"{Wahahahahahahahant!! You far exceed the capabilities of any being I have ever encountered in my life!! What is your name, human?}"
{Gunthafer} asked as he drifted closer, his [Absolute Wall] still shimmering like a veil of untouchable glass. I was having a hard time drawing breath; the depletion of my 'Chaos' energy had deactivated my [Aqua Breathing] Skill. I was forced to rely entirely on the 'Sea Cucumber' Item Thorvek had provided way back to keep us from drowning under the immense pressure.
"My name... is... Arthur Tempest!" I managed to reply, my chest heaving.
"{Interesting!... Really interesting! Arthur Tempest!!}" He continued to hover there, his predatory eyes studying every inch of my frame as if he were memorizing the placement of my very pores.
"How about this... {Gunthafer}..." I said, taking a massive gamble. The 1st Pillar was still intact, meaning I couldn't harm him even if I had the energy, and Thorvek was likely already captured. "Why don't you come with me instead of following the orders of the {Demon King 'Megicula'}? I can show you far more interesting things than that."
"{Ahahahahahant!! You even know my name and the 'Demon King' I serve without an introduction!! You really are one interesting being!}" {Gunthafer} threw his head back in a manic laugh.
"{However, that isn't enough to persuade me. I have an important task, and if I perform well, my Master will provide me thousands of high-quality experimental samples! Ahhh~~~~ I can't wait to cut them up..}"
{Gunthafer} made an expression I knew too well from the VR days, a creepy, 'turned on' look that was the hallmark of the {Demon King 'Asmodeus'} lineage. I didn't want to say my next sentence, but to end this war and clear the Floor, I needed him out of the way. I gathered the last scrap of my recovered energy and moved toward the edge of his 'Wall'.
"[Activating 'Brand of Tribulation' Lvl 1!]"
"[Notice: Consent is needed to engrave the 'Stigma' onto the target.]"
"If you come with me and promise to listen to me, don't worry, I won't give you 'orders' or 'tasks' unless absolutely required, then I will let you experiment all sorts of things on my body," I said, extending my hand in a silent offer of a handshake.
"{Hoo? Really? I don't particularly care for the life of a mere human, but you wouldn't even last a minute. Do not misunderstand, it would simply be a waste to lose your valuable talents,}" {Gunthafer} exclaimed. He truly was a weird demon.
"Why don't you take my hand and try?" I taunted.
{Gunthafer} reached out, his hand clasping mine. He immediately infused a surge of his 'Demonic Energy' to test my tolerance.
"[Activating 'Surgical Touch' Lvl ???!]"
I felt a wave of sharp, cutting 'Demonic Energy' course through my veins, but I didn't resist. Normally, the 'Corruption' of such energy would rot an unprotected body, but since my essence was 'Chaos', and 'Demonic Energy' was one of the components that made up that 'Chaos', my body simply devoured it. It felt natural, even revitalizing. To top it off, the sharpness of his Skill was effectively tanked by my physical constitution.
"[Notice: Your 'Transcendent' Constitution has negated the physical effects on your body!]"
Even without his title as the 'Abyssal Doctor', {Gunthafer}'s expertise was enough to realize what was happening.
"{This!!! I knew from your attacks that you possessed an unnatural energy, but this is beyond what I expected! Your energy is hungrily devouring my 'Demonic Energy' without any side effects...}" {Gunthafer}'s fascination reached a fever pitch. "{...And this... 'Transcendent' Constitution of yours... Is this not from a certain [Nebula]?}"
He was right. 'Transcendent' was a body cultivation method famous in the Nebula [Sanjie] of the higher floors. They rarely shared their techniques with outsiders, which made my possession of it even more alluring to a researcher like him.
"Do you still have any doubts?" I asked.
"{Ahahahahahat! Very well then. I couldn't care less about 'orders' as long as I can experiment on your body. I'll take your offer, Arthur Tempest.}" {Gunthafer} finally pulled back his energy. "{Well, this is my defeat. As a favor for such a deal, I'll leave with my soldiers and return to your side at a later date. I have some things to take care of, you see.}"
"[Notice: Consent has been received!]"
"[The 'Stigma' is now engraved into the soul of the {Demon Peer 'Gunthafer Asmodeus'}!]"
I had him. My suspicion about his lineage was correct; despite what my [Eyes of Gluttony] had initially shown, he carried the blood of {Demon King 'Asmodeus'}, though he had likely severed the formal ties.
"[Congratulations! You have successfully fulfilled the Copy Condition, 'Defeat a {Demon Peer}'!]"
Even though it wasn't a death match, his admission of defeat was enough for the Tower's System to count it.
"[Notice: You have successfully copied the Exclusive Skill, 'Alchemy of the Abyss' and the ??-Rank Skill 'Absolute Wall'!]"
"[Notice: The Copied skills are being successfully added to the 'Memories of the World'!]"
"[Notice: The Rank of 'Absolute Wall' has been adjusted to SS-Rank to fit your current Rank and Level.]"
Perfect. I now possessed three of the [Absolute Series] in the 'Tower of Trials'. While my version wouldn't be as impenetrable as his yet, it would grow with my level.
"[Notice: You are the first to 'defeat' a {Demon Peer} in the Lower Floors! You have earned a massive amount of EXP!]"
{Gunthafer} signaled his soldiers and opened a swirling dark portal. They disappeared into the void just as the system began to tally my rewards.
"[You have Leveled Up!]"
"[You have Leveled Up!]"
"[You have Leveled Up!]"
"[Notice: Your 'Body' and 'Chaos' energy have been partially replenished!]"