Chapter 10

After setting everything up and confirming there were no mistakes, Orsaga closed his eyes and let his mind go free.

He began his second advancement.

The blood and power within his body automatically seeped out, starting to form threads that tightly wrapped around him.

Soon, a blood-red cocoon several meters tall appeared in the cave.

A layer of blood mist flowed out, spreading throughout the cave, gradually coagulating into something resembling blood vessels. These vessels wove a massive web centered around the cocoon, covering every inch of the cave.

Due to Orsaga's request, he had to remain conscious and not fall into a state of complete unawareness. Therefore, even now, he was still awake. Although he couldn't move, his senses were still functioning, and he could interrupt the advancement process at any time.

At this moment, though he dared not move for fear of disrupting the advancement, he could still clearly feel his skin and exoskeleton dissolving, his flesh boiling, and the bones in his back slowly rearranging.

His entire body felt as if it were soaking in concentrated sulfuric acid, and even his soul seemed to be torn apart. Everything was being restructured, replaced with a more perfect and powerful form. Only by doing this could Orsaga always stay ahead of demons of the same level.

The tendons transforming, the skin melting, the bones shifting, and the soul splitting—these were the pains Orsaga was now experiencing.

This was the second time he had experienced them.

When he advanced from a [Young Demon] to a [Lesser Demon], he had already gone through this once. At that time, he was unprepared and almost fainted from the pain. He hadn't realized that a conscious advancement was so excruciating. Afterward, he somewhat understood why demons automatically fell into a coma during their advancements.

The word "somewhat" was used because Orsaga's advancement was not just guided by the bottomless abyss and his own bloodline; the evolution system also played a role, making it a three-way process, different from other demons' advancements.

However, these details didn't matter to Orsaga. As long as he could achieve his goals, he was willing to endure any pain.

This was also why he chose to remain conscious during the advancement.

He needed to maintain his own consciousness at all times!

Even the intense pain was a form of training for him.

When he advanced to a [Lesser Demon], the indescribable torment almost drove him to the brink of collapse.

But in the end, he learned a lesson: only by experiencing, tasting, and understanding pain could he inflict it on others.

So he began to carefully experience the suffering he endured, learning to savor it and ultimately understand it. Perhaps this was also the main reason why his magic attribute automatically derived [Pain] and automatically awakened the [Bloodline Spell: Pain Strike].

One day, he might fully comprehend [Pain], a fundamental rule in the negative realm, comparable to [Fear], [Hate], [Anger], [Jealousy], [Pride], [Greed], [Lust], [Sloth], and [Gluttony].

---

Several nights later, when the blood-red celestial body rose again in the sky.

The blood-red network in the cave, resembling blood vessels, began to rapidly contract and wither.

Whoosh!

Crack!

Two wings, nearly 3.4 meters long and with a wingspan of almost 7 meters, instantly burst through the cocoon's shell.

With a gentle flap, a whirlwind of flames swept through the cave, incinerating everything inside.

When all traces were erased, Orsaga's transformed appearance emerged from the center of the flames.

His missing body parts had regrown and undergone new changes.

Standing three meters tall with a perfectly proportioned body, his skin was covered in countless intricate crimson patterns. The horns on his head curved backward, becoming thicker and longer. His tail, now 2.8 meters long, could extend and contract to some extent. His wings, a hybrid of bat and dragon wings, were covered in fine scales and had spines at the tips.

[Host: Stuart Orzaga Asalon... Colifer Orsaga]

[Race/Level: Demon Race/Lesser Demon]

[Strength: 61 (5)]

[Speed: 63 (5)]

[Constitution: 61 (5)]

[Magic: 65 (5)]

[Soul: 70 (5)]

