While I am pleased with the results of devour it leaves me with a lot of unanswered questions about the guardian. Obviously it was not just a normal beast, could it be that the ancient mages actually placed it here to guard the mountain? If there are any answers to be found they will most likely be inside the library at the top of the mountain.

Since I was already planning to check out the library nothing really has to change. If anything I will just end up having to spend more time inside the library. Before that though I search what's left of the body until I find the beast's core and then stare at it intently.

*Legendary Item*

Sacred Beast Core

Would you like to absorb it? Y/N

'Can I? Should I? What's the worst that could happen?'

"Yes!"

Absorbing Sacred Beast Core!

Core Fusion Commening!

"Core fusion?! No! Cancel! Abort!"

Despite my pleas the process begins and the crippling pain hits me just like last time. All I can do is drop to the ground and curl into a fetal position before darkness takes me. When I wake up the baby is licking my face and seems worried about me.

Sitting up is a struggle, not only do I hurt all over but I feel really weak for some reason. In fact I feel like my body is too heavy to move properly, I even check to make sure I don't have the manacles on. Right, the core fusion must have done something to me, I need to see what it did.

"Status!"

Name: Ash

Race: Black Lion Sacred Demonic Beast

Type: Unique Sacred Beast

Rank: 0

Titles: (4) The Merciful, Blessed by the Light, Anti-Hero, Angel Slayer

HP: 4072/4072

SP(Sacred Power): 1325/1325

Strength: 50(525)

Agility: 50(284)

Endurance: 50(377)

Intelligence: 204

Wisdom: 397

Charisma: 166

Willpower: 50

Luck: 25

Toughness: 35

Regen: 10

Unspent Points: 50

Fire Resist: 70 Cold Resist: 32 Magic Resist: 25 Hellfire resist: 31

Shadow Resist: 35 Lightning: Greater Immunity Physical Resist: 28

Darkness Resist: 20

Abilities: (8)

Quests: (5)

Skills: (17)

Combat Skills: (10)

Magic Skills: (3)

Crafts: (14)

Beast Skills: (2)

Mental Skills: (5)

Sacred Skills: (5)

'Huh? I'm a sacred demonic beast? What's that? Rank zero?!?! I have to start all over again?!'

As I am thinking things through I pet the little one to calm it down, it climbs into my lap and curls up. So it looks like my physical stats are being limited and that is why I feel so weak. Is it because I am rank zero?

If so then ranking up is my new priority, I can't continue up the mountain while I am this weak. It also looks like everything that was demonic has been changed to sacred, even my demonic power is now sacred power. Wait a second, I thought I only had four demonic abilities!

"Sacred Skills!"

Sacred Skills: (5)

Sacred Touch Level: 1

Absorb Level: 1

Lightning Aura Level: 2

Sacred Body Level: Max

Sacred Assault

"Huh? What is that new one? Sacred Touch?"

Sacred Touch

Level: 1

SP Cost: 100

Healing touch; heals Wis x2

"A heal? Yes!!"

'Let's see, wisdom times two. Wait, my wisdom went up almost a hundred points?! So I can heal for almost eight hundred?'

Except for having to start over with the rank this turned out awesome just based on the healing ability. With my current sacred power I can cast it thirteen times, which basically means I can fully heal myself a little over two times. And that is just at level one, I'm betting the healing will go up if I raise its level.

First though I have to raise my rank, I'm not even sure I can make it to the cave like this. I feed the little one some meat from my pouch and wait till it falls asleep in my lap. Once it is asleep I close my eyes and enter meditation, then I sink down until I can see my core.

It is still the same size but now it is a dark green in color, I guess it is meant to represent wind. I know a lot of games at least used green for wind, even though it always looked more like an earth color to me. Either way, I focus in and start using my sacred power to chip away at the outer layer of the core.

Core Upgrade Progress: 57%

After about an hour's work my sacred power is exhausted, but I have made decent progress at least. Unfortunately, it will take hours to restore my sacred power and the sun will be setting soon. Staying out here I risk death from exposure so I struggle to my feet and start trudging up the slope towards the cave.

The little one wakes up when I move but seems perfectly content to stay in my arms and be carried. It isn't acting like a wild creature at all, maybe I should give the thing a name. After all, it looks like I am going to be here a while, and it isn't like I was planning to just leave it to fend for itself.

With how young it is there is no way it can survive on its own, and since I already feel bad about killing its mother I can't just let it die. The first thing I do is roll it onto its back and pet its stomach while I look to see what gender it is. Since I can't find any obvious signs I am just going to assume that it is a girl.

So I need a good name for a girl, it needs to be a cute name since she is such a cute little thing. Thinking about names helps me ignore how sore I am and how much trouble I am having breathing. By the time I reach the cave my legs are trembling and I am gasping for air, a mix of the altitude and how weak I am right now.

Once inside the cave I collapse next to her nest, I put her down in it and pet her until she settles down. Then I go into my recovery meditation to restore my sacred power, while I am meditating I go through all sorts of names before I find one I like. It is from a book I read in my past life and in that book's language it means 'One who is beloved'.