NOVEL NEXT Chapter 317: Painful Lesson
"I admit, you're the most difficult opponent I've ever faced," Reign said, his voice firm.
"If you were up against anyone but me, not even a Beginner Level Demon King could kill you," he added.
"Are you giving up?" Elsa asked.
He shook his head and chuckled. Backing down now would be an insult to his ego. If he couldn't kill someone who wanted to die, then he has no business in becoming the strongest.
"You know, your power is a cheat," he continued.
Elsa didn't respond immediately, but he could see she agreed.
"It's a curse," she said quietly.
"Let me ask you one more time: are you sure you really want to die? This next attack will definitely kill you," he declared with absolute confidence.
For the first time in Elsa's life, she felt death was near.
"I'd be forever grateful if you killed me. Please, I can't endure this isolation any longer… I don't want to be alone anymore," she replied, her eyes filled with sadness.
"True Death," Reign muttered as he pulled the trigger.
ZZZZZZ!
The projectile struck her head before she could react. The shot wasn't the fastest, but her freezing ability couldn't counteract its unique effect.
Her mouth opened slightly, as if to utter a final word of thanks , but no sound came.
In the next instant, her body crumpled to the floor, collapsing with a sudden thud. Her eyes, wide and glazed, stared blankly at the ceiling, and her lips remained parted in a final, silent gasp.
Reign regarded her lifeless body with a detached demeanor. "You're not the only one with a cheat-like ability." His decision was made without remorse.
He knelt beside her and noticed that despite the hole in her head, she still wore the smile she had before dying. Her skin had become paler, but there was no blood—perhaps due to her own power.
"Time to eat you," he thought as he reached out to touch her head. But, just like last time, the contact caused an immediate freeze. He had to break his hand himself to prevent the cold from spreading through his body.
'How is this even possible? Is she still alive?' he wondered.
Reign stared at her body, puzzled by how her power still affected him despite being dead already. The ice around her seemed to have a constant effect.
'I need to resolve this quickly,' he muttered to himself.
Carefully, he reached out again, trying to touch her without getting frozen. He used his elements to melt the ice around his hands, being cautious not to let the cold spread further.
But it did nothing. It was as if her freezing ability was directly neutralizing his elemental powers, even his death energy.
'What the hell,' he cursed inwardly. 'If she's this hard to devour, what about that Juggernaut guy?'
'Metahumans are even more complex and troubling than demons and angels.' He sighed.
"System, do you have any idea?"
[System: Host, I advised against devouring her through normal means. Her power operates in the metaphysical realm, not the physical. You are not strong enough to integrate such a unique ability.]
"Then what should I do with the body?...I can't even touch it, and it's a waste to just discard such rare materials."
[System: Host can absorb the body into your soul in exchange for experience points. Once you become powerful enough, you can devour her to integrate her abilities.]
"I can do that?" He was surprised by this new option.
[System: Affirmative. The system did it before with the previous Meta-Human, who was just an infant, so it didn't require much processing power.]
Reign's eyes widened with realization. "Wait, so the missing Meta-Human in Crestwood was your doing?" he asked, his voice a mix of surprise and suspicion.
[System: Yes]
"I thought that thing froze my consciousness and then vanished. I didn't know it was absorbed by you."
[System: Correct. Absorbing the Meta-Human from Crestwood was essential for improving your overall power in the future.]
Reign's frustration grew. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded with an irritated tone.
[System: Host never asked.]
"I didn't ask? I didn't even know I needed to!" he snapped, his frustration rising.
However—
The system remained silent, leaving him no choice but to accept it and move on. He couldn't change the situation or force it to explain, so he pushed his frustration aside and focused on his next steps.
"How many points do I have to sacrifice?" he asked, still annoyed.
[System: Calculating]
[System: Calculating]
[System: Calculating]
[Attribute Points: All — Skill Points: All — Experience Points: -10 levels]
"That much?" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. The cost was staggering—far more than he had anticipated.
The numbers seemed overwhelming as he tried to understand just how much it would take. But as he thought about the power he could get—being able to freeze anything—it felt worth it.
'If I get this ability, I'd be nearly unkillable,'
Reign took a long pause, shaking off his frustration. The opportunity was too valuable to pass up.
"System, start the absorption process," he commanded firmly.
[System: Absorption will commence. Sacrificing Attribute/Skill/Experience Points.]
Reign braced himself as it began. Chains emerged from his body, and he instantly felt sick and weak from their presence, forcing him to kneel and hold his head.
"What is this pain?" he gritted his teeth.
[System: Host's willpower is not strong enough to endure this phenomenon. Would you like the system to turn off your consciousness like before?]
[Yes] or [No]
"No!" Reign roared in anger. He disliked the idea of the system controlling his mind.
He endured the rising pain, which intensified with each moment. When the chains finally touched Elsa's body, the agony surged to unbearable levels.
The torment felt worse than anything he had experienced before.
"ARGGGGG!" He pounded his head back and forth against the floor to stay conscious.
[Would you like the system to turn off your consciousness?]
[Yes] or [No]
He hesitated, the idea of escaping the pain through the it was tempting. But he refused to let the system dictate his life. 'This is not enough to push me, '
"NOOOO!" he roared defiantly.
The pain grew fiercer as the chains coiled tighter around her body.
Reign's vision blurred, and his senses were overwhelmed. Every moment felt like an eternity.
He felt as though his very essence was being torn apart, stretched thin, and pulled into countless pieces. The inside of his head pounded relentlessly, making it hard to think or see clearly.
After a while, the pain surged to a whole new intensity. It became too much that he couldn't help but start shouting.
"ARGHGGGGG!"
His regret grew with every passing moment. He wished he had accepted the system's offer to turn off his consciousness.
"Turn off my consciousness!"
"Turn off my consciousness!"
"Turn off my consciousness!"
He pleaded repeatedly, but there was no response, which only made the whole ordeal even worse.
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The pain was unbearable, a sensation beyond what anyone should experience. It felt as though the chain held a secret powerful enough to disintegrate the consciousness of anyone who gazed upon it.
[DING!]
Finally, the system responded.
[Would you like the system to turn off your consciousness?]
[Yes] or [No]
"Yes, do it!," he replied immediately.
[System: Acknowledged. Turning off consciousness for the absorption process.]
.