Howling Forest

Howling Forest, one of the fixed teleportation points along the banks of the Styx.

The Novice Village for novice demons. Most demons here were Lesser Demons, cannon fodder, livestock, and walking food in the Bottomless Abyss.

The strongest demons were only Lower Demons. Those who surpassed that level would be expelled and enter the true Abyss, where they were truly free to live and randomly fated to die.

A halo flashed, and Orsaga appeared in the forest. The first thing he sensed was a rotten stench tinged with blood, as though countless corpses and remains had fermented for ages. Even with a demon's sense of smell, it was unbearably foul. A human would have been knocked unconscious by the stench in an instant.

Once he steadied himself, the inheritance of demons made Orsaga understand that he had to leave this place quickly. To certain demons, the teleportation halo from earlier was no different from a feeding signal. An Infant Demon that had just left the riverbank was at the very bottom of the food chain in this forest!

The time period immediately after entering the forest was when novice demons had the highest death rate.

Host: Stuart. Ogarisa. Asaron... Kelifor. Orsaga

Race/Level: Demon Race/Infant Demon (Can Advance)

Strength: 25 (5)

Speed: 25 (5)

Constitution: 25 (5)

Magic Power: 25 (5)

Soul: 25 (5)

Talents: Soul Devour Evolution (autonomously evolves by continuously devouring souls), Slaughter Evolution (autonomously evolves through continuous battle and slaughter), Combat Instinct (innately possesses an extremely powerful combat talent), Flesh and Blood Absorption—Fingers, Tail (can absorb contacted flesh and blood and extract its essence), Magic Power Trait—Corrosion (more corrosive than ordinary magic power), Elemental Talent—Bloodflame (possesses the traits of high temperature, corroding flesh and blood, and burning life energy)

Skills: None

Evolution Points: 6755

Note: The values in parentheses are the standard for a normal newborn Infant Demon. Each additional point increases the current level of strength by one-fifth. For example, 6 points are one-fifth stronger than 5 points, while 7 points are one-fifth stronger than 6 points. The increase is percentage-based.

All his attributes had long since reached the limit for an Infant Demon!

After looking around, Orsaga found that compared to the Styx riverbank, which was littered with broken rocks, this place was covered in mud and filled with all kinds of Demonized Plants.

Ordinary plants could not survive in the Bottomless Abyss. Besides absorbing energy and converting it into nutrients for themselves, many plants here were also aggressive and could hunt on their own.

Even those that could not hunt had the ability to digest flesh and blood. After all, every plant here had been nourished by demon flesh and blood. The bloodthirsty instincts buried within Demon Bloodline were inherited by them as well. Even the most inconspicuous weeds could corrupt flesh and blood.

Picking a direction, Orsaga began moving forward. As soon as he entered the grass, it seemed that many Bloodthirsty Flies had sensed the bloody smell clinging to him after he had torn apart countless demons on the riverbank. They circled endlessly around him, wanting to lick the blood that had yet to dry on his body. If they could bite off some flesh as well, even better!

Orsaga frowned at the annoying insects and immediately wanted to kill them all, but reason told him that was unrealistic.

The insects here were practically endless, as numerous as microorganisms!

So Orsaga chose to make a compromise. A layer of Bloodflame automatically emerged across his body, burning away the bloodstains attached to him and leaving only the dense scent of blood lingering behind.

After driving away the troublesome flies, he walked a little farther and encountered several groups of demons fighting each other along the way.

However, Orsaga ignored them because he needed to advance as quickly as possible. An Infant Demon was a little too conspicuous in a place where Lesser Demons were considered ordinary.

He continued onward until he found a cave between several rocks, then stopped. Its location matched Orsaga's expectations perfectly.

With the sense of smell that far surpassed demons of the same level after his elemental Bloodline Awakening, as well as the perception granted by his high soul value, he could sense a demon hiding inside. Its strength had barely reached the level of a Lesser Demon.

Although the other party's rank was higher than Orsaga's, he was not afraid. Rank did not represent an absolute gap in strength. Once his physical attributes had reached an average of 15 points, he had already been able to advance. He had merely delayed because he had not found a safe place. The demon inside was only bottom-tier among Lesser Demons and was not worth his attention.

The moment he approached, he saw that the demon inside the cave—a creature somewhat resembling an ape, with a scorpion tail—had already noticed him. It watched him from the cave entrance with wary eyes.

Orsaga was not surprised. He had not intended to launch a sneak attack, and there was nothing in the surrounding terrain that could conceal his body. Compared to Infant Demons, whose minds contained little intelligence, Lesser Demons had moved beyond the stage of beasts and possessed a certain degree of wisdom. Thanks to demon inheritance, they also naturally mastered quite a few skills.

