8 (8) Second phase [1]

After finishing his lunch, Veren didn't have anything else to do.

He played around with the dark divinity in his body, feeling it flowing throughout his body.

Unlike normal divinity, the dark divinity within Veren's body was violent. Only chaos existed within it, which in turn increased its destructive might.

Veren wondered if he should strengthen his divinity.

Strengthening divinity was different from how it was for the soul. It's a process that happens naturally as the body collects divinity from the surroundings. However, there are many techniques that boost this process.

There are 9 levels in divinity, ranging from 9 to 1. Where level 9 is the weakest and level 1 the strongest. Veren's divinity was at level 9.

'It's pointless right now to train in divinity. I can't do any sacrificial act before getting the inheritance of neutrality. And it would just harm me by training my current divinity.'

Sacrificer, it was a profession different from ritualist.

By sacrificing something to the gods, they burrow strength from them or make powerful items.

Sacrificers make special artifacts, storing the power of gods within. Ranking – bronze, silver, gold, and supreme. Where supreme is the strongest level of artifact, it is also known as divine artifact.

'Normally, a person can perform a sacrificial act towards any god they want. Gods won't reject free benefits for no reason, but I don't have a single material to perform such act! I can only put it aside for when my soul grows stronger...'

Suddenly remembering something, Veren contemplated.

There was something like forbidden knowledge in this world. Only the highest-ranking ritualist can store such information in their soul. Anyone weaker would have their soul destroyed in seconds.

Having read the novel, Veren knew some of them. But he suffered no such fate.

'Wait...What was it again....?' Veren felt horrified, he couldn't remember any forbidden knowledge from the novel.

'No! All of those forbidden knowledge are very useful for me in the future....tch!' Veren shook his head and laid down on the bed to get a nice nap, feeling dejected internally.

The next time he opened his eyes, it was already turning night.

Some mild headaches remained, which Veren ignored with ease.

'Now what should I do? I don't feel like exploring the mansion...feels too annoying.' Veren had already grown past his young curious self.

Rather, he thought it was better to know less about this mansion. Knowing more didn't benefit him in any way.

Veren took a pen and began writing in one of the books. He didn't bother writing the story progression and only focused on the things that he needed and where or when it appeared.

'Money is the most important…I don't want to live like in my past life. I need a gold maker...yeah, the only successor of the god of gold.' Veren's eyes shone.

There were being called god-kins in this world. They could awaken abilities possessed within their blood. Their potency depended on the amount of God's blood within them.

There was even a monster with 80% blood purity, having the capability to destroy kingdoms with ease.

'The successor of God of gold, he was a villain that I liked in the novel. He wasn't the type to go around and wreak havoc, but he liked making connections everywhere. Knowing him, he will definitely repay me if I save him from slavery.'

But....it had to wait. This successor had a major character development while becoming a slave.

'He is a god-kin, so he will start to understand his origins soon...' Veren continued to think and write further in the diary.

Leisurely eating dinner, Veren looked through the list he made. Being in his personal space, he didn't have to care about any manners as he ate.

After he finished the dinner, Veren solemnly put aside everything and sat on the ground. Looking at the memory in his head, he couldn't count how many times he had torn the bedding.

Veren calmly waited for the pain to arrive, having some confidence that he could withstand suffering quite well.

Seconds passed by like minutes.

Thick sweat formed on Veren's body, it was like his body was warning of what was to come.

It all started as an itch on his face, but the itch began growing exponentially, making Veren feel like his face was being poked by hundreds of needles.

It was then, that the nightmare officially began. The pain continued growing with no mercy.

"Ahhhhhhh! Fuck! Guuuhhkk!" Veren madly wanted to scratch his face, but the mask didn't allow it.

Veren understood then, that he had never truly experienced what true pain was. The feeling of being poked developed to being stabbed by swords, it spread across his body.

Veren's body began spasming from nightmarish pain. He couldn't even gather the power to crawl, his nail broke off his fingers – as he gripped at the mask. He just wanted to remove that mask no matter what.

"Save me...!!! Someone! Ahhhhghh! Die! Just die!!!" Veren began to strangle himself in the hope of dying and stopping this torture.

Veren believed himself to be strong-minded before, but now he knew. He was extremely weak. Weak enough to kill himself just due to the pain that he was most experienced in.

'Why??!!why!why!why!why!why!why!why!?????whywhywhywhywhy.....!!Why can't I die!!!??'

No matter how Veren tried to strangle himself, he didn't die. It was like his body didn't need oxygen to begin with. The dark divinity was all that it needed.

"Ahhhh...." A voice similar to a dying man kept leaving Veren's mouth, as he felt the pain not decreasing at all.

His eyes started growing emotionless, stripping away even the despair from him. Looking at his fingernails that were growing back, Veren accepted at that instant.

He was not a human anymore, he couldn't even kill himself.

The nails that grew back were fully black, it was like they were made of ink.

.....

In the morning.

"I brought your breakfast...."

"....." Veren blankly sat while his back was supported by the bed.

The maid silently tried to leave but froze feeling goosebumps rising all over her body.

"Hey, you…I need flesh, alive, anything alive will do...do you understand...? Give me a life sacrifice that's alive, right alive..." A voice similar to two metal scraping together left Veren's mouth.

"Understood." The maid calmly nodded her head. She had to inform the Duke urgently, that the second phase of the dark mask ritual had begun.