Eren's diligent work in trying to accommodate various ways of fighting was paying off.
His inquisitive nature and his will to take risks using his opponents as test materials had allowed him to broaden his horizons so many times at this point. This was the reason why he could use the class of an assassin so flawlessly.
Eren also realized that Life Drain was only this potent because he was using it inside the Domain of Gluttony. He could use the gluttony mana that was all around him to break conventional logic and kill his opponents this way. However, he would be unable to repeat this feat easily if the domain wasn't present.
It would also be possible for him to do the same without having to deploy the domain if he had enough mastery in regularly harnessing gluttony mana. However, he needed to fine-tune his mastery of the Sin of Gluttony for that to happen.
The butcher wanted to experiment with Sin Series Abilities and classes down the line. He had a feeling he could find optimal ways to use Sin Series mana with the various classes he had and will have in the future. The various combinations might allow him to get more out of the classes he was currently using.
The Sin Series mana was very potent. The seven types of intentions that were integrated into it made it feel alive. He had a lot to gain if he found a way to utilize intent-based mana in casting his regular spells, giving them an unprecedented edge.
Eren's ranking status, elemental attainments, bloodline powers, Sin Series Abilities, and lastly his soul sense needed to come together for him to realize his true potential. It would allow him to cast his own blend of intent-based magic.
Of course, this wasn't something the butcher could do on the fly. The most he could do with his current test subjects was to explore the effects of the Domain of Gluttony and field-test the classes he had unlocked at this point.
***
Two of the participants died inside the domain without being butchered by Eren's attacks. As such, one could consider them lucky because they didn't suffer in their deaths, relatively speaking.
The no-mess method of killing wasn't objectionable to Eren, no matter how his opponents turned out to be usually. Plus, there was almost nothing he could learn from the rankers of his generation. Therefore, there was no point in dragging the fight.
Gondel gulped empty air when he heard Eren's warning. The geek didn't regret warning the participants. But he hoped that they would be able to get rid of the well-functional maniac who had been like a curse to him and his team ever since they met.
Eren quickly got over the fact that he couldn't assassinate his targets anymore. He quickly became excited about his next move. That's because he had decided to use another class now that he was about to tackle multiple enemies.
The mana fog also cleared up in the meantime, revealing the shrouded Eren's true appearance. The rankers were shocked to find out that what they had been targeting was not their target from the beginning.
They were targeting the creature of gluttony.
The creature of gluttony was unlike the creature of wrath. It had a humanoid body that looked like it was malnourished. The face was blank as if it was awaiting facial features.
The creature of gluttony had an average height and didn't look threatening at all. No threat could be perceived from its limbs, which appeared weak.
However, the creature of gluttony was a lot weirder to look at than the creature of wrath. That's because it had various mouths all over its body. These wide-open, maw-like mouths also had teeth and tongues, which made the creature of gluttony very repulsive to look at.
The creature of gluttony was formed using gluttony mana and the remains of the participants Eren had killed inside the Domain of Gluttony. As such, it had dark red and black blood running through its veins. And the creature's veins could easily be seen through the deathly pale skin he had.
Normal rankers found gluttony repulsive to look at. But that wasn't the case with participants who had been heavily affected by gluttony. As soon as they saw the creature of gluttony, their hunger skyrocketed.
These participants couldn't control themselves from approaching the creature of gluttony. They looked at the creature with their tongues sticking out– salivating at its sight. It was as if the creature of gluttony was an irresistible gourmet dish for them.
The participants approaching the creature of gluttony screamed in joy as they approached it. They ran towards the creature with their hands raised to grasp it. They forgot about their roles in targeting Eren. They even forgot about the test. At this point, satiating their hunger was more important than anything else.
The rest of the participants observed that their feelings of hunger were also taking hold over them ever since they looked at the creature of gluttony. The gluttony mana had not yet affected them severely. As such, they were still in control of their faculties, albeit barely.
These rankers looked at each other and decided to change their strategy. They didn't care about the participants who were a lost cause at this point. Instead, they huddled together to save themselves from Eren's random attacks. Then, they decided to see what the mad-by-gluttony rankers were up to.
It didn't matter to the rankers surrounding the creature of gluttony whether or not they knew each other. They all started biting the creature's body from various angles as if their life depended on it. The creature of gluttony also seemed to welcome the rankers.
The creature of gluttony allowed the participants to eat its deathly pale flesh and drink its dark red blood. The various mouths all over the creature's body also started eating the participants' flesh in return.
Eren also watched with a look of curiosity as the gluttony-struck participants started eating the creature of gluttony and getting devoured by it at the same time. He observed that the more they ate the creature, the bigger it became, both vertically and laterally.
It was a bloody mess.
