At that very moment, like floodwaters breaking through a dam, a vast amount of scattered and unstructured knowledge surged wildly into Uesugi Ryu's mind.
The application of mana, special magic, and close-quarters combat techniques of dragons.
In addition, there was detailed knowledge concerning the appraisal of strange creatures, covering everything from their living habits to their physical structures.
Strangely, this portion of knowledge was exceptionally detailed.
The influx of information was far too complex and fragmented, making it difficult to sort through at once.
Uesugi Ryu could only stand there silently, slowly digesting and absorbing these somewhat disordered fragments of information.
Although rich and diverse, most of this knowledge appeared to be quite scattered and largely impractical.
Either it was too advanced for him to comprehend, or it was something like dragon close-quarters combat techniques, which were of little use.
Scorching steam filled the air, and an invisible aura of authority emanated from Uesugi Ryu.
---
Name: Uesugi Ryu
Race: Human
Title: Dragon Devourer
[Innately suppresses dragon-blooded creatures. The strength of the suppression is determined by the user's soul strength. Side effect: You will be hated by pure-blooded dragons.]
Strength: SSS- (Based solely on the four base attributes. Weapons and skills are not included in the calculation.)
Soul Strength: 13 (Determines devouring efficiency and mana limit)
Number of Soul Temperings: 1
Strength: 17 (SS+)
Speed: 19 (SSS+)
Constitution: 17 (S) (Equipment +1)
Intelligence: 19 (SSS+) (Each point of Intelligence converts to 10 points of mana)
Mana: 950/950 (Recovers 32 points per hour)
Health: 362
Talents: Soul Devour, Golden Eyes
[Presence: Performs an Intelligence and mental resistance check on enemies within line of sight. Upon a successful check, the enemy's overall attributes are reduced by 22%.]
Skills: C-Rank Skill Blood Frenzy, D-Rank Skill Phantom Clone, Instant Step, E-Rank Skill Hand-to-Hand Combat Mastery, Hand of God, Flash Technique
Special Skill: Black Dragon Scales (Pending Name)
[Consumes an extremely large amount of mana to enhance muscle strength for a short period (Strength +4, Speed +2), while significantly increasing defensive power.]
(Mana Consumption Rate: 350/min)
(When the host's mana falls below 20%, the dragon tattoo will penetrate into the flesh and draw upon Health to supply energy.)
Energy Value: 3/100 (Remaining Draw Chances: 6)
Items: C-Rank Rare Item Wine-Sack Rice-Bag, D-Rank Item Pharmacist's "Treasure", SSS-Rank Armor Molten Abyss, SSS-Rank Quinque Elegy, S+ Rank Quinque Jason (2), A-Rank Quinque Destroyer, A-Rank Quinque Sakikage, Calming Potion...
---
"Still human? That's good."
Uesugi Ryu let out a soft sigh of relief as he looked at the race description on the system panel.
Although he did not particularly mind, remaining human was still preferable, at least there would be no reproductive barrier.
"But that makes sense. Devour Soul is about devouring, not merging."
Walking into the bathroom, Uesugi Ryu casually removed his shirt, revealing his well-built physique.
A large black dragon tattoo covered his torso, with the edges of each scale emitting a faint crimson glow like cooled lava.
"Looks pretty cool though. A free tattoo."
Uesugi Ryu twisted his body slightly, quietly admiring it.
"Though these eyes are a bit troublesome. They can't change back, but it doesn't really matter."
Looking at the bright gilded golden eyes in the mirror, Uesugi Ryu let out a light chuckle.
He then walked into the study, picked up a thick notebook, and began recording some of the knowledge that had just surfaced in his mind.
His understanding of mysticism was still far too shallow. Without even a basic foundation, there was no way to conduct meaningful research.
To be honest, he could not understand any of this knowledge. He was merely recording it in case it might be useful in the future.
"One year. Either I'm killing ghouls or I'm on the way to kill ghouls."
"Come to think of it, am I going to be made to do research in the future?"
Uesugi Ryu mused while holding the pen in his hand.
Such scholarly behavior rarely had anything to do with him, even though, nominally, he was probably, perhaps, supposedly a mage.
Ever since Mado Akira became his partner, he had hardly done any paperwork.
The last time he held a pen seemed to have been the previous time he held a pen.
................
Inside an unnamed bar, the lighting was dim.
In one corner of the bar sat a woman, Itori.
She wore a pair of black sunglasses that covered most of her face.
However, her delicate features and alluring red lips were still visible from the exposed portion.
Holding a wine glass, she gently swirled the liquid inside, the ice clinking crisply against the glass.
Suddenly, Itori parted her red lips, her voice tinged with confusion.
"Roma is dead, and Souta is dead as well. What should we do next?"
Her gaze shifted toward Donato Porpora, who was seated in the opposite booth.
However, Donato remained expressionless, like a statue, seemingly indifferent to the deaths of the two.
Faced with Itori's question, Donato fell into brief silence.
For a moment, the atmosphere became unusually quiet, with only the bar's background music softly playing.
Nico leaned against the nearby wall, his body slanted as if he might collapse at any moment.
The colorful neon lights flickered, casting an eerie glow on his heavily made-up face.
Supporting himself against the wall with one hand, Nico muttered,
"If he's really as formidable as Itori-chan says, I think we should make a run for it. Let's hide in the 24th Ward for a while."
Hearing Nico's words, Uta frowned slightly and took a sip of the strong liquor in his glass.
"Talking about disbanding isn't your call to make. Besides, my mask shop still needs to keep operating."
"Our true identities haven't been exposed. He probably won't come looking for us, right?"
Itori wrapped her arms around her bare shoulders, appearing somewhat frightened.
"Are you doubting that person's capabilities?"
"Even Souta is dead. His methods are far too bizarre."
Seeing this, the priest finally spoke slowly.
"Where could we possibly hide? It would only be a slow death."
"The truth has yet to be revealed. At the very least, I want to witness how he turns this world upside down."