Meat-toothed Beast

Chapter 13: 13-toothed Beast

Yuan Chen stared at the two available professions with a grim expression for a long time, until finally, despair settled onto his face as he accepted reality.

The power of demons was a path of no return; Yuan Chen knew this better than anyone. After confirming he couldn't escape, and after a brief period of thought, Yuan Chen ultimately chose the Pain Ascetic profession for his demon class change.

The reason Yuan Chen chose Pain Ascetic was simple: Pain Ascetics needed to inflict pain upon themselves to maximize their power, drawing strength from self-restraint, self-silencing, and self-abuse.

In contrast, the Prince of Joy achieved power through indulgence. Doing whatever one desired, harming whomever one wished, disregarding morality and law to unleash inner ugliness, greed, and selfishness.

Yuan Chen felt he could somewhat control the former, but indulgence... that was far too difficult to control.

The moment he chose Pain Ascetic, Yuan Chen could clearly feel a surging will attempting to break free from his body. This chaotic energy made Yuan Chen feel an unprecedented sense of exhilaration and madness.

Almost instinctively, Yuan Chen's forehead bulged with veins. His eyes widened in fury, and Yuan Chen fiercely gripped a nearby stone. The heavy rock was instantly crushed in his grasp, its shattered fragments piercing his palm under the force.

Pain surged, and a clarity flashed in Yuan Chen's eyes. Rejecting the exhilarating feeling in his heart, Yuan Chen gritted his teeth and fought against the will surging in his mind.

This was Oshirresh's will—

It was a method of giving a part of himself to Yuan Chen, creating a "Lesser Demon."

Any other Nascent Demon would never so easily bestow a part of their concept onto another demon. This was because it represented a portion of their own power being given away.

Unless, that is, the Nascent Demon could be certain that the vessel of this power held sufficient value, capable of offering them enough sacrifice.

But Oshirresh was different...

She had been sealed for far too long, and almost all her Lesser Demons had already left her. What she needed to do now was to recall those demons who had left her, and then harvest their wills and concepts.

This was not difficult. Even after thousands of years of sealing, for Oshirresh, recalling her own things was merely a thought... as long as she could find them.

If it were merely helping Oshirresh recruit, that would be one thing. But to master this concept, the price required was to surrender one's entire soul to Oshirresh's control!

Yuan Chen did not wish for his soul to become a sacrifice for power!

Sensing Yuan Chen's resistance, Oshirresh did not seem surprised. She even proactively withdrew her power.

Simultaneously, within Yuan Chen's mind, Nila's laughter, filled with a pathological joy, echoed like wind chimes.

"You're refusing me? It's alright, it's alright... this power exists within you. When you wish to use it, just open it up. But as for the price, what is your sacrifice?"

Nila's voice resonated with boundless light laughter:

"Can you find a sacrifice more valuable than your soul? I'm looking forward to it..."

As the words fell, Nila, or rather, Oshirresh's voice, vanished from Yuan Chen's mind. What also subsided was that power inexplicably generated within his consciousness...

After confirming that Oshirresh was not continuing to encroach upon his body, Yuan Chen immediately opened his status panel.

Due to the battle, his current state was injured and exhausted. Without paying attention to the wear and tear on his equipment, Yuan Chen's gaze immediately turned to his profession.

Aside from Dancer and Elementalist, the original "Demon Agent Lv1" had disappeared, replaced by the gray text "Pain Ascetic (Activatable)".

Seeing this, Yuan Chen breathed a sigh of relief, but soon, a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes.

Good news, he was no longer Xiao Ka Li Mi.

Bad news, He was Sang Biao.

The reason Oshirresh had left voluntarily was certainly not out of kindness. Every demon was born from an emotion, a concept.

Therefore, every demon was a master manipulator of hearts. And as a Nascent Demon, Oshirresh's insight into the human heart could be described with a trending short video phrase: "A lecturer on human nature; three sentences, and a man will spend 180,000 yuan on me."

As he broke free from his seal, Oshirresh had clearly noticed the changes in the Thread of Fate...

