...
"Gift of Devouring?" muttered Shin to himself.
The Head Priestess nodded her head and said. "Devour – as its name suggested, it is a gift that can let you devour other people's talent."
Hearing that, Shin's eyes suddenly turned wide.
The Head Priestess smiled and continued. "It is a powerful ability indeed. In fact, it may be the most powerful Mentalism Gift out there. And it is most likely the reason why you have that fire elemental attribute currently."
"You have most likely devoured the talent of the person that you have defeated recently. You may be unconscious when that happened, but it is most likely the case."
Shin nodded his head as he also found that it might be possible. After all, this fire elemental attribute seemed to be the superpower of that mercenary that he had defeated.
"This is the best way to utilize this 'gift' – to strengthen what you already have. Only devours those talents that can only be useful and beneficial to yourself."
"This gift will help you awaken the hidden strength that you have and constantly strengthen it the more it devours other people's talent," said the Head Priestess.
She paused for a moment before continuing. "Of course, there are some limitations to it. After all, there are no such things such as absolute and unparalleled talent."
"It can't devour any type of talent that falls in the same level of category such as the combative talents like Battle Genius, Martial Art Prodigy, Gifted Adept, Prudent Ace, and others. It also can't devour peak class ability talents like Immediate Response, Foresight, Mindreading, and such."
"These kinds of talents were on the same level as the Gift of Devouring, so it was impossible for it to devour them. Instead, it can devour other forms of talent like Elemental Manipulation like Pyrokinesis, Hydrokinesis, Geo-kinesis, Aero-kinesis, Electro-kinesis, or others."
"It is also possible to devour physical talents such as superhuman strength and extreme speed."
"Or to put it in simpler terms – it can devour those superpowers that were born from human obsessions."
"It may be called devouring someone else talents, but what it is actually devouring is the obsessions of other people, which is what it makes so dangerous."
"You can devour the superpowers of other people, but you will also be devouring their obsessions. And if you carelessly use this power, then you will most likely fall into the depth of abyss created by those obsessions."
"You will lose your mind as well as your sanity. And when that happens, this 'gift' will also devour you. It can even turn you into a mindless monster that only knows to devour other people."
"It is a blessing yet also a curse. And if you did not wield it properly, then you will most only be consumed by it despite that monstrous willpower of yours."
"Learn how to control it properly and suppress those obsessions with that bloodline of yours. Maybe you can achieve it, unlike those predecessors that fall in the pit of darkness."
Shin had a solemn look as he listened to her. He could feel how dangerous this gift that he had. He might have the monstrous willpower that was coming from his bloodline, but if he carelessly devoured other superpowers, he might fall into that abyss of obsession, especially when he had the 'Seed of Hatred'.
He then nodded his head and answered solemnly. "I understand, Head Priestess. I will be careful when using this power."
The Head Priestess shook her head and said. "No, you don't understand it at all. As I said earlier, this Mentalism Gift can be a blessing and also a curse at the same time. It can help you strengthen yourself through it, but it can also ruin you at the same time."
"The best way to deal with this kind of power is not to use it at all at your current level. It is fine to use it once or twice, but once you exceed that number, you will surely suffer a miserable end."
"I can tell that you are confident in yourself, but that is not enough. This power is dangerous and possesses an overwhelming allure."
"It may be fine for the others with a similar level of willpower, but it is very dangerous for you," she added before pointing at Shin's chest. "It is because you are entangled with another curse called 'Seed of Hatred'."
"You must be thinking that you have already used the 'Devouring' power once unknowingly, yet there are no lingering effects left behind."
"You may believe that it is because of your monstrous willpower, but in truth, it was because of that 'seed' buried deep within your heart and consciousness."
"Everything you use this power of yours, the obsession that the talent that you will devour will be instantly consumed by that 'seed', making it much stronger."
"These obsessions will be the nourishments of your 'Seed of Hatred' everything time you use this 'gift' of devouring. And once it reached a certain level, the outcome will be much more serious than you can imagine."
"You may not fall into the depths of the abyss created by those obsessions, but you will surely be consumed by the Demon created by that Seed of Hatred."
She paused and turned to Shin while saying. "Now, do you understand what I am saying? This power of yours is best not to be used unless you fully conquered the demon created by your Seed of Hatred."
Shin could not help but smile bitterly after listening. He now realized why the Head Priestess was telling him about his 'Devour' Gift. It was to warn him about its existence and powers.
He might have a powerful 'weapon', but due to the 'curse' cast upon him since he was born, he could neither use nor wield it.
Seeing the bitter expression that Shin was wearing, the Head Priestess suddenly revealed a mysterious smile. "Actually, it was not impossible for you to not use that power."
Hearing that, Shin suddenly raised his head and looked at the Head Priestess with wide eyes. He was looking at her full of excitement and expectation.
His reaction made the Head Priestess chuckle before saying. "From what I can see, this Devour Gift of yours is awakened much earlier than it is supposed to be."
"Normally, a Mentalist with a Divinity Grade Mental Energy can awaken their unique Mentalism Gifts when they reached the Rulers Realm. That was only the time when they discover such power hidden within them because it is also at that moment when they can wield a portion of such a powerful Mental Energy."
"There may be some factors that affected your Mental Energy and awakened your Mentalism Gift accidentally."
"And in my suspicion, you are able to form that Devour Gift because of the influence of your Seed of Hatred since you are born."
"In short, this 'gift' of yours is most likely the product of the original Mentalism Gift produced by your Divinity Grade Mental Energy and the powers of the Seed of Hatred that you have inherited."
"On top of that, your bloodline is quite special. Not only it gives you three things that are perfect for mentalism, but it also gives you the ability to be able control the Divinity Grade Mental Energy despite your weak realm."
"If my deduction is right, then your bloodline is most likely the key for you to control this heaven-defying Mentalism Gift."
She paused and continued. "Aside from Devouring, this gift also possesses some other abilities like suppression, domination, and other things that even someone like me is not aware of."
"If you want to control this power, then you must first have a greater understanding of your bloodline powers while also exploring the other abilities that 'Devour' has."
She then smiled once again as she said. "I may not be able to help you with this, but I am sure that someone, where you study, will be able to guide you in the right direction."
Shin was confused at first before realizing that the Head Priestess was talking about one of the professors within the academy, which is most likely the Head of the World Reacher Center, Professor Henry.
Given the deductive skills of the Head Priestess, it was impossible for Shin to hide the fact that he was from the Magic Ace Academy. It was most likely she had figured out about it already.
As for Professor Henry – as someone who is conducting a deep study about the unification of Martial Arts and Mentalism – he would most likely be aware of some unusual cases in the field, just like what Shin currently had.
He could also consult the professor about his bloodline since the latter would have most likely seen all kinds of bloodline powers.
Before, he did not know how he was going to consult Professor Henry due to his peculiar case. But now, he at least had a direction that he needed to follow and a more specific question.
'More understanding of my bloodline and control over my Mentalism Gift.' Shin nodded his head and said. "I understand, Head Priestess."
It was the same answer as earlier. But this time, the Head Priestess smiled gently at Shin as she knew that he now understood the consequences of possessing this Gift of Devouring.
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