You were given the authority to tame beasts, not to raise unspeakable animals.

The streetlights overhead cast a dim yellow light.

It's probably old. The filament is struggling to survive inside the glass casing.

The light flickered, causing the shadows to twitch.

Chen Mo stared at the strange man kneeling on one knee in front of him.

My hand instinctively pressed against my pocket. My bank cards were there.

I had barely received the 50,000 yuan when I was robbed?

Race: Human (Abyssal Corruption State)

[Danger Level: B+]

The scarlet characters flickering on my retina were almost black.

Chen Mo appeared calm on the surface, but his nerves were taut like a fully drawn bowstring.

Grade B+

In the power rankings of this world, this means the pinnacle of the Commander level.

If the other party had murderous intent, they only needed to flick a finger. Right now, he and the still-growing Xiao Hei would be turned into a pile of minced meat on the ground, indistinguishable from one another.

Running away is clearly the most foolish option.

Chen Mo stood still.

Then, unusually, he took a step forward.

His gaze swept over the silver mask. His tone was casual and indifferent.

You're blocking my way.

His tone was flat and even. There wasn't a trace of fear in his voice.

But these seemingly innocuous words reached the ears of the man in black robes.

He is a senior observer of the Brotherhood in Yellow, Keeper of the Secrets 07.

The sound was more deafening than thunder.

That was the whisper of a superior being offended by an ant.

"Please...please forgive my offense!"

The man in the black robe kept his head bowed low, his forehead seemingly buried in the dusty concrete.

His voice became distorted and shrill from excessive excitement. It sounded like he was about to cry.

"Humble servants are merely offering insignificant sacrifices to the supreme abyss."

Those withered hands trembled violently.

From the shadow of the wide sleeves of his robe, he pulled out a decaying wooden box. It was only the size of a palm.

The moment the wooden box appeared in the world.

The air in the alley was frozen.

A strong odor filled my nostrils, like an old corpse soaked in formaldehyde.

Before you could even get used to it, the pungent smell of sulfur followed. It made your throat feel tight.

The box was covered with disturbing, twisted marks. Black mist kept seeping out from the gaps.

I could even hear the groans of countless male goats in heat.

If an ordinary beast tamer stood here, even just glancing at this box, their mental sea would likely be reduced to ruins.

But in Chen Mo's eyes:

[High-energy food discovered!]

[Item: Black Goat's Broken Horn (Fragment)]

[Quality: Epic (Flawed)]

[Effects of Consumption: Significantly increases the growth rate of the Chaos attribute and unlocks the physical mutation branch.]

[Note: Although it's slightly spoiled, it still has the crunchy chicken flavor that's rich in ancient recipes.]

Chen Mo's eyebrows twitched.

Delivery person?

Are villains these days all so polite?

The muscles that had been poised to strike slowly relaxed. When he looked at the strange man again, his gaze softened, as if he were looking at a lucky charm.

"For me?"

Chen Mo reached out and took the wooden box.

My fingertips touched the lid. A chilling force, strong enough to corrode steel, tried to climb onto my skin.

But the moment they made contact, the force receded rapidly, like a startled bird, and retreated deep into the wooden box.

Under the watchful eye of the all-knowing, every curse must bow.

This seemingly effortless action, in the eyes of the man in black robes, became irrefutable evidence.

God.

They ignored the curse of the Black Goat of the Forest. They didn't even bother to set up a defensive barrier.

This is the walking of the divine among men. This is the truth that walks above the abyss.

The man in the black robe knelt there, trembling like an electrified sieve. Cold sweat had already soaked through his back.

Chen Mo ignored the other party's crazy behavior.

Hold the latch with one hand. The lid pops open.

At the bottom of the box lay a piece of black keratin the size of a fingernail. The texture on its surface rose and fell, as if it were breathing.

"Why is there only this much?"

Chen Mo frowned slightly. He picked up the fragment and examined it.

His tone was exactly like that of an old man picking and choosing meat at the market.

"The quality is so-so, and the skin is peeling from being dried out. It looks like it's been stored for several years."

Is this what you call a sacrificial offering?

Not even enough to fill a gap between Little Black's teeth.

These words sounded like a harbinger of divine punishment to the man in black.

For a moment, my heart completely forgot to beat.

The Lord is disgusted. The Lord is angry.

This is a sacred relic that was risked to bring out from an S-class forbidden zone. Even a cardinal of the Holy See would be corrupted if he touched even a tiny bit of it.

In the Lord's eyes, it was merely a dried, substandard product?

"Please...Please forgive me, Lord!"

The man in the black robe slammed his head against the ground. Each slam of his forehead landed solidly on the concrete.

The dull thud was sickening. Fresh blood quickly trickled down.

"Your subordinate is incompetent! Your subordinate is incompetent! Next time... next time I will definitely find fresher blood for you!"

Chen Mo looked at the other person's demeanor, as if they were about to commit suicide to atone for their sins, and felt somewhat helpless.

Forget it. I have no right to be picky about a freebie.

"Alright, stop kowtowing. I don't kill."

Chen Mo patted the side of his backpack with his other hand and unzipped it slightly.

"Little Black, dinner's ready."

The command had barely been given when the Cthulhu cub, already drooling over the aroma, impatiently stretched out its wet tentacle.

It didn't reveal any mythical true form either. At this moment, it behaved just like an ordinary octopus that hadn't eaten for three days.

With a flick of its tentacle, it tore the fragment into its bag.

