Chapter 201: Sense Of Dread.
[Congratulations.]
[You have successfully integrated part of a Horror.]
[You have unlocked a new stat: Spirit.]
[Congratulations.]
[You have gained 100 Spirit Points.]
Kael stared at the notification and for a moment, he simply remained still. Then he felt it.
Something had changed. The sensation was subtle at first, but it quickly became impossible to ignore. His mind felt sharper, clearer, as though someone had wiped away a layer of fog that he hadn’t even realized had been there. His thoughts moved faster, connecting with one another with an efficiency that felt completely different from before.
More importantly, the pressure weighing down his consciousness had noticeably weakened. His mental fortitude had increased.
Kael’s eyes narrowed. At the same time, information regarding his newly awakened stat naturally surfaced within his mind.
Just as its name suggested, Spirit was a stat focused on strengthening the spirit and everything associated with it. A higher Spirit stat would provide stronger mental capabilities, greater mental fortitude, increased resistance against mental attacks, and a stronger ability to withstand effects that targeted the consciousness directly.
But that wasn’t all. Spirit could also enhance abilities related to the mind and spirit, including things such as illusions, telekinesis, mental manipulation, and similar abilities.
Kael currently possessed only one ability that could be considered related to this category. Blood Domain. However, he was certain that wouldn’t remain the case forever. As his strength continued to grow, he would inevitably acquire more abilities that interacted with the spirit.
There was, however, one thing about the new stat that Kael didn’t particularly like. Unlike his other stats, Spirit couldn’t simply be increased by assigning free stat points. He needed to consume items capable of strengthening the spirit.
Kael frowned. That was inconvenient. If he could directly invest his accumulated stat points into Spirit, he could have immediately increased his mental defenses and gained an even greater advantage against the creature in front of him. Unfortunately, that wasn’t how it worked. Still, it was better than nothing.
And there was another important discovery. Kael looked down at the severed tentacle still partially dissolved into his body. He had awakened Spirit by integrating a single tentacle from this creature. A single tentacle. And the monster had hundreds of them.
Kael’s eyes slowly brightened. A treasure trove. If every part of this creature contained something capable of strengthening his Spirit, then he had just found the perfect source of power for the situation he was in. He would keep consuming the creature’s flesh. He would use it to continuously strengthen his mental defenses until its attacks could no longer threaten him. Then he would get close. And kill it.
The plan was simple. More importantly, it was possible.
But before Kael could put that plan into action, the enormous creature above him suddenly released a furious roar.
"Prepare to die, puny human!"
The entire cavern trembled. The creature’s grotesque body pulsed violently as its mental power surged. Then the attack came.
Wave after wave of invisible mental energy swept through the cavern, surging toward Kael like an endless tide. His expression hardened.
The first wave slammed into his consciousness. Kael gritted his teeth. His body shook slightly, but he remained standing.
Another wave crashed into him. Then another. The attacks were still brutal, but something was different this time. His strengthened Spirit had already begun doing its job. The mental assault no longer felt capable of immediately dragging him into an illusion or tearing apart his consciousness.
It hurt. Badly. But he could endure it.
Kael wiped the blood slowly trickling from his nose and looked toward the creature above him.
"You think you’re the only one who can attack from a distance?"
His finger rose. Earth energy immediately gathered around the tip. The surrounding ground trembled as an enormous amount of earth energy was compressed into a tiny point, becoming increasingly dense until the energy itself seemed to distort the air around it.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"Meteor Bullet."
His finger flicked forward.
Boom!
The compressed projectile tore through the air. Its speed was astonishing. Before the brain-like creature could react, the projectile slammed directly into its enormous body.
Puchi!
The Meteor Bullet pierced straight through the creature’s soft flesh. Jet-black blood exploded from the wound and began raining down from the ceiling. The creature released a furious screech.
Kael’s eyes widened slightly before a grin appeared across his face.
"Take that, sucker."
But the feeling of victory lasted only for a moment as the entire cavern suddenly began shaking.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The glowing crystals embedded in the walls trembled violently as cracks spread across the surrounding stone. Kael’s smile disappeared.
The creature was changing. Its enormous body began pulsing. Once. Twice. Then faster.
"You puny human. You have indeed pushed me."
Kael’s pupils contracted.
"Now..." The creature’s body suddenly erupted with terrifying energy. "Accept inevitable death!"
Purple energy began surging throughout its grotesque form. It spread from the creature’s center, covering every inch of its body until the enormous mass was completely enveloped. Then something impossible happened.
The creature began shrinking. Its massive body contracted rapidly. Feet became inches. Inches became smaller. Within seconds, the enormous brain-like creature had shrunk down to roughly the size of a football. It floated silently in the air. Yet the smaller it became, the more terrifying the pressure surrounding it grew. An immense, deadly aura spread through the cavern.
Kael stared at it. His instincts screamed.
Danger. Absolute danger.
The sense of death descended upon him so suddenly that his entire body became tense. A moment ago, he had been confident that he could eventually overwhelm the creature. Now? That confidence vanished. Something inside Kael told him that if that thing attacked him directly, he would die. There was no possibility of surviving.
Then a system notification appeared.
[Extremely powerful opponent detected.]
[Host’s probability of victory: 0%.]
Kael’s eyes widened.
[Emergency Protocol deactivating.]
[Activating Doomsday Protocol.]
[Infinite Reward Multiplier Activated.]
[Multiplier: x ∞]
[Activating Equalizer Form.]
Kael’s body suddenly trembled. An indescribable force surged through him. No. That wasn’t right. It wasn’t merely a surge of energy. It was infinite. An infinite amount of energy poured into his body.
Kael’s eyes widened. The last time his body had attempted to handle an amount of energy far smaller than this, the pain had nearly driven him insane. His body had struggled just to contain it. So Kael instinctively prepared himself for the same thing.
He expected his flesh to tear apart. He expected his bones to shatter. He expected his body to be ripped into countless pieces beneath the impossible burden.
But nothing happened. There was no pain. No heat. No overwhelming pressure. Not even warmth. Instead, Kael felt himself change.
His entire perception shifted. The world around him suddenly looked different. It was the same strange sensation he had experienced whenever he activated Interference, yet this time, the difference was impossible to describe. Interference had made him feel as though he stood outside the normal rules of the world. This was different. It was infinitely greater.
The cave suddenly felt insignificant. The earth beneath his feet felt insignificant. The rocks surrounding him felt insignificant. The glowing crystals embedded within the walls felt insignificant. Even the enormous creature that had caused him to feel an unavoidable sense of death only moments ago now appeared infinitely weaker.
Kael’s eyes slowly widened. He could see everything differently. It was as though the entire world had become a scale. Everything possessed a certain weight. A certain worth. A certain level of existence. And all of it could be measured.
Kael stood silently within the cave as an unfamiliar calm settled over him. Then another notification appeared.
[Equalizer Form Activated.]
[Duration: 10 seconds.]
[10:00]