Transcendent Dawn

Chikutal!

Margaret nearly exclaimed.

She watched as the creature approached, its wolflike head, sharp teeth and claws, and crimson fur, all distinctly clear under the reflection of the flames.

“I…I uphold the ancient contract, and sign with you…”

Margaret stuttered slightly, but she spat out the phrase of Professor Su Lu.

Chikutal was wise.

Its fierce vertical pupils took a quick glance at the altar and the ritual, which all seemed proper.

The petitioner was just an ordinary human, with no supernatural strength, but the sacrifice was very good, a large dog full of spirituality!

This was enough for a full meal, and even to advance certain abilities.

Well, more importantly, the woman was tied up tightly, and she didn’t have any supernatural strength.

The risk was low!

If it was satisfied with the meal, it might grant some abilities to this stupid human, so that she could bring more ‘sacrifices’.

Chikutal approached the ritual with dignity, opened its mouth wide, and displayed a mouth full of sharp white teeth.

“Whimper…”

Watching that drip of its saliva, Hallock whimpers out for help.

Watching the food struggle in vain apparently made Chikutal happier.

Bang!

Suddenly, a gun barrel appeared, and flame erupted from the muzzle without warning.

“Roar!”

Chikutal’s chest appeared to be a blur of flesh and blood. It roared angrily, looking like it was about to regenerate immediately.

“Woof!”

At this moment, the Husky, which seemed to be fixed on the altar and unable to move, jumped up and bit Chikutal’s right leg.

Puff! Puff!

A series of pale chains rose from the ground, binding Chikutal’s limbs from all directions.

“Good job!”

Then, Su Lu slowly emerged from the ground.

“Thank you, sir!”

Just as Margaret was about to reply joyfully, she was pulled by a force, moving her a few meters away.

Puff!

The ground where she was originally standing was covered with a layer of black liquid, making a hissing sound of corrosion.

“Roar!”

Hallark, seeing Chikutal’s mouth facing him, quickly let go of its mouth, turning tail and running quickly.

Su Lu saw that although Chikutal couldn’t move, its abdomen was bulging high. It was like the previous attack. He quickly stepped forward, fully opening the ability of the [Wanderer].

Before Chikutal could spit out acid, his Demon Hunting knife slid across its neck.

The sharp edge of the blade effortlessly cut through the tough skin of this mythical creature and easily severed the bone.

Poof!

Blood splattered.

Su Lu moved to its back, dodging its dying struggle, and slashed again, chopping the head of this horse-like beast off.

[XP+220]

“So… so fast!”

Margaret looked at Su Lu in shock: “Is this your real strength, Mr. Sean? The power of the Mysterious Person?”

She saw Su Lu’s figure almost blur into afterimages.

And to sever such a thick neck with two strokes of a dagger, how terrifying would the strength required be?

Just thinking about it gave her chills.

“Hallock, take Margaret and scout around…”

Su Lu wiped the filth from his demon hunting dagger, eyes fixed on Chikutal’s corpse.

Even though this mystical creature possessed a strong regenerative ability, a beheading sealed its fate.

However, its limbs twitched unconsciously, its severed head on the ground still opened and closed its mouth, attempting to maintain its intimidation.

“A-Acknowledged…”

Margaret, who had been unable to endure the terrifying scene, agreed and left with Hallock to a considerable distance away.

“It’s time!”

Su Lu let his Inspiration permeate, observing his surroundings before starting to disrobe.

He strode forward, using the ingredients stained with Chikutal’s hot blood to inscribe countless strange runes onto his body.

A dense array of runes covered his body, looking like an uncanny tattoo.

With each rune he marked, he would certainly chant the Language of Arrogance, channeling mysterious power.

In the end, he looked like he was wearing a blood-red bodysuit, each rune faintly pulsating.

Su Lu stepped forward, aimed at Chikutal’s corpse, and with a slash, removed its heart.

‘I always have my steaks well done… I hope there aren’t any parasites!’

His face filled with struggle, he opened his mouth wide and tore a large chunk of flesh from the horse heart.

These were part of a Flesh and Blood Ritual from the ‘Knowledge of the Mad God’.

The origins of the Flesh and Blood Ritual date back a long time. It is neither benevolent nor malevolent.

Among the native Gaosuo people, there’s a custom where, after hunting large beasts, warriors smear the creature’s blood all over their bodies to boast about their strength.

Its advanced version is renowned – the ‘Dragon Blood Baptism’. It is a prerequisite ritual for a [Fighter] to rise to [Dragon Warrior], and has trapped countless members of the church of the God of War.

The prerequisites for Su Lu to partake in this Flesh and Blood Ritual are… the aptitude for the ‘Language of Arrogance’ and finding a Chikutal beast to kill and use instantly.

The effect of the ritual is equivalent to ingesting an effective magic potion, enhancing physical constitution and agility.

The side effects? Being cursed by Chikutal. Should you encounter its kin, expect a frenzied attack, and possible haunting by its Revenant.

This would be an issue for individuals with a physical profession, but for Su Lu?

Even if this Chikutal turns into an evil spirit, he’s confident about sending it back to the Spirit World!

“Burp…”

Chikutal’s heart was large. Su Lu felt stuffed.

There was a strong taste of blood lingering in his mouth, quite nauseating.

He didn’t vomit. That would cause the ritual to fail.

Instead, he danced a strange dance around the fire, chanting the Language of Arrogance.

‘If a normal person saw this… I’d likely be considered crazy or sent to an insane asylum.’

Amid such an eerie aura, the blood runes on Su Lu’s body began to wriggle, like small bugs, crawling into his pores and into his body.

His body slowly became translucent, his skeleton and blood vessels visible. They gave off a fiery color as if being scorched and melted by fierce flames.

‘It’s starting… Based on my previous experiments, there shouldn’t be an issue…’

Su Lu nervously watched his attribute bar, observing his data:

[Ding!]

[You have performed ‘Xivinado’s Flesh and Blood Ritual’, Agility +0.5! Constitution +0.3!]

A while later, Su Lu, having returned to normal, clenched his fists, executing several combat movements, his joints cracking crisply.

“My injuries have completely healed.”

He got dressed, looking at the decaying and peculiar corpse of Chikutal, regretful: “Such a pity… I cannot repeat this Flesh and Blood Ritual, otherwise I could’ve used it to enhance my body to an unbelievable level.”

“But… this is enough!”

Su Lu clenched his fists: “With my current attributes… As long as I use the magic potion of Cat’s elegance, I will have the basic requirements to become a [Shadow Warrior]!”