"W-what? It blocked them?!!"
The tall, thin man's prized [Poison Sting Combo] had been stopped entirely by a hastily formed ice wall. The unbelievable sight made the short, stout man's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets, and his mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist.
"No, it didn't just block them!"
The tall, thin man's voice trembled noticeably as he stared fixedly at Bai Chen's Shadow Tentacles.
"This Devil Creature... it actually has two completely different abilities!"
How could two diametrically opposed attributes appear in a single Devil Creature?! It completely overturned his common sense as a Contract Spirit Master!
But something even more terrifying was still to come, something that made his scalp tingle and the blood in his body seem ready to freeze.
"And... why does this talent look so much like... so much like Miss Jiang's [Moon Ice Domain]?!!"
The tall, thin man cried out in horror. He remembered!
According to the records on top-tier Contract Spirits, every S-Rank Contract Spirit had its own distinctive features when using an ability.
For example, the Jiang Family Heiress's S-Rank talent Contract Spirit, the [Cold Moon Fox], had an ice-type Life Skill called [Moon Ice Domain]. But whenever it was used, a glimmer of cool moonlight would flash past, as though moonlight were spilling down, cold and pure.
The moment that chill spread just now, he had clearly glimpsed a fleeting halo of light, like the glow of the moon!
That feature was so distinctive that the tall, thin man had recognized it at a glance!
He recalled that this Devil Creature had appeared right outside Lin Luoluo's door, and that Lin Luoluo had contracted a Contract Spirit alongside the Jiang Family Heiress at the summoning ceremony the day before.
A guess too terrifying for him to contemplate flashed into his mind, leaving him cold all over.
"Could it be..."
His eyes widened, but before he could get the words out, the shadow of death had completely enveloped him.
A black tentacle clad in ice-crystal armor, its tip flashing with a deadly icy gleam, crossed the distance between them in an instant!
"Splurt—!"
The warm blood had no time to spurt out before it froze upon contact with the ice armor.
The black tentacle, tipped with an icy spike, had pierced clean through his chest without meeting any resistance.
The tall, thin man lowered his head, his vitality rapidly draining away along with his body heat.
Seeing his boss killed in a single blow, the short, stout man's last shred of hope was utterly shattered. Warm liquid instantly soaked his crotch, and a pungent stench of urine spread through the air.
He had pissed himself on the spot!
"Aaaah! Help!!"
The short, stout man let out a piercing scream and bolted madly in another direction.
With his other hand, he pulled an object resembling a walkie-talkie from his clothes, trembling as he frantically pressed a red button on it several times with all his strength.
But without his Contract Spirit, he was no match for Bai Chen now.
Bai Chen lashed out with a tentacle, instantly catching up to the short, stout man.
"No..."
The short, stout man had only enough time to let out a despairing cry before the black tentacle wrapped around his neck and jerked him off his feet.
"Crack."
A crisp crack of bone rang out, and the world fell silent.
Having dealt with the two Jiang Family underlings, Bai Chen turned his gaze to the Stingtail Scorpion, which had fallen into confusion after its master's death.
Without its Contract Spirit Master's mental connection and commands, the level-eleven Contract Spirit was like a headless fly, circling restlessly in place, its threat greatly diminished.
Naturally, Bai Chen wasn't about to let it go. Several tentacles rushed forward together and tore the Stingtail Scorpion to pieces with ease.
A notification sounded in Bai Chen's ears again.
[Successfully killed a level 11 Stingtail Scorpion. Experience increased by 11%.]
The experience bar visibly climbed another notch.
As the Stingtail Scorpion's corpse dissolved into motes of light, a flash of eerie purple radiance appeared where it had been.
Then a purple, diamond-shaped crystal no bigger than a fingernail emerged from the light and floated quietly in midair.
At the same time, another Source Crystal emerged from the Shatterrock Hound's corpse nearby, though this one was earthy yellow.