Even Yuan Chen could realize that Runeterra was currently in a turbulent era of gathering storms and clashing dragons and tigers. How could a Nascent Demon, who had accompanied the birth of the first wisp of consciousness in Runeterra, not notice?

She was certain that I would use his power, actively connect with her, and then offer my soul.

Realizing this, Yuan Chen felt a chill run down his spine... But after a long silence, Yuan Chen merely let out a soft sigh of relief, then closed his eyes to rest.

He couldn't resist, and didn't even have the right to say no. Continuing to waste his mental energy here was meaningless, so he might as well rest well and make plans for the next step...

After all, cutting ties with Oshirresh in a short period was impossible. If it were that easy, it would be underestimating Oshirresh too much.

Those Nascent Demons, they were all too nascent!

Perhaps because he was tired, Yuan Chen slept soundly, only waking up around noon the next day.

Opening his eyes and getting up from the haystack, Yuan Chen stretched his waist. Having slept from yesterday until noon today, his curled spine made cracking sounds as he stretched. It was pleasant and made his body feel exceptionally relaxed.

After glancing at the traps he had set up in various locations within the cave and confirming they were undisturbed, Yuan Chen nodded with satisfaction...

Although he was already very tired, to prevent Nedeli from going wild and having her "family" kill him, Yuan Chen had designed many small traps.

For example, a light mist that covered a wide area, pieces of weapons strung together with threads, flying knife traps set up with elemental magic, and Milio, the human alarm generator.

But now it seemed that although Nedeli had not had deep interactions with human civilization, her wild beast nature had not truly turned her into a beast. On the contrary, as it stood, this wild instinct actually allowed her inherent traits to be maximized...

"You're awake?" Milio walked in from the side, his eyes showing excitement upon seeing Yuan Chen awake. "I picked some fruit! Those Big Cats even shared some meat with me. I'll bring it over once I roast it for you!"

"Mmm..." Taking the fruit from Milio, Yuan Chen took a bite. Although he didn't know its name, it was indeed juicy and sweet with a hint of sweetness. Yuan Chen's slightly groggy mind cleared up considerably.

"How is that woman?"

"Woman? You mean the sister who can turn into a Big Cat?"

Hearing Yuan Chen's question, Milio nodded and said:

"Sister has woken up. He said you can go see her once Master wakes up. I also wanted to bring him some food, but there are Big Cats guarding outside her room... Those Big Cats have such long teeth! Their claws are also very sharp, I don't dare to go near."

Hearing Milio's words, Yuan Chen also nodded.

After eating two fruits and feeling that his hunger was no longer as strong as before, Yuan Chen got up and walked towards Nedeli's room.

Coiled at the cave entrance, the Cougar suddenly became alert upon hearing someone approaching. However, upon seeing that it was Yuan Chen, it quickly returned to its original relaxed posture.

Lying on the ground, its long tail flicked back and forth. Although it had relaxed, Yuan Chen could still sense a hint of wariness. If his actions were even slightly off, the creature before him would undoubtedly lash out immediately--

Although, before he could get close, the Dancer Blades would have already sliced through his throat like cutting butter.

Without paying much attention, Yuan Chen directly entered Nedeli's chamber...

It was called a chamber, but in reality, it was still the same room as before. Compared to the other Cougars, Nedeli's room was at most tidier, with traces of human habitation. Besides that, there were a few polished bone spears in the corner.

Nedeli had woken up, but she was still lying on the straw mat. Nedeli's condition was still not good... Nedeli's good mental state before was due to the stimulation of the excitement factor from Oshirresh. Now that so much time had passed, the effect of the excitement factor had long since faded.

Loss of blood and qi, reduced nutrients, coupled with the surrounding injuries...

If Yuan Chen hadn't applied ointment to her all over before going to sleep, the girl's skin would likely still have many scars, and there might even be pus and infection. Let alone sitting up like she was now, whether she could even breathe would be a problem.

"Heh, looks like you rested quite well."

Seeing Yuan Chen's condition, Nedeli snorted unhappily and said, "Unlike me, I need help even to sit up now!"

