The Most Satisfied Reincarnate

After ensuring Laura's safety, Desmond redirected his focus to the transparent screen hovering above the lifeless body of the dire wolf. Its ethereal presence reminded him of the first time he confronted the Demons and harbored the desire to experiment with this unique phenomenon. A message promptly caught his attention, displayed in translucent letters:

[Mass of Unique Energy Found!]

A sense of familiarity and nostalgia washed over Desmond as he gazed at the notification. The system seemed to be genuinely telling the truth this time. Squinting his eyes, he read the subsequent prompt:

[Did Host want to absorb it? Y / N]

Without a moment's hesitation, Desmond's eyes lit up with anticipation, and his response resonated with unbridled joy. "Yes," he declared, his voice brimming with excitement.

The system acknowledged his decision, urging him to make contact with the energy source. The absorption process, it conveyed, would vary depending on the amount of energy contained within the source. Desmond's hand swiftly reached out, guided by purpose, toward the dire wolf's lifeless body.

With a swift motion, his sword sliced through the creature's stomach, unveiling a macabre sight—the exposed internal organs of the dire wolf. Desmond's brows furrowed as he contemplated which part would be the least repulsive and resistant to decay.

He pondered for a moment before shifting the trajectory of his blade, deftly removing a portion of flesh just beneath the skin, forming a neat, rectangular segment.

Methodically, Desmond continued to sever the flesh until he held in his hand a perfectly sculpted box of meat. The transparent screen displayed the countdown:

[Begin Absorbing…. | Time left: ... sec].

A sense of trepidation mingled with his anticipation, hoping that this experience would differ from absorbing energy from the Demons he had encountered before.

The countdown commenced, and the system proclaimed:

[Begin Absorbing…. | Time left: 55 sec]

Disappointment and frustration flickered across Desmond's face as his heart sank. Even the formidable Dire Wolf, a creature of the Beast Races, proved to be no exception.

Despite being aware of the energy yield of each Dire Wolf, Desmond held onto the hope that their absorption would yield greater results compared to the Demons he had dealt with previously. He grumbled inwardly, finding solace in the fact that this was a Beast of the Beast Races, not a spawn of the Demons.

Aware of his momentary lapse into childish behavior, Desmond sighed, shaking his head, and directed his attention toward the other corpses of the Dire Wolves.

As he contemplated his thoughts, a sudden cry of panic pierced the air, uttered by Laura. Reacting swiftly, Desmond instinctively evaded an incoming icicle without even glancing aside. Annoyed and disappointed, he carelessly outstretched his arms and fortuitously clasped onto a colossal object within his grasp.

The faint growl of a Dire Wolf resonated nearby, indicating that Desmond had unwittingly seized another adversary in the midst of chaos.

Desmond's gaze turned cold and detached as he glanced over his shoulder, noticing the other Dire Wolves that had devoured Selena's body. Their hungry eyes fixated on him, reflecting their primal instincts and insatiable greed.

"Even beasts remain beasts..." Desmond murmured, his disappointment evident in his voice. However, he remained oblivious to the dire wolf in his grasp, unaware of its state.

Observing from a distance, Laura smiled, her eyes fixed on the face of her young master. "Ah, such strength, young master..." she whispered to herself, her admiration overwhelming her. Unbeknownst to her, the same familiar sensation she had experienced before, a surge of heat and warmth, coursed through her entire body.

Perhaps due to Laura's profound adoration, her perception and common sense differed from others. If anyone else witnessed Desmond's actions, they would be astounded, as only a swordsman of the middle stage could accomplish such feats.

Furthermore, Laura seemed to harbor no suspicions regarding the source of her young master's strength or his actions. There was an unwavering trust that shielded her from such thoughts.

A sudden sound interrupted Desmond's train of thought. He felt his palms becoming moist, as if immersed in cold, sticky water. Upon realizing this, a shadow of concern crossed his face. Desmond turned his head, his gaze meeting the eyes of the strangled Dire Wolf. A trickle of saliva escaped the creature's mouth, drenching his hand.