[Talents: Soul Devouring Evolution (evolve through continuous soul devouring), Slaughter Evolution (evolve through continuous combat and slaughter), Combat Instinct (born with an extremely strong combat talent), Blood and Flesh Absorption (absorb the blood and flesh of targets upon contact and extract their essence), Magic Attribute - Corrosion and Pain (more corrosive than ordinary magic and can cause extreme pain to targets), Elemental Talent - Blood Flame (high temperature, erodes flesh, burns life energy and soul), Exoskeleton - Bloodthirsty (formed from scales, highly resistant to physical damage and energy, can repair damage by absorbing blood and consuming magic), Energy Vision (can see through most substances and perceive energy), Abyssal Contract (can be summoned and can sign contracts with others using abyssal power, note: no one can violate the contract, not even a Demon Prince), Stealth - Silence (can significantly reduce presence and aura), Suffering Torment (any injury inflicted by you will amplify the pain), Soul Seizure (forcibly bind and pull the soul of a target within a certain range), Armed Rune - Crimson (crimson abyssal runes cover the body, enhancing energy resistance and adaptability to world pressure), Transdimensional Projection - Simulacrum (can project an image of oneself over long distances, with sensory functions and real-time sharing)]

[Skills: Fireball (Bloodline Spell, 27%), Flame Arrow (Bloodline Spell, 28%), Life Drain (Bloodline Spell, 25%), Soul Shock (Bloodline Spell, 30%), Pain Howl (Bloodline Spell, 14%), Flame Nova (Bloodline Spell, 14%)]

[Evolution Points: 0]

[Note: The values in parentheses for body and soul represent the normal levels of a newborn young demon. Each point increase enhances the current strength by one-fifth. For example, 6 points are one-fifth stronger than 5 points, and 7 points are one-fifth stronger than 6 points, increasing by percentage. The percentages in the skill section represent proficiency, and reaching 100% will advance the skill to a higher level.]

The talent [Suffering Torment] evolved from the bloodline spell [Pain Strike], representing Orsaga's understanding of the concept of [Pain].

The talents [Soul Seizure], [Bloodline Spell: Pain Howl], and [Bloodline Spell: Flame Nova] were abilities that automatically awakened as his power grew.

A demon, even without studying spells, would naturally become a spellcaster when their power reached a certain level, though they might not understand the principles behind the spells.

They could be called illiterate spellcasters.

Only [Armed Rune - Crimson] and [Transdimensional Projection - Simulacrum] were abilities he specifically evolved using the evolution system, and they were essential to him.

Without them, Orsaga would have no confidence to venture into other worlds.

According to the knowledge in his inherited memories, other planes were the dream destination for every demon. Though fraught with danger, they were also full of opportunities. Whether a demon was a failure or a success, they all hoped to venture into other planes to seek wealth.

It felt like the American Wild West of the previous life. However, the outcome could be either striking gold or being forced to dig mines at gunpoint.

Many succeeded, but many more failed.

The majority of demons who ventured into other planes to harvest souls met with failure.

Orsaga did not want to be one of them.

After securing the basic conditions for traveling to other worlds, he did not rush into it immediately. Instead, he decided to adapt to his new power first.

He stretched his body and fired a Flame Arrow at the obstacle blocking the cave entrance, blasting it apart.

The Flame Arrow, which used to be about a meter long, now reached nearly 1.8 meters, long enough to be used as a spear by a human.

Although the data on the evolution system panel only increased by about one-quarter, Orsaga's overall strength had at least doubled. Some of his old combat techniques might no longer be practical.

Stepping out of the cave, he watched the occasional flying monsters and demons in the sky. He flapped his wings a few times, causing a gust of wind, and adapted to the feeling of being airborne, with his wings providing the force. Soon, he felt more confident.

The new organ made him feel somewhat unbalanced and awkward, both in terms of balance and habit.

Fortunately, the wings could be retracted into his body!

Otherwise, if he couldn't fly and had to fight on the ground with his wings, he would be at a disadvantage in terms of flexibility.

Even though he found it magical that such large wings, even when folded, could be retracted into his body without any visible bulge or change in size, he had to admit that being a demon was indeed magical, and he didn't need to worry about physics!

Perhaps his inherited memories had the answer.

But he didn't have the time for that, as it wasn't important.

Just like most people don't care why humans can walk, knowing or not knowing the answer didn't affect his ability to move around.

After preparing, Orsaga flapped his wings with all his might.

A strong wind surged, and the powerful thrust propelled him into the sky.

Looking down at the rapidly shrinking cliff, he felt a surge of satisfaction deep in his soul.

It was the desire of all living beings for the vast sky!

At that moment, his demonic instincts seemed to awaken, and he felt that flying was no longer difficult, as natural as walking on two legs.