The feeling was so vague that had <Maddened Enlightenment> not been active, Sylas would have entirely missed it.

But it was then he felt his Comprehension and this mysterious, hidden existence intertwine.

And then Sylas realized what it was.

The Gluttony Seed.

It was buried deep within his heart. When it interacted with his Madness, it seemed to be nurtured, but it didn't grow, as though the food wasn't enough.

Sylas stopped, not even sure if growing such a thing was something he would even want. However, as he did so, he felt something peculiar.

His control over Madness seemed to have been heightened.

That was when Sylas was hit by a realization.

He had come across so many people, many of whom had far higher Will and Charisma than himself.

So why did none of them use an ability as useful as telekinesis?

That was when Sylas recalled that his telekinesis didn't awaken until after he entered the Slithering Madness Dungeon. Back then, he had been able to push back a tide of water in a somewhat crude fashion.

No… more importantly than that, he didn't manage to use telekinesis the first time until he Comprehended Madness.

He had asked the Madness Key about it, but it had only said that some people had the talent for it and some didn't, so he had left it at that.

But could it be that his question wasn't specific enough for the Madness Key to answer him the way he wanted? Or maybe even too specific?

The aspect of control seemed to be related to taking from the world. Could it be that the Gluttony Seed works to help him with this?

When Sylas tried it, his expression changed.

That was because the limits on his telekinesis seemed to have been lifted.

If before he could only lift 30 pounds or so before his Physical started plummeting, when he communicated with the Gluttony Seed, it was like his telekinesis was a true extension of himself, as though he was really picking something up with his hands.

'No…' Sylas felt a wave of fatigue hit his mind, which shocked him because he had <Maddened Enlightenment> activated. It should have been adding to his mind's stamina, so why did he feel like he had just rushed into a brick wall?

He shook his head furiously to clear it, stopping his communication with the Gluttony Seed.

'I see… It isn't as good as my real body, but it's still far better than before. I probably wouldn't have a drop-off in Physical even if the object was as heavy as a hundred pounds now, so long as I communicate with the Gluttony Seed.'

Sylas' gaze glowed.

He could only use this briefly, barely ten seconds from what he could see. But what kind of concept would it be to throw something over a hundred pounds heavy with the force of over 200 Physical?

Would even the bouncer from earlier manage to survive such a thing?

Then again, why had he never done such a thing with 30 pounds? The devastation would be less, and with everyone growing in strength, it would likely also mean less. But the path had potential. He would have to see if he could get some truly heavy weapons… or maybe a steel ball or three.

Sylas exhaled, finding that his mind was exhausted, but his body had ironically recovered.

However, when he looked around, he was surprised to find that the sun had already set and there was a dense darkness around him that made it difficult to even see the snow fluttering before him, let alone into the distance.

'Hm?' As Sylas looked around, he spotted flames dancing in the distance. It was just a faint halo of orange that must have been several kilometers away. Had he not been almost two dozen meters into the air, with how thick this forest was, he would have never seen it.

'A village?' It seemed he was quite lucky.

Sylas focused on replenishing his mind first. Then, for the first time in a long while, he asked the Madness Key a question.

[Will my Basilisk King suffer from absorbing the Gene Core of these poisoned beasts?]

[Yes.]

The question was hyper-specific, so the answer followed suit. Unfortunately, there wasn't more information. Sylas sighed when he saw this. He had expected it, but it was still unfortunate. He was a bit unwilling to see such a good path of evolution be wasted like this. He wouldn't be able to hunt creatures this powerful himself for a while.

After some hesitation, he chose to ask another question. He was already gathering so many excess Genes, so he might as well make use of it.

[Is there any way to make it safe?]

[There are three methods. The first is to evolve your Contract down a path of poison that comes with natural immunity. The second is to purify the corpses using an antidote or a Purifying Elixir of high enough caliber. The third is to become a poison master yourself, extracting the poison.]

Sylas nodded to himself. Of these methods, the Purifying Elixir seemed to be the best path. It seemed that he would be using his Bronze Nexus Ticket reward soon enough.

But first, he would have to gather as much money as he could. Since there was a village waiting for him in the distance, why not take advantage?

He hopped down from the tree, falling dozens of meters. Even with his current Physical, this would certainly hurt him…

But then Sylas pulled on the Gluttony Seed with his Will, and his telekinesis increased in strength. There was an upward force of just over a hundred pounds just before he hit the ground, and his descent slowed considerably.

Sylas' eyes glowed.

He had only wanted to test it out casually, but it seemed he was correct.

If one day his telekinesis became strong enough… Didn't that mean he would be able to fly through the skies?