DING!
~----~
[You have killed a Lvl. 15 Juvenile Cockatriss!]
[You have gained +334,700 EXP!]
…
[You have completed System Mission: Hunt the Juvenile Cockatriss!]
[You have been rewarded with +1,200,000 EXP!]
~----~
The valley was in a state of extreme commotion.
The Qi Beasts inhabiting this valley were in a state of hysteria and panic in the wake of the short battle that just concluded.
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
In the trees, the Gnaw Monkeys screamed hysterically in panic, scared out of their minds in the short display of power that they just witnessed.
Every Qi Beast in sight ran as far as they could, burrowing into holes, jumping into distant swamps, and even the Wild Boars that originally attacked the Demon no longer dared face him after seeing how he just killed the Cockatriss.
They now regarded the Demon with extreme fear and horror.
While the commotion happened around him, with one leg on top the mangled head of the dead Cockatriss and with the Goblin Cleaver loosely held in his right hand, facing down, Julian gazed down at his victim.
Looking at the helpless state of the once proud Cockatriss in death, Julian realized something.
'I am the apex predator'.
That realization ignited an innate pride within him.
In that moment, he was no longer just Julian Reid.
In that moment, he became an apex predator who terrorized a whole valley. The hysterical cries and roars of the Qi Beasts around him validated his feelings, igniting in him great pride and satisfaction.
In that moment, Julian understood the true meaning of debauchery and he understood what it meant to stand at the top of the food chain.
The pleasure of being the apex predator flooded him, filling him with immense pride and pleasure even as all the pores on his body opened, his mind unfurling freely with pleasure similar to having an orgasm.
And then the Debauchery System lit up with more notification threads.
DING!
~----~
[Congratulations! You have crossed a major threshold to finally understand the true Concept of Debauchery!]
[You have been rewarded with +5,000,000 EXP!]
…
[EXP to Level 12: 204,800/204,800]
[You have leveled up to Level 12]
…
[EXP to Level 13: 409,600/409,600]
[You have leveled up to Level 13]
…
[EXP to Level 14: 819,200/819,200]
[You have leveled up to Level 14]
…
[EXP to Level 15: 1,638,400/1,638,400]
[You have leveled up to Level 15]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the three Level 15 D Rank Initiate Mage Skills: Psychological Invisibility & Qi Armor]
>Psychological Invisibility: When activated, you create a psychological barrier that makes people easily disregard your presence.
[NOTE: Succubus are immune to this ability.]
>Qi Armor: When activated, you can briefly conjure a suit of full-body armor that can protect against both physical and magical attacks.
…
[EXP to Level 16: 3,276,800/3,276,800]
[You have leveled up to Level 16]
…
[EXP to Level 17: 250,005/6,553,600]
~----~
With one leg on top the corpse of his prey- the Juvenile Cockatriss, and with the Goblin Cleaver on his right hand, Julian felt like he was the Emperor of the world even as he looked down on this valley arrogantly.
No Qi Beast dared look him in the eye.
Even the wind seemed to bypass the sheer aura of his presence as nature paid homage to the birth of a new apex predator.
…
A few minutes later, the commotion finally died down as all the Qi Beasts in the vicinity disappeared, burrowing into holes and hiding inside nests.
No one dared face the Demon anymore.
Only then did Julian's emotions calm down as he finally acknowledged the changes in his body. His physique and physical ability didn't change, but his vast reserves of qi seemed to have experienced a marginal growth.
He also noted that some of his attributes increased marginally through his System Status, but Julian's most important gain was the fact that he was now Level 16 and the 2 new skills that came with his Level 15 breakthrough.
The explanation of the 2 skills didn't surprise him, he already read about them extensively in the library back in Dreadmoor.
The utility of the 2 skills was not as well-rounded and explosive as what he gained at Level 10, but unlike at Level 10, this was not a Class Awakening. This was just a regular 5 level skill unlock.
This didn't diminish the utility of the 2 skills though.
With his current combat experience gained from hunting in this valley, most especially after his clash against the Goblin Boss, Julian knew the importance of a skill like Psychological Invisibility.
The ability to make enemies disregard you can easily lead to a situation where you can one-shot assassinate an enemy.
Julian realized that it was even more important due to his towering physique.
With it, he would no longer look so conspicuous while hunting.
As for Qi Armor, its importance was evident. Unlike Kinetic Shield, this was an armor that can cover his entire body, overlapping with his Dragon Scale and most importantly, unlike the shield it could protect against both physical and magic attacks.
Overall, it was an upgrade that once again increased Julian's lethality in combat.
As for his bloodlines, he was not surprised when he didn't unlock new abilities, he was not yet at the right level.
Just like his Class Awakening at Level 10, unlike his Level 1 trait unlocks, at Level 10 he experienced a bloodline awakening for both his bloodlines which resulted in him getting both the Dragon Scale and Sin Catalyst trait.
Though his next trait unlock for his Demon bloodline would commence at Level 20, more bloodline awakening for his Demon bloodline would only commence at Level 30, 60, and 90.
For his Dragon bloodline, his subsequent bloodline awakening would commence at Level 30, 50, 70, and 100.
Julian exhaled.
From his calculation, he still had more than an hour to hunt before the time limit set for the rift would be exhausted.
He decided to make use of this time to continue hunting.
But with the valley already tamed to his presence, Julian finally set his sights higher.
He set his sights on the hill.