The Sabertoothed Tiger’s vestige felt the danger right away. At this rate, he would not only lose his physical body but also his soul forever. As Bathory’s Vampiric Sword approached his corpse, he heard a scream that sounded like a ghost from hell beckoning to him. Goosebumps rose all over his skin.

Yeon-woo put his hand on the Sabertoothed Tiger’s body, which began to wither away at a quick pace.

[You have used ‘Bathory’s Vampiric Sword.’ You have received vitality and vigor.]

[Your strength has increased by 2 points.]

[Your dexterity has increased by 1 point.]

....

『No!』 The vestige ran at Yeon-woo with a shout, realizing too late what Yeon-woo was trying to do. The human had the power to perform energy drain and forcefully take someone else’s energy to turn into his own.

Yeon-woo’s energy drain was one of the superior ones that not only took energy but sucked up the soul as well. Yeon-woo had been waiting for this moment, which was the only reason he’d returned to the Sabertoothed Tiger’s territory. He wanted to absorb as much magic power as possible before it dissipated. Even without a Neidan or the heart, a Legendary Beast’s still contained a great deal of magic power.

‘Also, it would be nice to collect the soul of a Legendary Beast.’ The Black Bracelet could only collect the souls of those he had killed. However, it didn’t matter if other people were also involved in the killing. As long as he was even a tiny bit involved, he could take the soul. However, he wasn’t sure what would happen if he used Bathory’s Vampiric Sword. What would the Tower’s judgment be?

The Saber God had killed the Sabertoothed Tiger, but like other Legendary Beasts, the Sabertoothed Tiger could return to his origins and resurrect. This was the reason Legendary Beasts had vestiges; even undergoing death didn’t mean that they were truly dead. Yeon-woo was hoping that this loophole would mean that if he inflicted more pain on the Sabertoothed Tiger, it would count as killing him since Bathory’s Vampiric Sword also damaged the soul. There was a chance that the Tower might not recognize it, but it was worth a shot.

『Arrgh!』 The vestige stopped releasing energy to attack Yeon-woo as he went down on one knee. Yeon-woo instinctively understood what had happened. ‘It worked.’

『Shit! Let go!』 The vestige screamed at Yeon-woo, his eyes bloodshot. However, the corpse continued to wither away at a rapid rate.

Yeon-woo felt new strength entering his body as his empty Magic Circuit filled up and his body grew sturdier. It was a shame he couldn’t get the Tiger’s Neidan or heart, but the amount of power he took was almost enough to make up for it.

[Physical growth has been confirmed. The halted succession progress will resume. 99.8%...]

The Dragon Body took in all the energy, and his vessel grew larger, thinking that his body wouldn’t be able to contain the energy.

『Ahh! A mere human!』 The thought that he’d not only been killed by a mere human, but also robbed of his achievements which he’d accumulated over the past years, plus the fear that he might really die made the Sabertoothed Tiger scream in fear. The vestige, which had been flying around in the air like a broken doll, scattered into dust.

[You have successfully absorbed the Sabertoothed Tiger’s corpse. You have achieved absorbing the vitality. You have achieved absorbing the soul.]

[‘Bathory’s Vampiric Sword’ skill proficiency has dramatically increased. 30.1%]

[You have succeeded in collecting all four inheritances of the Legendary Beasts. You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished. Additional karma will be provided.]

[You have received 5,000 karma.]

[You have received an additional 3,000 karma.]

[The powers of the Four Legendary Beasts are clashing within your body. Blessing of the Blue Spirit (Temporary) is combining all the powers.]

[The combined power is being added to the Magic Circuit. ‘Magic Circuit’ skill proficiency has increased. 52.1%]

[Your strength has increased by 15 points.]

[Your dexterity has increased by 12 points.]

[You have earned the title ‘Plunderer of the Sabertoothed Tiger’.]

[Titles ‘Phoenix’s Successor’, ‘Void Dragon Contractor’, ‘Abyss Turtle’s Substitute’, ‘Plunderer of the Sabertoothed Tiger’ are being combined into one.]

[You have earned the new title ‘Successor of the Legendary Beasts’.]

