Lord Of The Lost

The demon dog was indeed a formidable creature, closer to a true demon than any William had faced before. Its physique was robust, rivaling that of a half-wolf, and it wielded dark magic with ease.

William could feel the oppressive weight of its power, sensing the various abilities it possessed: dark energy balls that could explode on impact, flames that could incinerate anything in their path, and a shroud of black fog that could obscure its movements.

As William prepared for battle, he realized the demon dog's combat style was as diverse as its abilities. In the tight confines of the mine, it would charge at him like a raging bull, using its incredible strength to keep William on the defensive. There would be no room for error or escape.

Yet, somehow, William managed to defeat the creature. As he caught his breath after the fight, he couldn't shake the feeling that the demon dog had held back, as if it was restraining its true power. It was intelligent, almost calculating, and he sensed it had multiple stages of strength, though it never revealed them.

When he finally struck, using his [Piercing Attack], it was as if the demon dog had willingly moved toward the tip of his spear rather than simply being attacked. This unexpected behavior took William by surprise. The creature fell quietly, a slight struggle betraying its defeat. It curled up like a puppy, as if succumbing to an endless sleep, its powerful form now lifeless on the cold ground.

Crack!

As William pulled his spear free, it snapped in two, the iron breaking under the strain of the final blow. With the death of the demon dog, the abandoned mine had finally been cleared.

[You killed the demon dog, experience +35!]

[Your talent of killing to prove your truth takes effect.]

[Your physical value +0.5! Your mental value +0.3! Your energy value +0.5!]

[Your talent has absorbed 50 points of demonic extraordinary characteristics, and your talent has absorbed a little dark magic proficiency.]

The notification felt like a victory, yet it was tinged with a strange mix of emotions. Fifty points of demonic extraordinary characteristics flooded through him, with dark spell proficiency being a secondary gain, demon dogs were known for their racial talents in magic, and William had encountered enough of them to recognize their traits.

Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation rise from within, flames licking at his insides and spreading through his limbs like smoke from a fire. This was it: the extraordinary characteristics of the demon were merging with him, awakening something deep within.

He staggered under the intensity of the pain, each breath feeling like fire in his lungs. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to move toward the carved magic circle he had prepared earlier.

With one final, desperate effort, he collapsed next to it, his body hitting the ground hard.

The ritual patterns he had etched into the rock began to glow, casting an otherworldly light that enveloped him. The magic circle was site-triggered, designed to draw out the extraordinary traits that had taken root within him.

If he were a supernatural creature, he would be wracked with agony as his soul was torn apart, instinctively trying to escape the ritual's pull. But William's situation was different; the demon's essence had only been in his body for a short time, so he felt less of the intense suffering that usually accompanied such a transformation.

As the light from the magic circle intensified, he focused on enduring the merging process. The pain was fierce, but he clung to his resolve, knowing that this transformation would grant him newfound strength and abilities. The awakening of the demon's nature was painful, but it was also the key to his evolution.

The integration phase had only just begun, yet William was already feeling an intense discomfort that was hard to bear. It wasn't the soul-tearing agony one might expect; rather, it was akin to being scraped by a thousand blades, each one slicing through his flesh and bone.

He couldn't help but think of the legendary warrior Guan Yu, who endured the painful scraping of his bones to heal from his wounds. This was similar, yet somehow even more unsettling.

Time slipped away, lost in the haze of pain and concentration. Finally, the ceremony drew to a close.

William pushed himself up from the ground, drenched in sweat and trembling. His limbs felt like lead, heavy and weak, as if he had just undergone a grueling battle. There was an unsettling weakness coursing through his body, lingering like a shadow.

The darkness enveloped him, thick and suffocating. To his dismay, he realized that his enhanced ability to sense the shadows had faded. He instinctively opened his status panel, only to find that the title of [Son of the Devil] had vanished.

"This can't be good," he muttered, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over him. That title had not only bolstered his attributes but also granted him enhanced resistance to negative environments: darkness, fire, and the abyss. Without it, he felt exposed, like a newborn stripped of its protections.

He couldn't help but reflect on the strength he had drawn from it, the way it had allowed him to withstand the demon dog's dark magic. But now, that amplification was gone, leaving him feeling like he was in a weakened state, akin to a mother recovering from childbirth.

William took a moment to steady himself, eyes scanning the darkness. Then, something caught his attention. In the air before him, surrounded by swirling black mist and crackling sparks, was an irregular object. It looked like a small meteorite that had breached the atmosphere, its surface etched with spiral patterns resembling ancient demonic writing.

