The Damned Demon - Chapter 834

Chapter 834: The Hunger Within
It took a few hours before Rebecca was finally able to take a deep breath after Asher’s aura simmered down after his breakthrough.

Her face was paler than ever, and her eyes darker, forced to endure having every cell in her body getting suppressed for so long, unable to even quench her thirst after having her energy drained.

Despite being in such a pitiful and pathetic state, Skully nor Valeria lifted a finger to help her out.

However, Asher remained unmoving, his frame shrouded in darkness. The aura around him surged rhythmically, like a great, dark heartbeat resonating with his every breath. But it was no longer wild and raging but was calm like the aftermath of a storm.

Inside his consciousness, Asher felt as though he stood upon the precipice of boundless power. His newly attained strength rippled through him, flooding every bone, every fragment of his being with unmatched vigor. This feeling was intoxicating—yet he forced himself to remain calm, carefully weaving the threads of newfound power and using the points he had left to evolve his talents and skills to their next stage.

Each talent refined, each skill evolved, brought him closer to becoming truly unstoppable. He felt limitless, capable of seizing the world itself within his grasp.

Yet, despite this intoxicating sensation, he maintained steady concentration, ensuring that he fully mastered this overwhelming force.

Talents:

[ Favored by the Night (4th Stage) – When night falls, your HP and MP will increase by 15% (0/25) ]

[ Vengeful Lifestealer (4th Stage) – When your HP falls below 35%, successful attacks will now leave a cursed burning effect on your enemy, dealing 6% of your HP as damage, allowing you to steal the HP lost (0/40) ]

[ Hell Master (4th Stage) – You can enter the Dimension of the Damned 3 times in a day, and each time you enter, your HP will be restored by 25% (0/50) ]

[ Cursed Summoner (4th Stage) – You can summon 6 damned souls, each manifesting with 50% of their original stats (0/60) ]

[ Cursed Mark (3rd Stage) – Upon using the Mark of the Damned, sacrifice only 35% of your MP. Marked beings retain their form for 30 seconds after your MP is exhausted or upon reverting to original form (0/50) ]

[ Hellbringer’s Havoc (2nd Stage) – You will deal 150% of your STR as damage and steal the strength of your unfortunate enemies that get caught up in the blast upon activation of Rupture of the Damned. This stolen strength will last for 45 seconds while you will temporarily lose 75% of STR from your(0/40) ]

Talent (Girgal -> -15% DEF | -10% STR | -20% INT ): [ Diabolical Speed (4th Stage)- You possess Girgal’s speed, increasing your DEX by 75% instantly (0/50) ]

Talent (Rakshasa -> -30% DEX | -20% INT ): [ Havoc Arms (3rd Stage) – You possess the four arms of the Rakshasa, allowing you to cast multiple spells at the same time at 30% less cost (0/35) ]

Talent (Doomfall -> -25% INT | -25% DEX ): [ Diabolic Defiance (2nd Stage) – Gain Doomfall’s monstrous strength and defense, instantly increasing your STR and DEF by 40%(0/35) ]

Talent (Ghoroq -> +30% Mana consumption): [ Strength from Terror (2nd Stage) – All your stats increase by 4% every 5 seconds as long as your enemies are terrified of your power. Upon deactivation, the power you gained will be taken from your original stats temporarily for 15 minutes (0/35) ]

Talent (Inactive: Lubac -> -30% STR ): [ Mind Sear (2nd Stage): Your victims’ pain stemming from their mind fuels you, regenerating your HP and STR by 4% every 3 seconds while Gaze of Agony is active. Gained power will linger for 15 minutes (0/20) )

[ Nightmare Embrace (2nd Stage) – Thine unholy embrace shall leave the purest of maidens shuddering with infernal ecstasy. Upon dealing a ‘critical strike’, thou shalt drain 7% of your stats from theirs, imbuing your immortal rod with extra power and fueling their carnal desires (0/45) ]

