Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

1712 Origin Force Absorption

Serene Solitude Inn. Brol.

At the stroke of midnight, three of Labh Salem's four moons graced the sky, casting a frigid bluish hue upon the world below.

The nocturnal winds, though gentle, carried a subtle momentum, almost as if they sought to explore every corner within their reach. Silent, yet assertive, these winds announced their presence through whispers that seemed to caress one's ears.

In a specific chamber within the inn, these whispers took on a more pronounced form, transforming into an echoing recital of demonic verses.

'Saaa haa yaaaai…'

'Sheshekvyi….'

'Haaizaaaahvawhaaaaaooooo.'

The melodic demonic murmurs surrounded a man seated in a cross-legged position within a runic circle. Thanks to the meticulously arranged formation, these whispers remained confined within the room's four walls.

Accompanying the man was a young girl, seemingly on the cusp of her teenage years. She sat on the windowsill, her head nestled on her folded legs, gazing at the three moons illuminating the night sky.

One could not decipher the kind of mood the young girl was in. This was because she felt absolutely at peace with herself at this point, not allowing joy or sorrow to cloud her vision. As such, the reflection of the three moons in her eyes was as clear as clear lake water.

'I… I don't know why…. But I miss Anfang.'

All of a sudden, the young girl thought to herself and sighed. The feelings of homesickness took over, which blurred the clear reflection of the three moons in her eyes.

'Damn it. I have some bitter memories there. I thought of leaving that place behind me when I was captured inside the Purgatory.

I dreamed of visiting an entirely different world like this. So why do I miss my old world now that I'm actually here? Why do I feel not satisfied after getting what I have been wanting for so long?

These thoughts are stupid.'

She concluded and smiled bitterly to herself. Although she complained in her head, she was not really bothered by her thoughts but rather allowed herself to have them for the sake of having them.

She was processing the feelings of nostalgia from a place of peace. She could find her peace because her companion was here. And there was no other place she'd rather be than be with him.

Although appearing idle, she played a crucial role by managing the magic isolation barrier, allowing the man to concentrate undisturbed on his task.

Eren was absorbing the Faustian Rune Fragments that he had obtained from his recent victims. The raid had been a really fruitful endeavor for him. It allowed him to earn a sizable income and additional rewards.

Plus, he sold off some of the artifacts he seized from the raid site to the Ishgaar's temple itself, earning him an additional profit. One could say that he had made ideal use of everything he acquired from the den dwellers he had raided.

However, the acquisition of the Faustian Rune Fragments was the most significant reward for Eren and his current needs. This was the biggest raid he had initiated on the demons at this point. As such, the gains he received from this raid were also more significant than the ones he had been having for the last five months.

Killing demonic entities, acquiring loots they owned, gaining payments and rewards for the hunt, and lastly, digesting the Faustian Rune Fragments they dropped. For the past five months, Eren had been repeating this process over and over. As such, he had gotten quite good at this new routine.

As he kept on devouring and digesting the runes, his connection with his divine throne was getting more and more stable. He felt as if he was learning a musical instrument by reading the instructions that were scattered in the form of pages he could find all around him.

Eren's Ranking Status was increasing at a very slow and almost negligible rate even after digesting so many Faustian Rune Fragments this time. This was because his mana core was in a saturation state, not allowing him to progress further in his Ranking Journey. Not really.

After all, it was not too long ago that Eren had achieved stellar progress in his Ranking Journey after devouring the Faustian Rune Fragments from the entirety of the Helenbora coven. The fact that he was able to acquire even more Faustian Rune Fragments for himself in such a short time was an achievement in itself.

"Erni… leave some portion for me, alright?"

Reen spoke as she looked at the demonic runes floating around Eren in the air with hungry eyes. As a special kind of artifact spirit of an Elder Seed artifact, she should have only been able to devour other artifacts.

However, she could instinctively feel that she could devour the demonic runes from the Faustian contracts as well. At least those that had been preprocessed by Eren.

Reen instinctively felt that her proficiency in wielding the demonic mana would increase by a lot if she were to devour the demonic runes. As such, she didn't shy away from asking for her share in Eren's "meal".

"Hmm. Just… just wait a bit longer."

Eren replied while keeping his eyes closed. He had been channeling the Rootless Technique while digesting the Faustian Rune Fragments. Although a Ranking Technique was slower than a Tantra, it was still better than not having either of them. Plus, the Rootless technique helped Eren a lot while he processed the rune fragments.

Eren felt as if he was starting to understand the mysteries behind the demon magic and the Faustian Contracts as he devoured the rune fragments one by one.

He also started processing the experiences of the demons the rune fragments originally belonged to before they died at Eren's hands. Especially the experiences that belonged to the four demons who acted as leaders of their own groups.

Eren let go of most of these experiences and only focused on the core essence of the Faustian Rune Fragments that helped him strengthen his connection with his divine throne.

[ Basic synchronicity reached ]

[ Unlocking a new function for the user/demi-god ]

[ Origin Force Absorption ]

"Hmmm?"

Eren's concentration was hampered when he received a series of prompts. He paused the process and accessed his Spectral Screen.

====

AN: Origin Force was mentioned in chapter 1488. Faustian Rune Fragments were explained in chapter 1673.