Heaven's Evil Takes Notice

I dragged my exhausted body toward the corpse, the tiger's head twisted at an unnatural angle.

“That was damn exhausting.”

The Blood Mountain Lord's body was a mess of wounds, medals of honor proving just how fierce the battle had been. Without the Earth Mother's Blessing, I might have been the one to tire out first.

“Hik?!!”

A bizarre exclamation burst from my throat. Insane. I could actually obtain Keen Senses through Devour?!

‘To get Keen Senses, you had to meet all sorts of ridiculous conditions.’

- Hunt boss monsters more than 200 times.

- Stay in a mana-rich area for over a week.

- Engage in combat while restricting one of the five senses.

…….

And several more conditions had to be fulfilled to acquire the Keen Senses skill. In my previous life, it had taken me seven years to learn it. At my current level, it would have taken about two years to obtain it through legitimate means.

“So this is how you get it.”

Years of time compressed into just three days. Truly, I couldn't even begin to guess where the limits of Devour lay.

But the changes didn't stop there.

“Whoa.”

I couldn't even scream this time. The Keen Senses obtained through the Tower's designated method didn't react to other essences. But the skill gained by devouring the Blood Mountain Lord's essence was different. The synergy effect between devoured essences had activated!

Wait. If Keen Senses reacted to the Big Bat's essence…….

‘That means if I obtain other sensory-related essences, the Keen Senses skill will also be strengthened.’

A shiver ran down my spine. Skills obtained through Tower rewards or specific conditions didn't synergize with skills acquired through Devour. But even the same skill, if obtained via Devour, could link together.

Knowledge I hadn't known in my previous life.

‘Now I really won't let a single one escape.’

There was no essence worth discarding! I reaffirmed my resolve.

The silent cave.

I mapped its internal structure with Ultrasound. Length: approximately 50 meters. No other presence could be felt besides the Blood Mountain Lord, its former owner. Footsteps echoed loudly with every step.

“There it is.”

I found two books at the end of the cave.

Blood Claw Technique

Three Talents Qi Gong

Titles written in Chinese characters. Thanks to the Tower system, I could read them instantly. It even provided simultaneous interpretation, so something like text was nothing.

I checked the information on both manuals.

“This is it.”

A satisfied smile spread across my lips. Not because the two martial arts were exceptionally powerful. Of course not. By martial arts standards, both Blood Claw Technique and Three Talents Qi Gong were third-rate. The absolute bottom. The kind of thing you'd only recommend to complete beginners.

Yet I was smiling for a different reason.

‘I can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠create an Internal Energy stat.’

I had already crafted 32 Moonview Stones in Moonview Cave, elixirs related to internal energy. They had a fifteen-day absorption cooldown. Even third-rate martial arts were welcome if they let me accumulate internal energy. In fact, it was fortunate that it was the attribute-less Three Talents Qi Gong. Once I climbed higher in the Tower and learned superior cultivation methods, I could integrate the internal energy without resistance.

‘What if I'd gotten a Daoist cultivation method instead?’

Just thinking about it was horrifying. Daoist methods only accepted pure natural energy. Rigid, inflexible techniques with no room for shortcuts. Completely incompatible with Devour, which absorbed multiple essences to take only their advantages. The internal energies would clash.

‘Blood Claw Technique isn't bad either.’

Claw techniques were a type of hand-based martial art. Unlike fist techniques or palm techniques, they were born from mimicking the movements of beasts. It matched perfectly with me, who had absorbed the strengths of various monsters through Devour.

‘By 2025, hand-to-hand martial arts weren't exactly popular, were they?’

The reputation of the martial arts themselves wasn't great, but techniques that relied purely on the body without weapons—fist, palm, leg, claw—received even harsher evaluations. It would take quite some time for perceptions to change.

Wait. I could probably buy the manuals released by the Babel Tower at a cheap price?

‘I'll look into it once the tutorial ends.’

I cleared my thoughts and opened the first page of the manual. The book containing the essence of Blood Claw Technique. The moment I finished reading, the paper crumbled into dust with a soft rustle.

At the same time, martial arts knowledge surfaced one by one. Each form of Blood Claw Technique. The locations of the meridians used to circulate Three Talents Qi Gong. Concepts of martial arts I had never known before were now perfectly engraved in my mind.

“Hoo.”

A short sigh escaped my lips. Skills obtained from skill books required repeated use to build proficiency. The same applied to the newly learned Blood Claw Technique and Three Talents Qi Gong. To properly unleash the power of Blood Claw Technique, I needed to operate it repeatedly to raise its achievement level.

