Kang Oh returned to Altein.

He needed to plan and prepare exhaustively. After all, Draka was a most formidable prey. Kang Oh had already formed a basic plan, so now he just needed to prepare.

"Mr. Kang Oh!" The kind, pot-bellied man, Man Bok, greeted him. There were oxen pulling ten wagons behind him.

"Welcome," Kang Oh said.

"Have you been well?"

"I've been fine."

They briefly exchanged pleasantries, and then they went straight to the point.

"I brought all the items that you requested." Man Bok removed the cloth covering one of the wagons. It contained all sorts of equipment.

"This is all the B-rank or lower items that I could get my hands on."

This would all serve as a meal for Demon Sword Ubist.

First, Kang Oh planned on raising Ubist to reinforcement +3. Then, he'd take a look at its new ability and plan accordingly.

"Thank you very much. How much do I owe you..."

"I used your share of the fish business, so you only owe me exactly 3,211 gold." As a merchant, his calculations were precise.

"3,211 gold, huh..." Kang Oh passed him the money, his hands quivering all the while, and he accepted the items.

"Eat, you money sink!" Darkness flowed out of Demon Sword Ubist. It crawled over to the wagon and began consuming the items held within.

[Demon Sword Ubist has consumed a Steel Lion Adorned Steel Sword.]

[Demon Sword Ubist has consumed Mage El's Damaged Robes.]

[Demon Sword Ubist has consumed a Wind Calling Pipe.]

...

[Satiation has increased slightly.]

[Satiation has increased slightly.]

...

[Satiation has reached 100%.]

[The demon sword has become even stronger!]

Finally!

Kang Oh beamed. At the same time, the jet-black demon sword unleashed darkness that surged into the heavens!

Kuooh!

A short while later...

The darkness began to calm, and Demon Sword Ubist returned to its original form.

"What was that just now?" Man Bok said, looking somewhat surprised.

"My sword became stronger," Kang Oh explained curtly.

"Is it always this loud?"

"It was noisier than last time, so I can't wait to see its new ability."

'Please be worth the money!'

Kang Oh looked over Demon Sword Ubist's item information.

[Demon Sword Ubist (Lv. 297/+3)]

The famed blade, Max Gemini, which was created by the renowned artisan, Max.

It contains the spirit of the King of Demonic Beasts and Abyss Predator, Ubist.

Darkness dwells within the blade, and the serrated pattern is representative of Ubist's fangs.

Shares its level with its wielder.

Untradeable.

Upon death, there is a high chance that the demon sword will drop, or the wielder becomes a monster under the demon sword's control for 24 hours.

+ Predation: Consumes all items. When the sword is completely sated, the blade will become stronger and gain a special ability.

[Satiation: 0.14%]

+ Gluttony: By consuming a BB-rank or higher item, you enter Gluttony mode. All abilities are doubled for a limited amount of time.

Steals stats from fallen enemies while Gluttony is active. Useable once per day.

+ Abyss Blade: A jet-black blade made of darkness. It is capable of cutting the immaterial like ghosts or spirits.

May absorb magic coming towards you once every 30 seconds. If magic is absorbed, satiation increases. (+1 reinforcement effect)

+ Fang Bearing Blade: You will occasionally land a critical hit, even if you don't strike at your opponent's wound, vital spot, or weakness. At this time, black shards will indicate the effect and your opponent's defense will be ignored. (+2 reinforcement effect)

+ Everlasting Darkness: Unleash the Abyss Predator, Ubist's destructive power all at once. In exchange for its massive power, it costs 3 stolen stat points per use. Active/Skill. 10 minute cooldown. (+3 reinforcement effect)

Rank: SS.

Abilities: Attack Power 513, Physical +149.

Minimum Requirements: Clear the Trial of the Demon Sword.

'Everlasting Darkness, huh...'

He needed to sacrifice stolen stats to use this skill. In other words, he needed to weaken himself to use it. But it wasn't bad. Though it would cost him some stats, its power should be massive enough to justify the hefty cost!

Plus, he could always just steal back the stats by killing some monsters. Of course, he had no intention of using it on the fly either, since it cost stats to use!

Kang Oh would only use it when necessary, as a trump card, and use it to begin a battle or to end it.

'Is it stronger than Tempest Tiger? I need to see how powerful it is firsthand.'

Kang Oh's body tingled with excitement. He really wanted to see how powerful Everlasting Darkness was.

"Are you satisfied with your sword's new ability?" Man Bok asked.

"Yes, it's not bad," Kang Oh said.

"Congratulations. You must be happy."

"Thank you, but it's not necessary. I think I'll need to go out and try this new ability of mine now."

"Alright. Then I'll get going."

"Take care."

Kang Oh left quickly. He knew someone that could objectively determine the skill's power.

Soon enough, Kang Oh had arrived at the intercity transfer gate.

"Teyno's Nest!" he yelled.

* * *

Once he appeared, the giant monster turtle, Teynos, opened its eyes. "Master. Long time no see? Today's not the day for your dungeon rewards..."

"How've you been?" Kang Oh said affably. It was the tone and expression that he assumed when he wanted something.

"I'm always the same," Teynos said firmly.

"Do you want this?" Kang Oh pulled out a giant bead from his inventory. There was a blizzard blowing inside.

