The entire process of Hercules Silver Potion merging into his body was utterly painless and ordinary for Arthur, like a droplet of water entering the ocean, stirring no waves at all.
Yet, the change still occurred!
In the next moment, a vast array of strange, unrecognizable characters began to flicker before Arthur's eyes, initially flickering as if they lacked power.
But in less than a second, these characters stabilized and became bright.
The completely unfamiliar characters and the unusual situation caused Arthur to furrow his brows deeply.
He stared intently at these unknown characters, pondering their meaning, and just then, the characters swiftly transformed into 0s and 1s, and before Arthur could react, they changed again.
They turned into the characters Arthur was most familiar with—
[Talent Acquired: Omnivorous!]
[Omnivorous: Omniscient, all consumable, you come, you see, you understand—you've digested the Hercules Silver Potion in the correct way, unlocking the most appropriate talent for yourself. When you complete combat, exploration, tasks, or dine on gourmet meals, you will gain XP.]
...
"XP?"
Arthur was taken aback and almost instantly, he realized what it represented.
Immediately, Arthur shouted in his heart—
"Character Panel!"
The text in front of him began to cascade like a waterfall, flowing from top to bottom.
Row by row, column by column, it appeared in great detail before Arthur's eyes.
[Name: Arthur Kredos (Mo Qishang)]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 17]
[Identity: Spirit Medium (Pseudo)]
[Talents: Omnivorous, Death Intuition, Dark Serpent. Cripple]
[Attributes: Physique 1.6, Spirituality 0.1]
[Combat Skills: Basic Swordsmanship Lv1 (0/1)]
[Support Skills: Horsemanship Lv1 (0/1), Intimidation Lv2 (0/5), Bluff Lv2 (0/5), Eagle Eye Lv1 (0/1), Insight Lv1 (0/1)]
[General Skills: General Knowledge. South Los Lv1 (-/-), General Geography. South Los Lv1 (-/-), Basic Math Lv1 (-/-), Speed Reading and Writing Lv1 (-/-), Basic Drawing Lv1 (-/-), Basic Etiquette Lv1 (-/-)]
[XP: 0]
[Equipment: None]
[Props: Spirit Medium Box]
...
Arthur's eyes quickly scanned over the information, finally settling on the talents "Death Intuition" and "Dark Serpent. Cripple."
As his gaze concentrated, the textual information about "Death Intuition" and "Dark Serpent. Cripple" began to appear before him.
[Death Intuition: Having experienced death once, you are incredibly sensitive to it, always perceiving its approach.]
...
A straightforward introduction, Arthur understood it with a glance.
The "Dark Serpent. Cripple," however, was different, not only providing an interpretation but also including a background introduction—
[Dark Serpent. Cripple: The protracted and brutal 'Witch Hunt' on the East Coast has ended, but the West Coast continues even more intensely. The 'Serpent Sect,' which has been inherited for six hundred years, in order to preserve their legacy, sent some of their exceptionally talented youths away from the West Coast. Freed from the constraints of their elders, these wandering youths, after encountering numerous adventures and setbacks, gradually developed their own understanding of the original 'Serpent Sect' ideology. They no longer follow each other but choose the path they believe is correct—We are born noble, and under the moonlight, we stride forward with pride!]
[Effects: 1. Awakening; 2. Shadow Concealment; 3. Serpentine Body; 4. Serpent's Gaze; 5. Serpent Speak]
[Awakening: You've awakened a special Bloodline, making you different from others; Physique +0.5, Spirituality +0.1]
[Shadow Concealment: When you find yourself within shadows or darkness, you receive a Stealth boost of +3]
[Serpentine Body: Your body's joints can move flexibly like a snake, even coiling and winding entirely like a serpent]
[Serpent's Gaze: Gazing into someone's eyes with your serpent-like eyes can induce confusion and even hallucinations in those whose will is weak]
[Serpent Speak: Communicate with snakes through hissing, and to a certain extent, command them]
(Note: The talent you acquired is a branch of the 'Serpent Sect' after its split. On the foundation of the original 'Serpent Sect,' it integrates some elements of the Voodoo 'Note Hegge' Sect and the Druid 'Telgard' Sect, eventually giving rise to the new 'Serpent Sect'! To the traditionalists, the power of the 'Serpent Sect' you possess is deemed corrupted, not only has the ideology drastically transformed, but the power itself has also changed. Yet, despite being fragmented multiple times, its potency is still beyond doubt.)
