Demon King
Chapter 71 Sixth Evolution [3]

Eating Dullahan's body takes a few seconds. Now that it no longer held back my desire to devour it, my black smoke made the boss' body quickly work.

[Dullahan Predation 1/1]

[Strength increased 2.]

[Magic increased 3.]

[Intermediate Blackmine became Lv10 and has evolved into Advanced Blackmine. The duration of Blackmine had increased tremendously, and now a larger-scale blackmine could be created.]

I would never have imagined reaching this level of skill before. It filled me with a sense of accomplishment in acquiring other advanced skills. I even had my Surprise skills reach the top level, yet now …

‘It's still not enough. I'm only level 119. ‘ In terms of levels, there is no doubt many people are stronger than me. But in terms of skill, I definitely have a slight advantage. I am still not the strongest just because I have some high levels and special skills. The fact that I am accumulating many advanced skills is not enough to set me free. Instead, it only fueled my desire to continue growing stronger.

Lee Chan-yu's face came to my mind, and I shook my head to clear this thought.

“No, I cannot be satisfied with what I have achieved so far ... but I cannot deny my own growth.” I went ahead and tested Blackmine's skill, making sure it was indeed getting stronger. The change in strength I could feel whenever my skills grew was incredible, especially in terms of my magic skills. Although, I am not sure if this skill counts as magic. It doesn't feel the same.

“I don't think it matters too much.” No matter how high my Detection level is; there is a limit to what can be analyzed. I decided to go ahead and check the loot I had obtained.

[Helm Yultana (297/520] – Defense 320. Rarity Unique. The defense is enhanced by an additional 50% against magic and undead attacks.]

This was an incredible magic item with incredible defense. But it didn't look like the dull helmet Dullahan was wearing. Instead, it was made of some sort of dark metal. It felt a bit strange wearing it, because the helmet covered my mouth. “I won't be able to eat like this.” The problem presented itself as soon as I tried it. ‘I think I can use the smoke to keep eating but .. It feels better if I bite it myself.’

For the Pelcadia Gem, there are four gem colors. ‘Red, blue, black and purple. What does color mean? Did I take more than one? ‘ I thought about it for a while but decided to move on to the next part of the loot. I don't have enough information to decide. The other thing I gained was the Lucky Egg, from killing the horse Dullahan was riding. ‘This is weird. I mean, a horse doesn't lay eggs. ‘ I opened my inventory and checked the item; my question was instantly answered.

[Eggs of Luck (300/300) – Unique Rarity. A crystal that has some world essence. A small life beats in it, waiting to hatch.]

It looked like a polished obsidian crystal, completely egg-shaped. A cluster of white light was emitted from the center of the crystal, flashing periodically. I went ahead and put it back in my inventory, now waiting for what might hatch from that egg. “I have to ask Rain.” for advice

I looked at where Dullahan had fallen, a small wooden box replacing him now. ‘Better take floor gifts also.’ The box had an ancient-level weapon composite scroll inside, but I couldn't use it. ‘Maybe I have to go buy some more weapons so I can use this scroll.’ I considered going back to the store, but a glimpse of my inventory told me I didn't have enough money to pursue the idea.

‘Maybe I can collect some materials and make my own weapon?’ Perhaps the best thing is that I don't rely too much on the store. Reflecting on this, I stood up. Before, it was time to take the final step towards my next evolution.

“Fate, what do you think of the soul?” A asked, met with my gaze. I felt a strange deja vu. Isn't that something Rain had asked me before? I thought I had concluded that it was impossible to know the soul, and Rain seemed satisfied with my answer. I thought about that answer after my training at Nak Park, so I was convinced of it.

“No Answers?”

I'm still thinking. Now that I've considered it again, things are a little different. I thought of the monsters in the Rookie Battlefield, formed by the souls of the earthlings who lost their bodies in the Great Fusion. They managed to invade the battlefield only with their desire to survive and even acquire physical form. They even learned to extinguish the flames of other people's souls. Fighting them completely changed my perspective. I have thought that the soul is still inviolable, and while I still agree with it to a certain point, I don't think that's enough to describe it with just that one word. There are so many possibilities hidden within the psyche; not just software designed to move the hardware that is the body.

“... It's too hard for me to say. There are too many possibilities to describe in one word. ”

“Well, don't worry too much about that.” My sad thoughts were immediately dispelled by A's laughter.

‘Nothing in this universe can define the soul. If someone could, they would be the Creator. ”

“I asked what you, Destiny, think about the soul. For me, it's something you can't hold onto more than one, no matter how much you crave for it. But for you, it must be different. ” Lightning flashes struck me, the road ahead of me became very clear. Now I know what the task is on the third floor of Jinma Tower.

“Are you... did you tell me to devour your soul?”

“Iya.”

I instinctively wanted to reject him, laughing at him. I have killed and devoured others so that I can survive until now, without being conscious of the soul. But, when I think about it, is eating souls really different from eating meat? And, in the end, if it means survival, am I not ready to do anything with these two hands of mine? No matter the cost, no matter how heinous it was …

“I don't think it's possible for you to devour souls. I'm sure that's impossible for you now. ”

“Then...?”

“Have you noticed the soul of the monster you have eaten?”

“No.”

“That's because the soul vanished when his life was cut off. Whether it was extinguished, or perhaps reborn, or just flowing into another realm, I don't know. But no one should disturb the soul after death. ”

What about undead? Do undead even have souls? The zombies were not intelligent, they could only moan, but the ghosts had acted with a certain level of intelligence. Then there was also Dullahan, who could speak and was fully aware as far as I knew.

“They are just corpses, driven by soulless death energy. Memories remain in the body, forming a type of consciousness, but are not permanent. However, if the soul was undead, it would be a different story. Whether it had a body or not, those with undead souls were a terrifying thing. A vile creature who has broken taboo and become undead of its own accord. ”

“Then, what should I face..”.

“Is the soul undead.” As he said it, the Colosseum soared high around us. The walls were made of piles of translucent beams, formed on all sides around us.

“The soul that remains on Earth without giving up on death is a pure soul again. It's mutated; degenerated. But it also becomes possible for us to recognize it. It was no longer an unknown object, so as long as you could handle your own strength, you had nothing to fear. ” I cannot recognize a soul because I can see magic energy and stamina, or life and death. The soul I could see, the monster in the Rookie Battlefield, was caused by a mutation. It sounds like the undead that A is talking about is exactly the same as them, but they look similar.

“The soul that has fallen and is now equal to the flesh has the same end as the one on the flesh. Now, do you know how you should recognize the soul? ”

“Good, thanks for the complicated explanation.”

“Hm..!” His face distorted for a bit as the translucent wall separated us, and I wondered if L had met A as well as Rain. “Maybe he also left a message for me here?” I shook that thought from my head and thanked A. Escape spirits began to appear in the Colosseum; I already knew they were different from monsters in the Rookie Battlefield. Those monsters had been formed by mutations caused by death, but these were souls that were supposed to die, and mutate due to the denial of their death. Now, I need to learn how to deal with it the same way I do with others.

“Can you eat it?”

“Iya.” Thousands, tens of thousands of souls began flocking towards me, trying to overwhelm me. I instinctively reached out, pulling the Demon’s Claw into both hands. ‘Even if I can't eat them, as long as I can kill them ..’

‘Three floors of Jinma Tower. Your enemies are these corpses. The floor will be finished when all enemies have been predicted. ”

“Job.”

I don't think Jinma Tower will be easy.