Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 199 Maximizing Benefits
"Crack.."

The eerie blue flames flickered slightly, scattered like stars on the demon hound's jet-black fur. Since its original owner was dead, the flames grew smaller and smaller, and were extinguished by a gust of wind.

The alleyway was dark again.

On the narrow path, the massive corpse of the demon hound lay sprawled, almost completely blocking the way. The air was thick with the lingering stench of sulfur and blood.

Even after death, will it not revert to its original size?
Lu Ze stood on the giant dog's head and looked down, thinking to himself.

Not only their size, but the demon hounds also retain their goat horns and bat wings. I recall reading some internal Night Watch documents where one viewpoint suggested that the essence of "demonicization" is the loss of physical control. This is because they have become utterly cold-blooded, which is remarkably similar to a state of being out of control.

Whatever, I'm not specifically looking to study these things.

Lu Ze opened his palms toward the corpse, intending to try to graze its soul before its spirituality dissipated.

"call--"

The "Eye of Wisdom" and Klein, who were talking, simultaneously heard the howling wind, and the previously damp air suddenly became extremely cold. Looking up, they saw that Luzer's palm was swirling with cold wind, forcibly pulling the soul of a black dog from its corpse.

"Woo-"

Crimson light flew out from the corpse and merged into the soul of the black dog, which was howling pitifully. After that, the translucent soul struggled and was sucked into Lu Ze's palm.

This is called "herding".
Klein was surprised.

"Hehe, impressive."

With an inquisitive gaze, Essinger Stanton observed with the eye of wisdom.

Lu Ze closed his eyes, sensing the soul of the demonic giant hound, trying to figure out its specific situation.

Good news, grazing is possible.

This is a Sequence 6 demon with many powerful abilities.

Firstly, the abilities gained from lower-sequence demonic pathways primarily enhance the constitution of extraordinary individuals, making them more ruthless and granting them mastery of certain demonic spells, such as curses and poison flames.

At Sequence 7, the "Serial Killer," the Extraordinary gains a unique ability to summon demons, allowing them to conjure projections of demons from the abyss. However, this requires appeasing the demons through a series of murders, and the process takes a very long time.

However, by the time a Sequence 6 demon is formed, its abilities are greatly enhanced. A "demon" will possess the special ability of "demonic transformation." After demonic transformation, the body will become closer to that of a demon, which can reduce damage and curses, and make it immune to most toxins.

In addition, demons possess abilities such as "malice perception," "magma sword," "sulfur flames," and "filthy language."

"Malice perception" can detect an enemy's malice towards you, but it has significant limitations and requires two prerequisites. First, the other party will inflict fatal damage on you in a very short time; second, the other party has already taken concrete action.

Under these two conditions, a demon can sense danger, know its source, and formulate measures, but cannot know the specific details of the other party.

It's very useful, but the only problem is that this skill is a passive effect, and it must be kept active for a long time to stay in effect.

As for the Magma Sword, Luze had already seen it; it's a very powerful melee weapon. "Sulfur Flame" is the ability to manipulate a ghostly blue flame, infused with toxins, capable of creating fire cages or erupting suddenly. And the Filthy Words are even more formidable; however, compared to Luze's simple mental attacks and instant-death curses, the demon's Filthy Words also possess effects like "slowness" and "corruption."

So many abilities, all seem useful, but I can only choose three. Which three should I choose?
Lu Ze pondered.

First, "Demonization" is a must-have ability as it's a signature skill. It reduces damage, grants immunity to curses and most poison effects, and when combined with existing abilities like "Paper Doll Substitute" and "Flesh Regeneration," it can ensure your defensive capabilities in multiple ways.

Secondly, "Magma Sword," as a powerful melee weapon, is also worth considering. Currently, he doesn't really have any useful melee abilities; he relies entirely on flesh magic to absorb damage and engage in close combat. As for the third option...
The remaining abilities are malicious perception, sulfur flames, and foul language.

We can rule out any obscene language for now, as Luze himself has already received blessings from the true Creator. However, we can certainly learn from it and try to develop other uses for it.

The conflict between sulfur flames and arsonists is that the only difference is that the sulfur flames are poisonous. However, the arsonists' flame manipulation is more precise and they are better suited for "flame leaping".

As for malicious perception, to be honest, it does have some effect, but not much.

Because Luze must maintain a grazing state at all times in order to ensure that he can sense any malice that threatens him, but that is not realistic.

Consider it a supplement during battle; it might be useful in detecting enemy ambushes during combat.
Lu Ze thought to himself.

After a while, he finally determined the three abilities of the herdsman: "Demonization," "Magma Sword," and "Malice Perception." He fixed the demon hound's soul in the corresponding position within his body, leaving two empty slots.

"That's a truly powerful ability."

The Eye of Wisdom approached and said in a friendly manner.

Although he contributed to the battle, he didn't seem to covet the extraordinary traits. Instead, he watched the entire grazing process with the curiosity of a researcher.

"Mr. Stanton, why are you here?"

"Klein asked."

“This place isn’t far from where the party is. I noticed something was wrong, so I came to check it out.”

"I see," replied Eisinger Stanton, his temples now gray, turning his attention to the giant dog. "The killer is an animal. No wonder the previous investigations were fruitless."

He carefully observed the scene, muttering to himself as if he were reasoning and analyzing something.

A moment later, Stanton suddenly snapped out of it and smiled sheepishly under their gazes. "Oh, sorry, I'm used to observing the scene, I almost forgot about you guys."

He cleared his throat and looked at Lu Ze. "Sir, do you still need this body?"

The corpse of the demon dog?

What do you need the corpse for?

Lu Ze frowned.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Isengard Stanton, from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. I currently work as a detective in Backlund and have good relationships with the police department and official extraordinary individuals."

Isengard immediately explained, clearly showing some awe towards Luzer: "This beast has committed multiple serial murders in Backlund. The authorities contacted me, hoping I could help them find clues. Currently, the authorities have offered a reward of 2000 pounds."

"If you leave the body to me, I'm confident I can collect the bounty."

　Regarding "malicious perception," according to the encyclopedia, sequence 6 has more restrictions, while higher sequences are more restrictive.

　　According to the original text, the official reward was £2000, but Klein and a group of detectives split £1000 because the police felt their contribution was insufficient, as they had only conducted an investigation and had not participated in the arrest.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)