Still not quite done, he scraped around the edge of the box, licking away the layer of old, black grime.

Click.

Click.

A crisp cracking sound echoed through the deathly quiet alley.

It sounds like chewing chicken cartilage.

That black goat horn, powerful enough to shatter the sanity of the entire city, was now huddled in that cheap canvas bag, a crunchy snack.

He didn't even burp.

The backpack swayed twice. The resentment of not having eaten enough almost overflowed.

[Consuming fragments of the Black Goat's Law will cause your growth rate to skyrocket!]

[Satiety +50.]

[Analyzing the laws... Evolution preparation in progress.]

The black-robed man kneeling on the ground listened to the chewing sounds. His very soul trembled.

He caught a glimpse of a breath leaking from the gap in the backpack.

That aura was more ancient than the Black Goat. Darker than the abyss. It was a truly indescribable overlord of the sea.

So, this sir really is the shepherd who exists.

I actually fed an Old One with my own hands.

An almost morbid sense of glory filled the black-robed man's chest.

He tilted his head back. The eyes behind the silver mask shone with a frightening light. It was the madness of a believer seeing the true God.

"Thank you for your bounty, my lord! It is an honor for this piece of rotten wood to become nourishment for your pet!"

Chen Mo remained silent.

This person is definitely not mentally sound.

However, considering the expensive cat food he had given him, Chen Mo decided to let him off the hook.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll head back. I have class tomorrow."

Chen Mo tossed the empty wooden box back to the man in black. He turned around and prepared to leave.

"Lord! Please wait!"

The man in black robes quickly crawled two steps on his knees. His voice was muffled by the dust, carrying a cold, anxious tone.

"Those mad dogs from the Vatican have already smelled the scent and are coming over."

"Today's match was too big a commotion; the 'Refuser' was right in the stands. Although you possess boundless divine power, your current vessel is not yet fully awakened..."

"Please be wary of those hypocrites in white robes. If I survive, I will present you with information about the 'Lost Relics' in three days."

The voice just fell.

The man in black robes kowtowed deeply. His form then melted away.

Like a drop of ink falling into an underground river, it seeped into the shadows on the ground in the blink of an eye.

Only that empty wooden box, reeking of a foul odor, remained. It lay forlornly under the streetlamp.

"The Vatican..."

Chen Mo stood in the lamplight, his fingers stroking his chin.

In this world, the Glorious Church is not only a behemoth, but also the holder of the ultimate right to interpret justice.

Any power that deviates from the elemental order will be branded as heretic and then burned at the stake.

That display of "spiritual pollution" today was indeed a bit too high-profile.

"This is troublesome."

Chen Mo sighed. He scratched the bottom of his backpack through the fabric.

"Did you hear that? We're now in reserve for being wanted criminals."

A muffled groan came from the backpack. It meant, "Forget the flood, let me get some sleep first."

Chen Mo shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Also.

there is always a solution to a problem.

If those charlatans dare to come knocking on his door, he wouldn't mind letting them see for themselves what a real miracle truly is.

……

Push open the door.

The rented room was only twenty square meters. Chen Mo casually tossed his backpack onto the single bed.

The bed board protests every time I turn over.

Little Black, who usually clamors to watch TV as soon as he enters the house, is unusually quiet tonight.

The backpack's fabric was ironed to an alarming degree. It looked like a hot water bottle that had just boiled was stuffed inside.

Chen Mo pulled open the zipper.

That previously limp, black, gelatinous mass was now contracting and expanding like a heart.

The mucus on its surface is rapidly drying and hardening, congealing into a thick, black shell.

[Ding! Evolution program initiated.]

Estimated time: 6 hour.

Please remain quiet and do not disturb the sleeping cub.

"That's how it evolved?"

Chen Mo stared at the dark egg, a hint of anticipation rising in his heart.

In its early stages, it did nothing but act cute and scare people. After evolving, it should at least have some real skills, right?

Although the man in black robes seemed somewhat insane, he was right about one thing.

In this world, only strength matters.

After a quick wash, Chen Mo lay down on the other side of the bed. He drifted off to sleep, accompanied by the mournful sound of police sirens outside the window.

The night is getting darker.

A sliver of moonlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, landing precisely on the black cocoon.

On the surface of the cocoon, countless fine runes moved silently, as if they were alive.

Click.

I don't know how much time passed.

A faint, crisp sound suddenly rang out in the deathly silent room.

Chen Mo was a light sleeper to begin with. The moment the sound reached his ears, his eyelids snapped open.

He didn't move. He just held his breath and turned his head to look beside him.

It can be seen by the moonlight.

The black cocoon had already cracked.

The little black creature, originally the size of a palm, has now swelled several times its original size.

It resembled a pool of spilled black oil, taking up half the bed. Several thick tentacles even dangled down to the floor.

The oppressive atmosphere in the air was more than ten times heavier than before. It made people feel suffocated.

But that's not the most terrifying one.

Chen Mo saw it clearly.

In the very center of that constantly writhing black body, above where the single eye had originally been.

The skin and flesh roll up to both sides.

A brand new compound eye. Overflowing with an eerie purple light. It is slowly and methodically opening its eyelids.

The image reflected in that newborn eyeball was not Chen Mo's face.

It is a door.

A rusty bronze door, tightly shut, leading to a bottomless abyss.

The eyeball moved stiffly for a moment, then fixed its gaze on Chen Mo, who had just woken up.

Then.

The gaping maw, ripped open to the ears, suddenly opened wide, uttering a clear human word.

"Father……"