Chapter 31: Second Talent
As it turned out, as long as you held rare resources in your hands, you were treated like a big shot no matter where you went. This was exactly the case for Su Xiao right now.
The importance of Black Maple leaves to the Demon race needed no elaboration. Just the fact that it was the main material for the core of the Demon Force Hub was enough to make the Demon race fight to the death for the Black Maple Tree—of course, only if they had a decent chance of winning. Otherwise, the Demon race wouldn't bother trying.
Ulysses placed the small leather pouch containing twenty Black Maple leaves inside his undergarments. If losing the Soul Fruit would make him lose face, losing these Black Maple leaves would mean he might as well die to atone for his crime.
Su Xiao tossed the Soul Fruit in his hand. The Demon race and the Feather race had been fighting to the death over this very thing, with nearly two hundred dead on both sides. And now, it had fallen into his hands. Such was the irony of fate.
"Come closer."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on Lilith. Though Lilith was a bit puzzled, the two had fought together before, and she trusted him to a certain extent.
Under Lilith's surprised gaze, Su Xiao's fingers reached into her metal chest armor.
"Consider it a gift. There's a share for your sister too."
"..."
Lilith stepped back several times. She felt something touch her sensitive area. After hesitating for a moment, she turned and walked toward the underground passage.
Soon, Ulysses and Lilith led over a dozen Demon race members out of the underground space. Perhaps bothered by the friction, Lilith slipped two fingers into her metal chest armor and pulled out a transparent object, something like a gel-like substance with a relatively soft texture.
"What is this?"
As Lilith spoke, she tried to pull at the gel-like object in her hand.
*Thump!*
Lilith's head ached from the knock, and she turned her gaze to Ulysses.
"Master..."
"Carry this with you. Show it to Lilim first when we get back; she'll help you handle it. This is enough for at least ten portions. After you each take one, who knows what compensation those old geezers will offer for the remaining eight."
Ulysses didn't tell Lilith what she was holding. He had already guessed that this was likely something Lilith had earned by risking her life. Their ally was not the type to be a pushover.
However, compared to the Black Maple bark Lilith had obtained, Ulysses was more curious whether Su Xiao had any other Black Maple products on him. That was precisely why he wanted to leave the Black Abyss as quickly as possible—first, to ensure the safety of the Black Maple leaves and bark, and second, to contact an old Demon elder to negotiate with Su Xiao.
Half an hour later, at the Atonement Heights, Central Courtyard area.
The metal door above slammed shut. It had to be said, the residence provided by Asaka was impeccable in terms of security. Even if Su Xiao wanted to forcefully break into this underground room, he couldn't breach it immediately.
Su Xiao pulled the Soul Fruit from his backpack. He really hadn't expected this thing to fall into his hands.
[Soul Fruit]
Origin: Black Abyss/Green Ocean Star/Plant Kingdom/Heaven's Relic
Quality: Epic
Type: Consumable
Effect: After consumption, greatly enhances Soul Strength, with a 90% chance to awaken an S-grade talent, a 50% chance to awaken an SS-grade talent, and an 8% chance to awaken an SSS-grade talent.
Rating: 700+ (Epic item rating range: 530–700 points.)
Introduction: This is the Soul Vine's gift to its planter.
Selling Price: 390,000 Paradise Coins.
...
Consuming the Soul Fruit didn't guarantee awakening a second talent. If luck was poor, it would only enhance Soul Strength, which was still a decent gain.
Seeing the chance to awaken an SSS-grade talent, Su Xiao held no hope. An 8% chance was clearly unreliable. Top-tier talents weren't so easy to obtain. As for an SS-grade talent, that was quite possible, given the 50% chance. An S-grade talent was also acceptable. What Su Xiao worried about most was eating the Soul Fruit and awakening no talent at all.
Su Xiao took a deep breath and bit into the Soul Fruit in his hand. The flesh was soft, with a grainy texture like an orange when it entered his mouth. The taste was hard to describe—it was... a flavor he'd remember for life. Not unpleasant or delicious, but something very unique.
Su Xiao finished the Soul Fruit in a few bites. Beside him, Bubu Wang swallowed, his little eyes seeming to ask Su Xiao, "Master, what does it taste like?"
"It's got a weird taste."
Su Xiao gradually stopped chewing. He felt a formless energy spreading through his body. The next moment, a buzzing sound filled his ears, and his vision went white.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiao found himself in a misty expanse. He looked around and roughly understood what was happening.
A strong wind blew, dispersing the mist, and four massive stone tablets appeared before him.
These four tablets each had their own characteristics. The first was covered in cracks, with wisps of blood energy seeping out. It felt fierce and violent—that was the impression this tablet gave Su Xiao.
At the center of this tablet was a twisted character. Su Xiao had never seen this script before, but he recognized it as the character "Fei"—a vicious beast from the Void that delighted in devouring souls.
Compared to this blood-tinged tablet, the other three exuded different auras. One was entirely earthy yellow, giving a sense of heaviness. Another crackled with electricity. The last bore a single eye.
Su Xiao had already realized that this place was something like a consciousness space. These four tablets represented his choices. After consuming the Soul Fruit, he had gained the opportunity to awaken a talent. These four abilities were all innate talents he possessed, and he could choose one to awaken.
The Fierce Beast Fei, an earth-type ability, a lightning-type ability, and a pitch-black eye. He had to choose one out of four, with no hints at all—purely based on instinct.
If he went by his first impression, Su Xiao was most drawn to the tablet filled with blood energy. The reason was simple: it seemed to contain a power that was "of the same origin."
Su Xiao raised his hand and pressed it against the first tablet. The character "Fei" on it glowed red, and a vicious-looking monster with a mouth full of sharp teeth appeared above the tablet.
The house-sized head leaned in close to Su Xiao, its nostrils flaring. After seemingly sniffing him, the phantom of Fei dissipated.
With a crisp crack, the tablet shattered, turning into a cloud of blood mist that surged toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao's eyes snapped open. A dog face came into view. He pushed Bubu Wang's head away and checked the notifications from Reincarnation Paradise.
[The Hunter has consumed the Soul Fruit.]
[Your Soul Strength has increased by 39 points. Current Soul Strength: 47 points.]
[You have awakened a new talent ability: Blood Beast.]
Talent Ability: Blood Beast
Category: Growth Talent
Grade: SSS
Talent Effect (Active): Generate a Blood Beast using your own aura. The Blood Beast can be instantly created and directly pounce on an enemy (requires the enemy to be within 10 meters). It will deal 1800 points of base damage + Strength attribute × 4.5 (445 points of damage) + Agility attribute × 3.7 (366 points of damage) + Endurance attribute × 6.8 (673 points of damage) as damage that ignores physical defense, and cause the target to lose focus or be stunned for 0.3 to 7.5 seconds.
Tip: Using this ability consumes all aura/blood energy (aura/blood energy can recover on its own).
Tip: If aura/blood energy increases, the base damage of the Blood Beast will increase proportionally.
Tip: This ability has a cooldown of 8 natural days. As it is a talent ability, it can be forcibly used, but this will place a heavy burden on the body.