Edward lay on the cold floor, surrounded by chaos, but his attention was focused on his right hand.
There was a question he couldn't ignore.
What was happening to his body now?
Was it aging rapidly, becoming frail? Or would it maintain a youthful appearance?
He raised his hand, carefully examining the back of it.
To his surprise, the skin was still smooth, showing no signs of aging.
His fingers were long and agile, moving easily.
This unexpected discovery made him realize that the changes in his body went far beyond what he had initially thought.
His entire body was becoming stronger at an unbelievable speed.
His muscles, taut and powerful, were filled with energy, as if he had been diligently practicing "Piercing Iron Palm" for years.
It was as if he had abstained from all indulgences, dedicating all his time and energy to perfecting this skill.
It felt as though a lifetime of training had been condensed into this moment, making his body extraordinarily strong.
...
Suddenly, Edward's body surged with unprecedented speed, and he dodged the pouncing tiger demon almost instantly.
Before the massive figure could react, Edward moved like lightning, striking swiftly with an open palm.
"Roar—"
The tiger demon let out a piercing howl, its voice filled with agony, enveloping everyone present.
Before it could retaliate, one of its massive legs was already severed.
The tiger demon collapsed heavily, its huge body slamming into the ground with a thud, causing the earth to tremble.
Its claws flailed wildly as it struggled to rise.
But Edward gave it no chance to recover.
In the next moment, he was already kneeling on the tiger demon's neck.
Blow after blow, his palm struck the demon's head, each strike carrying deadly force.
Blood and brain matter splattered with each impact, hot blood spraying all over Edward's body, staining his face.
But he didn't let up, his movements becoming even more violent with each strike.
Only when the tiger's head was reduced to a bloody, unrecognizable mess did Edward finally stop, gasping for breath.
...
Edward felt a strange sensation—this was his first time killing a demon, yet his actions were so fluid, as if honed through countless battles.
The instinct to kill was deeply ingrained in his body, quick and precise, with none of the hesitation or panic of a novice.
His entire body was drenched in warm, sticky blood, the pungent stench of it filling the air.
It should have made him nauseous, but oddly, his body remained calm—remarkably calm.
Killing the demon felt as natural to him as breathing.
This sense of peace puzzled even Edward himself.
He had expected the battle to last much longer, but it ended in mere moments.
The power coursing through his body seemed to have reached the limit of human potential.
After it was over, he turned to look at the siblings.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
What Edward saw in their gaze was not gratitude but even deeper fear.
Their faces were etched with terror; to them, Edward was far more terrifying than the tiger demon.
Edward snorted softly and shifted his gaze away, not paying much mind to their reaction.
After all, just half an hour ago, he had been entangled with the blonde woman, and the current situation was simply a continuation of that earlier chaos.
...
Edward picked up his sword and began to walk outside.
"Sir… shouldn't you bandage the wound on your head first?"
The blonde boy suddenly raised her face, speaking cautiously.
To the blonde woman, the current Edward was ten times more terrifying than the tiger demon!
Hearing this, Edward paused, then turned around after a moment and replied indifferently, "Alright."
Though he rarely cared about others' opinions, after everything he had been through in this life and the previous one, it felt like a rare "good deed" had been done.
If the other party had no reaction at all, it would leave him feeling somewhat unsettled.
He casually walked back to the bed and sat down, letting the blonde woman help him remove his bloodstained clothes.
The blonde boy quickly found a relatively clean cloth and began wiping the blood from Edward's body.
Just then, a panel popped up.
An unfamiliar notification caught Edward's attention.
[Ordinary demon, no leve. Total lifespan: 455 years. Remaining: 41 years. Fully absorbed.]
[Current Skills]
Piercing Iron Palm (Mastery)
Demon Slayer Swordsmanship (Beginner)
[Current remaining lifespan: 1 year]
[Demon lifespan: 41 years]
[Demon lifespan can be consumed to enhance skills, but cannot be converted to extend personal lifespan.]
...
Edward instructed the blonde woman and her brother to clean up the tiger demon's corpse.
Meanwhile, he fell into deep thought, pondering the strange panel that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
He stared at the content displayed on the panel, particularly the fact that he only had one year of life left, which plunged him into silence.
The fight with the tiger demon had nearly exhausted all of his remaining life force, leaving him with only one year.
"So, as long as I kill demons, I can absorb their remaining lifespan to replace my own, and at the same time, use it to improve my skills?"
He muttered quietly to himself, quickly processing the new set of rules in his mind.
Thinking this through, he couldn't help but feel surprised.
"An ordinary demon can live nearly five hundred years? That's outrageous."
Compared to demons, the lifespan of mortals seemed insignificant.
Yet even so, absorbing the lifespan of demons didn't seem to directly extend his own life—it could only be used to enhance his skills.
"Well, there's no point in overthinking it now."
Edward shook his head. He needed time to fully understand and utilize this ability.
His gaze fell on the sword in his hand, and a flicker of excitement stirred within him.
"Should I try out the Demon Slayer Swordsmanship?"
Edward could feel the energy of 41 years of demon lifespan accumulating within him.
Although he couldn't use it to extend his own life, he could use it to strengthen his skills and grow even more powerful.
"Why not use it all at once?"
He muttered to himself.
Closing his eyes, Edward focused his mind on the skill.
As he injected 41 years of demon lifespan into it, his swordsmanship seemed to become more refined, and his movements more fluid.
The sensation of dancing with the sword was filled with power and control, boosting his confidence.
As the demon lifespan continued to be consumed, his proficiency in the Demon Slayer Swordsmanship rapidly increased, but soon hit a bottleneck.
Edward frowned as he stared at the text in front of him.