Chapter 171: First Time Devouring a Star Beast
Being punched in the face by a High Angel is not something fun.
Kai would probably have stayed down had the punch been lighter, but it was the fact that the punch was delivered with killing intent that made him angry. It reminded him how feeble the life of a Lesser Angel was viewed by others.
That his life can be claimed by others without repercussions.
And the battle that followed was horrendous.
In the moment, his mind was blurry, but he could feel his body moving with such a force that it was almost like he was another person entirely, as if Bella had taken over his body for a moment and showed him how it should be done.
Such an experience was terrifying.
I think I need to see a psychiatrist. Is there any in the academy?
Kai rubbed his chin in contemplation.
Being haunted by what happened to his sister isn’t good for his mental health, especially since the pent-up anger could explode as it did earlier. He wanted to talk to someone about it, an expert, but it’s not like he was in any position to demand that treatment.
Either way, we at least got something good.
He glanced at the Star Beast’s carcass, and his lips curled into a small smile.
Earlier, he came to the Dead Range with the intention of hunting Awakened Monsters so that he could gather enough usable exp to learn Kaelmorath’s second Ending Fragment. But now, thanks to Barbara, he got himself the carcass of a Star Beast.
It would be his first time devouring a Star Beast using the Deep Slumber Legacy Skill.
But then he remembered that he was not a lone wolf anymore.
"Say, how are we going to divine the carcass? Are we bringing it into the factory?" Kai asked.
At his question, the three exchanged a look.
Almost as if Kai had asked something plainly stupid, which shouldn’t be the case.
Since they were a group now, this spoil has to be for the betterment of everyone.
"You did most of the work while I ran, so I take no claim to it."
"Really? You’re asking us about that? Just take it, bro. You deserved it."
"As the leader, you can dictate this however you want, Kai. Don’t be shy."
"Eh...?" Kai blinked his eyes—and scanned the others, surprised that none of them wanted to have a piece of the Star Beast. It was a really great hunt, so this was strange. "Are you guys sure? We’re talking about a Star Beast here."
All of them nodded again, confirming that Kai could use it however he wanted.
Dorian felt like he didn’t deserve to have a say in the Star Beast’s carcass. Bryan would be in really bad shape had it not been for Kai and Dorian, so he also wanted nothing. As for Bree, she felt like she didn’t do much, so she had no claim to it.
Moreover, the three of them saw what happened with Kai earlier.
How Barbara one-sidedly attacked him because he’s nothing more than a Lesser Angel.
Frankly, the three thought he deserved a little bit of a break.
Deserved something good that would lift up his mood, even for a little bit.
"I’ll scout," Dorian stood up. "Maybe I can find where the Awakened Monsters gathered."
"I’m coming, too," Bryan also stood. "Bastards from the Auric Cabal might still be in the area. I’ll keep a lookout for them."
Both of them walked away without waiting for Kai to respond.
Kai’s eyes then settled on Bree, "And you?"
"Just going to chill here," She shrugged and placed her hands closer to the bonfire.
She must be tired.
Even though the battle with Barbara was a little bit blurry as his body was moving on its own, he remembered the later part of the battle. He remembered making the final attack, but it was blocked by Bree.
It must’ve been tiring for her to block his last attack as he exerted everything into it.
She didn’t say anything, but she must be exhausted.
Just then, a frown creased on Kai’s forehead as a thought came to mind.
Huh... Am I missing something? How did she block my attack?
Kai was unsure about most things that happened during the fight, but he was really certain— that he had put every single ounce of his strength into that last attack. He wasn’t pulling back because he didn’t know Bree got in the way.
He had channeled the Dark Discharge for the entire duration of Perion beating on Barbara.
At that moment, his attack was the strongest it has ever been—without the added boost from the Retribution. Not to mention the Ending Fragment of Stone and Perfect Slash were utilized fully on the charge and swing, as well as the Prye Overload fueling his body with more power.
Barbara at full strength isn’t going to block that.
And Bree most certainly should not be able to block that.
It was relieving to know that his blade didn’t slice her in half, but this incident was strange.
Her Divine Bloodline is quite weak. She could already activate her third Divine Lock—I do not really know, but still... Is it really possible to block my attack? Can she really block my attack when her Patron God is not even one who was known to possess immense battle prowess?
Kai stared at Bree for a second longer, and then turned away.
She was still not telling the full truth, but he’s not going to pry deeper into her.
Not when Matilda warned him that she was a complex person.
