Demon King
Chapter 77 Qualifications [2]

‘Don't it be nice if I could devour all the mana in this world? I could have eaten all that was annoying.. ‘ If I could have done that, there was nothing left to block my path. But the reality is not that simple; the price must be paid for all things. To grow stronger and make this power mine, I still have to pay the price. I still have to be dominant and take what I want. Predation often makes the process a lot easier, but it can't change it fundamentally. It's not that I can get ahead of a living enemy unless I defeat them first, and even when devouring a broken undead soul, I can't just bite them.

The same logic is applied here as well, to the energy of the Jinma Tower. This pure mana shell has a completely different shape than what I could eat so far. But what if I act as if it can be preceded? If I can break mana's will, overwhelm his aggression …

“Soon!”

It won't be easy; I don't know what to do. One more death took me; this experience reminded me of the time I challenged the first floor of the tower. ‘Is this possible for me now, in this body? No. I have to do it. ‘ If I cannot, I will never conquer the dungeon. And if I can't conquer the dungeon, I'll never be able to get out.

A few more deaths took me as I thought about these things; the location of the Jinma Wing was no closer to me than when I started. My sensing skills have reached a higher level and are constantly evolving, allowing me to understand everything within a few kilometers around myself. Even if the wings are a little out of that range, I should be able to get a rough idea of where they are. But nothing came to me; I could not feel it at all.

‘Is the wing of a material similar to where the tower is? ‘I desperately tried to increase the detection range, but all I could feel was a seemingly infinite mana trying to kill me, pure and dark as it shot through the air. I have to figure out a way to handle where this is; the search can wait. I must prove my superiority over which one formed this Jinma Tower, to conquer his will and make it mine.

‘But how?’ I knew that the mana here was stronger than I had ever experienced before; it was engraved on my bones now after shattering my body several times. Even after the tower reconstructed me, I couldn't shake off the feeling of which one tore me apart. I also couldn't help but notice the difference between myself and the power of the tower.

‘But is the purpose of this floor really to help my Predation grow?’ The thought suddenly crossed my mind. Only one thing is certain: where Jinma Tower should not cause me any problems at the time I cleaned this floor. It wouldn't be possible to get wings with mana raining down on me. I think the way to do this is to devour mana with Predation, like I have engulfed the body with life energy and death energy. I was even able to devour souls as well and learn how to handle his strength. Once I learned how to do it, it wasn't too difficult. The trick is to keep going even if I don't know what to do.

But this time? Where the Jinma Tower is much stronger than me, darker and purer than me. If I enter a battle of strength with mana towers, rather than mana management using skills, I cannot win. ‘Mana ... where?’ It's everywhere, but I can't eat it. Maybe I was wrong on a fundamental level about what I have to achieve here. The tower gave me no grand purpose to devour all mana, only to eat this mana tower.

It was a level of challenge that made more sense to me, one that I could complete in my mind. I've never tried it before, but I can't back down now. I was filled with anticipation. “Why haven't I thought of this before?” Well, I guess I have been relying on my skills until now, ever since I became a goblin. I have evolved several times, developing various skills like Predation, yet I am unaware of the energy within me that I am capable of controlling. So it was possible, here and now in this space filled with pure mana.

I closed my eyes and focused on the mana that flowed all over my body, pumping through my Ebon Heart. I was too familiar with the sensation, so it was easy for me to catch it. At the same time, I could feel the mana from the tower, flying in the air around me. I started analyzing it as it collided with my body, destroying me once again. As I expected, it was strangely similar to mana in my own body.

I try to change which one flows through me. The mana that each born being possessed was unique, and it changed as one grew. Become a goblin, a hobgoblin, a specter. Every time I evolve, where I change with me. ‘But can I control how it changes?’ I will need it if I want to reach the same level that the tower has. Where should remain to be no matter its size or strength, right?

I felt like I was seeing clearly now, a veil lifted from above my eyes. Ebon's heart was pounding in my chest, trying to tell me something. ‘When do I start thinking of my heart as something separate from myself?’ Was it when I first recognized its existence in pitch-black form? Or when it saved me before? It was ridiculous to think of it as a separate entity. My heart is my heart, and it doesn't matter if there's something there that I don't know about. It was an organ in the middle of my body, creating mana that flowed through me like blood. He would cower in fear, lying to me by saying certain things were impossible.

Read the latest chapter at Wuxia World.Site Only

But when I think about it, I don't have the ability to directly control everything that happens in my body. My lungs, my stomach, I have no individual control over those things. I, like all humans, have to rely on unconscious processes to carry that out. Isn't my deep black heart the same? I can't control it or understand all of its behavior, but it's natural. It was just a slightly different heart than the one I had as a human, who knew how to make which one was stronger.

Still, there was something about it that confused me. When I claim that the heart has pushed me forward, is it all just for show? Is there really no desire in it? Since then, I've calmed down a bit, and I've found my purpose ever since, but there's something that still feels weird. Why did my lightning and escape magic skills disappear, to be replaced by black lightning? My heart was circulating mana all over my blood as it should, but it felt like trying to grab my attention. ‘When was the last time my heart was moved to my own liking?’

Black lightning has been a powerful skill for me to acquire, but I always thought it was a coincidence. But what if it doesn't? What if I instinctively push my heart to move forward, to grow stronger? The thought spread in my mind, gripping me and refusing to let go. I have to stop thinking of this as a battle against another being within me who has a will of my own. A memory when I could feel this dark heart that was strongest flashed through my mind, its strange beat throbbing in my body.

The mana that had flowed throughout my body until now was gradually absorbed into my heart. My body gradually lost its function as mana flowed out of it, immediately being destroyed by the mana tower. My arms, legs, body, and head were all destroyed — everything except the pitch-black heart that kept beating. I could feel my soul and flesh coming together now; I knew that I had control over my own heartbeat, and my heart would move as I wished. The mana that flows from all directions cannot break a heart that is pitch-black; the heart simply accepts it into itself and begins to change as I wish.

This was the purpose of the Jinma Tower from the beginning: to change the mana that flows through me and my heart. To qualify me as Jinma. To awaken the Jinma Wing.

The shape of the heart turned into Jinma, beating even stronger like that, and began to produce mana like that tower. From there, a body gradually formed around it. It was no different from the body I had, but I knew it was full of mana from the tower. Pure mana wings began to grow from my shoulders.

‘It's a little embarrassing ..’

And because of that, I have successfully overcome the challenge of the 6th floor of Jinma Tower and obtained the Jinma Wing. But, I have to wonder..how much does it cost?