‘You need enough internal energy to even use Blood Claw Technique.’

I gave a bitter smile.

Internal Energy: 1

Hardly enough to properly execute even one third-rate martial art. The complete opposite of the overflowing mana thanks to Dragon's Heart.

Heh heh heh, no need to worry. I had prepared for exactly this situation!

I took out one Moonview Stone and put it in my mouth.

“I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should get into position first.”

I sat cross-legged on the spot and swallowed the blue stone I had been holding in my mouth.

Operating mana here would increase the Mana stat, while guiding the energy through a cultivation method would grant Internal Energy. I activated Three Talents Qi Gong. The energy of the Moonview Stone circulated through various meridians according to the mantra of Three Talents Qi Gong. My senses felt alive. The refreshing qi traveled through every corner of my body, awakening it.

System alarms kept ringing, but I paid them no mind. I was too focused on circulating the energy condensed in the Moonview Stone according to the mantra of Three Talents Qi Gong to notice anything else.

How much time had passed?

The energy of the Moonview Stone, having completed a full circulation, settled stably in my dantian.

Whoosh-!

A satisfied exclamation escaped me.

“This is why experienced newbies are the best.”

Internal Energy: 0.1 → 22.8

My internal energy had risen by 22 stats from just one Moonview Stone. Equivalent to gaining the stats of four levels!

‘You can't strengthen Internal Energy with bonus stats.’

A stat that could only be increased through internal energy cultivation methods! That was why martial artists from the future had been obsessed with Moonview Stones. With this much internal energy, I could execute all four forms of Blood Claw Technique with energy to spare.

Well then, shall we dance?

I slightly curled each finger joint. A posture resembling a beast baring its claws. The ready stance of Blood Claw Technique.

My bent hand sliced through the air. The first form of Blood Claw Technique, Fierce Tiger Blood Claw.

Pa-pa-pat!

Because I was using internal energy, the air vibrated with a sharp sound.

“Ah, that's not it.”

I withdrew the hand I had extended. What was the point of just using martial arts? My true strength lay in simultaneously utilizing the abilities of multiple species I had absorbed through Devour.

I executed Fierce Tiger Blood Claw again with claws that had extended about twenty centimeters. The sound cutting through the air grew even sharper. Blood Claw Technique was composed of movements imitating a beast's actions—specifically, a tiger swinging its front paws. In other words, the more characteristics of the beast that inspired the martial art you possessed, the more powerful it became!

I fell into a trance, repeatedly executing all forms of Blood Claw Technique.

Tsk. I clicked my tongue.

‘Only 2 Stars.’

In my previous life, I had mastered numerous martial arts. Blood Claw Technique? I had long since perfectly understood the insights contained in third-rate martial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arts. However, the body executing these techniques was different. Mind, energy, and body had to align, but my body was still that of a novice who had only just learned martial arts. Even if the understanding of the forms and internal energy circulation were perfect, the body couldn't keep up, so the achievement stopped at 2 Stars.

‘Let's not rush.’

I clenched and opened my fist. Compared to my previous life, I had already saved more than a year. I had absorbed the essences of multiple monsters inhabiting Rainbow Island. I had also obtained the Internal Energy stat much earlier than before. And that wasn't all. By acquiring a large quantity of Moonview Stones, I could periodically increase my internal energy. If I built my strength this way, surpassing the ancient gods I had targeted wasn't just a dream.

Having also received the reward for defeating the Blood Mountain Lord, I was about to move on to find my next prey when—

A single message grabbed my ankle. A tone different from the system voice. Just hearing the voice made me feel reverent. The being who sent this message was…….

“A Constellation?”

Constellations. Beings who connected the trajectories of stars to inscribe their own names in the heavens. Deva. Olympus. Asgard. And various other divine races reigned as constellations, watching over the players. Solely for their own amusement. In truth, when the Babel Tower eroded Earth, the constellations only invited those who had made contracts with them to their worlds. Those who weren't invited by constellations?

‘They all died.’

The horrific scenes I had witnessed countless times in my previous life came to mind. Anger welled up. The constellations were ultimately just bystanders. But now wasn't the time to vent that anger. Receiving the attention of constellations brought various benefits during the Tower climb. Those so-called gods acted all high and mighty, but when they found a player who caught their eye, they provided tremendous sponsorship.

Attracting a constellation's attention in the tutorial proved just how unconventional my actions had been.

Wait, why are you popping up here again?