Devouring Dragon Heir-Chapter 38: Ch Progress

Klaus was now sitting on a heap of dead monster bodies, the remnants of his latest conquest, the Boss of the Swamp Python Cave.

The ground around him was slick with blood and dissolved organic matter. He looked at his status panel, which floated before his eyes, its glowing interface unaffected by the gore.

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[STATUS]

Name - Klaus

Age - 20

Bloodline - Human (Devouring dragon bloodline (Unawakened)

Physique - Human ( Devouring dragon physique (Unawakened)

Realm - Mortal

Grade - S

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He had finally achieved S-grade status after successfully defeating and absorbing ten S-ranked bosses.

It had been five relentless days since he began his campaign of devouring dungeons.

After absorbing the Frost Fang Dungeon, his speed of progress had been unprecedented.

The Omniscient Tracking (SSS) skill he had gained from that dungeon proved invaluable, allowing him to quickly locate dungeon cores and bosses, optimizing his clear times.

His goal was to unlock and significantly grow four of his elemental affinities: Ice, Fire, Earth, and then Darkness.

He aimed to acquire strong, high-ranked skills for each. The gates he had devoured up until this point were:

Frost Fang (Ice): An A-ranked dungeon focused on ice elementals.

Blazing Claw (Fire): An A-ranked dungeon with fire-based monsters.

Fiery Goblin (Fire): Another A-ranked fire dungeon.

Lava Hounds (Fire): A third A-ranked fire dungeon

Orc Haven (Earth): An A-ranked dungeon dominated by earth-based creatures.

Lizard Men (Earth): Another A-ranked earth dungeon.

Swamp Python Cave (Earth): His most recent grind was his third A-ranked earth dungeon.

After absorbing the elemental energies from these six A-ranked dungeons and their respective bosses, his elemental affinities had dramatically increased. His current affinities looked like this:

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ICE AFFINITY: 1.9%

FIRE AFFINITY: 3.2%

EARTH AFFINITY: 2.9%

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Now, Fire had become his strongest and most prominent element, surpassing the others in its percentage.

However, he noted that all his elemental affinities were still within the 8th tier (the 1% to 10% range).

This meant that the fundamental effects of each affinity which were enhanced elemental resistance, increased manipulation capabilities,

and lowered mana consumption were broadly similar, with only the numerical strength and scale of these effects differing based on the percentage.

His control over fire, for example, felt better than his control over ice.

Meanwhile, he had also accumulated an impressive 40,000 Draw Points (DP).

This vast sum would theoretically last him for years, assuming he didn’t need them in large, continuous amounts.

He remembered earlier the system had told him that the highest tier of draw feasible for this planet, the Supreme Draw, had become much cheaper for him now,

presumably due to his increased rank

He decided that he would stop absorbing low-ranked skills, specifically those below A-rank, and had exclusively focused on acquiring A-ranked skills or higher.

He assessed that lower-ranked skills were no longer providing meaningful power upgrades or utility, except in very special, niche cases he had yet to encounter.

The lower-ranked skills he had absorbed earlier in his journey were gradually becoming useless as he progressed through the ranks.

He had considered using the System’s "Sacrifice" feature, which allowed him to convert unwanted skills into other resources or power.

However, the System had consistently adviced him from doing so whenever he thought about it.

He didn’t know the precise reason for this advice, but he didn’t question the System much about it.

It had served him well so far and had never forced it’s will on him, and he trusted its judgment in such matters.

He assumed there was a greater purpose for these "useless" skills that he had yet to uncover.

The high-ranked skills he had absorbed from the bosses of the dungeons he cleared were the true prizes. These included:

{auth note - below are just brief one line summaries, their detailed effects will be shown ewhen klaus uses them in a fight}

Fire Skills:

Infernal Monarch’s Decree (S): A powerful skill allowing him to command and conjure immense, searing flames, typically used for widespread destruction.

Cunning Conflagration (S): A more nuanced fire skill, focusing on manipulating existing flames, creating fire traps, or subtly burning targets from the inside.

Molten Earth Devourer (S): A unique fire skill that allowed him to liquefy earth and rock with extreme heat, creating molten hazards or converting terrain into lava.

Earth Skills:

Warchief’s Earthen Bulwark (S): A defensive earth skill, allowing him to erect immense, durable earth barriers and fortifications instantly.

Primaeval Swamp Tyrant (S): A versatile earth skill focusing on manipulating muddy terrain, summoning swamp creatures, and generating powerful, sticky quagmires.

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These were all effective, high-ranked skills, which could help him with AOE and crowd control in case he was surrounded.

The rest of the skills he had encountered during his dungeon clearings were not up to his requirements, either being too irrelevant, too weak, or simply not fitting his evolving combat style.

But Klaus knew one thing now, he had become virtually unstoppable on this planet.