Kai headed to the Star Beast’s carcass and squatted down, staring at the white Null Gem that was trapped inside the ribcage. Even in death, the Null Gem was still shimmering. And it was far more mesmerizing in comparison to the cheap replica that he had carved out in the Blood Rite.
He had seen the real Null Gem that Chester took out.
But considering the situation back then, he hadn’t gotten a good look at it.
I promised Bree that I’d complete the achievement, so I can’t devour the Null Gem. No, wait, I should.
Kai shook his head.
It would require five Null Gems for him to complete the Rising Dragon II achievement, so he could save this Null Gem and gather four more. But he decided to devour it. He doesn’t have the strength to kill a Star Beast alone, so it’s no use saving it.
On the contrary, he should devour it to learn Kaelmorath’s second Ending Fragment.
Once that was done, Kai should also be able to summon him.
Killing Star Beasts with the help of Perion and Kaelmorath should be possible—so he decided to absorb the Null Gem and the carcass. As he was about to do that, he sensed someone was staring at him from behind.
Bree was staring.
"Do you mind?" Kai asked as he glanced over his shoulder. "Need a little bit of privacy here."
"Privacy? It’s not like you’re going to piss." Bree didn’t retreat—instead, she rose and stepped closer with a knowing glint in her eyes. "What’s wrong? Does it make you nervous—having me watch?" She tilted her head, voice dropping to a teasing murmur. "Does it make it harder to control your mana?"
"It’s not like that." He smacked his lips at the tease. "Just that it would feel nicer if I ha—’
Before Kai could finish his sentence, his eyes widened.
Out of nowhere, Bree’s hands landed on his shoulders, pressing him deeper into his squat.
Before he could protest, she threw her legs up and over—starting from her right leg and then her left, settling on his shoulders as though they were her seat. "What are you doing? Are you being serious right now?"
"I’m only looking! Don’t let me distract you," Bree purred with a chuckle.
Kai’s mouth dropped agape as he wasn’t expecting to be sat on at all, "How am I supposed to do that when you’re sitting on my shoulders?"
"I’m hurt... Are you saying that I’m heavy? It’s not good to talk to a girl like that, Kai."
"I never said that."
"But you implied it."
"No, I didn’t."
"Stop whining and start doing what you need to do." Bree swayed her feet back and forth in anticipation, wanting to see whatever Kai was going to do. "You can match Barbara in strength easily, so you can probably lift a tonne. I’m not even a tenth of that."
Kai sighed as it didn’t seem like he was going to win the argument.
Not against Bree.
Besides, it’s not her weight that was bothering him.
"Deep Slumber..."
Kai pressed his hand against the Star Beast’s carcass—and invoked his Legacy Skill. Darkness rose from the ground before their eyes, coiling upward to envelop the large carcass. Perhaps it was the sheer density of mana still thrumming within the beast’s remains, but the devouring process stretched far longer than usual.
It took exactly one minute for the darkness to envelope the entire thing.
And then, like lava on metal, it melted into a gathering of energy and shot into Kai’s chest.
[You fed the House of Night with a Pest-class Star Beast carcass and a Null Gem]
[Gained 1,500 exp]
For a good second, Kai stared at the notifications that were hovering in his vision.
His eyes locked onto the second notification, tracing the four-digit number again and again as if it might dissolve under scrutiny. Then his breath caught—and both his eyes flew wide. "A thousand five hundred?!" He gasped in utter shock. "I got that much?!"
"What?" Bree looked down. "What happened?"
Realizing that he had said that aloud, Kai cleared his throat and shook his head, "N-Nothing."
Kai settled down and stared at the notification again.
His body was shaking from excitement.
Since normal Awakened Monsters would give him ten exp, he was thinking that a Star Beast at most would give him a few hundred exp. And even that was a high guess in his opinion, as that’d be a ten-times increase.
So, for him to gain one thousand and five hundred exp was shocking.
It hit especially hard when he remembered that a grade three Awakened Supernal with a low-rated Divine Bloodline had only yielded twenty-five experience. Now, he was mere hundreds away from unlocking Kaelmorath’s second Ending Fragment.
He was thinking that he’d need a few more days, up to a week, to gather that much.
But it seemed there was no need.
Even so, the leap in experience is too much... What’s going on?
Kai’s eyes returned to where the Star Beast’s carcass was
Staring at the empty spot as if the answer would surface if he looked hard enough.
Does that mean the House of Night is encouraging me to hunt and devour Star Beasts? But why?
