"My body is as hard as a blade! My will is as firm as iron! I... can hold on for now."

"Yes, for now."

After finally experiencing the aftertaste of victory, Valentina once more fell into a deep sleep, and the exhausted Herbert finally gained a momentary relief.

Although he wanted to return to his small room to rest for a while, unfortunately, his work was not yet finished.

During this return, his conversations with the Monster Girls brought more than just that single Demon's Tear.

He went to another room and reached out to his shadow.

The shadow under his feet trembled slightly, and a tendril of shadow emerged, handing the coiled black feather to Herbert.

Although he didn't have a magical item like a Storage Bag, he had a more convenient storage space: his own shadow.

To be precise, he put it into Nenasha's hands, letting Her keep it safe.

As for where exactly She hid them, he didn't intend to ask further, considering he couldn't understand it anyway.

The feather was completely black, devoid of any impurities in the light, as if it was a black hole absorbing the surrounding light, exuding a mysterious and profound aura.

Herbert held the half-meter-long plume and gently waved it.

The feather swung lightly in his hand, not tearing open space or displaying any special abilities, appearing entirely ordinary.

But Herbert knew this was not its true power.

He gently slid his fingertip along the feather, feeling no resistance, only to find his finger already cut with a deep bone-revealing wound.

The feather was incredibly sharp.

Even sharper than his sword!

Yet, it was extremely light, with hardly any weight, and, when dropped, would drift in the air like any other feather.

Fallen Angel's Feather.

Herbert took a deep breath, carefully taking the feather back into his hand.

This was the first Epic Level Demon Material he had acquired!

"It's truly beautiful..."

He sighed, lightly smearing the blood from his fingertip onto the feather.

The blood was not absorbed by the feather but coagulated into tiny crystal-clear beads on it.

["Have you really decided to absorb it now?"]

This time, unlike before, Nenasha did not directly absorb the Fallen Angel's Feather but instead asked:

["Even if we dismiss its innate uses, just relying on its sharpness alone, it can be wielded as a weapon."]

Unlike the Demon's Tear, which could only serve as a material for high-level rituals, the Fallen Angel's Feather could easily act as a covert yet powerful dagger.

Using it directly in this manner seemed somewhat wasteful to Her.

After all, Herbert couldn't extract such a feather for free from Luhier every time.

["Additionally, absorbing it now might be a bit strenuous for you and could be very painful."]

Unlike the previous Legendary Material, this Epic Material would place a significant burden on Herbert.

But Herbert remained calm, shook his head, and said, "Absorb it."

"I'll have to absorb it eventually, and I can't exactly show it off in front of outsiders, making it unusable as a weapon."

If outsiders asked Herbert where he got this feather, how should he explain?

Claim he plucked it from Luhier? Or say he found it in the Aurora Sanctuary?

Every excuse would have many flaws, drawing attention easily.

In social interactions, one must learn a crucial law—it's fine to lie, but don't lie carelessly.

Each lie needs more lies to sustain it.

The more you say, the more mistakes you make.

A truly skillful lie is not nine lies to one truth, but nine truths and one lie, or even ten truths without lies.

A keen debater uses very few lies, or perhaps none at all, opting instead to use copious truth to mislead.

For Herbert, he had many means of attack in dire situations and didn't lack this one, with plenty of substitutes available.

This means that using it would bring more harm than benefit.

At extremely high risk with correspondingly low reward, it's somewhat futile.

Thus, rather than holding this bomb in his hand, it's better to absorb it now, transforming it into his power.

"Besides, if worse comes to worst, I can always ask Luhier for more, right?"

Hard to acquire doesn't mean impossible to acquire, after all, there's always a price.

"And can I handle it? Haha... Aren't you here with me?"

Herbert smiled at the shadow, jokingly saying, "You wouldn't let me die, would you? You wouldn't bear to let me get hurt, would you?"

["... You're something else."]

Nenasha paused for a moment, then said, seemingly helplessly: ["Sometimes, I can't tell if you're timid or overly brave."]

At times exceptionally cautious, yet sometimes reckless.

Herbert shrugged, laughing casually, "I suppose it's about being brave when you should be and cautious when you need to be."

Herbert had a very flexible bottom line!

"Alright then, if it's just momentary pain and won't cause any incidents, let's get on with it."

["In that case... grit your teeth and carefully savor this pain."]

Herbert was about to add another teasing remark, but the next moment, a heart-wrenching pain surged through him, as if the feather had directly pierced his heart.

No.

It wasn't an illusion.

The feather really plunged into his heart through his chest!

Leaving no trace of a wound, it instantly merged inside.

"Hiss—"

Herbert let out a low growl, clamping down tightly on his mouth, preventing the sound from escaping.

He didn't want Valentina to hear and become concerned.

Herbert painfully clenched his fists, remaining silent as he felt that maddening power coursing through his body.

He finally understood why Nenasha had advised him against trying it now.

This power was overly sharp for his current state.

Herbert could hear his body being repeatedly sliced through, while the next moment, it rapidly regenerated and healed.

Judging by the outcome, he hadn't suffered fatal wounds, and his body was gradually becoming stronger.

Yet, the pain from this process remained etched intensely in his soul.

Meanwhile, behind him, the wings of the Holy Mark that had almost matured began to rapidly grow!

And finally... fully connected!

Whoosh—

A blood-drenched scarlet wing tore through the fabric on his back, emerging from within his flesh and blood.

Unfurling suddenly!

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