The Forest of Wailing, one of the fixed teleportation points along the banks of the Nether River.
A beginner's village for novice demons, where most demons are of the [Lesser Demon] rank, equivalent to cannon fodder, livestock, or mobile food in the hierarchy of the Bottomless Abyss.
The strongest demons here are merely [Low-Rank Demons]. Those who surpass this rank are expelled, stepping into the true Abyss, where they truly live freely and die randomly.
A flash of light shimmered, and Olthagia appeared in the forest. The first thing he sensed was a putrid stench mixed with the smell of blood, as if countless corpses had been fermenting for a long time. Even for a demon's sense of smell, it was unbearably foul. If it were a human, they would likely faint instantly from the stench.
After steadying himself, the inherited knowledge of demons made Olthagia realize that he must leave this place quickly. The teleportation light he just emerged from was, in the eyes of some demons, no different from a dinner bell. Infant Demons who had just left the riverbank were at the very bottom of the food chain in this forest!
The period immediately after entering the forest was when novice demons faced the highest mortality rate.
[Host: Stuart Ogarisa Asalonne… Curif Olthagia]
[Race/Level: Demon Race/Infant Demon (Can Advance)]
[Strength: 25 (5)]
[Speed: 25 (5)]
[Constitution: 25 (5)]
[Mana: 25 (5)]
[Soul: 25 (5)]
[Abilities: Soul-Devouring Evolution (evolves autonomously by continuously devouring souls), Slaughter Evolution (evolves autonomously through continuous combat and slaughter), Combat Instinct (innate strong combat talent), Flesh Extraction - Fingers. Tail (can extract essence from flesh it comes into contact with), Magic Trait - Corrosion (more corrosive than ordinary mana), Elemental Talent - Bloodflame (possesses high temperature, erodes flesh, and burns life energy)]
[Skills: None]
[Evolution Points: 6755]
[Note: The values in parentheses represent the standard level of a normal newborn Infant Demon. Each increase in points enhances the current strength by one-fifth. For example, 6 points are one-fifth stronger than 5 points, and 7 points are one-fifth stronger than 6 points, with percentage-based enhancements.]
All his attributes had already reached the peak level for an Infant Demon!
Glancing around, compared to the rocky banks of the Nether River, this place was covered in mud, overgrown with various demonic plants.
Ordinary plants could not survive in the Bottomless Abyss. The plants here, in addition to absorbing energy and converting it into nutrients, were often aggressive and capable of hunting for food.
Even those that didn't hunt possessed the ability to digest flesh. After all, every plant here was nourished by the flesh and blood of demons. The bloodthirsty instincts buried in the demonic bloodline were also inherited by them. Even the most inconspicuous weeds had the ability to corrode flesh.
Finding a direction, Olthagia began to move forward. As he stepped into the grass, it seemed as though the bloodstained scent from the riverbank, where he had torn apart countless demons, attracted swarms of bloodthirsty insects. They circled around him, eager to lick the still-wet blood on his body, and if they could tear off some flesh, that would be even better!
Faced with these annoying insects, Olthagia frowned and immediately wanted to exterminate them all, but reason told him it was unrealistic.
Because the insects here were nearly endless, as numerous as microorganisms!
Thus, Olthagia chose to make some compromises. A layer of Blood Flame automatically appeared on his body, burning away the bloodstains attached to him, leaving only a strong, lingering scent of blood.
After dispersing those bothersome flies, he walked a bit further, encountering several demons engaged in mutual slaughter along the way.
However, as he was in a hurry to advance, Olthagia paid them no mind. An Infant Demon in a place where Lesser Demons were considered the norm stood out too much.
After advancing for a while longer, he finally stopped upon encountering a cave nestled among several rocks. Its geographical location matched Olthagia's expectations perfectly.
Thanks to his awakened elemental bloodline, which granted him a sense of smell far superior to demons of the same level, and the heightened perception brought by his high soul value, he could sense that a demon was hiding inside, its strength barely reaching that of a Lesser Demon.
Although the demon's rank was higher than Olthagia's, he was not afraid. Rank did not represent an absolute difference in strength. Once his physical attributes averaged 15 points, he was already capable of advancing. He had only delayed because he lacked a safe place. The demon inside was merely the bottom of the barrel among Lesser Demons and not worth his concern.
As he approached, he noticed that the demon, which resembled an ape with a scorpion tail, had already detected his presence and was watching him with a wary gaze from within the cave entrance.
Olthagia was not surprised by this. He had no intention of sneaking up, and the surrounding terrain offered no cover. Unlike Infant Demons, who had little intelligence, Lesser Demons had transcended the beast stage and possessed a certain level of wisdom. Moreover, thanks to their demonic heritage, they automatically mastered many skills.
