Ch. 164 - Anatomy

Adam realized there was a misunderstanding. They wrongly believed he planned to let them off easy. What he actually meant was, "I might offer you a quick death."

Because the four didn't want to cooperate, Adam was willing to use harsher ways. In fact, a master-servant pact didn't need the consent of both sides, just that the controlling party was more powerful than the controlled one.

Adam removed the language barrier of the devil, then swiftly swung his claws, dragging the closest person, Carter, near him, his sharp nails stabbing into Carter's forehead.

The devil felt ecstatic, sensing that he was slowly finding its purpose in his eerie existence.

After combining with Garfield, he now had a physical form capable of action. In this Plane, he wasn't treated as a mere expendable troop by Adam. Truly, forming contracts brought the devil immense joy.

Remarkably, he refrained from rambling, instead fervently infiltrating Carter's mind, causing chaos in Carter's mental realm, and only unwillingly finalizing the contract at Adam's insistence.

The other three fighters couldn't grasp what happened to Carter, but they anticipated nothing good would follow. As a result, they angrily hurled insults, accepting their doomed fate with the mindset that no agony could surpass their present ordeal, choosing to vent all their frustrations.

Adam brushed off their angry words, methodically overpowering them one after another. A deep silence enveloped the room once all the contracts were sealed.

"Master, these individuals, like your young maid, lack structured cultivation practices," the devil informed Adam, having briskly browsed their memories.

After briefly studying data when he made a contract with Lina earlier, Adam understood that Lina was unfamiliar with cultivation techniques; her element use was purely instinctual. Yet, one instance wasn't sufficient to reach a conclusion, which led Adam to think about investigating the dragon slayers more closely.

"What's going on with his magic?" Adam questioned, indicating Jace.

"These two spiritual entities are siblings. The power they hold isn't exactly magic; they call it sorcery, a natural skill," the devil answered, forcefully seizing control of the siblings' bodies, while the glow of elemental fire and the shimmer of enhancement spells appeared one after the other.

"This guy has a natural affinity for fire elements. When these elements enter him, they transform his body in a way he doesn't quite understand, creating a pathway. Later, he can use powers similar to magic, the young girl operates the same way. This dwarf and the wind elf function similarly, housing elements naturally and displaying fighting strength. Based on their chaotic level categorization, they acquire a fresh skill each time they advance a level."

The devil paused and then said, "It is quite similar to a demonic beast."

Adam agreed internally. The absence of a structured cultivation method, the reliance purely on instinct to manipulate elements --- that's exactly characteristic of a demonic beast. It made sense that they were relatively weak. Creatures such as demonic beasts were largely determined by their bloodline purity: the purer the lineage, the stronger they were. Those with mixed bloodlines could not surpass their inherent boundaries without knowledge of purification techniques.

While the beings of this world remained oblivious, Adam was adept in this field. Bloodline purification was a facet of ancient magic. In the Mage World, since it was deemed worthless and exceedingly barbaric, no one employed it. However, if one had enough authority, it was accessible. Adam had not only recorded this information upon reaching a level one authority but had also unearthed some concealed secrets of the Hill family.

The devil spoke again, "Master, the dragons are an exception. They uphold traditions and possess cultivation knowledge. Many dragon-slayers confront generally non-aggressive dragons primarily to inherit the dragons' legacy."

Adam's eyes narrowed briefly, an unexpected desire to analyze himself intensifying within. Given the persistent pursuit from the origin of the world, he reluctantly dismissed the thought, vowing to seize a dragon with an intact legacy to satiate his scientific curiosity.

With self-examination no longer an option, Adam turned his ominous gaze onto the quartet of dragon-slayers.

"Master, I need to rest now!"

The devil trembled intensely, relinquishing control and retreating hastily into Adam's consciousness amidst a wisp of smoke. It recognized that menacing stare all too well. Whenever Adam looked at something with such intent, the scrutinized entity would undoubtedly suffer significant damage. It had even neglected to communicate details of the Dragon Slayer Guild it had found to Adam.

Adam acknowledged this with his typical indifferent nod, silencing the devil's ability to speak before conjuring a slender ice blade, as fragile-looking as cicada wings, on his fingertip. He approached Carter, who lay nearest to him on the makeshift table.

The icy blade pierced Carter's flesh with ease. Adam applied a soft force, parting Carter into two, revealing his internal anatomy to Adam's scrutinizing gaze.

Before, Carter had been compelled into a pact and remained alive, his awareness vaguely present. Now, witnessing his own dissection, he finally lost consciousness, seemingly having his desire for release fulfilled.

Adam was indifferent to Carter. Having extracted their memories, the sole purpose Carter and the others served was to be anatomical subjects for dissection.

Several hours later, they had transformed into scientific samples, preserved meticulously in ultra-cold storage units.

The meticulous examination proved to be highly informative.

The inhabitants of the Dragon Plane indeed harnessed elements similarly to magical beasts, their hearts pumping elemental power through their veins to augment their physical capacities. The richer their blood was in specific substances, the more streamlined the transfer of elemental power.

Embedded within them were intricate networks fusing together to craft unique energy pathways. When elemental power successfully navigated these pathways, it could be released from their bodies, initiating what is identified as 'magic'.

However, Jessie's skill appeared rather distinct, with the enhancing magic more akin to a mesmerizing influence, convincing the recipient that they have undergone enhancement.

Before sunrise, a weary Lina stepped into Adam's chamber. Witnessing the quartet of containers brimming with biological specimens and the four heads arranged before Adam, she retreated a few steps.

"Is there a problem?" Adam asked eagerly. The dissection process was nearing completion, and he was eager to uncover any hidden insights regarding the legacy present in the brain matter.

"I must apologize, master, but I was only able to form bonds with just over half of our tribal members," Lina reported softly, her gaze rising.

While Adam was dissecting Jace's cranium with a blade, he queried, "How so?"

Terrified, Lina promptly averted her eyes, unable to endure the gruesome scene. "It felt as if my head was on the verge of bursting, preventing me from proceeding with the bond initiations. Additionally, some of the tribe members were unyielding and opposed the process staunchly," she conveyed with haste.

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