Daman
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[CC] Chapter 37
🕑 Added 2025-05-14 10:51:15 +0000 UTC[Unlocking new Trait in progress… 3… 2… 1]
[New Trait “ um n e v r” unlocke— error]
[,nmoe{h]
A familiar scene unfolded before Shouren. The maleficent crimson chains suddenly spurt out of the boy’s chest and lashed at the trait.
Stop.
Shouren yelled inside his mind and was about to grab the chains before he remembered what happened last time he did that. Fortunately, the red-black chains listened to him.
The enflamed chains stilled and turned around to face Shouren, hesitation exuding from the metallic links. The ends of the fiery chains wriggled with raw hunger. It felt like the corruption was asking for his permission.
It actually listened to me? I think it can understand my words. Let me try talking to it.
A surprised expression flickered over the boy’s face. Unlike their first interaction, the hellish chains appeared to respond to his commands now.
Who are you?
He started with a basic question.
[lpw2=2/nw]
The chains flared, the crimson metal smoldering in response. It looked… proud?
Is it speaking through the system? Alright, no questions that require words. Let’s try again with only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.
Shouren quickly switched his strategy. For some strange reason, the system was translating the crimson chains’ words. Only, Shouren couldn’t speak or comprehend that language.
Can you understand me?
[-32fj.>g3/]
One end of the burning chain moved up and down in confirmation. Shouren grew excited at the acknowledgment. It really could understand his words.
How did you get inside my body?
Shouren eagerly sent his thoughts out.
[yrtw1~;h]
The hellish chains danced around the air, tracing invisible doodles, detailing its story.
I forgot, I need to stick to ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.
Shouren mentally slapped himself and attempted again.
Do you want to eat this trait?
[py02!’m3]
The red-black chains buzzed with a primal yearning, crawling towards the new trait.
Stop! Did you eat my first trait as well?
Shouren urged the chains to a halt and resumed his prodding. He had to take its attention away from the trait. The new trait looked in a worse condition that his Veinreader back then.
[a:f252=9ty]
The fiendish chains froze with obvious discomfort before relenting to the command. The crimson metal links turned back and nodded slowly. It kept throwing furtive glances at the half-eaten trait.
Why does it want the traits so bad? I won’t get a legible answer until I can figure out what language the chains are communicating in. But it still listened to me despite the visible hunger… why?
Shouren ruminated over the present bizarre situation. The boy sort of felt sorry for the demonic chains.
Do you want to hurt me?
He asked after a serious pause.
[mbu73’:L]
The chains wriggled up and down, but a flicker of hesitation wavered through the metallic links before it shook its chains from side-to-side in confusion. The chains then scratched themselves in turmoil.
[l*4.tdf]
Is it telling me it originally meant me harm, but changed its mind later? No, it looks perplexed by the change as well. Does it also not know why it changed its mind?
A pang of anxiety crawled up from his spine. Shouren was dealing with an uncertain, ticking time bomb in his body. The boy repeated the question again.
Do you want to hurt me now or ever in the future?
[g\a+qwr#e]
The scorching chains shook the ends of its links, gradually becoming more sure of itself.
Can I trust it?
Shouren sighed in relief, but a shadow of fear lingered inside the back of his mind. He didn’t know what kind of entity he was dealing with. A mere touch of its chains had inflicted more severe burns than the previous lightning beast. Until Shouren found a way to get rid of the corrupted chains, it would remain a constant, uncertain threat within.
I’ll worry about that later. I need to save this trait for now. This is a trait connected to my lumen, and I absolutely refuse to let it be corrupted until I know the cost of that power. Just one trait being corrupted is enough.
Shouren decided. That power did not tempt him in the least. It wasn’t his own. What if he let the trait become corrupted, and one day, if the chains turned on him, he would lose it forever? Shouren didn’t want to borrow any power if he could not make it his own.
Is there anything else you can eat besides this trait?
Now that Shouren observed the burning chains more closely, he saw that several places on the metal appeared eroded with rust. The flames initially concealed the damaged parts, but he could see them now without his fear overwhelming his senses.
