9. F+ rank

Kyle writhed in pleasure, the vast amount of life energy constantly flowing into his body gave him a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction he hadn't felt in many years.

The remains of monsters scattered throughout the room varied in age. Some had perished less than a day ago, while others had been there for nearly a week, retaining less than 10% of the vitality they originally had. This made the absorption process ineffective and impractical.

However, the sheer quantity of material available more than made up for these shortcomings. His hands grabbed piece after piece of flesh, repeatedly absorbing the remaining vitality.

Before long, he realized that his body could only absorb vitality at a certain speed. If he tried to go faster, his entire body would ache so intensely that it would nearly push him to the brink of unconsciousness.

But why only absorb vitality? Even if it was impossible to absorb the souls of the dead monsters due to the time that had passed since their demise, the remaining mana should be roughly equivalent to the vitality. There was no reason to focus on just one attribute.

And that was true—if not for the fact that using mana correctly required actual learning. Even the simplest application, such as temporarily enhancing strength and speed, required a learning period to channel and concentrate mana in specific regions. This took time, even for someone with natural talent in the field.

Physical development, on the other hand, was much simpler. It was pure physical capability. To use it at maximum efficiency, one had to learn to control their body and perhaps train in martial arts or combat techniques. But raw physical attributes alone could have an immediate effect.

That was what Kyle sought: immediate power. At the very least, enough power to hunt monsters, make money, and obtain the techniques he needed to grow stronger. That was one reason, but more than anything, what he sought was to stay alive.

This world was cruel. He wasn't fooled by the welcoming appearance of the city. There were people here capable of slaughtering hundreds of mortals in seconds, merely on a whim, and he didn't like where he stood in that hierarchy. The only thing he had was his life, and he wouldn't let anyone take it from him.

[Congratulations, you have acquired the skill [Lesser Fire Resistance Lv 7]]

[Congratulations, you have acquired the skill [Lesser Poison Resistance Lv 12]]

[Congratulations, you have acquired the physical trait [Night Vision]]

Three hours had passed since Kyle entered the incineration room. The once-massive pile of monster flesh was nowhere to be seen.

In the center of the room stood a new man, almost unrecognizable compared to the one who had stepped into the Infinite Continent that morning.

The absorption of such large amounts of vitality had dramatic effects on Kyle. Years of malnutrition, dehydration, poor hygiene, and scars from past life-threatening struggles had completely vanished.

His previous height of 185 cm, which was already quite tall even among the humans of this world, had seen a significant increase, now reaching 202 cm.

At that height, he was now within the top 1% of the human population. But it wasn't surprising—Kyle remembered that his father had also been exceptionally tall.

His muscles had grown denser and more defined, giving him a lean yet agile physique. However, his naturally broad frame remained. His back alone was proof of that.

His face had also changed slightly. His skin became cleaner and smoother, his facial features more defined and masculine. His hair remained the same, straight but with a slight curl—though now it simply looked cleaner.

"Open status," he commanded, his voice now several tones deeper than before.

Name: Kyle Steel

Talent: Thief of Blood and Souls

Physical Rank: F+

Mana Core Rank: F-

Soul Rank: F-

Skills:

[Lesser Stealth Lv 24]

[Lesser Hunger Resistance Lv 56]

[Lesser Cold Resistance Lv 12]

[Lesser Fear Resistance Lv 48]

[Lesser Sword Technique Lv 11]

[Lesser Fire Resistance Lv 7]

[Lesser Poison Resistance Lv 12]

Physical Traits:

[Night Vision]

Energy Traits:

(None)

Soul Traits:

(None)

"Perfect."

Kyle grinned with excitement.

His physical rank had risen from F- to F+, which might not seem like much, but each small rank was a world apart from the previous one.

If rank F- was an average human, then rank F would be the equivalent of a genetically modified supersoldier. And rank F+ exceeded human limits, bordering on the superhuman.

Additionally, he had gained two new resistances and a new physical trait. Perhaps he could have obtained more, but by absorbing vitality, one could only acquire abilities and traits related to the body. Still, he was satisfied.

As he left the room, he noticed that it was almost dark. The job had taken him several hours.

Outside, he saw that the same woman from before was still at the reception desk, busy with her documents.

She lifted her head and looked at Kyle, raising her eyebrows slightly as if she was seeing something unexpected. Then she turned her head toward the incineration room before looking back at him.

"Is there a problem?" Kyle felt uneasy. He was used to being looked at with disdain or greed, but the way this woman was staring at him was unsettling.

"That was faster than I expected," she said with a smile. "Here's your payment."

"Thanks."

Kyle took the money and was ready to leave, but the woman stopped him.

"Do you have a place to sleep?" she asked.

"A place to sleep?" Kyle tilted his head, confused. "I was just going to settle in an alley and visit the dungeon tomorrow."

She looked at him in disbelief.

"You want to sleep on the street!?"

Kyle looked at her, puzzled. He didn't understand her reaction. When there were no immediate threats, finding shelter seemed unnecessary to him.

Of course, there were threats here, but they weren't something a simple set of walls could prevent, so he thought spending money on a place to sleep was pointless.

"That won't do! Seriously, I know an inn that's really cheap. I can take you!" the girl said as she grabbed his arm.

Kyle wanted to refuse and step back. Physical contact made him uncomfortable since it had been years since anyone had touched him. But as he looked into the girl's eyes, he suddenly realized he couldn't say no.

"Alright."

"Great! My name is Eve. Evangeline."

"…I'm Kyle."