The place Aiden appeared was like a ruin. Devastated buildings were everywhere, and the harsh smell of ash was laced into the atmosphere.
It looked like a desert, dry sand spreading endlessly like an ocean.
Aiden squinted his eyes as he surveyed the area. "This place is worse than they described," he muttered.
He took his first step with difficulty because the sand held his legs firmly in place. "Even walking is this difficult," he muttered to himself.
He continued to walk around, his eyes catching every detail of the place. "I need to become an Eidolon, no matter what it takes," he said, his eyes burning with determination.
After walking for over 30 minutes without any sign of beasts, Aiden collapsed to the floor. "Why is finding a beast this hard?" He yelled in frustration.
"If only I had bought a soul compass earlier," he said, his head sinking into the sand.
A loud growl echoed across the field, making Aiden's brow twitch with caution.
"Finally, there is something," he said, jumping from the floor in a single leap.
His ring flickered as his swords appeared in his hands. "The soul dungeon is unpredictable. I should be prepared for anything."
He walked carefully, slower than before. Suddenly, his sword moved up to strike something behind him.
Sparks flew as the sound of metal colliding was heard. Aiden immediately jumped back to avoid another attack, his frame faltering as he landed in the sand.
He looked at the wolf humanoid with a hunched posture, long claws, and jagged fangs. "Starting with an ambush, that's not fair," Aiden said with a grin.
Then, in an instant, his gaze changed to a cold one. Lightning arced around him, making his golden hair rise with the current. His aurora eyes glowed with electricity as he anchored his stance in the sand.
"You have to pay the price."
The beast growled as it lunged towards Aiden. A gasp escaped his lips, then he moved. Aiden moved like a streak of light as he met the beast's claw, a heavy gust of wind exploding from the contact.
Without wasting time, he swung his other sword with his left hand, his sword flashing across the beast's neck.
The beast, fast to react, blocked the sword with its other hand. Aiden's body moved to avoid a kick to his belly.
He withdrew his sword and pushed further from the beast. "This omni-direction is a really good talent," he said calmly.
He pushed off again, the sand under his leg rising from the force he released. The beast's claw shone with a blue light as it swiped.
3 huge claw arcs shot from its attack, meeting Aiden in the air. Aiden's eye twitched. "You think this is enough?" He roared as he swung his lightning infused sword, breaking the arcs easily.
He reached the beast in an instant, his sword connecting with its arm, cleaving it with ease. The beast released a loud shriek as blood gushed out from its fallen wrist.
Aiden looked at the beast's wailing figure, a smirk creeping up his lips. But he felt a sudden gust come from the beast.
A huge ball of blue spiralling energy was released from the beast's mouth, approaching Aiden at a rapid pace.
"Shit!" He said through gritted teeth. "Why would I encounter a variant?" He asked.
His swords shook slightly as he channeled lightning into them. A sharp horizontal strike released all the lightning in a crescent.
The crescent and ball clashed in the center, releasing a sharp gust of wind as they exploded, and the sand beneath them erupted in a wave.
Aiden closed his eyes to avoid dust from entering. That was all the beast needed. It closed in on Aiden, ready to deliver a kick to his stomach.
Aiden sidestepped quickly as he felt something get close to him. "You play dirty," he said, amusement laced in his tone.
The beast roared in anger as it saw its failed attempt. Another ball of energy condensed in its mouth again.
Aiden's eyes widened as he saw it. Lightning condensed under his feet, propelling him into the sky, barely avoiding the attack.
He somersaulted gracefully in the sky, landing a few meters away from the beast with a gentle thud.
A sigh came from him as he held his right sword, pointing at the beast, and the other pointing in the opposite direction.
Lightning charged around his body wildly, making him vibrate at an insane frequency. "Let's end this here," he said, his voice barely audible.
His figure blurred, spinning as a storm of sand and sparks swallowed the beast. A quick golden flash tore through the storm in one graceful motion.
The beast was about to turn to look at its prey when its eyes shrank. Its torso slid apart in two clean halves, blood spraying the ground as its body collapsed with a dull thud.
Aiden fell to the ground from exhaustion, his eyes rolling from dizziness. "That is one move I don't want to try any time soon," he said with a smile.
The beast's corpse on the floor shimmered with blue glows as it disappeared. In its place was a single blue colored ore.
Aiden looked at the ore with a satisfied gaze. After staying on the floor for over 3 minutes, he grabbed the ore and sat cross-legged on the floor.
He closed his eyes and let his soul energy enter the soul shard. The shard began to float in the air, channeling translucent blue energy into Aiden's core, using his soul energy as a bridge.
Within a few minutes, the shard dulled before falling to the ground. Aiden opened his eyes, relief evident in them.
"I finally absorbed a soul core and became an Eidolon. I wouldn't become a soulless," he said with furrowed brows. "Why is there no system alert?"
As if it were a trigger, the familiar blue screen materialised in his sight.
As he read the content of the message, his eyes widened in shock.