Feeling the surge of power coursing through his veins, Auron muttered, 'System', and the familiar interface popped up into view.
SYSTEM INTERFACE
Name: Auron Raventor
Title: (Initial Iron Rank Hunter.)
Race: Human
Class: None (yet)
Beast Contracts: 0
Attributes:
Strength: 5 + 2 ➔ 7 (Strong enough to lift... your hopes.)
Agility: 4 + 2 ➔ 6 (A journey you'll never start unless you actually try. But hey, who needs agility when you have... whatever it is you have.)
Intelligence: 6 + 2 ➔ 8 (Knowledge is within you, though often overshadowed by a tendency to forget where you put it.)
Charisma: 2 + 2 ➔ 4 (Who needs friends, right?)
Endurance: 4 + 2 ➔ 6 (Your stamina is a whisper of a dying ember.)
Luck: 8 + 2 ➔ 10 (The threads of fate are twisted in your favor.)
Unallocated Attribute Points: 0
Skills:
Stone Skin: [Skill Progression1.0%]
Before he could assess the changes, a sudden notification flashed in front of his eyes.
(Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating an initial Iron-ranked Wild Cat. Do you wish to devour its essence and merge with one of its attributes?
<
Devour its essence...? But before he could contemplate further, his curiosity was replaced by a familiar cold creeping sensation of being watched, again.
Auron's eyes narrowed. "Who the fuck's there?"
Dante and Lyra, who had been previously hiding in the shadows, emerged from the edge of the Academy's protective barrier, eyes locked on him like he was some sort of monster.
"The hell was that?" Dante asked, voice sharp with disbelief. "You just killed a fucking Iron-ranked beast... with your fucking bare hands!"
Lyra's gaze was glued to the bloodied beast, her face pale but her curiosity blazing." And that skin... thing. What the hell did you do? No beast contract, no weapons, and you just smacked that thing to death like it was nothing."
Auron's expression twisted into a cold, mocking smirk. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm a once-in-a-millenium prodigy?"
Dante's brows shot up. "Bullshit. Ain't no prodigy just gets their ass handed to them by everyone at the academy."
Auron shrugged, his violet eyes glinting with a new sense of pride. "Maybe I've been hiding my true talent. Playing weak, letting all you guys feel good about yourselves. Ever thought of that?"
Lyra folded her arms. "Bullshit. What the hell did you just do?" Auron's smirk widened.
He turned his back on them, his shoulders radiating indifference. Their curiosity was pointless. He couldn't risk exposing the system, at least not yet.
Lyra's voice was tight, suspicion glinting across her emerald eyes. "Whatever that was, it wasn't normal martial arts. Right ?"
He chuckled, voice dripping with a teasing tone. "And why the fuck should I tell you?"
Dante's fists clenched, his eyes blazing. "You fucking son of a..."
***
Unable to crack Auron's mocking smirk and taunting remarks, Dante and Lyra finally backed off, their gazes lingering as if trying to burn holes through his back before they stormed off.
Confirming their departure. Auron let out a sharp breath, as he looked back at the dead wild cat. Now, where was i?
He glared at the prompt, his mind racing. The idea of devouring the beast's essence was new why hadn't this notification appeared when he slew rats? Was it that they were too weak and had nothing to offer him or did the beast he wanted to devour have to be stronger than he was ?
Discarding those thoughts Auron focused on his present situation, there was no point racking his brains over questions he couldn't acquire answers to now. Power was power. And he needed every drop of it.
'Yes!'
(Ding! The wild cat possesses the following attributes:
Strength: 15
Agility: 20
Endurance: 12
(Select which attribute to devour:
<
Damn! Talk about being vastly outstripped, good thing he had leveled up his iron skin or he would be minced meat now.
Pulling back his thoughts, his eyes swept over the options, his fingers clenching and unclenching as he weighed his choices. Strength was tempting, making him a more efficient killer. Endurance would give him the stamina to withstand tougher fights in the future. But Agility...was way more enticing.
