Born Out of Darkness

Inside the cocoon, more and more cracks appeared on Karsha's body as the Demon Fruit essence continued to transform the very fabric of his being.

The main reason Karsha consumed the Demon Fruit last was due to the system warning him of the possible side effects.

While there are various easier ways to awaken the Darkness element, using the Demon Fruit is considered an unconventional method. In fact, if an expert found out Karsha had used a Demon Fruit merely to awaken his element, they would either cough up blood in outrage or kill him outright for wasting such a valuable treasure.

The Demon Fruit is meant to be used when comprehending Darkness-related laws like Death, Decay, and similar concepts. Using it as a mere trigger to awaken an element is something many would consider a waste.

However, who is Karsha? He is someone with a God-killer system destined to battle and kill gods. Using a Demon Fruit to awaken an element is but a normal thing to him.

This reckless and power-hungry decision, however, comes with a hefty price: pain. The pain that comes from consuming a Demon Fruit without already possessing the Darkness element is unbearable.

Karsha was really in over his head, and now he was paying the price. His body continued to crack, and he screamed in pain within the cocoon. There was no one present to sympathize with him; he was his own witness.

Slowly, five hours passed, and the process continued unabated. Eventually, the cracks on his skin began to heal, and the darkness around him seeped into his body.

Unlike his previous awakenings, which involved terrifying changes, this time only minor alterations manifested in his physique. However, his eyes underwent a profound transformation, appearing utterly terrifying.

Instead of his golden-red eyes, he now had pitch-black eyes. They held no beauty, only terror.

This new gaze was more sinister than even his previous blood-red eyes. Staring into those large, round black eyes conveyed only one clear message—danger.

The new temporary eyes appeared to be a doorway to the deepest abyss. Looking into them threatened to pull your very being into the darkest depths.

After the cocoon dissipated, Karsha accessed the system and began checking his messages. He had received quite a few, most of them warnings about the dangers of consuming the fruit.

However, a few messages stood out.

< Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully consumed a 10,000-year-old Demon Fruit >

< Ding! Congratulations, you have awakened a darkness element: Absolute Darkness >

< Because you couldn't absorb all the darkness essence, a part has been condensed to awaken an innate talent ability: Third Eye; Demon Gaze >

< Because you couldn't absorb all the darkness essence, a part has been condensed to form one active skill, one passive skill, and a skill book >

< You are advised to master the Absolute Darkness element to awaken the full potential of the Demon Gaze >

Karsha's eyes widened as he read through the messages. While this may sound like a normal thing to someone like Karsha, the darkness element he had awakened is anything but ordinary. There are various forms of Darkness, there is decay darkness, Control darkness, and death darkness.

While their use is quite literal in their naming, there exists a form of darkness that reigns supreme over all other manifestations of darkness: the Absolute Darkness. True to its name, Absolute Darkness is absolute, endowing it with immense power.

It embodies properties of decay, death, and all other facets of darkness, possessing the ability to adapt to any form of darkness. It encompasses every aspect of darkness, rendering it the most potent form.

However, comprehending Absolute Darkness requires understanding the essence of all forms of darkness. As the saying goes, great power comes with great responsibility.

It's not an overstatement to say that Karsha has awakened the strongest element in existence, yet remains unaware of it. Since the system can only provide limited guidance for now, Karsha remains in the dark about many things.

But perhaps, that is for the best since knowing a lot comes with its share of troubles.

< Absolute Darkness >

-- They say the night is when darkest beings can reign supreme, while that may be true, there is no need to wait for the night if you can create your night. Tap into the essence of the absolute darkness and become the bringer of nights, the prince of darkness, the shadow demon.

"Poetic as ever. Makes me wonder if this is the universe doing or the system" Karsha smiled heavily as read the description of the Absolute darkness element.

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< Third Eye: Demon Gaze >

-- They say two eyes are enough, but what if there was a third eye? One that has direct contact with the soul, consciousness, and terror.

[Demon Gaze]

-- Gaze into the eyes of your enemies and make them experience what real fear feels like. What ever you can think of, your third eye can do. 

-- The third eye can be used to house terrifying existence by capturing them and storing them in the depths of your gaze.

-- You can also capture the deepest fear of your targets and store them in your third eye.

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"System, what is an innate ability?" Innate abilities were new to him, so he turned to his one and only helper, the system.