He could confidently tell that he could easily fight two ranks above his current S-grade with the combination of his raw physical power, his rapidly growing elemental affinities, and his formidable collection of high-tier elemental skills and summons.

And if he happened to encounter an even stronger individual, someone truly beyond his current capabilities, he had already formulated contingency plans for that scenario as well, ensuring his survival and continued progression.

Klaus now also possessed a total of eight additional subspaces, unique pocket dimensions.

These included two Ice Domains, three Fire Domains, and three Earth Domains.

He had simply named them Ice World_1, Ice World_2, Fire World_1, and so on, maintaining a simple, functional nomenclature.

He was already thinking about fusing them together in his interface because the System had hinted at earlier,

once he returned to his accommodation. He believed that fusing these domains would create more vast spaces for his use.

Furthermore, he could now summon monsters related to each gate he had absorbed.

This included a total of seven S-ranked bosses, one from each of the A-ranked dungeons he had cleared, along with various lower-ranked creatures.

This provided him with a personal army, an invaluable asset for future endeavors.

The only dungeon left on his immediate list, according to his initial plan, was an S-ranked dungeon with a Darkness element.

This gate was known as the Undead Cemetery.

Owned by the Holy Sword Guild, which was one of the top five guilds on the entire continent.

They were a formidable organization, widely known for their strict adherence to a powerful, church-based ideology.

They were affiliated directly with the Church of Light and devoutly believed that the God of Light was the most supreme being in the universe, the ultimate divine authority.

Their current Pope was considered one of the strongest leaders of humanity, a figure of immense spiritual and combat power.

Some whispered that he had even transcended the SSS-rank,

a level of strength that was generally considered the absolute pinnacle of individual power attainable by mortals, though these were still just rumors.

Klaus didn’t pay much attention to such gossip because he wasn’t interested in the politics or religious beliefs of human factions.

He knew that soon, given the unprecedented pace of his growth, he would not need to worry about any of them hindering his path to power.

They would simply become irrelevant obstacles in his ascent.

He looked at his internal watch. It was well into the evening, the digital display indicating the passage of time.

He had been relentlessly grinding and clearing dungeons for five consecutive days without any sleep, powered by potions and his System’s efficiency.

He was currently still inside the Swamp Python Cave, his latest conquest, having just defeated its formidable boss.

The colossal, serpentine body of the Python King lay inert before him, awaiting absorption.

Meanwhile, his Omniscient Tracking (SSS) skill had easily spotted the dungeon core, which was surprisingly located directly under the python’s massive nest. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Klaus, wasting no time, immediately initiated the absorption process.

He absorbed the boss and the dungeon core together in one seamless process.

The essence of the S-rank Python King flowed into him, granting him its skills and traits, while the dungeon core, the very heart of the gate, began to disintegrate.

The moment the dungeon core was fully absorbed, the space inside the gate shuddered violently.

A blinding flash of light engulfed Klaus, and then, as swiftly as he had arrived, he was ejected from the disappearing dungeon.

The moment he was ejected into the outside world, Klaus immediately activated Apex Velocity and Phantom Veil.

He disappeared from sight instantly, leaving the group of astonished onlookers and security personnel guarding the Swamp Python Cave in utter shock.

They had just witnessed a massive, A-ranked dungeon gate shimmer, shrink, and then vanish into thin air, leaving behind only a normal, rocky landscape.

The world outside, specifically the capital city where these events were unfolding, had already descended into chaos after the repeated disappearances of dungeon gates.

This was the eigth gate to vanish without a trace.

And the weirdest, most unnerving thing that was common among all 8 disappearances was their location,

they all happened in the same sprawling capital city, one after another, seemingly out of nowhere.

The guild masters who owned these vanished gates in the capital city were now sweating out of sheer stress and financial ruin.

Their multibillion credit worth assets, their sources of power and resources, were simply gone.

Some formerly famous and powerful guilds had already lost their footing in the capital city, where the competition between guilds for resources, influence, and talent was incredibly high and ruthless.

The sudden loss of their primary income sources, their prized dungeons, meant they were quickly losing ground to their rivals.

Various theories were being frantically debated to explain the unprecedented phenomenon.

Some, particularly the more superstitious or religiously inclined, claimed that this was the sinister work of powerful demons, perhaps a precursor to a demonic invasion.

Meanwhile, another group, relying on ancient lore, vehemently argued that the land itself had been cursed, perhaps by an ancient malevolent spirit or a forgotten deity.

Investigations were launched, resources poured into studying the sites, but no concrete answers emerged.

Meanwhile, the one truly responsible for all the chaos, the perpetrator of these cosmic disappearing acts, was enjoying the simple luxury of a hot shower in his private accommodation.

Klaus felt the warm water cascade over his body, washing away the grime and residual fatigue of five days of relentless dungeon grind.

He therefore allowed himself a rare moment of relaxation.

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