These were Source Crystals.
They were the origin crystals formed within every Contract Spirit or Devil Creature, containing the entirety of its essence and abilities.
Their names differed depending on their source, however. Those left behind by Contract Spirits were Source Crystals, and their energy was pure.
Those produced inside Devil Creatures were called Demon Crystals. They often contained chaotic, evil energy and generally had to undergo special purification before they could be used normally.
These things were hard currency in this world and could be used as money. They were also indispensable raw materials for crafting many precious weapons, equipment, and items.
But to Bai Chen, Source Crystals had another, more important use.
The authority of Devour that came with his race allowed him to directly absorb and plunder the abilities contained within Source Crystals!
Bai Chen used his tentacles to pull the two Source Crystals over to himself. Rather than use them immediately, he first wrapped his tentacles around the two corpses on the ground, which were still warm.
He had killed both men with tentacles coated in ice, and the blood in their wounds had frozen instantly before it could flow. That made them convenient to dispose of, saving him the trouble of cleaning up bloodstains.
Bai Chen dragged the two corpses over and threw them into a nearby sewer without hesitation.
After two dull thuds, a rustling commotion came from the darkness below. It was the low-tier Devil Creatures roaming the sewer, drawn by the smell of blood.
Before long, the two corpses would become their food, and not even a scrap of bone would remain.
Only after doing all that did Bai Chen return to the spot and begin examining the two Source Crystals closely.
He recalled what had just happened. The tall, thin man had recognized [Moon Ice Domain] almost the instant Bai Chen used it.
That was by no means a good sign.
If the ability would be easily recognized every time he used it in public, that practically meant that the powerful S-Rank Life Skill [Moon Ice Domain] could only serve as a trump card he couldn't use lightly until he was strong enough to protect himself.
After all, he was still far too weak.
A Devil Creature with two S-Rank talent abilities at once, one of which had even been obtained by absorbing someone else's ability.
Once that information got out, he would immediately become the most prized prey in the eyes of every faction. Being captured and sliced up for research would probably be the best outcome he could hope for.
It looks like I need a less conspicuous ability as cover.
Bai Chen weighed his options.
Ideally, the ability would work together with his Shadow Tentacles to form an effective combat combination, increasing his strength without having obvious, attention-grabbing features like [Moon Ice Domain].
The two Source Crystals before him gave him a choice.
One came from the Shatterrock Hound. It was earthy yellow and contained a D-Rank ability—[Hard Skin].
The other came from the Stingtail Scorpion. It was eerie purple and contained a C-Rank ability—[Scorpion Poison].
Bai Chen was currently only a First Tier Contract Spirit, and his body could hold a limited number of skills. He had only one skill slot left.
In other words, he could only choose one of the two abilities to Devour now.
Judging by rank, there was no need to think about it. C-Rank [Scorpion Poison] was undoubtedly stronger than D-Rank [Hard Skin].
But...
Bai Chen lightly tapped the purple Source Crystal with the tip of a tentacle, lost in thought.
From what he knew as a Devil Creature, poison-type abilities would usually evolve to an extremely terrifying extent once they grew into their ultimate form.
He had once witnessed a high-level abyssal giant serpent with an S-Rank poison-type ability from afar.
It had merely passed through a mountain range, but almost every creature and plant in the area it crossed, even the earth and mountains themselves, had been corroded by its terrifying poison. The land had become a silent deathtrap where not a blade of grass grew for months.
He was afraid that if he learned this ability and gradually raised it to A-Rank or even S-Rank, he too might become poisonous from head to toe, leaving everything dead wherever he went...
Wouldn't that mean he couldn't cuddle up to Xiao Luoluo anymore?!
No! Absolutely not!
As soon as the thought arose, Bai Chen shook his head vigorously.
With barely any hesitation, Bai Chen wrapped a tentacle around the earthy-yellow Source Crystal.
Devour, [Hard Skin]!