Skills:

[ Resentful Slash (4th Stage) – The cursed blade will try and cleave your foes on its own with a burst of flames. Upon successful attack, they will suffer bleeding effect of 5% of your HP for 12 seconds (Cost: 1,750 MP) (Cooldown: 45 seconds) (Cast time: Immediate) ]

[ Shadow Roots (4th Stage) – Brutally immobilize enemies for 12 seconds, absorbing 1% of their MP and HP per second. (Cost: 2,800 MP) (Cooldown: 1 minute 15 seconds) (Cast time: 1.5 seconds) ]

[ Chain of Despair (3rd Stage) – Your blades of damnation link with each other, transforming them into chain-like weapon for 40 seconds. Each successful attack weakens the DEF and STR of your foes by 3% of your HP and STR while increasing yours by the same amount. But by invoking this damned power you immediately sacrifice 35% of your health. Gained power lingers in your body for 1 minute (Cost: 6,750 MP) (Cooldown: 15 minutes) (Cast time: 3 seconds) ]

Skill (Rakshasa): [ Rakshasa’s Roar (2nd Stage) – Unleashes the powerful, terrifying roar of the Rakshasa that instills fear and chaos among your enemies. Upon activation, all enemies within a 40-meter radius around the Rakshasa have their DEX reduced by 40% and their ability to cast spells crippled for 10 seconds. (Cost: 4,900 MP) (Cooldown: 8 seconds) (Cast time: 1 second) (0/35) ]

Skill (Doomfall): [ Infernal Aura (2nd Stage) – Emanates a palpable aura of pure infernal power, a chilling miasma that seeps into the very soul of your foes. Those close to you will feel crippled by your aura and will last as long as you have enough mana (Cost: 2,600 MP/second) (Cooldown: 3 minutes) (Cast time: Immediate) (0/45) ]

Skill (Ghoroq): [ Cursed Flame Breath (2nd Stage) – Spews forth a living maelstrom of destruction that corrupts everything it touches, twist life into desolation, and turn vitality into decay (Cost: 2,750 MP/second) (Cooldown: 15 minutes) (Cast time: 3 seconds) (0/45) ]

[ Nightmare Surge (2nd Stage) – Channel the tainted power within thy Nightmare Sword, unleashing a torrent of corruptive energy. Thou may store up to 150% of thy STR and DEX as extra power, which thou can unleash at thy discretion. The more power thou unleashes at once, the more dangerous the side effects shall be (Cost: 1,200 MP/HP per 1%) (Cooldown: 45 minutes) (Cast time: 0.5 seconds per 1%) (0/45) ]

Skill (Inactive: Lubac): [ Gaze of Agony (2nd Stage) – Invoke the malevolent spirit of Lubac through your eyes. The closer you are to your victim, the more powerful it will be. Those caught in your dreadful gaze experience their worst nightmares manifest and lower all their stats by 2% of yours every 3 seconds. But while this skill is active, your mana and senses will be locked to this ability and your victim (Cost: 3000 MP/ second) (Cooldown: 20 minutes) (Cast time: Immediate) (0/50) ]

Despite using up all his points to evolve his skills and talents, he wasn’t finished assimilating the mana around him and adapting to his new strength.

–

Not far away, Rebecca stood rigidly, her eyes fixed on Skully, who observed her with detached indifference.

She didn’t bother to take rest since she was even more desperate to gain even more strength…at least enough to not be forced to kneel from the breakthrough of a Soul Tyrant.

“Listen closely,” Skully’s voice, deep and devoid of feeling, echoed around the chamber, “Your bloodline might be mortal, but it still holds the secrets to power that goes far beyond your current understanding. Yet simply having a powerful bloodline isn’t enough. Many have wasted away despite possessing such potential.”

Rebecca coldly smirked, fingers curling into fists, “So what exactly am I missing? I’ve already reached Level 35. Isn’t that proof of my ability?”

