After ten minutes of unbearable pain, Dared finally opened his eyes.
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from his body.
Middle-level Planetary Realm...
Dared stood up, his gaze falling on the half-floating orb. His body trembled in fear.
Of course, he wanted the orb—but the agony he'd just endured had told him something vital:
This body couldn't fully handle the terrifying conversion of soul to energy.
Souls were who we truly were—our thoughts, strength, memories, desires. A being's soul held 100% of their essence. That's why the soul was sacred.
"But if I can't devour souls... then what should I devour?" Dared wondered, shocked.
His eyes drifted toward the beast corpses.
"...Hey, maybe they won't taste as bad as—"
Crunch.
Azerak's mouth hung open as he watched Dared devour the beast's body with relish, leaving the half-eaten soul behind.
With a thought, the remaining soul dispersed—yet Dared didn't care.
