Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Aftermath
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After defeating the second Nightmare Beast King, I awakened a new power: my Esper Brain. This granted me an Esper Ability—Matter Restructuration. It sounded incredibly overpowered, and it was, though not without limits.
At Rank 1, both its range and the power I could channel remained restricted. I doubted I could erase someone with a simple touch, for example. My fight against her had already proven that a strong enough opponent could resist it without much difficulty.
Still, I welcomed this new ability. It complemented my recent Soul Ability perfectly, expanding and evolving my arsenal and fighting style. Unfortunately, I have always been reckless, so my combat approach matches that nature. In that sense, a power capable of regenerating my own body might have been the best possible reward, even if it too carried clear limits.
To advance my Esper Brain, much like my Soul Ability, I needed to cultivate and strengthen my brain. Once that was achieved, it would rise to Rank 2, further amplifying my mental powers. Later, I should practice and try to master Telekinesis, and perhaps even Telepathy—common abilities most Espers possessed.
After defeating the giant plant monster, I successfully recruited her as my newest companion. Apparently, when I killed her, she had used some ability to survive in the form of a small seedling. With little choice other than death or capture, I decided to tame her and turn her into my new familiar.
She was clearly unhappy about it—especially when I named her Dryad and expressed my hope that she would one day become a powerful nightmare tree. She stared at me as if I were about to assassinate her, which felt genuinely bizarre. Why such an extreme reaction?
And then Mongrel scared her away...
"Look, I’m not going to enslave you. This is for your own good. I’ll make sure to rehabilitate you into a decent person."
"I’m a monster born from nightmares! Do you honestly think that will work?!"
"Well, I can try."
I was stubborn like that. Ignoring her protests, I turned toward the beautiful treasure chest waiting at the center of the room. With anticipation rising, I slowly opened it.
[You have opened the [Nightmare Beast Lord Boss Treasure Chest (A+ Grade)]!]
[You have received the following items:
[System Point Coins (A Grade)] x2000
[Divine Soul Spirit Elixir (A Grade)] x15
[Mind Nourishing Pills (A Grade)] x15
[Random Species Path Skill Book (A Grade)] x1
[Nightmare Affinity Skill Scroll (A Grade)] x1
[Nightmare Plant Sovereign Bracelet (A Grade)] x1
[Abyssal Nightmare Vine Whip (A Grade)] x1]
"More rewards than before..." I murmured. "And more coins... Nice. Let’s claim these first."
[You have exchanged 2000 System Point Coins.]
[You earned 2,000,000 System Points.]
[Total System Points: 5,593,000]
"I’m even richer now..."
The items that caught my attention most were the Soul Elixirs and the new Mind Nourishing Pills. I had already consumed my previous stock of Soul Elixirs to heal my wounded soul, so these arrived at the perfect time. I quickly drank two and felt immediate relief.
The pills worked similarly, nourishing and healing my mind rather than my soul. Whenever I overexerted my psychic powers, they would restore my mind and brain, preventing damage or backlash. They also supported the gradual growth of my Esper Brain, leaving me torn between consuming them all now or saving some as emergency healing items.
"Hm."
After a moment of consideration, I decided to eat five pills and observe the results. They were small and tasteless, so I washed them down easily with some Soul Elixir.
"Gulp."
Almost instantly, explosive energy surged through my brain. In mere seconds, my psychic power overflowed, and my Esper Brain felt fully awakened.
"Wow!"
Ding!
[You have consumed [Mind Nourishing Pills (A Grade)] x5!]
[Your Mind and Brain have been greatly nourished.]
[Your [Esper Brain]: [Rank 1: Awakened Esper] is reacting to the energies but cannot grow further. Insufficient energy.]
"Wait, I’m almost there?!" I gasped. "Okay—hold on!"
I quickly consumed three more, then two. That was when it happened. A profound shift stirred within me. My brain itself seemed to come alive, wobbling strangely inside my skull. The sensation was surreal.
FLASH!
