The grotesque mass of flesh extending from Mammon's arm sent a chill through Mr. Dai and the others.
An ability user?
No—this looked nothing like one.
At almost the same moment, the same thought flashed through all three of their minds.
Humanoid Disaster.
A sentient humanoid disaster.
"Useless creature. All you know how to do is eat."
Mammon's cold red eyes swept toward the rat demon, clearly displeased with its gluttonous behavior.
A sewer rat would always be a sewer rat.
Even after becoming a demon, its greedy nature had not changed.
Originally, Mammon wouldn't even have needed to act.
Although the steel-type ability user was troublesome, the rat demon could have killed him eventually by relying on its immortal regeneration, even if it had to pay some price.
"Squeak… squeak…"
The previously terrifying rat demon suddenly behaved as if it understood Mammon's words.
It immediately stopped eating.
Its boar-sized body dropped to the ground in a kneeling posture.
Its sharp claws awkwardly pressed together as it let out pleading squeaks.
Clearly, it was begging Mammon for forgiveness.
Demons created by Mammon's Blood Curse possessed an instinctive reverence and fear toward him.
After all, Mammon held absolute control over their life and death.
"Respected Mr. Mammon… please forgive our ignorance."
"We are deeply terrified for disturbing you."
Mr. Dai licked his dry lips.
Seeing the rat demon's reaction toward Mammon, cold sweat began forming on his forehead.
Without hesitation, the man who normally carried himself with arrogant dignity lowered his head respectfully toward Mammon.
Because in moments like this—
Survival mattered more than dignity.
Dignity was worthless.
If the being before him was a sentient humanoid disaster, then that meant one thing.
It was an intelligent creature.
And if it was intelligent, then negotiation might still be possible.
Trying to resist or escape would only lead to certain death.
"What ability do you possess?"
"What rank of evolver are you?"
Mammon glanced briefly at Mr. Dai before shifting his gaze toward the steel-type ability user.
Tilting his head slightly, he asked calmly.
"My name is Chen Jun."
"My ability is Steel Reinforcement. I can harden parts of my body like steel."
"I am currently a C-rank ability user."
Chen Jun was briefly stunned.
But he immediately answered honestly.
Only a fool would fail to understand what kind of situation they were in.
"C-rank…"
Mammon's eyes flickered slightly.
A C-rank ability user.
That meant the rat demon's combat strength was also roughly C-rank.
His blood seemed to be far more terrifying than he had initially imagined.
Or perhaps demons formed from beasts received a greater enhancement.
Maybe his own combat strength was not merely B-rank after all.
Although the gap between C-rank and B-rank was enormous.
"What's your name?"
"Chen Jun."
"Good."
"Try your best to survive."
Chen Jun froze.
Survive?
He had no idea what Mammon meant.
But in the next moment—
He understood.
The flesh-monster shot forward.
Chen Jun's pupils shrank.
But he had no time to react.
I'm going to die.
That instinctive thought flashed through his mind.
However, the flesh creature did not attempt to bite him.
Instead, a needle-like tube extended from its mouth.
It stabbed directly into Chen Jun's neck.
A stream of liquid flowed through the tube and into his body.
Mammon had injected his blood into Chen Jun.
This was the first ability user he had encountered.
Mammon wanted to see what would happen if an ability user received his blood.
Everything had happened too quickly.
The fat man and Mr. Dai stared in shock.
By the time they recovered, Chen Jun had already collapsed onto the ground in agony.
"AAAAHHHH!"
Bulging veins and purple markings spread across his face and neck.
He howled like a wild beast.
Mammon's demon blood was rapidly remodeling and evolving his cells.
The pain of that transformation was unimaginable.
"My blood can make people evolve."
"But can you survive it?"
A strange smile appeared on Mammon's lips as he watched Chen Jun writhing on the ground.
Since he had never used the Blood Curse on a human before, Mammon had no idea how much blood Chen Jun's body could withstand.
But that didn't matter.
This was just an experiment.
If Chen Jun died—
Then so be it.
"Evolve…?"
The fat man and Mr. Dai were both stunned.
Then their eyes suddenly lit up.
This humanoid disaster's blood…
Could allow people to evolve?
In this world, no one didn't want to become an evolver.
Even someone with power and influence like Mr. Dai was no exception.
Time passed slowly.
Chen Jun's struggles gradually weakened.
Sweat drenched his body as if he had just been pulled from water.
"Haah…"
Finally, Chen Jun exhaled a long breath and slowly stood up.
Then he knelt respectfully before Mammon.
"Lord Mammon."
His voice was filled with reverence.
"You weren't torn apart by my blood."
"It seems your talent is quite good."
Mammon smiled with satisfaction.
This man's aptitude was… acceptable.
"Did you awaken a Blood Demon Art?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for your gift, my lord."
Chen Jun lifted his head with a fanatical smile.
Originally, his eyes had been dark gray-brown.
But now they had turned into an eerie dark green.
Green markings spread across his face and neck, giving him a sinister appearance.
Mammon's demon blood had altered his genes and cells, causing these changes.
Compared to many demons in the original Demon Slayer story, these mutations were actually quite mild.
Many demons in that world became horribly deformed because they could not fully adapt to Muzan's blood.
After all, the transformation fundamentally altered their genetics.
"Very good."
"Continue improving."
"If your performance satisfies me, I will grant you more blood."
Mammon's arm returned to normal.
His vertical pupils also returned to their original appearance.
Chen Jun's eyes burned with excitement.
Lord Mammon's blood…
Although the process had been painful, the power now surging through his body made it completely worthwhile.
As long as he could obtain more blood—
He could become even stronger.