bookcurios Chapter 284: Officially A Demi-god
Chapter 284: Officially A Demi-god
360... 370... 380... 390... 400...
The dark waters beneath Damian’s feet rippled gently as another surge of violet light erupted from the talent tree. Unlike before, he no longer felt excited each time the system chimed. At this point he had unlocked enough absurd abilities to understand that the truly dangerous ones were usually the simplest.
A new panel materialized.
[Name: Lovers Watch]
[Type: Passive]
[Description: You involuntarily peek into the future of your partners. Allowing you to see harm or possible betrayal.]
"Ooh?"
Damian immediately leaned forward. His eyes brightened with genuine interest as he reread the description several times.
"This is the ultimate anti-cheating skill."
Rin nearly fell into the water from secondhand embarrassment.
Of all the things Damian could have taken from that description, that was somehow the conclusion he arrived at first.
"Is this available for everyone or is it just me?" Damian asked.
"The Sin of Lust thrives on exploiting the sexual weaknesses of everyone around him. It’s only natural the inheritance provides a means of protecting you from the same evil you inflict upon others. Only the Sin of Lust possesses such capabilities."
Rin puffed out his chest proudly after speaking.
Hearing that only made Damian like the skill even more. The ability wasn’t merely useful, it was practical. He could foresee danger approaching his wives and he could detect betrayal before it happened.
He could intervene before disasters unfolded and most importantly, he could protect people before they needed saving.
For once, the inheritance had provided something that wasn’t designed solely for destruction or manipulation.
The thought left him oddly satisfied.
His gaze drifted toward the overall completion rate.
[Lust Talent Tree Rejuvenation Process: 57%]
[Living Arts: 50%]
[Primal Soul: 50%]
[Elder Arts: 60%]
Damian studied the figures silently. The finish line was finally becoming visible.
Thirteen percent was all he needed.
Just thirteen more percent before reaching the next major milestone.
"Thirteen percent left. Do you plan to keep upgrading your Elder Arts?"
Rin sat down beside him and Damian nodded immediately.
"So far it’s giving me the best stuff. Why stop now?"
The fox couldn’t argue with that. The Living Arts had strengthened his body. The Primal Soul had strengthened his spirit. But the Elder Arts had consistently provided the most versatile and dangerous abilities.
Without wasting any more time, Damian resumed investing points.
410... 420... 430... 440... 450...
The water around him glowed as another reward emerged.
[Name: Demonic Weaponry: Eye Of Asmodeus]
[Type: Weaponry]
[Description: A ring forged out of the Eye of Asmodeus, granting several unique traits. It allows the wearer to transform the appearance of anything or person he touches. Suppresses presence while also sensing hidden presences.]
"A new weapon?"
Damian rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The demonic equipment continued proving itself as one of his favorite categories. Unlike ordinary abilities, every weapon came with unique utility.
Nothing felt redundant or felt wasted.
"So not only can I change appearances, I can also find things actively trying to hide?"
"Yes."
Rin nodded.
"Sweet."
Without hesitation Damian summoned it.
[Demonic Weaponry: Eye Of Asmodeus Summoned]
Purple smoke erupted above his palm before condensing into a plain black ring.
At first glance it looked unimpressive, almost boring. But then the center shifted. The black metal liquefied and an eyelid opened.
A single violet eye stared back at him.
Buzz!
The effect was immediate.
Damian froze as Cmcold sweat formed across his forehead. The world around him vanished as his attention was dragged toward the distant prison gates.
Toward the entity sealed behind them. And for the first time since meeting Asmodeus...
He truly felt the real thing.
The demon’s presence resembled an endless ocean.
No.
Even that comparison felt inadequate. An ocean had shores but this thing felt limitless.
Infinite.
A pressure so immense Damian couldn’t even estimate it.
For the first time since inheriting this burden, genuine fear crawled down his spine.
’What the hell... Was it always this strong?’
Three pairs of violet eyes slowly opened beyond the gates.
The darkness itself seemed to tremble.
"You can finally tell the gap between us."
Asmodeus sounded amused.
"Do you finally see why none of your peers succeeded?"
Damian clenched his jaw.
His instincts screamed at him. Everything inside him urged him to look away but he glared directly back. As someone who has come face to face with the Abyss numerous times, he could not be intimidated easily.
"Nothing changes."
The response came immediately and Asmodeus chuckled. A deep sound that rolled endlessly across the dark sea.
