This world shared many elements with the One Piece world, but there were key differences — especially when it came to races.
Succubi belonged to a branch of the Dark Race. They appeared at night to hunt prey and siphon life force. In terms of nature, they were similar to fox spirits from old legends.
"Big guy, don't come sucking my scent… I stink!"
Leon instinctively took a step back, muttering under his breath.
The succubus in front of him wasn't high-level, but Leon had only just stepped into this world. His strength hadn't improved yet.
And besides — this thing absorbed vital energy.
What man wouldn't be terrified?
A few "inhales" from a succubus could leave him weak and powerless for days.
At worst, he'd be bedridden for months.
If he was truly unlucky… he might get drained dry on the spot.
The succubus didn't respond. It was low-level and barely intelligent — incapable of speaking human language.
Without hesitation, the creature lunged at Leon.
"Oh, so talking nicely won't work? Straight to violence, huh?"
Seeing the succubus pounce, Leon didn't run. He immediately raised his fist — a fist almost as large as a sandbag — and swung it down.
He had a trump card: Damage Absorption. He could withstand a ton of force for a short time. He didn't believe a weak, barely-intelligent succubus could break through that.
His fist smashed straight into the succubus's face.
But the creature was completely unharmed.
"Damn it — I was careless. I can resist damage, but my attack power didn't increase!"
Leon grimaced.
His ability only boosted defense — his physical strength remained that of a normal human.
As for Seductive Massage Hands… that was useless here.
What was he supposed to do? Give the succubus a massage and say,
'There, there, feel better? Okay, continue absorbing my essence now?'
Ridiculous.
Fortunately, even though his offense was weak, his defense was rock-solid.
He couldn't hurt the succubus, but it couldn't hurt him either.
That was the theory.
What Leon overlooked was one critical detail—
Succubi didn't attack physically at all.
Their attacks were purely absorptive, magical in nature. They drained life force simply by clinging to their target. No punches, no kicks — just siphoning vitality directly.
Their method of attack was refined… in a horrifying way.
The creature wrapped its long legs around Leon's torso and immediately started draining him.
"YOU BLOOD-SUCKING DEMON! LET GO!"
Leon panicked as he felt the succubus begin drawing out his life essence.
A human lived by breath — but what truly kept them alive was vitality and spirit.
Especially one's vital energy.
If it was drained completely…
Death was certain.
"LET GO!"
Leon grabbed onto the succubus and pulled hard, trying to rip it off his body.
But no matter how much force he applied, the creature wouldn't budge.
It clung to him tighter than glue — tighter than a dog-skin plaster.
At least with a dog-skin plaster, you could peel it off with effort.
This thing? It was stuck like fate itself.
"Screw this!"
Leon clenched his teeth. If he couldn't pry it off, he'd try brute force.
It was latched onto him?
Fine — he'd throw himself onto the ground and use the succubus as a cushion.
THUD!
Leon dropped backward onto the ground, landing hard.
To be precise — he landed on the succubus, the sound coming from its body hitting the floor.
But the attack did absolutely nothing.
Even an ordinary human wouldn't be injured by such a fall — let alone a Dark Race creature.
The real issue was Leon's current lack of strength. His body was too weak, and the impact he created wasn't nearly enough to damage the creature.
"Damn it!"
Leon was sweating, his face twisting with frustration.
He couldn't hit it.
He couldn't pry it off.
He couldn't even shake it loose by slamming it around.
Meanwhile, the succubus continued draining him relentlessly.
And after just a few breaths, Leon already felt dizzy — whether from real energy loss or pure panic, he couldn't tell.
"Get… OFF!"
Leon pushed himself up, staggered, then sprinted toward a nearby wall.
Just before colliding, he twisted his body and slammed the succubus into the wall behind him.
He rubbed and scraped along the wall like a madman, hoping sheer friction would peel it off.
But nothing worked.
The creature clung even tighter.
Leon now resembled a character stuck under a cursed martial art technique — no matter how he twisted or slammed around, the succubus refused to budge.
"I'm getting weaker…"
His breathing grew ragged.
Clearly, some of his vital energy had already been drained.
If this continued, he'd be sucked dry.
"Damn it! Why can YOU absorb my essence, but I can't absorb yours!?"
"That's unfair!"
Just as Leon's despair peaked — a strange surge of power rose within him.
A new piece of information surfaced in his mind.
He had awakened another ability.
Devouring — exclusive to the Dark Race.
Allows the user to absorb members of the Dark Race to replenish and enhance their own essence.
Leon froze.
Then he grinned — wide, wild, exhilarated.
"Hah! You want to drain me?"
"Fine. Let's see how YOU like it!"
"Now it's my turn to drain you!"
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