[l’\ouy*5&]
The chains glanced at the trait, drooling, but turned back with a trembling nod. The flaming chains then aimed directly at Shouren’s chest, indicating their hunger could be satisfied by something else.
Y-You want to eat my heart?
Shouren shivered and grabbed his chest in alarm. The boy was not going to let the demonic chains devour his heart.
[jhs12`4t-]
The chains shook in response. It felt like it was rolling its invisible eyes. Then, it tapped its metallic links again at Shouren’s chest, tracing a rectangle on the surface.
You eat cards?
It finally dawned on Shouren what the corrupted chains were asking. His heart rate steadied after the confirmation. The boy didn’t have to lose his heart today.
[nbvi5=0-c]
The hellish chains nodded up and down in excitement. The chains were elated that the stupid human child finally understood what it wanted.
Shouren quickly took out a cheap [Common] spell card from his vault and held it out for the scorching chains to eat.
[\csdf3p{g]
The chains peeked at the gray card once and turned away in disgust. It would rather starve than eat that trash. Seeing the demonic chains’ reaction, Shouren frowned.
It doesn’t like [Common] cards and wants [Uncommon] cards instead? This guy is too expensive, wanting to eat my precious green cards for breakfast. No, I’m not giving it my [Uncommon] cards. It can either eat the [Common] cards or starve alone.
Shouren snorted at the picky eater. He only had a few [Uncommon] cards in his vault, and without knowing what the chains were, it was foolish to hand over his most valuable cards.
The chains shifted, the flames fluttering across the metal’s surface, eagerly waiting for another card.
Hmm? The chains are the source of corruption, or maybe the corruption itself. If that’s true, then it has already been telling me what it wants.
Shouren opened his status for a few seconds to check. The boy then took back the [Common] spell card and replaced it with another card. A gray class card.
[ghj3,>/’d]
The demonic chains swiftly pounced on the offered card, devouring the card in a flash.
[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 1/100]
A system notification popped before Shouren’s sight.
Shouren soon connected the dots. Now that he knew feeding the chains also helped him, the boy took out his remaining stack of [Common] class cards and fed the fiendish chains one by one.
[bkt5o|<gs]
The crimson chains danced with excitement as they rapidly chewed every class card the boy offered.
[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 3/100]
[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 15/100]
[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 27/100]
.
.
.
The red-black chains thrummed in pleasure, the segments of rust falling apart on its body, and replaced with a new layer of glimmering dark metal.
.
.
.
[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 39/100]
[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 40/100]
Shouren used up all 40 of his [Common] class cards. The three cards from the recent dungeon run were all spell cards.
The final notification blinked in front of Shouren, but the boy was no longer looking at it. He was staring in both awe and fear at the demonic, burning chains. Something happened to it. The metal was no longer dull or damaged. The new layer was glittering with a dark sheen. There were still some areas where the rust remained, but the chains had obviously recovered to some extent.
Shouren didn’t know if that was good or bad for his future.
[.,mnbw\y7]
The chains pulsed with power, the flames turning blood-red for an instant before reverting to normal. The demonic chains rushed towards Shouren, enveloping the boy’s torso in joy. Shouren was about to yelp, thinking the chains would sear his flesh, but besides a pleasant heat, the flames didn’t harm him.
[4vsa’b72]
The crimson chains hummed something to the boy before slowly dissipating away.
“You better not turn on me in the future, demon. I fed you all those tasty cards and if you don’t hurt me, I’ll give you even tastier cards in the future.”
Shouren clutched his chest and whispered to the demonic chains. It was too late to regret feeding the crimson chains. The boy tried to instill feelings of gratefulness into it, so the burning chains would remember his help in its recovery.
“Potato?”
Shouren heard the muffled voice of his grandma through the closed door.
“I’m back, grandma!”
The boy called out, as another notification flashed in the corner of his vision.
[New Trait “Lumen Weaver” unlocked]
Comments
Daman
Hi, there will be 2 more chapters uploaded today :)
CataFlan
TFTC. I has to buy it to read this new one. Tell me the schedule of chapters please! Thx.