"Of course that’s what you would say."
He didn’t continue, but neither did Damian. There was nothing left to discuss. One day they would kill each other. That reality remained unchanged.
Damian removed the ring and the pressure vanished instantly. The difference was so dramatic he almost stumbled.
He couldn’t help but imagine just how overwhelming the true presence of the abyss would be. Because if Asmodesus was this overwhelming, then the abyss must be suffocating.
Damian already understood the gap between the two so he knew what to expect.
"Note to self. Never use that item here."
He rubbed his finger.
"Yep. That’s the fastest way to get PTSD." Rin nodded rapidly.
Damian immediately turned toward him.
"Bastard, you knew and didn’t warn me?" He snarled at the fox.
"You didn’t ask." Rin rolled his eyes.
The sheer shamelessness of the response nearly made Damian throw him into the ocean.
Instead he returned to the talent tree.
460... 470... 480... 490... 500...
Another reward appeared.
[Name: Royal Decree]
[Type: Passive]
[Description: Your word is law and the universe recognizes it. Though still at the base level, even immortals without proper protective skills would struggle to go against your words.]
"Okay this is sick."
Damian didn’t even try hiding his excitement. Immediately a paw smacked the side of his head.
Pa!
"Pipe down. It’s not exclusive. Your brothers can do the same."
Rin looked disgusted.
Damian rubbed his cheek.
"It still doesn’t take away anything from the ability."
He honestly didn’t care. Exclusive or not, the ability was ridiculous. The thought of forcing reality itself to acknowledge his words was enough to keep him entertained for decades.
Without slowing down he continued investing.
510... 520... 530... 540... 550... 560... 570... 580... 590... 600...
Nothing.
Damian blinked as the room fell silent. He proceeded to wipe his eyes a few times with his arm then blinked again.
Still nothing.
His expression slowly darkened. At some point he felt the weight on his shoulder disappear.
The fox was gone.
Damian didn’t even need to look. That coward had obviously fled.
Rin knew exactly what was happening.
The rat simply didn’t want to be present when Damian realized he had spent one hundred points for absolutely nothing.
Damian inhaled deeply and then continued.
610... 620... 630... 640... 650... 660...
Ding!
The entire dark world shookt. Even the distant prison gates trembled slightly.
A massive panel materialized overhead.
[Congratulations. Demigod Status Achieved.]
[New Skill Unlocked.]
[Name: Astral Body]
[Type: Active]
[Description: You can instantly deploy your Astral Body to any target within the range of your vision or senses. This body of light possesses one hundred percent of your strength and risks only a weakened backlash if destroyed. Recovery time approximately thirty years.]
Silence followed as Damian stared at the message with empty eyes. He spent one hundred and sixty points for one ability.
Make that make sense!
The fact that it was an amazing ability somehow made the situation worse. Because now he couldn’t even complain properly.
He wanted to be angry but Astral Body was objectively ridiculous. A perfect clone carrying his full power, capable of being deployed across planetary distances is the most overpowered thing he has in his arsenal.
The ability alone could alter entire wars, yet the price still offended him.
His eye twitched as the silence stretched longer and longer. Then Damian finally snapped.
"You motherfucking piece of shit!!!!!" His roar exploded across the dark world.
The waters rose hundreds of feet into the air and the prison gates shook. Far away, Rin peeked from behind the talent tree.
The fox immediately disappeared again and Damian pointed furiously toward where he sensed him hiding.
"You knew this would happen!"
No response came. The coward remained hidden.
Damian felt genuinely cheated. One thousand and sixty points.That was what he had spent reaching this level and somehow his emotional state had gone from excitement to being thoroughly robbed.
The floating status panel appeared before him.
[Name: Damian]
[Race: Human/Demon] [Hybrid]
[Rank: Arch Demon] [Demon]
[Sins: Lust/Abyss]
[Devotee: 0.000000010%]
[Talent Points: 390]
[Talent Tree:] [Lust/Abyss/Asura]
[Level: 600] [98%]
[Strength: 213.5]
[Agility: 213.5]
[Constitution: 214.0]
[Charisma: 213.5]
[Demonic Force: 8950/8950]
Damian stared at the numbers for several moments.
The anger gradually faded. Not completely but just enough for him to appreciate the new him. Because despite feeling robbed and wanting to strangle Rin, he was now officially a Demigod.
He has truly reached that threshold.