NOVEL WEB Chapter 533: Gains (1)
Five days after the battle with Zarok, Klaus finally opened his eyes from his meditative state. Thanks to the two doors inside his soul sea, all seven Sage Cores and two Saint Cores had been restored to their previous state.
The battle hadn't gone as planned, but he had gained one more Life Point, bringing his total to three now.
Yes... Klaus had never been confident of victory, as he never intended to use the [Runic Spellblade] technique with the Eye of Despair.
Well, it came back to him when he activated the Runic Spellblade technique, so he had to go with the flow, which allowed him to win at a great cost. Luckily, what should have taken weeks lasted only five days.
"Fuck... I am not using that technique again." Klaus stretched his arms. "Well, until I need it again, that is."
The pain rocking his body had started to subside now that his healing was at full capacity. Twelve hours later, he was good as new and finally ready to proceed to the next step.
"Three items. I guess these two are the Soul Crystal and Blood Essence," Kent muttered, watching the three items hovering before him.
He recognized one since he had seen it multiple times before; however, the two beside it were new to him.
Nevertheless, since the trial structure had stated he would receive a Core, a Soul Crystal, and a Blood Essence, he could only assume the other two were the remaining items.
<If you are ready, the absorption can begin.>
Klaus heard the voice and sighed. He prepared himself, knowing the power emanating from the three items was far more potent than anything he had sensed from Zarok.
It could only mean these items were not as simple as they seemed to most. He had to be prepared. Mentally, he was ready, but physically, he needed to let his body accept the pain that was coming.
"Let's do it."
Then it began. Klaus's scream filled the first trial area as the three items were absorbed into his body. Immediately, runes began to form, dancing around him for a full five hours.
In the end, all the runes fused into one large rune, appearing like a tattoo inside one of the stars on his back.
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Only eight stars remained now.
It was ironic, considering he had nine-star tattoos and had to complete nine trials. In a way, it made sense—this was something he had planned for himself.
"So, I didn't die, but it hurt like hell," Klaus muttered.
"Huh?" Klaus flinched when he sensed something approaching him. It was sudden, but by the time he turned around, a stream of liquid metal was already entering his body.
His senses dulled for a moment, but when he regained them, his body exploded with energy. He immediately pulled up his stats, and damn—his strength and defense had skyrocketed.
His mouth widened, jaw nearly hitting the floor.
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===> STATs <===
Strength: 27,300
Agility: 10,370
Stamina: 10,340
Defense: 26,600
Intelligence: 8,100
Health: 22,000
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"So, I not only absorb the Core, Soul Crystal, and Blood Essence, but I now have his armor merged with my body, raising my defense and strength by several thousand." Klaus grinned wryly.
"I wonder if I can summon his armor." Klaus tapped into the feeling, but unfortunately, he wouldn't be turning into Ironman today.
"Not that I'm disappointed." Klaus turned toward the last thing hovering before him, and his greed surfaced.
The first thing he did was bite his thumb and put the blood on the red saber before him. It took just a few seconds, but then the saber became his and vanished into his soul sea.
A few seconds later, Klaus summoned it, and it appeared, two meters long in his hand, the blade coated in fire qi that threatened to incinerate anything it touched.
"Ignis Revenant: The Chaos Flame Demon Saber." Klaus flexed the saber with a broad smile.
"That is a good name." He could sense just one technique embedded in the saber, but even without practicing it for hundreds of years, he immediately mastered it.
Klaus was very happy to acquire the weapon that had nearly killed him 78 times. Yes, that was how close he came to dying during his battle with Zarok.
Perhaps his mind should slow down sometimes.
"I didn't die, and that is all I should focus on." Klaus turned and looked at Zarok's huge 25-meter body and shook his head.
He never expected his first battle to go that smoothly. But thankfully, his past memories had helped him win, and now he was very strong. But he had a nagging feeling...
"Something ain't right," Klaus muttered as he tried to sense what was happening. He tried hard to dig into it, but no matter what, the thing wasn't showing.
However, he could swear when he formed the contract with the sword, he received something else.
"Hmm." Klaus unsummoned the saber and then summoned it again. His eyes widened as his surroundings shifted, and then it happened.
The 100 meters around him were plunged into a perpetual domain of hellish flame, twisted chains made of dark fire, and—within the domain—Klaus saw something that made his blood run cold despite the infernal heat.
"A summoning gate?" He stepped closer, inspecting it. "No, not a summoning gate. But that can't be right. I'm not a demon... why do I have this?"
Klaus's blood began to freeze as the realization hit him.
"A Soul Forge. It's a freaking Soul Forge!" His blood surged as he erupted into maniacal laughter, like a madman who had just won the lottery.
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Lissa looked at Alida, and the two burst into laughter.
"So that's what the master prepared for himself. It seems his shamelessness knows no bounds." Alida shook her head.
"I know, right? How can one person be this monstrous and shameless at the same time? Forming a Bloodline Meridian wasn't enough. He had to absorb the armor and claim the weapon too. But no, he also had to steal the Law of Self, and now... there's a Soul Forge."
"Too bad he can't use it yet until..."
"I guess that's for the best."
The two cats held pondering expressions on their faces. They were the only beings who could live for billions of years, so they knew more than anyone.
But they could only discuss among themselves. They didn't dare talk to their master, as that would break the timeline he had set and call upon them the wrath of the heavens.
However, it seemed even they had never expected things like this to happen.
They never expected Klaus to arrive when he did, and they most certainly never anticipated him gaining this much when he was only meant to have the core, crystal, and essence.
"Looks like we will have some more work on our hands soon. I wonder how long we will have to sleep after this trial," Alida sighed.
"I only hope we are awakened before the world awakens. We cannot miss the fun," Lissa sighed as well.
After a while, Klaus stopped using the Law of Self he had somehow obtained from Zarok. The Soul Forge was something nobody should possess, but he did now, and for some reason, he felt very happy seeing it.
"Even though I can't use it now, I can still farm souls and store them there. I wonder which unfortunate race will come after me when I leave this place."
A wicked smile appeared on his face as he gestured for the next trial.