This was why the demon race, despite lacking any rational management, constantly engaging in mutual slaughter, self-destruction, outward expansion, and reckless behavior, could still remain powerful and even grow stronger.
The heritage from the Abyss allowed them to skip much accumulation. They didn't need to brainstorm or build a civilization to discuss the next steps.
As long as they were strong enough, they could continuously unearth the knowledge buried in their bloodline. Alternatively, by inciting countless slaughters and destruction, they could please the Abyss consciousness and gain knowledge that many other races could only dream of. However, given the brutal nature of demons, they rarely delved deeply into such knowledge. They preferred to rely on their claws and fists, as tearing enemies apart was far more enjoyable than studying!
Just like the demon before Olthagia, although it had the skill to create traps, its demonic nature made it too lazy to bother with such elaborate tactics. It was more inclined to fight on sight, winning and taking everything from the loser, or losing and becoming the victor's nourishment, much like the previous owner of this cave. This demon had defeated and devoured its predecessor to advance to the rank of Lesser Demon!
Looking at Olthagia not far ahead, the ape-shaped demon could sense that Olthagia was merely at the level of an Infant Demon, having not yet undergone his first metamorphosis. However, Olthagia's physique, far surpassing that of demons of the same level, still imposed immense pressure on the ape demon, evoking a sense of deadly crisis.
Normally, demons who had already gained a certain level of intelligence, unlike the mindless Infant Demons, would not act recklessly. Faced with such a situation, they might choose to retreat, as being bloodthirsty did not equate to being foolish. Without sufficient benefits, one could not expect them to risk their lives!
But the aroma emanating from Olthagia, the rich scent of fresh blood, and the vitality far exceeding that of demons of the same level made the ape demon realize that the benefits of devouring him would be beyond imagination, leaving it in a dilemma.
The principle of "gambling a bicycle to win a motorcycle" is universally applicable, especially for demons, creatures who would sacrifice everything for profit!
Not letting it struggle too much, upon noticing that the other party was still somewhat reluctant to let him go, a ferocious smile appeared on Olthagia's lips.
Covering his entire body with magic power, Olthagia exerted force with his legs, creating a small crater on the ground, and directly pounced forward using the reaction force.
Seeing Olthagia pounce, the ape demon was not to be outdone. Its body ignited with red flames, and it charged towards Olthagia on all fours like a beast.
Under the enhancement of magic power, the brute strength of both, already comparable to that of wild elephants, was further amplified.
Bang!!
At the moment of collision, a fierce impact sound was heard, and the surrounding dust was blown away by the resulting air current, scattering into the air!
Olthagia could clearly feel his corrosive magic power eroding the other's defenses. The scales on its shoulder had been cracked by his impact, and blood was slowly seeping out. The ferocious smile on Olthagia's lips grew even wider.
With the idea of beating a drowning dog, Olthagia did not hesitate. He concentrated most of his magic power and swung it like a hammer towards the ape demon's head. Accompanied by the sound of an air hammer strike, blood flowed from the ape demon's eyes, and it fell into a state of paralysis and dizziness!
Taking advantage of the other's temporary paralysis, Olthagia fiercely swung his claws, now even sharper under the enhancement of magic power, tearing into the wound and injecting the life-burning Blood Flame.
Amidst the excruciating pain and the life-and-death crisis, just as its head was about to be torn off, the ape demon let out a fearful roar. It struggled with all its might to break free from Olthagia's claws, desperately activating its magic power and using the fire elemental talent awakened after advancing to a Lesser Demon, trying to resist the Blood Flame coursing through its body. However, its fire attribute talent and magic power were clearly weaker than Olthagia's, and under Olthagia's control of the Blood Flame, it could only struggle in its death throes.
Olthagia did not give it a chance to fight back. After it broke free from his restraint, he retreated a distance. Besides remotely channeling magic power to accelerate the burning of the Blood Flame, he calmly moved around, blocking its escape routes and preventing it from fleeing, like a wild wolf watching its prey struggle after letting it bleed.
Not long after, as the ape demon's magical power was completely depleted, the Blood Flame, now unhindered, uncontrollably flowed out from its mouth and eyes along with its flesh and blood. Its life came to an abrupt end, making it the first Lesser Demon to die at the hands of Olthagia.
Walking up to the charred corpse, Olthagia ignored the ground that had been clawed beyond recognition by the ape demon in its agonizing death throes. He reached out and grabbed its still struggling, ferocious-looking soul. With a smile, Olthagia directly devoured it in one bite.
Hmm...
The taste was more chewy and even more delicious than that of an Infant Demon.
System Panel: Evolution Points +254.
Since both his physical body and soul had reached their current limits, the Evolution Points were not consumed but were instead stored up. Literally speaking, it was equivalent to more than ten Infant Demons.