Born In Ashes: The Enigma

Since the last time Azrael had used Tyrant's Intent in the Trial Ground of the Eonrift, his spiritual power had grown significantly.

Not only had he advanced to a Class-level warrior, but he had also been practicing the Sun, Moon, and Star Sutra every single day.

With his current spiritual strength, it was no longer a problem for him to maintain Tyrant's Intent for about five to seven seconds.

However, in order to shatter the blood-red energy barrier the Two-Headed Blood Ogre had created and to empower the SkyRift Slash enough to pierce the incredibly tough bodies of two peak Epic-level monsters, Azrael had been forced to push Tyrant's Intent to its absolute limit.

As a result, in the mere three seconds it took him to execute the attack, his spiritual energy was completely drained.

Not only that, but because he had unleashed the SkyRift Slash without holding back, even his cosmic energy was bottomed out.

Feeling every trace of energy vanish from his body, Azrael lost the ability to maintain his flight and began to plummet from the sky.

Fortunately, just as the immense power surge from killing the two peak Epic-level monsters erupted within him, a portion of his cosmic energy recovered.

That small recovery allowed him to once again activate his Wings of Wind and descend safely to the ground.

The moment his feet touched down, Azrael stumbled and fell to his knees, panting heavily.

The power boost he had gained from slaying two peak Epic-level monsters was overwhelming and a piercing, unbearable pain tore through his body as it began to transform from the inside out.

His bones were becoming denser, his muscles refining themselves as an uncontrollable surge of power coursed through him.

Azrael took deep, steadying breaths to adapt to the changes and once he regained a measure of clarity, he summoned his status window to examine his current condition.

His body was still undergoing the transformation necessary to adapt to this sudden increase in strength. Yet, this kind of pain was far from enough to make him flinch.

====

(You have killed Level 50 Hollow Earth Worm. Strength +19, Agility +24, Stamina +17, Cosmic Energy +15)

(You have killed Level 50 Two-Headed Blood Ogre. Strength +25, Agility +14, Stamina +21, Cosmic Energy +16)

(You have leveled up and reached Level 20)

(You have leveled up and reached Level 21)

(You have acquired a new title — Slayer)

---) Slayer (Title): Increases your attack power against monsters by 15%.

====

Azrael's breath caught when he read the notifications as he hadn't expected to receive such a large number of stat points after defeating the two monsters.

Honestly, he had assumed that because both creatures were already on the brink of death when he struck the final blow, the number of stat points he would earn would be significantly lower.

But reality proved him wrong.

At the same time, the appearance of a new title surprised him. And its effect was anything but trivial.

A 15% increase in attack power against monsters would make it far easier for him to battle and kill high-level monsters.

Although the title was only effective against the monster race and not against other types of opponents, it was still incredibly valuable.

"I was only trying my luck to see if I could kill them… but not only did I succeed, I even gained such a tremendous boost in my power," Azrael muttered under his breath, a faint smile forming on his face.

====

---) Name: Azrael Thorne

---) Level: 21 (Class Warrior)

---) Class: Judge

---) Traits: Infinite Comprehension (Eternal Grade), Cold Blooded (Orange Grade — Evolvable)

---) Soul Armament: Fallen Star (Unawakened)

---) Attribute: Astral

---) Rune: Rune of Spirit

---) Substance: Nether Wind

---) Title: ??? [Locked], Slayer

---) Bloodline: None

---) Strength: 124

---) Agility: 118 (+23.6)

---) Stamina: 130

---) Cosmic Energy: 291

---) Skills: Cosmic Energy Breathing Method (Mid Level), True Focus (Entry Level), Unyielding Body (Entry Level)

---) Class Skills: Absolute Decree, Balance Severed

---) Meditation Technique: Sun, Moon, and Star Sutra

---) Essentia Arts: SkyRift Slash (Entry Level), Wings of Wind

---) Intent: Tyrant Intent

---) Shop

---) Inventory

---) Tasks:

1. Find the traces of the Enders.

(Reward: 30,000 task points, a random low-level wind-type Essentia Art)

2. Make the Seed of the End within you acknowledge you as its master.

(Reward: ???)

---) Task Points: 4045

====

Azrael's eyes paused when they reached the Title section and his gaze narrowed slightly.

"What are these question marks and the word Locked? It's been there ever since I first saw my status window. So much time has passed, and I still have no clue about this locked title…" He muttered quietly, shaking his head.

Closing his status window, Azrael turned his attention toward the severed remains of the two monsters and began to walk toward them.

A faint wind barrier, formed by swirling currents of air wrapped around his body as he didn't want to inhale the corrosive poison released by the Hollow Earth Worm.

A dark puddle of blood had already spread around the dismembered corpses. The air inside these ancient ruins was already thick with the scent of old blood, but the addition of the fresh carnage pushed the stench in the surroundings to a whole new level.

"More monsters might be attracted here because of the noise and the smell of blood," He said to himself, quickly storing the bodies of both monsters inside his inventory.

Once that was done, he was about to leave when something caught his eye, something glinting faintly in the red puddle formed from the ogre's blood.

"What is this?"

Frowning, Azrael crouched and reached into the blood and from the puddle, he retrieved a small, black-colored object.

The moment he picked it up, a sharp piercing pain shot through the finger with which he was holding it.

Startled, Azrael examined the object more closely. It was actually a key, and at its back was a tiny needle, which had pierced his finger.

Immediately, Azrael checked his body for signs of poison or any other abnormality.

But after a careful inspection, he detected nothing unusual. There were no signs of poison or any foreign influence.

"Just what is this key doing here?"

He muttered in a low voice and the next second, an information window suddenly appeared before him, displaying the details of the key.