Mind Demon's Path of Domination

Mark smashed through a giant mushroom, juices splashing all over him. The enemy followed soon after, his Star Monkey body transforming to gain a layer of exoskeleton around himself.

Star Monkey Trait: [Bio Mech—Initial Lvl.]

Before the body leaped closer to Mark, it was smashed into the air even faster. Mark’s fist was strong, cold, and lethal but he didn’t immediately go for the kill.

"Your Bio Mechs makes your body slightly stronger than a Tier 2 Pinnacle Star Monkey," Mark praised mockingly. "But a pity that is. Your race seems inherently weak-boned. Even with your Bio Mech, you will barely match a normal Pinnacle Middle Demon physically, and if they use demonic tricks, you are easy pickings."

The enemy gritted his teeth and Mark suddenly felt an invisible force push him towards the ground. Mark grinned.

Star Monkey Trait: Esper Mind (Medium).

If he had been the Mark before entering the Savage World, he would have had a lot of trouble keeping this ability at bay. But the Mask of the Savage made him almost the same as a Low-tier Upper Demon, and that went in almost all areas except for Domains—which Tier 3 demons had.

He jumped, almost completely unaffected by the Esper Mind pulling him towards the ground. His body was too strong for that. But suddenly, he felt the Esper Mind’s power increase significantly.

An ambush from a hidden enemy!

Mark’s body slammed back into the ground. He couldn’t move, not even an inch.

This strong?! He coldly stared as the enemy above fell towards him with incredible speed. He is going to use that Ability of his—Star Fever, Mark concluded with iron cold rationality.

The Esper Mind currently holding him didn’t feel like one person’s job but a combined effort of tens of men joining their hands to use it against him.

They wouldn’t just use this much effort for a useless ability. He hadn’t been able to read the use of Star Fever yet, but it couldn’t be anything good. It was even the name of this World after all. It must be deadly!

"HUMPH!"

Mark’s body suddenly grew completely phantom-like and he moved through the Esper Mind’s influence.

Tier 3 Low-level Demonic Trick—Phantom Transformation!

The abilities of a mere Tier 2 could not affect a Tier 3 defensive ability. Mark appeared behind the man, dark wings flapping in the wind. But just as he was about to attack the man with a fast move, he felt his skin crawl.

He had been misdirected.

Star Fever was not an ability that was used on others.

It was an ability that was used on oneself.

Everything in this world has a lifespan. Planets, stars, and even black holes had a lifespan.

Rich and lively planets were bound to become dry and barren when the time came. Once bright, the stars were bound to go dim. Once dark and all-powerful in attracting, black holes were bound to transform into white holes that could only spit out what they had eaten.

But before they die, they would attain their own undeniable peak in life.

The most lively period of a planet.

The brightest day of the star.

The most powerful moments of a black hole.

Star Fever worked along that principle.

Once one uses it on oneself, they would become the peak of their own current self.

The self that one could have attained if they had never slacked on their training. The self that one could have attained if they had the optimal conditions to hone their current craft. The peak of self.

The enemy, who had seemed like a random Tier 2 Pinnacle suddenly changed.

He became a burning star.

A black hole ready to devour.

The brightest of all just before darkness strikes.

Ability: Star Fever!

Mark’s senses shrieked in alarm.

Star Monkey Trait: [BioMech: High Lvl.]

It went all the way from Initial to High, leapfrogging through Low and Medium.

The exoskeleton around the man morphed into an incredibly thick set of mechanical armor. Neon holograms shimmered around it, jet packs with nitro boosters thoomed behind, propelling the enemy forward. In that brief moment, Mark couldn’t even see the man due to the sheer speed by which he was pulled towards him.

Star Monkey Trait: Esper Mind (Pinnacle)

The punch hit Mark straight on his head and had he not been a phantom, he would have been completely oliterated. He felt a cold chill going down his back. But at the same time, he felt relief.

No matter how strong the power was, qualitatively, it was Tier 2—useless against Tier 3 defense. Seeing the danger, Mark didn’t play around and didn’t even try to get more information out of the man.

He ducked, appeared behind the man, and touched his back.

"You had me, for a brief moment."

Alchemic Shapeshifting.

With a poof, the man’s body exploded into a balloon of blood and gore. Mark avoided it all by becoming a phantom.

After it was over, he sighed as he returned to normal and looked around at the devastation around him.

How much more would he have to kill before this was over? And how many such strong talents as the man just now can the Star Monkeys bear to sacrifice?

Suddenly, Mark frowned.

Blood oozed down his lips.

There was another, more hidden part to the Star Fever.

One much more ominous and unexpected.

When someone kills a man in the middle of his Star Fever, a curse gets activated.

A cold, deadly curse.

If Mark had stayed in the Phantom Transformation state for a few more minutes after killing the man, he wouldn’t have been affected by this unseen force. But it was all around him, waiting to get him when he removed the state.

Mark touched his bloody lips with a twisting sensation in his gut.

All the people that he had ever killed flashed through his mind. Tens, thousands, maybe more by now.

Most of the people he killed had much more potential that they could have unleashed if he hadn’t killed them. Most of them had never reached their own personal peak. Their own brightest day would never be shown to the world, because he had nipped them in the bud.

They had not been blessed by the Star Fever.

All because he killed them.

And all of their desires to have seen their peaks suddenly entered into Mark’s mind with the power of an enormous torrent.

"YOU!" Faces roared. "I was the most talented Hunter and you killed me before my Kill Slave ability could blossom!"

"YOU!" Faces cried. "I had the potential to be a strong demon. To be really happy. But you killed me in my egg!"

"YOU!" Faces despaired. "You killed me!"

"YOU!" Faces screamed. "IF JUST YOU HADN’T BEEN!"

Mark suddenly snapped back to reality. More flying ships were surrounding him now, and they had a much more serious vibe around them. Once again, faces appeared in his eyes, blinding him to the enemy’s advance.

"You have been cursed!" Reol’ran hissed. "This is bad. You have to find the condition to get rid of this curse soon. Curses tend to grow stronger as time passes, and yours will grow stronger and stronger with every creature you kill!"

Mark flapped his wings, flying into a ship.

In a few seconds, it crashed into the war-torn ground with an explosion and he walked out, eyes glazed over as many enemies moved to kill him.

"YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU STOLE MY LIGHT!"

"YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU!"

Mark screamed into the heavens. "How many more are you sending? Do you not care for your subordinates, you fucking monkeys!"

A mocking voice spoke leisurely, loud enough to echo through all of the land. "I will send them to you till you are bowing in defeat. Until your limitless energy is all consumed—until your will to live is shattered. Until you are so tired, you can’t even think of moving. Until you are dead, consumed by the curse of all you killed.

"And don’t bother asking any of them for my location. Nobody knows. Not even I know. You know right? A God doesn’t tell where he resides, but he is everywhere. To you, I am him. God.

"Now get back to battling. If it takes years and millions of Tier 2 Pinnacle sacrifices to kill you, I will do it that many times. Believe me—I have enough time to slowly watch you die. And yet, you won’t even get to sleep till you die.

"I am expecting a good show. Don’t disappoint me."

Mark felt his senses warp even more.

... was that the truly powerful of this world speaking?

Mark’s luck was indeed fucked.

He was thrown into a world where his chance of survival equaled abysmal.

YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU!

Ah... you...

YOU KILLED ME!