through the core embedded deep within.
The shadow slave let out a gurgling hiss before disintegrating into nothingness.
[You have killed a shadow slave!]
[Your absolute concept has devoured the essence of the shadow slave imbued with the power of the Law of Darkness.]
[Acquisition of Law of Darkness: 0.0001%]
Greg froze for a heartbeat, his brows knitting together.
"...Acquiring the Law of Darkness from just a single kill?" he murmured in disbelief.
It was unexpected. The recent evolution of his Death concept was revealing deeper benefits—perks he hadn't yet imagined.
A slow, wicked smile crept across his face.
"Let's see how far this goes."
Fueled by newfound enthusiasm, Greg launched into a killing spree. His blade became a blur, dancing through the battlefield with lethal elegance. Every movement was clean, efficient, merciless. With each shadow slave he felled, the progress bar toward the Law of Darkness crept upward. The system notifications became a familiar rhythm, like music to his ears.
"This is too good..." he whispered.
"The last one," Greg muttered, pivoting sharply and slashing across the thigh of the final shadow slave, severing the core with clinical precision. The creature fell, vanishing in a puff of black mist.
Behind him, the surviving players stood frozen in shock.
"Wow... how did he do that? How did he locate the core?" one player, Daemon, asked in awe, his eyes wide with admiration.
But not all reactions were positive.
"You!" another player snapped harshly, stepping forward with fury etched into his face. "We lost three members of our squad because of your selfishness!"
It was Bravo. His eyes burned with rage, and his fists were clenched tight.
"Calm down, Bravo. He saved us," one of his teammates said, trying to defuse the situation.
"Saved us? Are you blind?" Bravo exploded. "We wouldn't have even needed saving if he hadn't withheld information! Didn't you see how easily he handled them? He knew! He knew how to kill them all along and chose to keep it to himself!"
His words struck the others like a hammer. Several of the players, still reeling from fear and loss, looked down. Their expressions shifted from grateful to suspicious... even hateful.
"You guys..." Daemon muttered, visibly shaken at how quickly they turned. "You know he didn't have to save us, right? He could've ignored us. We'd all be dead if he hadn't stepped in."
"Daemon! How can you say that?! Lisa's dead! She died because this arrogant bastard decided to keep secrets!" Bravo roared, the pain of his loss fueling his rage. "You're just going to forget that?"
Slowly, more heads nodded in agreement with Bravo. Gratitude was decaying into resentment, and Greg could feel the subtle shift in the air—the betrayal, the distrust.
He wasn't listening to them, though. His focus had shifted. His eyes were on the newly updated status screen.
User: Nemesis
Job: ?????
Level: 90 (15,562,756 / 16,000,000 EXP)
Health: 170,000
Strength: 1036 (+518)
Speed: 1124 (+562)
Stamina: 1200
Intelligence: 1000
Constitution: 889
Divinity: 2000
Free Attribute Points: 0
Talents:
S-rank talent – Talent Share
---
Concepts:
ABSOLUTE RESOLUTION
---
ABSOLUTE CONCEPT
[DEATH]
: Awakened after being triggered by the Concept SWORD. It disdains every other concept and sits above all, baring just its fangs for now. Further evolved by the help of an unknown force.
Abilities:
•Death Immunity: As an anomaly of the universe, the user transcends death. After dying, the user is reborn through transmigration, resurrection, reincarnation, or regression, depending solely on luck.
•Death Awakening: Upon death, the user gains a talent at random. The minimum rank of talent the user can gain is EX rank
•Talent Replication: The user can utilize this talent in the real world before the game merges with reality. The user can replicate 100% of their abilities and all skills in the real world, as a concept.
•Devour: All who die lose their potential and abilities to Death. DEATH devours the bloodlines and potentials of all those that slumber in its arms. You gain the skills, bloodlines, and talents of every being you kill. You can grant such skills and talents to others, while retrieving them back at any time of your choice.
•Limitless Will: Your will is limitless under the absolute Concept: DEATH. Your manifested will continues to grow infinitely and passively without your interference. Your will is able to devour the manifested will of foes defeated by you.
•Essence devour: Your absolute concept, DEATH, devours the essence of any being that falls by your hands. With the essence, DEATH can assimilate the laws or concept that makes up the being and aquire it. Level of acquisition depends on the amount of essence of the particular concept/law is within the killed being.
•Conversion: If you wish, your absolute concept DEATH can convert a concept or law you possess to feed another concept/law increasing the strength of the concept/law.
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Bloodline:
Primogenitor Bloodline – Abyssal Pyro Tidal Dragon Bloodline
There it was.
The upgrades to his concept weren't just cosmetic—they were real, and they were game-changing. Greg's lips curled into a rare smile. For the first time in a long while, he felt a glimmer of true hope. He could see the path forward. Maybe, just maybe, he could win.
And then—
Shove!
Greg staggered slightly, blinking out of his interface. He turned and saw Bravo glaring at him with pure venom.
"I'm talking to you, you bastard!" Bravo shouted, face contorted with hatred.
Greg slowly looked around. The players he had saved were all staring at him now—not with reverence, but with suspicion, and in some cases, outright hostility. All but Daemon.
"You're blaming me?" Greg said quietly, his tone unreadable. "I saved your lives."
"So?! We wouldn't have needed saving if you had told us how to kill those things!" Bravo barked back. "Lisa wouldn't have died if you weren't such a selfish coward!"
He lunged again, throwing a punch—but Greg didn't even move. The strike passed harmlessly by as if reality itself rejected it.
Greg's golden eyes met Bravo's, cold and unreadable.
"You speak so boldly," he said slowly, voice low and dangerous. "As if I owe you something."
His words hung heavy in the air.
"Did you want me to carry you on my back too? Do you want me to wipe your tears while I'm at it?"