Without flinching, he tightened his grip, the distinct sound of bones fracturing resonating through the air.

As the bones cracked and snapped, the struggling Dire Wolf instantly fell motionless, its head lolling to the side.

The transparent screen once again displayed the message:

[Mass of Unique Energy Found!]

[Did Host want to absorb it? Y / N?]

This time, Desmond chose not to respond to the system's prompt. He nonchalantly discarded the corpse of the dire wolf and swiftly activated a spell to cleanse his hands.

The system initiated a check on his physical condition, processing the task at hand. The assessment appeared on the screen:

[Processing task...]

[Using slot 2...]

[System Conclusion: Host's body is healthy.]

After a cursory glance at the results, Desmond redirected his attention to the dire wolf coated in saliva.

Curiosity piqued, he prompted the system to scan the saliva.

[Scanning the target...]

[Scan Complete!]

[

Name: Dire Wolf's Saliva

Grade: Common

Information: This saliva contains a significant amount of bacteria that may induce diarrhea and other digestive disorders.

]

"At least it's not poisonous," Desmond mused, relieved by the outcome. He shifted his gaze back to the remains of the Dire Wolves, all bearing similar fatal wounds—a large hole through their heads.

"Are you injured, young master?" Laura rushed over anxiously, inspecting Desmond's body for any signs of harm.

"I'm fine, Laura. You did a great job," Desmond commended, acknowledging her efforts. He approached the other Dire Wolves' lifeless forms, but his steps faltered as he gazed upon their corpses, a mix of contemplation and uncertainty filling his mind.

[Absorb Complete]

[Beast Energy Detected!]

[No Dragon Bloodline was found]

[Strength Bonus Acquired!]

Desmond stood frozen, his mind overwhelmed by the deluge of system notifications. He read and re-read each message, trying to comprehend the implications of what had just transpired. After a moment of bewildered stillness, he regained his senses.

Curiosity piqued, Desmond instinctively checked his status, prompting the system to perform a scan of his body.

[Scanning Host Body...]

[Scan Complete!]

The information displayed on the screen shed light on his current state:

[

-Status-

Name: Desmond

Gender: Male

Age: 10 years

Race: Half-Human (50%)

Class: 1st Swordsman / 0th Dragonslayer

Occupation: None

Unique Energy: 37.16 -> 38.17

Strength: 28.00 -> 28.25

Agility: 21

Stamina: 7.43

Dragon Essence: 0

]

Desmond was taken aback. The energy he had acquired surpassed his initial expectations, and he had never anticipated receiving a bonus from the absorption process. Disappointment transformed into excitement once again. With a single thought, he directed his attention to the dire wolf's lifeless body before him, commanding the system to scan it.

[Scanning the target...]

[Scan Complete!]

[

Name: Dire Wolf

Age: 25 years

Grade: E Rank

S / A / E: 25.00 / 22.00 / 11.00

Information: A wolf with red eyes and a size larger than a normal wolf. They usually move in groups, led by an Alpha, which is only slightly stronger than an ordinary Dire Wolf and has blue eyes. (From The Book Beast Races)

]

"E Rank?" Desmond muttered in disbelief. If the estimation was correct, this would be the lowest rank within the beast hierarchy. Not only that, judging by its stats alone, this wolf was at least as strong as a low-stage 1st class Swordsman.

As he pondered the Dire Wolf's stats, Desmond found himself unconsciously sitting on the ground, his gaze fixed ahead, lost in thought. "That means I gained approximately 1.1 energy out of a total of 11.00," he murmured to himself.

"On the other hand, I only acquired a 0.25 increase in strength," he continued. Although the increment in strength was relatively small, considering the abundance of Dire Wolf corpses surrounding him, it would undoubtedly save him a significant amount of time.