"That's enough, I'm not here to bicker with you."

Yuan Chen seemed very helpless with Nedeli's reaction--

To be precise, Yuan Chen's condition was indeed good. Although Oshirresh had withdrawn his gaze, the process of bestowing power alone had basically completed Yuan Chen's body's recovery.

However, the psychological pressure brought by Oshirresh had not diminished one bit...

It was precisely because of this that Yuan Chen did not want to exchange pleasantries at the moment. Instead, he got straight to the point: "What's going on with the beasts rampaging here? Were you also attacked by them?"

"Mm."

Seeing that Yuan Chen was here to discuss serious matters, Nedeli suppressed her temper and said, "It's those guys from the Carnivore Beast Tribe."

"Carnivore Beast?"

Hearing this term, Yuan Chen was slightly stunned, then said hesitantly:

"Why would the Carnivore Beast Tribe be here? Isn't their territory Shurima? Don't think I haven't seen them before, their natural manes are completely unsuited for environments like tropical rainforests."

The so-called Carnivore Beast Tribe was actually a race called Carnivore Beasts. They were also Vastaya. From a bloodline perspective, they were distant relatives of Nedeli in ancient times, both being the product of the union between Vastaya Shuray and humans.

With the Vastaya Shuray leaving the material world and entering the spiritual realm as a whole tribe, the Vastaya, who share common ancestors, became scattered across the world, developing distinct cultures and customs.

Among the Carnivore Beast Tribe, the most well-known hero is Rengar, the Pridestalker.

Thinking this, a hint of contemplation flashed in Yuan Chen's eyes--

Although Rengar was born on the outskirts of Shurima, he actually grew up in the rainforests of Ixialia. This can also be found in the League of Legends universe; his region of origin is Ixialia.

Hmm, this damn hero's style is incredibly fitting with the traditional atmosphere of Ixialia. Once he gets a little ahead, he's unreasonably strong.

His most famous match was in 2015 on the Korean server, where he killed a female streamer 21 times in a row, making her cry. Since then, various "master players" have continued to perform stunts, targeting a single victim in every game.

His strength lies in his burst damage. When well-fed, he can even dive into the enemy fountain, unleash a burst of damage to kill someone, and then flash out of the tower. Although "prodigies" don't often use this, he has always been a favorite of smurfs.

Who could refuse a hero who can dive and kill in 0.1 seconds and then leave with flair?

But Rengar is Rengar, and the Carnivore Beast Tribe is the Carnivore Beast Tribe. Rengar himself had already severed ties with his tribe for various reasons and became a pure hunter.

Let alone Ixialia, to find sufficiently large prey, he has even ventured into Freljord, Bilgewater, and various other dangerous and extreme natural environments more than once.

Rengar's appearance goes without saying. He is covered in dense fur and looks like a bipedal white lion. Most other Carnivore Beasts are similar, differing only in physique and fur color.

In such a situation, in a hot and humid place like the rainforest, their fur would get wet and matted after just a short while. Wet hair is already uncomfortable, let alone a whole body of wet fur?

"To find prey of sufficient value."

Glancing at Yuan Chen, Nedeli snorted and said, "A Carnivore Beast attacked me, but I defeated him. After interrogation, their tribal chief is dead, and the position of chief is now vacant."

"If you truly understand the Carnivore Beasts, then you should know that the Carnivore Beast Tribe respects strength above all else.

To obtain the position of tribal chief, these Carnivore Beasts have begun hunting extensively, with the goal of returning to the tribe on the final day and using the heads of the largest, fiercest prey to become the new chief."

Hearing this, Yuan Chen fell silent.

If the Carnivore Beasts came here to find prey of sufficient value, then Yuan Chen could understand. Being isolated, the primordial jungles of Ixialia are not lacking in various giant beasts.

But the problem is, there are too many types of giant beasts; which ones would they choose?

As he thought this, Yuan Chen couldn't help but recall what Audan had said when he went to the village--Lupe had fought with the overlord here.

This group of bastards...

Are they trying to hunt Elemental Drakes?!