“Yes, I would like to consume it,” Val said without hesitation.
Just then, his sixth sense flared up. It signified he had made a mistake due to being driven by his lust for power, which arose from his circumstances and the dangerous world he was thrust into by his shameless father.
However, the warning had come too late. He had already put his life in jeopardy by voicing his agreement.
As soon as he gave his consent, the Orb of Darkness, which was collected from the corpse of the Archer of Obsidian by the system, disappeared into his body.
Immediately, a frigid cold seeped into every fiber of his being, making him feel unbelievably cold as if he’d been thrown into a thousand-year-old iceberg. His body temperature plummeted rapidly, rendering him as cold as the corpse of a man who had died in the heart of winter.
This experience was akin to the deadliest tortures known to mankind, something so agonizing it was virtually impossible to bear. Even brave and strong men would break under this kind of pain and breathe their last.
However, thanks to Val’s Unfeeling Trait, he didn’t feel any pain associated with the process of absorbing the orb and constructing a core. Thus, he wasn’t affected nor did he break down from the sudden influx of pain assaulting his senses.
The only thing that could be felt was coldness gradually taking over his consciousness.
And… that was extremely dangerous!
He had no doubt he would die if he fell unconscious. The same would happen if he did nothing to fight off the cold.
‘My eyelids feel like leads, but I have to keep them open. If I give in and close my eyes, it would be game over for me,’ Val thought, ‘But how do I stay awake when every single one of my organs is shutting down due to the immense cold? And how do I stop my temperature from decreasing.’
The cold was too overwhelming, sapping every bit of warmth from his body. As his body grew colder, it adversely affected his organs including his heart and brain.
Consequently, it became harder for him to think and his blood circulation slowed down to the pace of a snail.
At this rate, he would die pretty soon.
But he was not one to simply sit back and let death claim him!
He decided to do something about it.
Even though he was so close to death, he didn’t let panic set in. Instead, he kept his cool, remaining as thoughtful as ever.
Now that his life was endangered, he came up with a method to counteract the cold in a flash. Although his thoughts were barely coherent due to the cold affecting his brain, he knew what to do.
He could potentially survive this by relying on the second bloodline skill of his Blood Devil Class!
After all, while blood manipulation skill was primarily used for combat, its potential applications were versatile and could even be said to be extensive. For instance, the user could augment their body’s natural capabilities by controlling the distribution of blood throughout their body. For example, one could enhance mental acuity by increasing the flow of blood to the brain.
It was just that, despite the multiple possibilities the blood manipulation skill presented, Val had never previously felt the need to utilize it in these manners. His life so far had mostly revolved around battles, and so the combat-oriented aspect of the skill was what he had primarily focused on instead of the auxiliary ones. But now, he was forced to change his ways and utilize it to the best of its potential.
‘It is scientifically proven that increased blood flow can raise body temperature and enhance mental acuity.
‘Now that I think about it, that’s what post-nut clarity is all about.’
‘I can increase the flow by using my skill, so it’s easy for me.’
‘I hope this works.’
Thinking so, Val put his plan into motion.
Almost instantaneously, his blood began to circulate more throughout his body at an unprecedented pace. As his blood moved through his vessels faster than ever, it generated heat through friction, which helped him resist the onslaught of the icy sensation from the orb of darkness and warmed his body from within him.
‘The heat produced is minute, barely enough to warm my body, but in my current predicament, it is no less than a saving grace.’
Val was satisfied with the result.
Even though it was a small victory, it was a significant one.
The sudden chill that had once consumed him had now receded to a bearable level. His body, once as cold as death, was now slowly regaining warmth!
Not to mention, Val had always had an innate aptitude for absorbing external resources like beast cores and magic herbs.
His body had a unique affinity for them, allowing him to incorporate them rapidly and effectively.
This time was no different.
Despite the orb of darkness’s chilling effect, he managed to absorb it fully within a couple of minutes.
As a result, the dreadful sensation that enveloped him disappeared.
Val breathed a sigh of relief, ‘My quick thinking has once again proven pivotal in a critical moment.’
His eyes were then drawn to the series of notifications that popped up in front of him when he finished absorbing the orb.
[The Orb of Darkness has been absorbed by you.]
[The construction of the Darkness Core is now in progress in your Arcane Heart.]
[To complete the construction, you need to absorb 24 more orbs of darkness.]
‘I don’t feel hesitant as I already know how to survive the process of absorbing an orb of darkness. It’s just that I don’t know how many more variants I would need to kill. It would be 24 if the drop rate is 100%. But if it’s any less, I would need to kill many more.’
Speak of the devil and it shall appear. As soon as he’d finished that thought, several Archers of Obsidian materialized at the other end of the tunnel.
With a synchronized motion, they drew back their invisible bows, letting loose a volley of magical arrows towards Val.
Val smirked.
The same trick won’t work twice! 𝑜𝑽𝑳xt.𝕔𝑜𝐌
He waved his hand.
The magical arrows froze in mid-air as if grabbed by countless pair of invisible hands.
Looking at this scene, the mouths of the archers gaped open.
“What the heck am I seeing?”
“How did he stop our arrows?!”
“This doesn’t make any sense.”
This was made possible by wizardry, but of course, Val wasn’t going to tell them that.
A wicked grin spread across his face as he said,
“You will regret it!”
As his words fell, the direction of the frozen arrows reversed.
Now, they pointed menacingly at the Archers who had loosed them moments before.