It pulsed with an ominous energy, radiating an evil power that sent a chill down his spine.

[Demon Characteristics: Solidified complete demon characteristics. This can guide humans onto the path of demons; the upper demons who once fought in the War of Gods fled underground when gravely injured, ultimately succumbing to a long, deep slumber. Their power lies scattered beneath, waiting to be reassembled.]

William's heart raced as he read the details. The implications were staggering.

1. A complete set of extraordinary characteristics, neither more nor less. Just like a cup that can hold only a finite amount of water, the characteristics needed to be contained. Add even a drop too much, and it would overflow; if it was less, he would need to find more to fill it up.

2. Extraordinary characteristics are the essence of the extraordinary being, capable of gathering and dispersing. They were not just power; they reflected the being's personality and experiences, like looking into a mirror. Even after countless years, the demon's power, buried in the earth, could gather and reconstitute itself, waiting for the right moment to rise again.

3. These characteristics embody concepts of life and death. When fully collected, they solidified into a tangible entity, capable of enduring the passage of time.

William stood before the floating object, a mix of fear and curiosity churning within him. He knew that these characteristics represented both an opportunity and a danger. If he could harness their power, it could mean great strength; but at what cost? What lay ahead was shrouded in uncertainty, and he could only hope that he was ready to face whatever challenges awaited him.

When a low-level extraordinary person dies, their extraordinary characteristics don't remain intact. Instead, they dissipate, fading into nothingness much like a soul dissolving into the void. The correct use of the stripping ritual is to extract these supernatural properties from the body before they vanish completely.

Ideally, the process should be carried out quickly, before death erases the essence entirely.

The fresher the corpse, the more complete and active the extraordinary traits will be, which makes them easier to fuse with. If you wait too long, the properties thin out, becoming tainted by the presence of death, growing inert. If they become too stagnant, they lose their potency and can no longer be used to trigger a job change or harness new abilities.

William carefully tucked the demonic characteristics into his backpack. He may have lost the enhancements from the title [Son of the Devil], but his familiarity with the mine ensured he wouldn't get lost in the darkness. He felt no attachment to this forsaken place. There was no reason to linger, not even to inspect the demon corpse in the depths.

He had a suspicion now why the demon dog had never entered its second stage. It had been on the brink of becoming a true demon; so close to crossing that threshold. If it had made the leap, it could have transformed into something far more dangerous.

But it hadn't. Instead, it had allowed itself to die by his hand. The reason remained a mystery, and William couldn't help but wonder if it had chosen death over the curse of fully becoming a demon.

---

On his way back to Iron Mine Village, William's thoughts were interrupted by an excited voice that cut through the stillness of the road.

"Damn! Big brother!"

William turned and saw Captain, one of the players he had met earlier, followed closely by Jack. The captain was practically bouncing with excitement as he jogged over, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Brother, are you back from leveling up? You have no idea; the players in Iron Mine Village have been losing their minds trying to find you," Captain said, almost breathless with excitement.

William raised an eyebrow. "Is this because of the forum?"

Captain nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Some players from the village logged into the forum and the news spread like wildfire. They couldn't wait to share what they'd heard."

The forum had been buzzing with activity, and the most talked-about topic wasn't just the multi-million cash transactions happening among players. The biggest headline was the appearance of a level 8 player. In the community of players, such a feat was almost unheard of, especially so soon. Naturally, the speculation had pointed to William.

"The village's been searching everywhere for you," Captain continued. "There aren't many players who've even hit level 7 yet, and you're already level 8, brother. You're easily the top player right now!"

William shook his head, brushing off the compliment. "It's too soon to say that," he replied calmly. "The forum only reflects a small portion of the players out there. With the sheer number of people playing, there are definitely some hidden talents still under the radar."

He wasn't under any illusions that he was the only one advancing rapidly. In fact, he welcomed the thought of more strong players emerging. Individuals like the Pavilion Master, Metatron, and the Gambler had already shown promise, and William had no doubt they were working quietly behind the scenes.

The stronger the players became, the better the odds of succeeding in the game's main quest.

Captain shrugged, clearly still impressed. "Maybe, but from what we've seen, your level's definitely the highest among known players. That counts for something, right?"

William smiled faintly, though his mind was already drifting back to the challenges ahead. Whether he was the strongest or not didn't matter right now. What mattered was continuing to grow stronger, preparing for whatever trials awaited next.