"Woah!"
In a single second, my psychic aura burst outward. My mind expanded beyond my body, allowing me to perceive my entire form and surroundings with perfect clarity. I could extend these enhanced senses nearly thirty meters before hitting an invisible barrier—my current limit.
"Amazing."
Ding!
[You have consumed [Mind Nourishing Pills (A Grade)] x5!]
[Your Mind and Brain have been greatly nourished.]
[Your [Esper Brain]: [Rank 1: Awakened Esper] has successfully Ranked Up to Rank 2: Evolved Esper!]
[You Awakened the Esper Ability: [Clairvoyance – Rank 2]!]
[Your Esper Ability: [Matter Restructuration – Rank 1] has Ranked Up to Rank 2!]
[You have unlocked a new Stat: [Mind] — A Stat that represents your Mental Power and Psychic Abilities. The higher it grows, the farther your psychic aura and mental abilities can expand. It also improves information processing and thought speed. When combined with Intelligence, it can accelerate your mind until the world seems to slow to a crawl.]
[Your Mind Stat has increased by +400,000.]
[Your Intelligence Stat has increased by 100,000.]
[Your Dexterity Stat has increased by 100,000.]
This was incredible. I had finally obtained the legendary Mind Stat, and my psychic powers had expanded dramatically. With this, my abilities should continue to strengthen naturally as the Stat grew.
Still, I already had so many stats. Maybe too many? It was something I would simply have to manage. In the end, more stats were never a bad thing—even if they risked becoming confusing or overwhelming.
Leaving the remaining pills for later, I turned my attention to the rest of the loot.
[Random Species Path Skill Book (A Grade)] x1
[Nightmare Affinity Skill Scroll (A Grade)] x1
[Nightmare Plant Sovereign Bracelet (A Grade)] x1
[Abyssal Nightmare Vine Whip (A Grade)] x1
Once again, I had a skill book, a skill scroll, and two pieces of equipment. I activated the skill book immediately.
FLASH!
Runes floated out as I opened it, surging into my body before sinking into my soul. A new power slowly awakened within me. The book vanished, and the notification appeared.
Ding!
[You have used the [Random Species Path Skill Book (A Grade)] x1.]
[You have learned the Chaos Demon Path Skill: [Demon Claw – Tier 1: Level 1/10]]
I looked down at my right hand. Black-and-purple chaotic energy swirled around my fingers. My nails lengthened into sharp, obsidian-like claws that dripped with faint dark mist.
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[Demon Claw – Tier 1: Level 1/10]
Description: You manifest the primal destructive weapons of the Chaos Demon. These claws are infused with chaotic energy that can tear apart both matter and magic. The more rage, sorrow, or chaotic emotions you channel, the stronger they become.
Effects: Claw attacks deal 45% bonus Chaos damage and ignore 20% of enemy physical and magical defense. Each successful hit applies [Miasma Corruption] stacks (max 10). Stacks reduce the target’s resistances and slowly drain their Vitality and Spirit. Can be infused with other elements (Ice, Nightmare, Darkness, etc.) for hybrid attacks.
Synergy: When combined with Living Darkness or Nightmare Venom, corruption speed increases dramatically.
Passive: Dexterity and Strength slightly increases by 10% when claws are manifested.
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"These feel... violent," I muttered, gently scratching the air. The space itself rippled where my claws passed. "But also kind of awesome. I’ve finally awakened a new power from my mom’s family!"
Excitement surged through me. Although I still used some of my other skills, I had relied mostly on my draconic abilities so far. This new Demon Claw should significantly boost my combat effectiveness—especially now that my previous claw weapons had shattered into pieces and vanished.
Dryad, still in her tiny seedling form, shivered. "Of course they feel violent. You’re literally turning into a demon. Why am I even surprised anymore...? Wait, aren’t you a dragon?! But you have the power of demons from the Hell Realm...?"
"Hell Realm?" I wondered aloud. "How does a little thing like you, born here, know about that?"
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