Chapter 51: Demon Physique

Chapter 51

The bottom where Forghinae’s roots were embedded was incredibly deep.

**Thud!**

“Ugh…!”

Despite having an incredibly sturdy body thanks to numerous acquired traits, Kim Jinsung found it difficult to stand up after the impact of the fall.

“Ugh! Did I break my leg…?”

He tried to force himself up but stumbled and fell back to his knees. Sure enough, his left knee was bent at an unnatural angle, and his shin was also twisted grotesquely. It was clearly a fracture.

“I need to heal first.”

Kim Jinsung immediately pulled out an HP potion from his belt. As he was about to pour it into his mouth, he frowned.

“It’s broken!”

The bottle was shattered, and its contents were gone. Whether it broke from the impact of the fall or from the stem and root attacks just before he fell, he couldn’t tell. Either way, it was a dire situation.

“I’ll have to use a recovery skill.”

Kim Jinsung thought as he looked ahead. The roots of Forghinae, which covered the pitch-black space, were slowly moving towards him. He couldn’t waste any more time.

“I’ll use just enough Beast Karma points to heal my leg.”

With that decision, Kim Jinsung began using Beast Karma points to activate the recovery skill. He stopped once his leg injury was fully healed.

—

▷ Remaining Beast Karma points: 67

—

“Not much left. This is bad…”

Seeing his points reduced to double digits, Kim Jinsung felt a sense of urgency. With so few points left, it would be difficult to maintain the dark energy for long. Without it, he would be at a disadvantage against the numerous roots in front of him.

“Cutting the roots won’t gather points…”

—

▶ You have entered the ‘Domain of Dark Energy.’

—

“Huh?”

The sudden notification made Kim Jinsung’s eyes widen. The Domain of Dark Energy? He slowly looked around. The entire area, covered in roots, was filled with black haze. It seemed to be dark energy.

“If it’s the same type of dark energy I use, I might be able to absorb it…”

Suddenly, he felt something writhing beneath the ground.

“Uh-oh!”

Without thinking, Kim Jinsung leaped to the side. Almost simultaneously, a sharp, massive root burst from the spot where he had been standing. That was just the beginning. Roots began erupting from the ground in succession. Dodging all the attacks, Kim Jinsung thought quickly.

“If the attacks only come from underground, maybe I can escape upward?”

Having identified the pattern, Kim Jinsung used the ‘Shadow Hiding’ skill and tried to climb up the wall. However,

**Whoosh!**

“Damn it!”

His plan was thwarted by numerous plant stems attacking almost vertically from above. Forced to return to the bottom, Kim Jinsung gripped his sword tightly.

“I’ll have to cut down some of these roots first.”

He activated some usable skills. Maintaining the dark energy he had already activated, he used the ‘Unstoppable Charge’ and ‘Steal’ skills to significantly increase his agility. Then he used the ‘Draw’ skill. With the fastest speed he could muster, he slashed at a massive root that was just about to retreat into the ground.

**Slash.**

“Good!”

Hearing the clean cut, Kim Jinsung felt a surge of joy. Thanks to his vampiric trait, his HP had increased slightly.

“If I cut a few more, I’ll be fully recovered.”

Transforming back into a Dark Hound, Kim Jinsung dodged the roots’ attacks with ease. When he had a moment of reprieve, he transformed back into a human and repeated the process of cutting down exposed roots.

**Slash.**

“HP fully recovered.”

After repeating this about five times, Kim Jinsung confirmed that his HP was back to 100%.

“If it goes like this, it’s actually easier to fight here.”

Having gotten used to the root attacks, Kim Jinsung thought to himself. On the surface, it had been difficult to cut down the roots due to Forghinae’s massive head constantly spewing sleep and blinding powder. But here, there were no such distractions, making it easier to deal with the roots.

“The dark energy surrounding me doesn’t seem to affect me at all…”

As he thought this,

—

▶ Your Beast Karma points have reached 0.

—

“Oh no!”

Kim Jinsung realized his mistake. He had been so focused on dealing with the roots that he had forgotten his Beast Karma points were running low.

—

▶ The use of the unique skill ‘Dark Energy’ has been halted.

—

With the following notification, the dark energy that had been enveloping Kim Jinsung’s body vanished instantly. Suddenly, an overwhelming pain engulfed his entire body.

“Arghhh!!”

The pain was so excruciating that Kim Jinsung couldn’t help but scream. It felt as if each cell in his body was being sliced apart.

The pain was so intense that he couldn’t control his body for a moment. Then, the color of his skin began to change rapidly, starting from his fingertips.

