Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 932: A Pity

Hearing Malrik’s words, Asher was stunned for a moment. He had wanted to return to the Wargrave Estate in order to eat the Fruit, but it seemed that wouldn’t be happening anymore. It didn’t take more than a second for Asher to understand why Malrik had asked him to consume the Fruit right in front of everyone.

Asher’s purple eyes shifted toward the other Wargraves, and they simply nodded at him. With that, Asher sat on the ground in a lotus position. The moment he sat down, Anya Romanoff immediately stepped backward together with the Overlord, as neither of them wanted to be suddenly attacked by Azaron under some random misunderstanding.

But Asher wasn’t going to consume some unknown Fruit without first finding out exactly what it was, so he simply decided to ask the system what the Fruit truly was.

‘Hey, system, you’re up,’ Asher communicated with the system.

[…]

[The system isn’t an appraisal system that analyzes all things for the Host, neither does the Host possess some appraisal skill or ability. If he did, it would already be listed on the status panel]

The system chimed as it replied, sounding as though it was unwilling to help.

Asher didn’t speak again. He simply stared at the system’s reply, as though giving it a certain gaze and expression. The system seemed to give in, almost as though sighing in helplessness at the type of Host it had become bound to.

[At least the Host is using the system for something other than checking the time or setting an alarm]

[The system shall give in this time]

Asher smiled at the system’s reply. Although the system had said ‘this time,’ Asher was sure it would always give in, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

[Ding]

[Fruit Of Dawn: Born from a tree that absorbed a minute amount of Star Energy upon the Star Fall impact twenty thousand years ago. Through five thousand years, the tree nurtured a singular fruit, and that fruit became the Fruit Of Dawn. As a tree that had absorbed Star Energy, the ripening of the Fruit Of Dawn was meant to produce a Fruit containing Star Energy, but unfortunately, the Fruit was discovered fifteen thousand years ago during the Velkarin Empire’s expedition by an Empress of that Era. Hence, it was plucked, its nurturing cut short before reaching its maturity. If allowed to ripen to true maturity, the one who consumed the Fruit Of Dawn would have achieved Evolution across all boards, not just within their abilities, but as a Human, Emovira, Beast, or Monster.

Effects: Evolution of a singular ability if the one who consumes the Fruit Of Dawn can withstand the energy contained within it.

Side effects: Unknown. Death is a probability]

Asher stared at the text with a calm expression. He finally understood why he had sensed a trace of Star Energy within the Fruit and why it had reacted to him. It was simply because it had been born from Star Energy, and it had taken five thousand years just to grow to this level. Asher couldn’t help but wonder just how many more years it would have needed in order to achieve true maturity.

Seeing that whoever consumed the Fruit Of Dawn at its true maturity was supposed to experience a genuine evolution, Asher couldn’t help but sigh mentally. Although the Fruit Of Dawn, in its current state, could evolve a singular ability, it was nothing compared to what its true potential should have been.

Only if it had been allowed to ripen.

Asher sighed yet again. He didn’t blame the Olden Empress of the Velkarin Empire. After all, nobody knew what Star Energy was, and nobody knew what the Fruit truly was. They had simply discovered a golden Fruit radiating a brilliant golden hue and radiance. It was only natural that they would take it. If Asher had been in their shoes, he too would have plucked it, even if he had somehow known the Fruit’s true capabilities upon reaching maturity.

After all, what if another Empire or force had explored the Cursed Land and discovered the Fruit Of Dawn instead? What then?

‘A pity,’ Asher mused to himself as he slowly shook his head.

What was done was done. The fact that he had obtained something like this without any form of sacrifice, merely by defeating a few students, was already an enormous gain for him. He had practically done almost nothing, yet such a treasure had simply fallen into his lap.

Asher slowly steadied his breathing. Every pair of eyes present was focused entirely on him, as though they too wished to witness what kind of miracle or transformation this so-called Fruit Of Dawn would bring.

Asher brought the golden Fruit to his mouth and took a bite. The Fruit was soft, almost melting the instant his teeth sank into it, making it effortless to chew. Nothing happened when he took the first bite. He calmly chewed the piece before swallowing it. But the very instant it slid down his throat, an incomprehensible amount of energy, greater than anything Asher, or anyone else alive, had ever sensed in their entire lives, violently erupted within his stomach.

The Fruit Of Dawn in Asher’s hand immediately began to decay and wither away the moment that single bite was taken, as though one bite alone was all that had ever been required for its effects to begin.

Asher felt as though a nuclear weapon had been detonated within his stomach. His entire body immediately started trembling uncontrollably as everyone watched in stunned silence. Asher instantly tapped into his Perfect Astra Energy Control in an attempt to tame the maddening energy raging through him. But, to his utter shock… he failed.

His chest burned with unbearable intensity, while his skin reddened as though he were transforming into a human-shaped tomato. His eyes began to bleed, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth before trailing slowly down his jaw. But before the Astra Energy could run completely rampant and inflict even greater damage, Asher’s heart beat once… then beat again… then a third time. The Star Core Fragment embedded within his heart immediately released Star Energy that surged throughout his entire body, instantly suppressing the overwhelming Astra Energy in place.

Although the Astra Energy within Asher at this moment was immense, almost beyond quantification, at the end of the day, it was merely a byproduct of Star Energy.

The very next moment, Asher’s heart seemed to transform into a miniature black hole as the immeasurable amount of Astra Energy surged toward the Star Core Fragment lodged within it, while the Star Energy moved as though attempting to relieve Asher of his unbearable suffering.

The entire process was unbelievably swift, but before he could even process what had just happened, the Star Core Fragment suddenly unleashed the Astra Energy back into his body, almost as though it had always belonged to him and could neither contain nor retain it. This time, however, the Star Core Fragment released it in a carefully controlled wave and quantity, delivering only the maximum threshold that Asher’s body and mind could safely endure.

Asher, who had just felt the unbearable pain disappear, immediately felt that same agony return once more as his body began trembling violently yet again.

Asher felt the Astra Energy coursing wildly throughout his body, yet no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t control it. Then, surprisingly, the energy bypassed his physical body altogether, almost as though it were deliberately ignoring it, before rushing toward somewhere else entirely… his soul.

But the very instant the Astra Energy reached Asher’s soul, the system’s protection mechanism activated immediately. Although the Star Core Fragment was releasing the Astra Energy in controlled portions, at the end of the day, the Star Core Fragment was not the system. The system possessed the inherent function of protecting Asher’s soul and mind above all else unless Asher himself gave explicit permission or was unable to answer at the moment.