Skully shook his head slowly, “Levels mean nothing if you fail to understand and command your bloodline fully. Your vampire blood grants you dominion over ice, darkness, blood, and the dead. Yet, how much of this power have you truly mastered?”

Rebecca hesitated, “I’ve trained endlessly. My so-called family made sure of it, even if it meant breaking me. My ice can pierce steel, my blood magic strengthens me, and I command dead creatures. I’ve pushed myself to the brink. What else am I supposed to do?”

Skully’s burning gaze lingered on her for an unsettling moment before he spoke again, “Mastery is not merely power or force. It is understanding. To evolve your bloodline, you must first comprehend it completely. Close your eyes.”

Rebecca’s expression hardened briefly, a protest on her lips—but one glance at Skully’s cold, empty stare silenced her immediately. She obeyed, shutting her eyes and forcing herself into uncomfortable darkness.

Skully’s voice was measured, deliberate, as he guided her inward. “Feel your blood. The very essence that defines you. It is neither ice nor darkness nor death. It is raw potential, waiting to be shaped. Now tell me, what do you sense?”

Rebecca grimaced slightly, feeling strangely vulnerable as she focused inward. “I sense… coldness. A deep, pervasive cold. It’s relentless and consuming.”

“Good. Do not fear that coldness. Welcome it. Let it spread throughout your body,” Skully commanded calmly.

Rebecca shivered involuntarily as frost began forming along her fingertips. It spread up her wrists, crawling steadily along her pale skin. The ice was sharp, painful even, yet she forced herself to endure it, her voice strained. “Now what?”

“Now understand this coldness isn’t something external you command, but something that commands you. You must reverse this. Embrace it fully. Control it, make it yours. Mold it with your will alone,” Skully instructed firmly.

Rebecca trembled, focusing intently. Before she knew it, she felt her consciousness slipping into something deep.

The ice continued spreading slowly, the freezing sensation becoming agonizingly intense, making her feel as if every second was like hours.

But this was nothing miserable enough to make her break away from her deep state of concentration.

Her breath misted heavily as the temperature around her plummeted drastically. Yet she resisted the urge to recoil or fight against it. She pushed inward instead, forcing her mind to confront the freezing pain, commanding it to obey her.

Slowly, after a fierce internal struggle, the ice stopped spreading and started receding obediently, melting into streams of red-tinted liquid that flowed back into her skin.

“You have made the first step,” Skully acknowledged indifferently, “This is merely the start. Now sense the darkness within you.”

Rebecca nodded, her breathing uneven, sweat mingling with droplets of blood on her face. She delved inward again, probing for something deeper, darker, colder. Her brows furrowed as shadows stirred within her.

“I feel… hunger. Endless, consuming hunger,” she whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse with restrained emotion.

“Precisely,” Skully responded in a low deep voice, “That darkness is the essence of your vampiric nature. It hungers endlessly for power, blood, life itself. Many vampires fall victim to this hunger, becoming slaves rather than masters of it. To mature your bloodline further, you must channel and dominate this hunger. Turn its consuming desire into a weapon.”

Rebecca’s body shuddered violently, struggling as her instincts surged ferociously. Her breathing quickened, fangs elongating sharply as her eyes snapped open, glowing fiercely.

“I—I can’t control it,” she stammered, panic creeping into her voice.

“Yes, you can,” Skully responded immediately, his tone unwavering. “Embrace that hunger, but let your will stand stronger. Turn its fury outward, into something you command rather than something commanding you. Only then will your bloodline be able to use that hunger to mature itself further.”

Rebecca snarled through gritted teeth, feeling an unbearable ache in her chest. Images flashed through her mind—the days of hellish torture from her childhood days, the weakness she’d always despised, and the future she desperately desired to protect. Slowly, carefully, she took control, the darkness bending under her determination. The consuming hunger gradually tempered into fierce determination, a lethal edge.

And before she realized it…something just sparked within her.