"That's... the Mac Tribe's treasure, the Blizzard Bead!" The Mac Tribe was one of the non-human species that lived in the west.

"Yeah. I picked it up on the battlefield." Kang Oh had picked up several other valuable items as well. He was in the process of getting rid of them.

"I want it," Teynos said yearningly.

"Alright, you can have it. But I have a favor to ask you."

"Just say the word, Master."

"I'm going to attack you. I want you to compare the power of the attacks and tell me how they fare."

Kang Oh planned on testing Everlasting Darkness on Teynos in order to properly gauge its power.

"I understand, Master," Teynos accepted, his eyes fixed on the treasure.

"Here, take this first."

"Thanks." Teyno's shell split open and out came a tentacle that grabbed the Mac Tribe's treasure, the Blizzard Bead.

"I'm going." Kang Oh swung Demon Sword Ubist.

Tempest Tiger!

It was his most powerful technique!

The golden aura pounced on Teyno's body.

Boom!

Teynos was completely unscathed, but it furrowed its brows slightly.

"How was it?"

"It hurt a little. You've gotten a lot stronger."

"Really? Anyhow, tell me how this next attack compares to that one."

"Understood."

"Hoo." Kang Oh took a deep breath and swung his sword downwards.

Everlasting Darkness!

[Stolen stats have been consumed as a price for using Everlasting Darkness.]

[Physical -3]

A massive amount of darkness was expelled from his blade. The darkness violently spun like a drill and struck Teyno's shell.

Boom!

"Ugh." This was the first time he'd heard Teynos cry out in pain. Once the skill was over, Kang Oh saw a crack in Teyno's shell!

'Mm, it's way stronger than Tempest Tiger, even with its power quadrupled!'

Overwhelming power!

Kang Oh shuttered.

"That hurt way too much, Master!" Teyno's giant eyes glistened with tears.

Kang Oh quickly came over and petted him. "Sorry."

Everlasting Darkness. To think it was powerful enough to break through Teyno's defense. He hadn't expected that at all.

'I should've just tried it out on a monster. I ended up unnecessarily putting Teynos in a lot of pain.'

He didn't think it would pierce through Teyno's defense. That's why he'd asked Teynos to compare the power of Tempest Tiger and Everlasting Darkness.

He hadn't expected it to be this painful. Kang Oh couldn't help but feel sorry for Teynos.

"It's ok, Master."

"No, it's not. I won't do it again. Sorry." Kang Oh apologized again.

Kang Oh stayed with Teynos until its shell fully healed. Only then did he leave Teyno's Nest.

* * *

'Everlasting Darkness... I can really give it to Draka.'

Even Teyno's tremendous defense was unable to fully protect it from Everlasting Darkness. That would probably apply to Draka as well.

Kang Oh was excited; he could only imagine how it'd feel to use Everlasting Darkness against Draka. However, his hunting preparations weren't yet over. He couldn't head for Bernice Canyon just yet.

Kang Oh met with Grano.

"Mr. Grano."

"Mr. Kang Oh." The handsome middle-aged man wearing glasses smiled softly. "What did you come for today?"

"Do you know about wyverns by any chance?" Kang Oh asked.

"I do. Wyverns are skilled flyers, and are known for their brutality and intellect."

"I'm going to hunt a unique wyvern."

"A unique wyvern?"

"Yes, he's called Draka..." Kang Oh explained Wyvern King, Draka, in detail.

"Hoh, you're not sure whether it has the power to control the weather or not..." Grano opened his eyes wide. He was attempting to create a device that causes it to rain, so he was extremely interested in the notion that a monster may be able to control the weather.

"I was wondering if I'd be able to obtain any magic devices or scrolls that could help me kill him." Kang Oh went straight to the point.

"Hmm, do you have any specific tools or scrolls in mind?"

"I'll have to fight it in midair, so I'll probably need a flight scroll. If not, then a scroll that'll do a lot of damage to him."

The Great Tsunami scroll that he'd gotten last time had been critical to his success.

"The flight scroll won't be of much help to you. It doesn't let you fly as well as a wyvern. It only really lets you float and softly glide in the air."

"Is that so?"

"A scroll containing a powerful spell... We have some, but I can't give you one for free anymore. Do you remember last time? I made it clear that that was a one time thing."

Grano had definitely said that.

"I know. I'd like to buy a scroll at the proper price."

"One more thing! I can't provide you a scroll that's as powerful as the Great Tsunami scroll. Last time, you needed to fight the Evil God's followers, so I was able to get it for you. Normally, one wouldn't be given one of those unless they've contributed heavily to the Tower."

Kang Oh nodded his head. Then, he pulled out all of the wyvern skin he'd gathered thus far and passed it to him.

"That's wyvern skin."

Wyvern skin was a useful material. It was especially valuable in creating light and durable leather armor. It was also great for making a mage's robes too.

"I'd like to buy the most powerful scroll you have in exchange for all of this. Would that be possible?"

"Yes. If we don't have the spell that you want, then may I pick one for you?"

"Yes, I'll leave it to you."

"Please come back tomorrow."

"I will."

Kang Oh left the Tower and headed for the auction house. He needed to handpick the items that he'd use as fodder for Gluttony.

'I hope there's an item that'll give me a huge buff like Rakan's Blessing...'

Would an item of that quality really be there?