This was why the Demon Race could remain powerful, even growing stronger and stronger, despite having no rational management, constantly slaughtering one another, constantly destroying themselves, constantly expanding outward, and constantly courting death.

The inheritance from the Abyss allowed them to skip much of the accumulation. They did not need to pool their wisdom, nor did they need to establish civilizations to discuss their next steps.

As long as they were strong enough, they could continuously uncover the knowledge buried deep within their bloodlines. Or, by unleashing endless slaughter and destruction to please the Abyss Consciousness, they could gain knowledge that countless other races dreamed of. Of course, given demons' brutal nature, they rarely studied deeply. They preferred relying on Claws and fists. After all, how could researching knowledge compare to the joy of tearing enemies apart with their bare hands?

Just like the demon before Orsaga. Although it already possessed the skill to make traps, its demonic nature made it too lazy to bother with such flashy tricks. Usually, it simply fought whenever it encountered an enemy. If it won, it gained everything the loser had. If it lost, it became the winner's nourishment. Just like the previous owner of this cave, this demon had become a Lesser Demon only after defeating and eating its predecessor!

Looking at Orsaga nearby, the ape-shaped demon could tell that Orsaga was merely at the Infant Demon Level and had not undergone his first transformation. However, Orsaga's body, far larger than that of demons at the same level, still placed immense pressure on it and gave it a deadly sense of danger.

Normally, demons that had gained a certain degree of intelligence were unlike brainless Infant Demons, which only knew how to charge headlong.

When faced with such a situation, they might choose to back down. Bloodthirstiness did not mean stupidity. Without enough profit, no one should expect it to risk its life!

But the fragrance coming from Orsaga, that rich and fragrant scent of fresh blood, along with vitality far surpassing demons of the same level, made it understand that eating him would bring benefits beyond imagination. It found itself unable to decide.

The principle of gambling on a bicycle to win a motorcycle applied everywhere, especially to demons, creatures willing to abandon everything for profit!

Orsaga did not let it struggle for long. Seeing that the other party was actually reluctant to give him up, a savage grin appeared on his lips.

Magic power covered his entire body. He exerted force through his legs, stomping a small crater into the ground before using the Recoil Force to pounce forward.

Seeing him leap at it, the Ape Demon refused to be outdone. Red Flame ignited over its body, and it dropped onto all fours like a wild beast before charging at Orsaga.

With the enhancement of magic power, their already elephant-like brute strength became even greater.

Bang!!

The instant they collided, an explosive impact rang out. The airflow caused by the collision scattered the dust around them, sending it drifting through the air!

Orsaga could clearly feel his corrosive magic power eating away at the other party's defenses.

The scales on its shoulder had already cracked from the impact, and blood was slowly seeping out. The savage grin on Orsaga's lips widened further.

With the intention of beating a drowned dog, Orsaga did not hesitate at all. He gathered most of the magic power within his body and swung his fist at its head like a hammer. Accompanied by a sound like an air hammer firing, blood flowed from the Ape Demon's eye sockets as it fell into a state of paralysis and dizziness!

Then, while it was temporarily paralyzed, Orsaga viciously swung his Claws, which had become even sharper under the enhancement of magic power. He tore open its wound and injected Bloodflame capable of burning life into its body.

Amid the excruciating pain and the crisis of life and death, just as its head was about to be torn off, the Ape Demon let out a terrified howl. It desperately broke free from Orsaga's Claws and activated its magic power with all its strength, using the Fire Element talent it had Awakened after advancing to a Lesser Demon in an attempt to resist the Bloodflame coursing through its body. However, its fire talent and magic power were clearly weaker than Orsaga's. Under the Bloodflame controlled by Orsaga, it could only struggle helplessly at death's door.

Orsaga did not give it a chance to make one last desperate attempt. The moment it broke free of his restraint, he retreated some distance. Aside from remotely sending magic power to accelerate the burning Bloodflame, he merely prowled around it, cutting off every escape route to prevent it from fleeing, like a wolf watching its prey struggle after bleeding it out!

Before long, as the Ape Demon's magic power was completely exhausted, the Bloodflame encountered no further resistance. It flowed uncontrollably through its flesh and blood, pouring from its mouth and eyes. Its life then came to an abrupt end, making it the first Lesser Demon to die by Orsaga's hand.

Walking up to the charred corpse, Orsaga ignored the ground that had been clawed beyond recognition by the Ape Demon in the agony of being burned alive. He reached out, grabbed its still-struggling soul with its vicious glare, and swallowed it in one bite with a smile.

Mmm...

It was chewier and even sweeter than an Infant Demon's soul.

System Panel: Evolution Points +254.

Since both his physical attributes and soul had reached their current limits, the Evolution Points were not consumed and were all stored instead. Judging from the wording, they were equivalent to more than ten Infant Demons.