[Title: Successor of the Legendary Beasts]

[A title awarded to the player acknowledged by all the Legendary Beasts on the 11th floor.]

[Effects:

Resistance against all elements by 15%.

Control over Magical Creatures like Mythical Beasts dramatically increases.

Also, with the blessing of the Legendary Beasts, your innate powers are being activated.]

Yeon-woo slowly opened his eyes and broke into a smile. Even though he’d felt it many times, he never got used to the joy of growth. ‘It’s a shame that my Dragon Body still isn’t finished, despite everything.’

[The succession process has finished.]

[Current Progress: 99.9%]

The process had slowed down to a crawl, but at least all he had left was that seemingly insurmountable percentage. He was happy especially because his strength had improved vastly. Magic Circuit circulated restlessly, and the Cores started to activate again with the help of Heaven Wing Mana Control.

Yeon-woo didn’t stop there. He still had the Sabertoothed Tiger’s soul. The Black Bracelet trembled as though it would break. The Sabertoothed Tiger’s tier hadn’t fallen at all even in death.

“Tweet!” Chirpy spread his wings as if telling Yeon-woo not to consume it all by himself.

“OK. Don’t rush me.” Yeon-woo smirked and spread out his hand. A black light glowed around the Black Bracelet, and the spirits inside turned into dark energy. He converted all the souls except for Shanon’s, because he still had a use for that particular one.

『Human…! Human…!』 The Sabertoothed Tiger’s soul sobbed, but even he couldn’t win against the Black Bracelet, and he was turned into a Spirit Bead. It was the largest one yet, and it gleamed like a jewel. Yeon-woo tossed it to Chirpy. The bead was almost as big as his head, but he pecked it into smaller pieces that he could swallow.

Spirit Beads made up of the souls of Legendary Beasts sold at astronomical prices but Yeon-woo gave it to Chirpy without any hesitation. The more Chirpy grew, the more he felt he could grow too.

Chirpy finished the bead, and a foggy light enveloped him that turned into a blue flame. Chirpy soared into the air with the flame, growing into the size of a falcon. When the flame faded, Chirpy’s sharp beak and eyes appeared, his crest glowing a light blue color while the rest of his feathers were gold. There were black patterns that seemed to follow the path of a fire all over his plumage. He was only a little under fifty centimeters, but when he spread his wings, he became a more intimidating size of one meter.

[The baby Phoenix (Chirpy) has been able to grow with the Spirit Bead. It is causing the appearance of ‘discord’.]

[The dark energy has lifted some of the innate evil.]

[All tests have been finished.]

‘What?’

Yeon-woo’s eyes widened at the unexpected message. ‘What does it mean? How can the tests be finished?’

[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished. Additional karma will be provided.]

[You have received 5,000 karma.]

[You have received an additional 3,000 karma.]

[Your health and mana will be restored.]

[All status effects will be removed.]

....

[All karma is being added together.]

[Current karma: 11,500 points]

As the messages continued appearing, Yeon-woo realized that he was missing some information. He wondered if his egg had hatched, but when he accessed his connection with it, he sensed that it was merely sleeping deeply. That meant only one thing. ‘Is this because of Chirpy?’ It was the only thing he could think of.

『Thanks. Master.』Now that he’d grown a bit, Chirpy could now communicate in words. To Yeon-woo, it looked like Chirpy was smiling.

‘Is this it? Since Chirpy is also a Mythical Beast, the system thinks I’ve hatched Chirpy.’ Yeon-woo looked for the message that he received when he first arrived at the eleventh floor.

[Your job is to hatch your own Mythical Beast. Protect the egg until it hatches. The beast that is fed with your dreams and devotion will become a great partner for the long journey waiting ahead of you.]

‘Oh, so it is this.’ There was a trick to this. He didn’t have to hatch the egg he’d been given. It was enough to nourish a Mythical Beast with his dreams. Chirpy had been connected to Yeon-woo the second he was born, and he had grown with Yeon-woo’s help. And so, the perfect contract was completed, and the system recognized his accomplishment.

‘I thought it would take a lot longer to get off the eleventh floor.’