God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

[Ding! Do you wish to extract the Divine Corruption Medium?]

[Extraction Cost: 500 EP]

[Warning: The divine structure within the target is incomplete. Unknown reactions may occur.]

The moment the System status appeared, Gabriel felt the Godslayer Bloodline Spark stir in his chest as though it were hungry.

Before he could confirm the Extraction, the silver masked captain suddenly changed direction, abandoning Gabriel as his entire body shot toward Sophie faster than at any previous moment.

Edgar’s expression turned dark. ”Sophie!”

Beyond the trees blocking the southwest path, the six elven warriors heard his warning. Their attacks against the corrupted obstruction became even more frantic, but they were still too far away to reach Sophie in time.

A silver white chain shot from the captain’s sleeve toward Sophie.

After witnessing what Sophie could do, the captain had abandoned direct combat and returned to the Church’s original objective.

Sophie raised her head just in time to see the captain crossing dozens of meters. ℯℯ𝑙.

But when he came within ten meters of her, the entire forest suddenly became still.

The wind stopped. The leaves stopped. Even the gray black pillar of light seemed to tremble and freeze.

An unprecedented sense of danger surged through the captain’s heart.

Sophie looked at him. She was no longer trying to understand how much power she needed or which roots she should move. She focused on only one thought.

”I don’t want you to come any closer.”

BOOM!

The earth exploded.

It was not one root, nor was it ten. Hundreds of roots surrounding the altar erupted from underground simultaneously, their golden green light illuminating the entire night.

The captain’s pupils contracted. For the first time, he abandoned his attack and retreated with everything he had.

His black sword slashed repeatedly, severing root after root, but even more surged toward him from every direction. One layer became two, then three, as though the entire forest were closing its hand around him.

Boom!

The first root struck his chest, causing his protective mana to shake violently. The second slammed into his back, while the third swept in from the side.

Bang!

His body was smashed dozens of meters away. He crashed through a stone pillar at the edge of the old altar before slamming heavily into the ground.

The roots pursued him. More rose overhead, thick enough to crush both his body and the stone beneath him.

Sophie felt the forest’s murderous intent and quickly clenched her hands.

”Stop.”

The descending roots froze, their ends suspended above the captain and trembling with barely restrained fury.

Her breathing became uneven. The forest was listening to her, but every command still required her to separate her own will from the anger pouring into her through the World Tree’s wounded root.

She did not want these people to escape, nor did she want them to hurt anyone else. But she also did not want the forest slaughtering everyone merely because it sensed her pain.

The silver masked captain slowly raised his head.

Crack.

A thin fracture appeared across his mask, stretching from his forehead to his chin.

Edgar looked at Sophie, then at the hundreds of roots surrounding the altar. Only after a long moment did he speak.

”Looks like... the person they least should’ve provoked tonight... may not have been you.”

Gabriel glanced at him. ”Do you have nothing better to do?”

”I’m merely stating a fact.”

Gabriel lowered his gaze toward the dark red spike in his hand. Then he confirmed the Extraction.

[God Tier Extraction activated.]

[500 EP consumed.]

Buzz!

The instant the System’s power penetrated the dark red spike, the entire old altar trembled.

Every pattern carved across the spike lit up simultaneously. An extremely faint strand of gray white light, carrying an essence above ordinary mana, was forcibly pulled from within it.

The spike immediately lost its color. The corruption surrounding it faded, and its metallic surface became dull and inert.

Matthew stared at the strand of gray white light, his face turning deathly pale.

”Divinity...”

Even Edgar instinctively shifted his weight backward. The power was faint and badly decayed, yet it still carried a pressure originating from a higher level of existence.

The dormant Godslayer Bloodline Spark inside Gabriel reacted once again, radiating unmistakable hunger.

He made his decision and guided the extracted strand toward it.

”Take it.”

The gray white light flowed into his arm.

Agony tore through his blood vessels and bones, causing Gabriel’s body to shake once. Faint gray white cracks spread across his forearm as though something were burning him from within, and cold sweat appeared across his forehead.

Edgar grew worried. ”Gabriel?”

”Don’t come over,” Gabriel said in a slightly strained voice.

The Spark drew in only a trace before falling silent again. A moment later, System notifications appeared before Gabriel.

[Trace decayed divinity absorbed.]

[Godslayer Bloodline Spark: Dormant, Stage Zero.]

[Bloodline Integrity: Extremely Low.]

[The absorbed residue is insufficient to increase the Godslayer Bloodline Spark’s stage.]

There was no advancement or awakening.

Absorbing residue from a corruption medium was fundamentally different from slaying a divine being and taking its true divine essence.

But Gabriel smiled. The Spark had reacted, which alone proved this power could affect it.

One spike had contained only a trace, and there were still six remaining around the altar. More importantly, the System had successfully extracted decayed divinity without allowing the corruption medium to contaminate him completely.

That was already enough to make the risk worthwhile.

The silver masked captain slowly rose from the rubble, blood dripping from beneath his fractured mask. He was no longer looking at Sophie or the forest surrounding her. His gaze was fixed entirely upon the dark red spike that had become completely inert in Gabriel’s hand.

For the first time, genuine horror appeared in his eyes.

”You...”

His voice was no longer completely filtered through the damaged mask, making him sound much younger than expected.

”What did you do with the divine power inside it?”

Gabriel flexed his right hand. The gray white cracks were already fading. Then he looked up.

”Ate it.”

The silver masked captain fell silent.

Edgar fell silent too. Matthew opened his mouth, but no words came out. Even Sophie temporarily forgot the anger and pain flowing through her as everyone’s gaze fell upon Gabriel.

Yet Gabriel acted as though he had said nothing strange. He casually tossed the powerless spike onto the ground.

Clink.

Then he turned toward the remaining six spikes, and his eyes grew brighter.

”So...”

He tightened his grip around Crimson Judgement. Mana flowed into the greatsword, causing its crimson engravings to illuminate one after another.

”Next... these are mine too.”

Boom!

The stone beneath his feet cracked.

Almost at the same moment, deep beneath the old altar, a faint strand of golden green light finally appeared within the incomparably weakened gray black main root. It was a light that had been suppressed for countless years, and now, for the first time, it began to shine again.