A Small Test of Skill

Chapter 10: A Small Test of Skill

Squeak, squeak!

A giant rat the size of a house cat emerged from the shadows. The damp, foul wind unique to the sewers blew past it, ruffling its glossy black fur. However, the giant rat paid it no mind, raising its head to sniff the air intently.

Mixed within the stench of rotting garbage was a scent that filled it with temptation. It was this scent that had drawn it all the way here. With its keen sense of smell, the giant rat quickly fixated on an unremarkable pile of trash in the corner.

Squeak!

Having confirmed the source of the scent, the giant rat eagerly scurried towards it. But upon reaching the garbage pile, it discovered the smell was emanating from within. Blocked by the sheer volume of refuse, the giant rat couldn't advance and let out frustrated squeaks.

The next second, driven by instinctual desire, the giant rat plunged half its body into the garbage pile. Using its sharp teeth and nimble claws, it forcefully clawed open a gap. Smelling the increasingly potent scent from within the opening, the almost frenzied giant rat contorted its body and squeezed its way in, little by little.

As the giant rat's body gradually disappeared into the garbage pile, the shadows outside began to twist, forming a grotesque face. A round face slowly split down the middle, revealing rows of jagged teeth and a sinister grin, creating an indescribably eerie sight.

A cold, eerie wind howled past, and the strange shadow vanished.

Meanwhile, inside the garbage pile, the giant rat, driven into a frenzy by the inexplicable scent, continued to claw at the garbage before it, heedless of its now bloodied paws. When it finally cleared the last piece of debris blocking its path, a cave about a meter high and two meters deep appeared before it.

Inside the cave, a sky-blue Slime lay in the center, emitting a faint glow. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the light was composed of countless tiny points, all rotating around the Slime.

The scent that had driven the giant rat into a frenzy came from this Slime. The moment it saw the Slime, an overwhelming hunger obliterated the rat's last shred of reason. It opened its fanged maw and lunged at the Slime.

Crunch!

As the giant rat bit down, a piercing sound rang out, akin to several cleavers clashing. The rat, now in a state of madness, thrashed on the ground, spitting out blood and broken teeth.

"That's enough testing for the new skill. I've learned what I needed to for now."

Just then, the giant rat's shadow began to writhe. A Slime identical to the one in the cave emerged from the shadow. The only difference was that this Slime lacked the special effects and the maddening scent.

"Still, this skill is quite convenient. Finding prey will be much easier from now on."

As he spoke, the shadows beneath Lu Minghao writhed violently. The once intangible shadows transformed into sharp, black spikes. Tiny barbs adorned their tips, ensuring that once they pierced an enemy's body, the impaled part would have to be surgically removed.

"Shadow Kill!"

The next second, sharp spikes pierced the giant rat's body completely. In an instant, the rat's body was torn to shreds, scattering pieces of flesh of varying sizes across the cave.

"Now, it's time to hunt. I wonder how long I've been asleep; Gluttony must be starving."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Minghao's talent panel appeared in his vision.

Name: Lu Minghao
Rank: Lower Demon
Race: Slime
Talent: [Encounter from Another World] (Red): You, who came from another world, possess truly infinite potential.
  Ability 1: Plunder the world's origin. Once a certain amount is accumulated, you can traverse other worlds at the cost of consuming world origin.
  Ability 2: Upon arriving in a new world, you will randomly obtain a new purple-tier talent.

[Gluttony] (Purple): You possess a bottomless stomach and digestive capabilities. Due to your racial characteristics, you can devour both organic and inorganic matter. You will fully absorb the nutrients from everything you consume, accelerating your growth and granting you a chance to acquire some of their abilities.
  Ability 1: Inflict Gluttony's endless hunger upon your enemies.

[Slime Physique] (Blue-White): As a Slime, you naturally possess a liquid-like body and can freely manipulate your form. You do not need to breathe or sleep, can consume with any part of your body, are immune to minor physical attacks, and possess asexual reproduction capabilities.

[Magic Element] (Blue-White): This is the symbol of a demon's power. You have taken the first step towards evolution. Though still weak, the path of evolution has opened.
  Branch Skill: [Shadow Escape]: Uses Magic Element to convert body attributes, granting the ability to move through shadows and control them.
  Branch Skill: [Illusory Dream Lure]: Emits a tempting scent irresistible to weaker beings, driving them into a frenzy.

After evolving into a Lower Demon, Lu Minghao gained the ability [Illusory Dream Lure] in addition to [Shadow Escape] from the giant rat. This ability allows him to emit an aura that is irresistible to demons weaker than himself, driving them into a state of madness.

However, Lu Minghao viewed this skill primarily as a tool for eliminating cannon fodder and for hunting at his current stage. As demons grew stronger, their resistance to abnormal status effects would increase, and combined with their own skills, this lure would become negligible to powerful demons.

In addition to these two abilities, the [Gluttony] talent had also evolved with Lu Minghao's growth, giving rise to the effect that allowed him to dominate the giant rat with endless hunger.

Incidentally, [Shadow Escape] and [Illusory Dream Lure] were skills born from Lu Minghao's [Magic Element] talent. The abilities of [Gluttony], on the other hand, were entirely different, stemming from the extended effects of the [Gluttony] talent itself.

One was a skill, the other an extended effect; they were fundamentally different.

"But currently, both [Slime Physique] and [Magic Element] are only Blue-White tier, and just barely touching the lowest rung. By that logic, to fully transform them into Blue-tier, I'll have to at least become an Upper Demon. And to reach Purple-tier like [Gluttony], what stage would that be!"

Speaking of which, Lu Minghao felt a pang of... well, he didn't have any 'parts' to feel pain in as a Slime.

"Ah well, at least this proves that the claim of having truly infinite potential on my talent panel is real."

Finally, Lu Minghao looked up at the demon's name at the top of his talent panel and smiled faintly. The panel instantly vanished. As for the change in the demon's name on the panel, Lu Minghao wasn't surprised at all. Although he called it a talent panel, it was actually his own talent, a part of himself.