The way the beast had moved, swift as f*ck. Those reflexes were almost what kept it alive, if it hadn't foolishly lunged at him.
Plus it was an added back up measure, what if he encountered a beast he couldn't easily handle? He'd have to rely on his agility to escape.. And now, that agility was about to belong to him.
The moment he made his choice, a surge of energy radiated from the wild cat's body, swirling in the air like a tangible orb before spiraling toward him. It floated towards for a second before it inexplicably merged with his body.
Images flashed before his eyes almost immediately of the wild cat's life, its hunts and instincts. Every ounce of its speed and cunning now unraveling and merging itself into his very soul.
His body trembled as raw speed poured into his veins. The system's cold voice echoed in his mind.
[Agility increased by 20 points.]
This... this..... power....this was real power. Overwhelmed by the sudden rush of power, Auron glanced at the system interface before him again.
SYSTEM INTERFACE
Name: Auron Raventor
Title: (Initial Iron Rank Hunter.)
Race: Human
Class: None (yet)
Beast Contracts: 0
Attributes:
Strength: 5 + 2 ➔ 7 (Strong enough to lift... your hopes.)
Agility: 6 ➔ 26 (+20) (Your body now moves like instinct)
Intelligence: 6 + 2 ➔ 8 (Knowledge is within you, though often overshadowed by a tendency to forget where you put it.)
Charisma: 2 + 2 ➔ 4 (Who needs friends, right?)
Endurance: 4 + 2 ➔ 6 (Your stamina is a whisper of a dying ember.)
Luck: 8 + 2 ➔ 10 (The threads of fate are twisted in your favor.)
Unallocated Attribute Points: 0
Skills: Stone Skin: Progress (1.0%)
Damn! Auron clenched his fists. This power... it was almost addictive. No, it was fucking damn right addictive! With this, wasn't he about to ascend like a rocket, straight to the top?
His lips curled into a grin. But then, reality hit him like a slap to the face. Sure, he was no longer completely useless. But what about those guys in the academy?
Most of them had formed beast contracts at a young age, their paths to strength laid out before them like a carefully paved road. Even the weakest of them in his class had at least advanced to the Bronze Realm, their beasts acting as extensions of their will, enhancing their abilities.
And the geniuses like Elora Greyson and Lyra Ashford were already leagues ahead. Their beasts had ascended to the Silver Realm, forming terrifying bonds of strength, speed, and elemental mastery. Some of them could flatten small mortal armies with their contracted beasts alone.
And here he was, still groveling, fighting Iron-ranked beasts in the dead of night like a damn scavenger. Auron exhaled sharply, his fingers twitching. No, that was about to change.
[The Primordial Beast Assimilation System], this cheat-like, broken system was his path forward. He wouldn't follow the rules of this world. He wouldn't be shackled by the academy's rigid system of beast taming.
He was about to advance through an unconventional means, a path no one in this world had ever walked before. A path that didn't require contracts. A path where he would be the beast.
Auron turned his gaze back toward the academy, his mind already shifting gears.
It was time to train. Perhaps... more Iron-ranked beasts? His grin widened. The safe zones around Glaivemire Academy kept most beasts at bay, meaning he'd have to walk away far from the perimeter he had already advanced, to find stronger iron beasts . It was more risky, sure. But he had already defied the academy's norms by refusing to rely on a beast contract. He had already broken the first rule of this world.
Why stop now? The night air felt electric, charged with the possibilities ahead. Auron took a deep breath, the lingering scent of dirt filling his lungs. This was it. This was the moment he'd been waiting for his whole life.
Power was no longer just a dream. It was his reality. With one last glance at his system interface, Auron exhaled and took a step forward.
And immediately regretted it. His body blurred. One step felt like ten. The ground blurred beneath him. His breath caught, too fast, too much. He skidded, the next second, he was several feet ahead of where he'd intended to move.
"What the fuck?!" He gritted his teeth. Damn it. This is going to take getting used to...