CHAPTER 73: AWAKENING OF THE THIRD SUPREME RECORD [II]

[The Supreme Talent Rebate Record]

From an age before time, when even the supreme concepts of reality, space, and eternity had yet to take form, there existed only the primordial fiend celestials. Among them, the @£#&’ of Lust reigned unbound, weaving strength and desire into one. The Rebate Record, born from that era, now stirs once more.

By imbuing your seed with a talent and planting it within one deemed worthy of the @£#&’ of Lust’s gaze, you inscribe that talent upon their existence. In return, the Record awakens, rebating the offering with a talent magnified between two- to ten-thousandfold.

[Monthly slots: 1/1]

***

"Huh? Wait, this can’t be all of it...there has to be something I’m missing," Aurelian breathed, his eyes glued to the hovering notification blinking before him.

T-this... it was too good to be true. By imbuing his seed with a talent and shooting it into a figure of choice, he could trigger a rebate from 2 to 10,000?

Aurelian mused, spiraling deeper into thought, and as he did, his body lit up in a resplendent dark light, stretching across his frame and bathing the dungeon walls with a splendiferous glow as the record fully awakened deep within him. Slowly, a monstrous aura rippled out for the briefest moment, almost giving the illusion he had truly surpassed the concepts of time, space, and reality.

As the light swelled, the dungeon floor cracked into spiderweb fractures, sweeping out in a thousand-meter radius as the ground caved in as if in worship of a supreme celestial.

Then came the runes, glyphs, and mystic intricate patterns laced with a plethora of auras—some divine, some corrupt, and others pure untainted essence. They flooded into him, reforging his body to house them before slowly merging with his flesh.

Before he could even try to grasp the changes, a booming ripple exploded in the depths of his mind, sending him reeling back, collapsing to one knee as streams of information flooded his brain, searing details of the Rebate Record.

With his growing soul power, he tried something new. Closing his eyes, he funneled all his focus into the supreme record’s merging, trying to glimpse the other side of its origin.

The very thought was insane, but once it took root, he was unable to shake it off. He poured all his attention into the record, only for his attempts to be met with failure, blocked by some invisible barrier.

Yet, as the record neared completion, it flickered momentarily, allowing him to steal a glimpse— and that was enough to fuck him up.

Almost instantly, a world of pain surged across his mind, eliciting a groan of raw agony as he curled his fingers.

"I just had to look, didn’t I?" he hissed between clenched teeth, cursing his curiosity as warm liquid trickled from his eyes.

Even as he keeled over, the glimpse replayed itself in the back of his mind, spinning out of control before suddenly clicking.

Visions of a supreme figure flooded his mind, wielding power beyond imagination, yet something about it stirred a primal terror. As the images overlapped, the figure grew more familiar, until finally it dissolved into light, as if fleeing something.

Something that felt as though it was coming for him. A looming terror, buried in the folds of space itself, seemed to stare straight at him. Then, mercifully, the vision ended.

He collapsed to the ground, breath hitching, the blood seeping from his eyes drying as the surging vitality within him erased every wound. But the unease didn’t vanish.

"Something is wrong. I can feel it," Aurelian muttered softly. "Who was that figure I just saw? Why did he feel strangely familiar? Why was I afraid? Why do I feel there’s something wrong I can’t figure out?"

He frowned, remembering the figure lurking in the depths of his soul, the one who had promised to awaken once he crossed into SSS-rank.

"I need answers," Aurelian growled, pushing himself up. And he was going to get them soon. He had to push harder on his level. He was already far higher than his peers, but clearly, much more was needed.

He drew in a long breath, steadying himself, before a smile tugged at his lips as another notification appeared.

[Ding! Congratulations to the @£#&’ of Lust! The Supreme Talent Rebate Record has fully awakened!]

"Good, good, good," Aurelian nodded repeatedly. To confirm a theory, he activated his Metaphysical Vision. His eyes lit up in a swirling crimson-and-abyssal vortex as he scanned his body. A grin cracked his lips.

"I was right," he murmured. Instead of glowing orbs, three black holes churned in the depths of his chest. "Every supreme record manifests a black hole."

Did they have a function he wasn’t aware of? He mused, racking his brain, then shook his head helplessly. He was walking a path without precedent, he’d be forging it step by step.

Amusement tugged at him. With a flick of his wrist, the blades hovering beside him exploded into balls of light before surging back into his body. He turned his gaze to the dungeon once more.

Taking in the aftermath of his awakening, he inhaled sharply. The destruction he was unleashing was escalating dramatically. His eyes swept over to the pile of treasure stacked to one side and a swirling green portal at the far end.

It was time to make his exit, and put this newly awakened record to use.

But first, he whispered, "Supreme Records. Let’s see how much I’ve grown."

The sterile blue notification screen popped up before him.

***

Supreme Records

Name: Aurelian Draegor

Title: The @£#&’ of Lust

Class: The Classless One

Talents: [Peak S-rank — Embers of Illusory Spectral Death, C-rank Iron Skin]

Level 34 (70,000 / 130,000 Dungeon Points)

Rank: E

Attributes

Strength: 100

Agility: 100

Endurance: 100

Constitution: 100

Charisma: 100

Intelligence: 100

Willpower: 100

Toughness: 100

Mana: 100/100

Luck: Null

Unallocated Attribute Points: 18

Supreme Records

First Record: Talent Replication (Weekly Slots: 3/4)

Second Record: Talent Merging (Weekly Slots: 3/4)

Third Record: Talent Rebate (Monthly Slots: 1/1)

The Supreme Records will evolve as the @£#&’ of Lust grows in power. More records will awaken once your mortal vessel grows strong enough to house them.

***

"Not bad," Aurelian murmured, drinking in the changes. His Embers of Illusory Spectral Death had advanced to Peak S-rank—credit, he realized, due to the Infinite Mana Pathways.

Apart from the newly awakened record standing out with its monthly slot, everything else was just as he’d expected.

"Well, that’s it," he muttered, approaching the swirling green portal. With a flick of his wrist, the pile of loot was swept into his interdimensional spatial storage ring.

As he stepped forward, a single thought echoed at the back of his mind.

"Why the fuck didn’t that damned Mutant Slime King drop loot!?"

Suppose you managed to break my heart even in death.

He sighed, and vanished into the portal.