Chapter 26: Over-Powered Overnight

[Name: Fox Fire]

[Type: Active]

[Description: A unique type of flame only available to the Kitsune clan and the sin of lust. It comes in four variants, each with their own unique traits.]

[Variants]

[Name: Infernal Ember]

[Color: Red]

[Description: Burns flesh. The hotter the victim’s desire or rage, the fiercer the flames grow.]

[Name: Veil of Mirage]

[Color: Purple]

[Description: Creates illusions.]

[Name: Siren’s Bloom]

[Color: Pink]

[Description: Charms the mind and weakens willpower, inducing infatuation or euphoria.]

[Name: Soul Lantern]

[Color: Blue]

[Description: Burns the soul directly, inflicting permanent wounds. Can also purify curses and break seals.]

“Four different fires, each with their own unique traits. Okay… this is massive.”

Damian was genuinely impressed.

This could be considered his first authentic offensive skill after gaining fifty levels. Fifty levels.

If he didn’t have a powerful wife helping him grow at such an absurd pace, how long would it have taken him to reach this point?

He would have been killed by a demon long before unlocking his first skill.

“Truly, the skills from these Talent Trees are at a different level,” Damian admitted, his eyes burning with greed.

Only now did he truly value the deal he made with Lin Qui. The three hundred Talent Points he gained from that bargain suddenly felt more valuable than the Abyss Inheritance itself.

Without hesitation, Damian began pouring more points into his Primal Soul.

Ten points…

Twenty…

Thirty…

Fifty.

Nothing.

Still no new ability.

Damian paused.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the tree like a thief who had just stolen his money but had no way to prove it.

“Am I getting ripped off?”

He was reluctant to invest more than this. Talent Points were hard to come by. He only gained three every ten levels. How could he afford to be reckless?

“You sick motherfuckers.”

The realization hit him hard. What he was experiencing in Primal Soul could repeat in other sections of the tree. So why not continue investing in what he had already committed the most to?

’God, this shit is making me think like an addicted gambler.’

With his eyes shut, Damian began throwing more points into his Primal Soul.

Sixty…

Seventy…

Eighty…

Ninety…

One hundred.

[Primal Soul 1 → 10%]

[Veil of the Nine-Tailed Reverie I Skill Unlocked]

Damian collapsed onto the floor.

He felt like a wounded warrior who had barely dragged himself across the finish line. Victorious… but drained.

One hundred talent points..

“100 talent points to get two skills is just crazy. This is fraudulent!”

Even fifty levels only gave him fifteen points. How long would it take him to accumulate that much again?

’That skill better be worth it or we are burning a tree down tonight.’

[Name: Veil of the Nine-Tailed Reverie I]

[Type: Active/Domain/Mental Intrusion]

[Description: A skill that enables dream infiltration of anyone within a thirty meter radius. This allows the user to enter, manipulate, and weaponize the dreams of a chosen target. Within the dream state, you can manipulate and control the dream, but this only works when the target is unaware that it is their dream. Killing a person in their dream kills them in real life. Imprisoning them in their dream forces them into a state of eternal slumber until they are able to escape. This also applies to you.]

Hmm.

Damian sat in silence, unsure how to feel. The ability was nothing short of terrifying. Amazing… but terrifying.

He could already see how easily things could go wrong.

“But think about the things I can do with this.”

He rubbed his chin as thoughts began flooding his mind.

Interrogation.

Murder.

Psychological domination.

He could play God.

Masquerade as the Most High. Send divine messages to some deluded fanatic and convince them they were chosen to lead a revolution.

“Dear Lord, Earth won’t be ready for me when I get back!”

Excitement surged through him. This was a skill that could make him filthy rich. Suddenly, the one hundred Talent Points didn’t feel so outrageous.

Still, even after unlocking two skills, Damian was terrified of investing further into Primal Soul. This time he was lucky.

Next time?

He might burn another hundred and gain nothing. His gaze shifted to the colossal tree and his eyes widened. The tree, whose roots had once been submerged beneath the water, was now rising above it. A stretch of green land had emerged around its base. Nothing extravagant. Nothing divine.

Just simple, quiet greenery.

Yet it looked beautiful.

Especially with the violent fireflies drifting through the air and settling against the trunk and branches.

[Lust Talent Tree Rejuvenation Process: 5%]

[Living Arts: 0%]

[Primal Soul: 10%]

[Elder Arts: 0%]

“Just a ten percent increase in my Primal Soul and this place has changed this much.”

He couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like at one hundred percent.

“I think we’ve upgraded Primal Soul enough. We should focus on something else.”

Rubbing his chin, Damian weighed his options.

Living Arts or Elder Arts?

Body… or knowledge?

Which mattered more?

“Should I just wait until I get a better perspective on what to upgrade?”

“I mean… there’s no reason to spend all three hundred points today, right?”

After a moment of consideration, he settled on the bare minimum. Ten points into Living Arts and another ten into Elder Arts. That should at least unlock their starter skills.

[Living Art 0 → 1%]

[One-Tailed Kitsune Physiology Skill Unlocked]

[Name: One-Tailed Kitsune Physiology]

[Type: Passive/Transformation]

[Description: Upon activation of Infernal Transformation Skill, you will automatically gain the traits of a one-tailed kitsune, gaining complete control over this form.]

“Oooh.”

Damian remembered the Infernal Transformation skill he had gained earlier. The ability to embody his spiritual traits in physical form. He had assumed Living Arts meant purely physical enhancement. Instead, it granted him a spiritual trait that would enhance his physical body.

Complicated.

Yet strangely simple.

[Elder Art 0 → 1%]

[Faustian Bargain Skill Unlocked]

[Name: Faustian Bargain]

[Type: Contract Skill]

[Description: This is a popular skill used by even the weakest demons and angels. It is a sacred and forbidden pact that allows the user to enter a binding agreement with mortals or deities. Terms vary depending on the situation, but it usually ends with the stronger party demanding the soul of the weaker one in exchange for power, wealth, or fame.]

[Reward: Apart from definite rewards like an item or a favor, the most common reward demanded by spiritual beings is a soul or a portion of a mortal’s lifespan, because mortal lifespan or soul energy directly translates to Talent Points. A decade of a mortal’s lifespan is worth one Talent Point.]

Damian sat down.

Silent.

He had received similar information when he met Lin Qui, but the reward conversion had never been revealed. Probably because he did not own the skill at the time.

Now he understood and it changed the way he saw everything. Back then, he believed demons simply saw mortals as insignificant and all these priests claiming demons are always out there to get humans were nothing but paranoid old fools.

Now he knew the true worth of a human soul, their crazy warnings seemed more reasonable.

Imagine convincing a twenty-year-old that you could grant them fame and fortune… but they would only have five years to enjoy it. Collect their soul at twenty-five. If they had at least fifty more years in their natural lifespan, that was five easy Talent Points.

Now imagine scaling it. Starting a church, performing miracles like healing the sick and in exchange for just a small chunk of their lifespan. Maybe a decade. This is a steady stream of Talent Points. Now imagine spreading to every city in America.

Damian covered his mouth, trying to hide the sinister grin creeping across his face. His heart screamed foul but his mind was ecstatic.

Evil.

Evil was something else entirely.

Now he understood why people were advised to flee from evil, not resist it.

Some things cannot be resisted, only avoided. But this… This was not a life he could run from.

“I’m really about to become a demon,” he murmured.

There was terror in his voice and laughter. It felt like humanity and demonic bloodlines were clashing within him for control over his conscience and neither side was willing to surrender.

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