< Innate abilities are abilities that originate from within the consciousness of a person. They are inherent and cannot be learned externally. >

"So that means I always had this terrifying skill even before I transmigrated to this world," Karsha asked again.

< That is correct. >

"Holy shit, I was this terrifying and didn't even know it," Karsha laughed out loud.

"System, how strong is my third eye?"

< At this point, it's nothing but a void of darkness, so you can only use it to intimidate. However, when you start storing darkness and terror, you can incapacitate even those three realms above you. >

"So I need to capture nightmares, huh?" Karsha let an evil grin spread across his lips. "I wonder what kind of nightmares Vance has every night."

< Let's not get ahead of ourselves, host. You still need to increase your mastery of the darkness element if you want to have a shot at capturing nightmares, fear, or pain. >

"You don't have to worry about that, system. I know my limits," Karsha said confidently. He then turned his attention back to the system, ready to explore his new abilities and chart the path ahead.

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[ Death Beam: C ] (Tier 10)

-- By using 10,000 MP, shoot laser focus razor sharp beams of pure darkness from the eyes. This beam contains all kinds of terror so even if it doesn't draw a hole in the target's head, it will leave them some terror package and mental shock.

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"Turning me into Superman, huh?" Karsha smiled slyly. The ability to shoot beams that deal with both physical and mental attacks was something he hadn't expected. But then again, he had just awakened a third eye, so it wasn't too strange to add a skill that allowed him to shoot focused beams.

While many wouldn't believe in such a bizarre ability, Karsha had already started formulating ways to use the Death Beam for sneak attacks.

"What's the best way to kill your opponent if not by staring daggers at them and then, in an instant, BEAM! A hole right through their head, killing them instantly?" he mused to himself.

"I like this skill," Karsha said, letting his happiness run wild. Turning back to the system, he accessed the passive skill, eager to explore its potential.

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[ Erase (Passive) ]

-- When looking at people, the chances of them noticing your gaze are next to impossible.

"Creepy, but I like it," he said, retrieving the skill book. He had expected something other than eyes, but to his surprise, the skill book was also eye-related. However, it was a good one.

---

< Eternal Demon Gaze >

Tier: 10

Rating: E

-- Manifest a magnanimous eye that carries the terror of a thousand. Let those who gaze into it experience a world of terror.

-- It takes 10,000 MP to activate and 5,000 MP every second to maintain it.

< Does the host wish to learn this skill? >

"Yes," Karsha replied immediately. While the skill might seem underwhelming at first glance, he already saw the potential behind the Huge Demon's eyes.

"Also, add it to the Red Eye Tiger. I will be adding it to the domain," Karsha instructed.

< The host has awakened all 8 elements, and the skills affiliated with these elements have been automatically added to the domain. Master them to unlock the full potential of the Death domain. >

"Wait, when did that happen?" Karsha exclaimed. He had been struggling to add new skills to the domain, finding the process extremely difficult. Now, however, the skills had automatically been integrated into the very domain he had been wrestling with. He couldn't believe it.

If Karsha knew he had achieved in less than a month what many geniuses would take hundreds of years to accomplish, he would have clapped for himself.

At his level, having a domain that powerful shouldn't have been possible. He needed to be at the Great Sage stage and comprehend a law to even consider forming a domain.

Yet, Karsha had not only formed a domain, but he had also incorporated three different elements into it, making it seem like a walk in the park.

Now, he had somehow gained a domain with all 8 elements incorporated into it. While this was already impressive, the real shock would come when he managed to raise his affinity for all 8 elements to High. Once he achieved that, he could transform the domain into something even more terrifying.

< After awakening all eight elements, the Red Eye Tiger skill has evolved, unlocking a unique ability called Inclusion. Its use is simple: whatever skill is added to the Red Eye Tiger will automatically be added to the domain. >

"So, I can add as many skills as I want?" Karsha asked.

< Yes. There is no limit. However, low-tier skills will have little to no effect on the domain. >

"That's good enough. I guess I'll start my training now. I only have 36 days to master my skills," Karsha said, smiling evilly as he let his consciousness slip into the Subspace. For the next 864 days, he would train and master his skills inside the subspace, while spending only 36 days in the outside world—more like 18 days, thanks to the Time Tablet doubling the training period.