“What… what is this…! Aaaagh!!”

Seeing his hands turn black as if they were burnt, Kim Jinsung screamed again, unable to withstand the pain.

When a normal human body is exposed to dark energy, it often turns black like this. As the body is overtaken by dark energy, it gradually loses its sanity and transforms into a monster-like entity.

The only way for a human to withstand such an environment is to envelop their body in mana to protect it. Kim Jinsung had been protecting his body by activating dark energy, which is why he hadn’t had any problems until now.

“Ugh… I need to get out of here…!”

Kim Jinsung tried to leap away to escape, but it was impossible. As he attempted to jump high, roots burst from the ground and wrapped around his legs.

“Damn it… Aaaagh!!”

As he tried to cut the roots, Kim Jinsung dropped his sword in agony. His entire body, except for his head, had turned black as if it were burning. More roots began to wrap around his body, increasing the pressure and doubling the pain.

“Ugh… Aaaagh…!!”

Writhing in pain, he struggled to break free, but it was nearly impossible with his hands and feet bound. Using the ‘Shadow Hiding’ skill was futile as the pain from the dark energy immediately broke the skill. The ‘Disguise Clone’ skill, which only made him invisible, was useless in this situation.

“No… If this continues… I’ll…!”

Despair filled Kim Jinsung’s eyes. Just as the dark energy completely covered his body, a notification appeared.

—

▶ The sealed composite trait ‘Demon Physique’ has been unlocked.

▷ Demon Physique: Grants the following effects:

– No longer affected by the pain of dark energy.

– All skills and traits influenced by dark energy have their effects doubled.

– Recovery speed and stats are doubled in areas dominated by dark energy.

– You can now absorb surrounding dark energy. Absorbing dark energy recovers HP and mana and increases Beast Karma points.

—

A long notification appeared, and the pain that had been tormenting Kim Jinsung vanished instantly. With the pain gone, Kim Jinsung immediately moved. Using ‘Shadow Hiding,’ he escaped the roots that were binding him.

“Gasp… I survived…!”

Kim Jinsung panted heavily, resting his hands on his knees. Picking up his fallen sword, he quickly read the notification while fending off more roots.

“…I can absorb this dark energy?”

Though he didn’t have time to read it thoroughly, he understood the key points.

“In that case…”

In mid-air, he began to absorb the dark energy surrounding him. The process was simple; as soon as he willed it, the dark energy began flowing into his body. A new notification appeared.

—

▶ You have absorbed dark energy.

▶ HP and MP have each recovered by 841.

▷ Current HP: 1552/1800

▷ Current MP: 1317/1400

▶ Beast Karma points increased by 53.

▷ Current Beast Karma points: 53

—

“Wow!”

Kim Jinsung was shocked. He hadn’t absorbed much, but the recovery and point increase were incredible.

“It said skills affected by dark energy are also enhanced.”

Reactivating his dark energy, Kim Jinsung used the ‘Draw’ skill on the roots retreating into the ground.

—

**Slash!**

“……!”

The massive roots were cleanly severed in one strike, a feat that had required his full strength to accomplish before.

“Is this the effect of a fourfold increase?”

With the ‘Demon Physique’ trait, using skills while dark energy was active doubled their damage. Additionally, in the ‘Domain of Dark Energy,’ the damage was doubled again. This made the ‘Draw’ skill four times more powerful, allowing him to cut through five of Forghinae’s roots in one strike.

“At this rate, I could cut Forghinae’s central stem right now.”

Kim Jinsung turned his gaze to the base of Forghinae’s stem, where the roots and stem connected. Before obtaining the ‘Demon Physique’ trait, he could cut about a third of the thick base with his full strength. Now, with a fourfold increase, he could likely cut through it in one strike.

“I’ll absorb more dark energy first…”

To avoid running out of points and losing the dark energy again, Kim Jinsung began absorbing the abundant dark energy around him. Once his points reached 300, he decided it was time.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

He began infusing his sword with dark energy, preparing to use the ‘Draw’ skill for the final strike.

“Wait a minute.”

Kim Jinsung stopped infusing his sword as he noticed something.

“The dark energy is replenishing itself?”

The area around him, which had been cleared of dark energy after his absorption, was quickly filled with dark energy again.

“It’s coming from Forghinae’s roots?”

To confirm, Kim Jinsung absorbed dark energy again. It was true. The dark energy was emanating from the roots, quickly filling the space.

“In that case, there’s no need to finish it off now.”

Changing his mind, Kim Jinsung let go of his sword’s hilt.