18 Night of Experiments

Reader Discretion Advised: Please be advised that this chapter contains visually disturbing scenes. Reader discretion is strongly recommended.

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The moon's luminous glow poured through a gaping hole in the roof of the abandoned house, casting an eerie light on the chilling scene below. Amidst the darkness and despair, a beautiful woman moved gracefully, her slender figure outlined by moonlight.

Before her stood a grim procession of more than twenty males and two females, all bound by chains, their faces twisted with fear and resignation.

"Welcome to this humble abode... Now that we have enough guinea pigs, let the experimentation begin," Roxana declared, her voice chillingly calm.

"You won't get away with this!" a man shouted, attempting to intimidate Roxana.

"Oh, you poor soul. Do you actually think I care? Regardless, all of you are the scum of society. Forget punishment; all I'll receive is a reward if I kill you all."

"As a sign of appreciation for your tantrum you get the honor of being the first volunteer of the night. Don't worry you will have my undivided attention for the next 15 minutes, dear."

With chilling efficiency, Roxana placed the first victim on the central table. The other captives looked on in terror, knowing they would likely suffer the same fate.

Roxana unsheathed her dagger in a swift, deliberate motion, the glint of the blade catching the dim light as she prepared to inflict the first of many wounds. With precision, she targeted the man's wrist, the sharp edge slicing through the skin to sever the radial and ulnar arteries.

His blood began to flow freely, a vivid contrast against his pale skin, marking the onset of a cruel and relentless status effect: bleed.

The man's screams shattered the oppressive silence, each cry a raw testament to the unbearable pain coursing through him. His agony resonated in the still air, a harrowing reminder of his dire situation.

Roxana, unmoved by his distress, eyed him with a cold detachment. Her voice, laced with a chilling promise, broke through his screams, "Wow, you sure cry a lot for only one cut... don't worry, you will get at least 40 more before you can finally rest."

"Though we're not in the abyss tonight, you will indeed experience the genuine essence of hell."

"And I forgot to mention the more you squirm, greater the number of cuts you get before death", Roxana mentioned, her smile as charming as ever; yet for the one on the receiving end, it was more terrifying than the wrath of a demon.

Her words hung in the air, a sinister pledge of torment yet to come. Each word was a stroke of dread upon his heart, the gravity of his plight becoming ever more apparent. The knowledge of the continued agony that awaited him added a psychological torment to his physical suffering, intertwining to form a tapestry of despair.

As the man breathed his last, a soul slightly darker than a demon's began to float up from his body, hovering above the table.

As Roxana devoured the soul, an unprecedented ecstasy surged through her. She sensed her mind flooding with endorphins and serotonin, a sensation of bliss that persisted for approximately 50 seconds.

"Ah, this never gets old... Though, transforming the souls into magic potions for consumption offers greater advantages for growth; it's just unfortunate that the potion lacks any flavor."

As Roxana reviewed her status, she noticed a significant increase in her magical power by 1.4 after absorbing this specific human soul, a sharp difference from the modest increase of 0.2 she had received from direct consumption of a demon soul.

She began to understand why her demon instincts were screaming at her to pursue human souls.

"Ah no wonder I had a feeling that human souls are special." "Could human souls actually be stronger than demon ones?" Roxana pondered, feeling surprised. "Is it because humans experience a broader range of emotions than demons? Or perhaps the fear and desperation this human felt, actually enhanced the quality of his soul?"

Upon eliminating another human and analyzing the outcome, Roxana noticed her magic power boosted by 0.6. It confirmed her theory: emotions indeed played a crucial role. It appeared that the emotional depth of humans far surpassed that of demons, rendering human souls more susceptible to manipulation and, thus, more potent.

She believed that even a demon soul, influenced by fear, might offer more power, but the increase would not compare to this magnitude. Additionally, demons rarely felt fear towards an opponent of equal or slightly higher strength; they were beings guided primarily by instinct.

This revelation led Roxana to a deeper understanding of the cosmic balance. She speculated, "Is this why the Gates of the Abyss in the Demon World are open to other realms? Could it be that all ancient demons realized the superior quality of human souls, and therefore began to invade other worlds in order to harvest them? This set off a cycle of invasions and harvests."

"But is it only fear and desperation, or do other emotions also have varied effects? Ah, there's so much to explore."

Roxana turned her attention to the third victim. "So you wanted to capture me and place me in a whorehouse, right?" Roxana asked.

"I'm sorry, please spare me." the woman shouted, her face covered in tears and snot. "I'm totally at your mercy, ready to be your slave or whatever you need, just... please, let me live. I'll do anything, anything at all. Just say the word, and I'm on it"

"Tell me, have you ever experienced the epitome of pleasure?"

"Huh"

For the following 20 minutes, Roxana employed her illusionary powers to envelop the woman in an experience of pure delight. The woman could be seen moaning and in a state of pure heat.

As the woman was overwhelmed by lust, Roxana moved closer with a predatory elegance, her eyes shining with expectation. "Can you sense it?" she murmured, her voice laced with guile. "The burning desire that consumes you from within?"

The woman's breath came in ragged gasps as Roxana's magic wrapped around her, filling her mind with visions of forbidden pleasures. "Yes," she moaned, her voice thick with desire. "More... please..."

Believing it was the right moment to harvest, Roxana swiftly decapitated the crop with a single strike. A blackish-pink soul emerged from the body of the woman as her lifeless head fell to the floor.

Interestingly, this soul increased her magic powers by 1.5 units.

Over the next three hours, Roxana conducted experiments on each of the remaining victims, and it was interesting to note that only anger produced an increase in her magic powers beyond the base margin of 0.6. As an emotion, anger could increase her magic power by 1 unit if the victim was killed while in a state of intense anger; rest of the emotions were meaningless.

As the experiments came to an end, all the corpses lay lifeless and severed on the ground. There was a distinct emotion etched upon each victim's face and the entire place was drenched with the nauseating stench of blood and guts, enveloping it in an atmosphere of horror and revulsion.

"It's time to return, but first, a thorough cleanup is required."

As Roxana distanced herself from the backdrop of the blazing house, she pondered, "It would really be something if I possessed fire attribute alongside illusion. That combination could essentially quadruple my combat and torture effectiveness. Perhaps fire should be my second attribute. But then, there's the allure of magma..."