Chapter 24 - Mutation

Reign savored the lingering taste of old meat in his mouth as he consumed Dominic completely. 

She accepted her offer, because being stubborn wouldn't have filled his belly or stopped his hunger. 

He also couldn't help but wonder what would occur if he devoured someone as powerful as Dominic; maybe he would gain more experience points from such a meal. 

[Level UP+]

[Level UP+]

As expected, he leveled up twice, confirming his hypothesis that devouring more powerful individuals yielded greater EXP. But that wasn't the only perk he gained. 

[System : Mutation Option Available ] 

'Mutation?' he mumbled, thinking to himself. It was different from evolution. 

He quickly checked his window and noticed a new button labeled "mutation." With excitement bubbling inside him, he clicked it and nearly jumped for joy. 

>> Salamander Heart 

>> Salamander Lungs

>> Salamander Skin

[The host had devoured a human who practiced the Salamander Breathing Technique. All the parts of the human body had mutated and evolved to cope with the power of this technique. However, due to old age, the effectiveness of this mutation had degraded to only 20% ]

[Because of the incompatibility of this mutation with the host's current weak body, particularly vulnerable to fire, the efficiency would be further reduced to only 10%.]

[Warning: There's a chance of random incompatibility issues.]

[Would you like to mutate?]

[Yes] or [No] 

"Shit, my luck is stabbing me in the back again," he sighed, realizing the skill was a terrible fit for his current body. Being of the zombie type, fire techniques were bound to complicate things for him.

With a heavy heart, he clicked "no." 

[System: Recycling Mutation Body Parts into Skill Points] 

[+3 skill points]

"Well, at least I got something out of it," he chuckled. Three skill points were almost like leveling up three times, which was definitely a good thing.

"Status" 

 ============

Name: Reign

Level 14

Age. : 18 (+1 year)

Race: Blade Hunter

Strength :C

Agility. :D+

Stamina :F+

Endurance : B

Intelligence: C+

[Skill]

Bite - Level III

Undead Eye - Level I 

Night Crawl I

Clawer : III

[Points]

Attribute Points 15

Skill Points : 10

Evolution Points : 0

============

Looking at his stats, he realized that even devouring that man wasn't enough to elevate his endurance from B. It just highlighted how many more humans he needed to consume before it would increase further. 

"Did you enjoy your meal, Reign? Did Anna do a good job? " She strolled towards him with a cheerful expression.

She resembled a kid who had just aced a test and was seeking praise.

Reign nodded. At the moment, he lacked the strength to confront her, so it was best not to test his luck.

In fact, noticing her keen interest in him, Reign decided to capitalize on her doting nature to grow stronger. He resolved to gain her trust first, then stab her in the back later. 

It was a cunning and sinister idea, but as a monster, he saw no need to dwell too much on morality.

Even his father, the Evil Monarch, was reputed to be a very cunning individual. He recalled reading an article about how his father hid his power from the world, controlling everyone in the shadows like a parasite.

Back to the topic at hand, Reign locked eyes with Anna. He wanted to ask something that had been bothering him. 

"How did you know I would get stronger by eating him?" he asked, curious to know if she was aware of his system. 

"What do you mean?" Anna replied, her expression cute and confused. "I thought monsters like us grew stronger by eating humans," she said, touching her cheek.

"You're right," he grumbled, acknowledging that eating humans was a common instinct for monsters like them. 

It wasn't really a far-fetched idea. In books and novels, monsters always ate humans to grow stronger. 

"How about you?" Reign asked, noticing Anna eyeing the blood on the floor.

"I grow stronger by absorbing blood," she replied, raising her hands as all the blood on the ground was sucked dry.

"Reign, this place is no longer safe. There's a mine nearby. We should massacre everyone there," Anna suggested.

"Why? I think we should hunt quietly," Reign protested. This girl was too bold, basically asking for everyone to hunt them. She might be powerful, but attracting too much attention would only lead to more trouble in the future. 

Anna contemplated for a moment. It was a relief that she was willing to consider Reign's suggestion. 

"Anna agrees with you. Let's head to the mine then," she replied. 

"You really know a lot," Reign remarked. Despite her youthful appearance, she displayed maturity.

Anna started to giggle after hearing his compliment. 

"Anna had been studying and researching just in case this happened," she added with a very joyful look. She even threw up a peace sign to emphasize how proud she was.

It was downright hilarious that this girl, who normally acted like a spoiled kid, turned out to be a powerful demon. She'd switch from playing with dolls to strategizing like a seasoned general in the blink of an eye. 

"Let's go, Reign, Anna will be your guide," she declared, fearlessly grabbing Reign's arms and pulling him towards the eastern direction.