...
Hiss, hiss!
As Arthur read the interpretation of "Dark Serpent. Cripple," his throat naturally emitted a series of chilling hisses. As he stepped back, the moment shadows enveloped Mo Qishang, his entire being seemed to vanish from the room, beyond the capture of ordinary sight.
And that body, now invisible to the common eye, coiled and twisted at that moment, just like a real snake.
A chilling aura permeated through the pouring rain.
The remaining flames amidst this chill were promptly extinguished.
But in the next moment, everything returned to normal, and the temperature in the room was restored.
Arthur, with a hint of a smile, walked out from the darkness. By this time, he had mostly mastered his fragmented Talent.
Although it was a fragmentary Talent, according to the memories of his predecessor, he had already surpassed most ordinary people.
Just in terms of physical fitness alone, aside from those with innate supernatural abilities, no one could compare, not to mention the supernatural power that came with it.
This was something beyond the reach of ordinary people!
"Bloodline?"
Arthur turned his head to look at the ashes at his feet, recalling how the other had spoken of "bloodline" with greed and pride.
At the same time, he thought of the so-called "nobles" of this world.
The nobles of this world place great importance on bloodline.
The two are likely connected!
Arthur speculated, picking up the burlap sack from the Spirit Medium Box and began to meticulously gather the ashes—although it was just a pile of ashes, who could guarantee that it wouldn't reveal anything?
If he wasn't concerned about being too conspicuous, Arthur would have preferred to burn down 333 Russell Street entirely.
After all, this is a city, not some uninhabited wilderness.
So, he abandoned this permanent solution.
Of course, compared to the potential troubles that 333 Russell Street might cause, he was more concerned about that person who had turned to ashes.
Was this individual, who had been incinerated by backlash, a Lone Traveller? Or did he have family, friends, or even an organization?
If so, were these people ordinary, or did they possess a "Bloodline"?
If it were the latter, that could truly disturb Arthur's peace.
More importantly—
They!
This guy had deceived them!
Even, the bloodline exchange he had experienced might be part of the other's "deception of them"!
What a hassle!
Arthur thought, then shook his head.
With the little information he currently had, he couldn't effectively respond. Better to thoroughly clean the scene first, doing what could be done at this stage.
Of course, ensuring his own protection as soon as possible also needed to be prioritized.
But this was not a problem for Arthur—
"Omnivorous"!
Relying on "Omnivorous" to gain XP, and then converting it into strength, was what Arthur needed to do at this stage.
As for how to effectively and quickly gain XP?
Arthur was ready to start experimenting.
For this, he was once again thankful to his predecessor, this young man—before coming to 333 Russell Street for the exorcism, he had informed the newspaper reporters in order to smoothly "Inherit the Family Business" and gain more people's recognition.
Through the window, Arthur, whose physique had greatly improved along with his vision, could clearly see the figure of the newspaper reporter running.
Picking up a blood-stained hunting cap beside him and patting it a few times, he then placed it on his head. Arthur straightened his double-breasted black coat and, carrying the Spirit Medium Box, stepped out of 333 Russell Street.
By this time, the downpour had lessened, pattering lightly, but the puddles still covered the cobblestone surface.
As Arthur walked forward, he discreetly flicked his sleeve, and a powder of lime along with white phosphorus blocks fell from the cuff, dropping into the puddles.
As Arthur stepped through the puddle, white smoke rose from the water at his feet, and as he moved forward, the airflow carried the white smoke along with him, as if the souls of the dead in legends were lunging toward Arthur.
The newly arrived newspaper reporter's eyes widened at this spectacle. Just as he was about to warn Arthur, he saw Arthur pause his steps, raise his left hand, and snap his fingers.
Snap!
The snap was crisp.
A burst of flames appeared behind Arthur with the sound of the snap.
The rising flames, shining brightly, dispelled the surrounding darkness, and the white smoke vanished instantly as if completely purified.
The newspaper reporter could no longer contain himself and exclaimed in surprise.
"My God! This is exorcism!"