Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

Luke didn't know how far he needed to investigate in order to receive the full payment.

While the cultists were singing in the mill, he quietly dealt with one of the cultists standing in the corner and put on his black robe.

While he was still hesitating about whether to take action directly, the portal that appeared in the hall changed his mind.

The mysterious spatial power emanating from that crack gave Luke a sudden realization.

This gave him a deeper understanding of the elusive and evasive maneuvers that were just a step away from being the key to victory.

Luke couldn't resist and followed the other believers inside.

I was hoping to make some new discoveries, but I didn't expect to be introduced to the "swearing an oath by chewing your finger" segment right away.

Since there's no way to hide, the only option left is to go on a killing spree.

Killing them all should count as completing the investigation, right?

Why are you here?

Village chief Flint couldn't understand it.

During the day, he deliberately led the other party to the home of the hunter who was on the verge of insanity.

In his opinion, the adventurer should go into the woods to investigate.

The investigation was bound to be fruitless, as the space had been folded up.

Flint was met with Luke's wielding of his fine steel sword.

Save the unnecessary chatter for after the battle is over.

To Luke's surprise, the scene of blood splattering and heads falling to the ground did not occur.

The black finger bone clenched in the old man's hand was now emitting an eerie glow.

Like a protective shield, it easily deflected Luke's sword strike as he unleashed [Gluttony Slash].

Luke felt as if his sword had struck cotton, all the force of which had been absorbed.

Flint seemed surprised to see the black finger bone possess such an ability, and a look of delight appeared on his face.

As he retreated, he raised his arms and shouted to the other cult members:

"Kill him!"

A burly man, seemingly a staunch supporter of Flint, rushed out at the first command.

This is the village butcher, and probably the most powerful fighter among these believers.

However, Luke considered the other party's clumsy movements as child's play.

He deftly twirled his sword, and with a light slash, he cut open the burly man's throat.

The obese body immediately collapsed to the ground, blood flowing out and slowly trickling along the patterns of the magic array.

The village chief's order was clearly a bit too much for him.

Although these people are cult members, they are all ordinary people.

They could only use goblins to deal with low-level adventurers, let alone now that they were facing a professional.

The village chief stroked the black finger bone, and a crack appeared again.

Several goblins slowly emerged from the crack.

These goblins' bodies were unnaturally swollen, and they were a size larger than normal individuals.

Black energy swirled around him, and his expression was more ferocious than ever before, his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty desire.

As Flint pointed at Luke, the abnormal goblins, like wild beasts that had lost their minds, swarmed forward.

Luke also noticed the goblins' unusual behavior and immediately activated [Imagination Manifestation], empowering the ogre.

[Imagination Manifestation] does not offer a significant improvement after being upgraded to level 2.

It only extended the duration of the ability boost by about half.

Previously, the ability to empower ogres could last for five minutes, but now it can last for nearly eight minutes before it wears off.

The first goblin had already charged in front of us, its mouth wide open, with foul-smelling saliva hanging from the corners of its lips, looking like a madman.

Luke immediately used [Gluttony Slash], splitting the opponent's body diagonally in two.

One-hit kill.

But the other goblins ignored him, showing no fear whatsoever, and continued to charge at him relentlessly.

Such a fearless fighting style is entirely driven by the attitude of trading one's life for injury.

No wonder that adventurer team failed.

Luke retreated while looking for an opportunity.

While the goblins' frenzied state boosted morale, it also left many openings for attack.

During every opening in the attack, Luca's half-sword was like the Grim Reaper wielding his scythe, easily severing the head of a goblin.

Despite the power of mysterious forces, a goblin is still just a goblin.

For Luke, resolving this battle is only a matter of time.

But on the other hand, what village chief Flint needs most right now is time.

Seeing that Luke was being held back by the goblins, he led the believers in a quiet prayer.

As the prayer ended, the magic circle beneath their feet began to glow.

All the runes drawn with blood seemed to come alive and began to dance.

Large amounts of black mist rose from the magic circle, enveloping each cultist who had sacrificed their index finger.

"Village chief, what is this?"

As the black mist crawled all over their bodies like tentacles, the believers were filled with suspicion and doubt.

"What's the panic? This is a gift from the gods!"

Flint stroked the black finger bones in his hand, trying to calm the crowd.

"But why do I feel so much pain all over my body? It's like this black mist is devouring me!"

The believers writhed and struggled violently, seemingly enduring immense pain.

"That's normal! This is the gods reshaping your bodies!"

The screams grew louder and louder.

The black mist was almost tangible, sweeping up and enveloping the black-robed figures who had offered their index fingers.

The cultists' bodies shrank instantly, their flesh and blood being drained from their bodies in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, the group of men in black robes turned into more than a dozen dried corpses, lying on the ground.

Luca had just finished off the goblins and looked at the cultists who had been drained of their life force, and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

This village chief was much more ruthless than him.

Flint's body is also undergoing changes.

The black mist began to spread throughout his body along the black finger bones.

This emaciated old body seemed to spring back to life, with fresh flesh and blood quickly filling it up.

Before long, he had recovered to his prime.

"you......"

Before Flint could speak, Luca's sword was already at his feet.

"Bang!"

The aura emanating from the black finger bones blocked the sword strike once again.

Luca flexed his fingers after his sneak attack failed.

The protective shield of the black finger bone was automatically triggered, and its range seemed to be larger than before.

"Don't waste your time; you are facing a blessing bestowed by a great god!"

Flint appeared calm on the surface, but he was also thinking about a solution.

Although he has regained his youth, he was not a professional when he was young.

Despite the protection of the black finger bones, the aura seemed to offer only passive defense and was still no match for Luca at the moment.

After a moment's thought, Flint held the black finger bone in his palm.

With hands clasped together, he knelt before the magic circle and began the final ritual.

This ceremony was also the catalyst that led to the annihilation of his former village.

The reason is simple: if successful, the destructive power could even wipe out a small country.

That is:

A ritual to bring down the gods.