The three remaining Spike-Backed Ravagers stopped sniffing the dead bodies of the aspirants.
They snapped their heads up, their yellow eyes locking onto the new threat that had just stepped out of the bushes.
Daniel stood in the open, his D-Grade Vibro-Knife held loosely in his right hand.
The Ravagers didn't wait for an introduction.
With a collective roar that shook the leaves of the trees, they charged. They moved with a terrifying speed for creatures so bulky, their heavy paws tearing up the earth as they closed the distance.
Daniel took a deep breath. The humid air filled his lungs. He wasn't scared. For the first time since entering the Aurora Vale, he wasn't looking for a way out.
He was looking for a way through. He focused on the one in the middle. It was the one with the limp, the one the spearman had injured earlier. It was the weak link.
"Come on," Daniel whispered. When the beasts were ten meters away, they stopped abruptly.
They turned their backs to him, their spine muscles bunching up.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
Three bone-white spikes launched from their backs like arrows, whistling through the air.
He didn't just dodge. He moved with it.
[Skill Activated: Godspeed Rush]
Everything slowed. The wind roared in his ears. The spikes that had been a blur were now clear, bone spikes spinning through the air.
Daniel twisted his body. The first spike missed his left shoulder by an inch. The second one grazed his D-Grade vest, sparking against the reinforced fabric but failing to penetrate.
He slapped the third away with the flat of his knife.
CLANG!
The metal rang out. Daniel didn't stop. He used the momentum of his deflection to launch himself forward.
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet as he kicked off, leaving a muddy crater.
He transformed into a blur of motion, closing the gap between him and the injured Ravager in a heartbeat.
The beast turned, snapping its massive jaws, but Daniel was already in the air.
He performed a front flip over the creature's head, pulling his knees to his chest.
As he passed over it, he struck with his left leg, his heel slamming into the back of the beast's skull.
CRACK!
The sound of bone fracturing was loud and wet.
The Ravager's head slammed into the dirt, its legs spreading out as it skidded forward, paralyzed.
[You have slain: Spike-Backed Ravager (Level 2)]
[EXP Gained: 30 EXP]
[Level 1: 160/200 EXP]
Daniel landed in a crouch behind it. He didn't waste time finishing it off. The other two were already turning, their eyes burning with fury.
One of them lunged with its mouth wide open, revealing rows of serrated teeth. Daniel didn't retreat. He stepped into the attack.
He dropped to his knees, sliding under the leaping monster. As he slid, he thrust his Vibro-Knife upward with both hands.
SHLIICK!
The D-Grade blade, humming with power, sliced through the soft underbelly of the Ravager like it was cutting through water.
Hot, dark blood sprayed over Daniel's face, blinding him for a split second.
The beast crashed to the ground behind him, thrashing and wailing in agony as its insides spilled out onto the grass.
[You have slain: Spike-Backed Ravager (Level 2)]
[EXP Gained: 30 EXP]
[Level 1: 190/200 EXP]
Two down. One to go.
Daniel wiped the blood from his eyes and stood up. The last Ravager hesitated. It looked at its fallen pack mates, then at the small human standing in a pool of blood.
It growled, a low, rumbling sound of uncertainty .
"Too late to run now," Daniel said. He rushed the beast. The Ravager panicked. It lifted itself onto its hind legs, trying to use its size to crush him.
It brought its massive claws down in a sweeping arc. Daniel didn't just dodge, he jumped.
He leaped straight at the creature, planting his foot on its descending arm. He used the monster's own limb as a stepping stone, launching himself higher.
For a second, he was face-to-face with the beast. He saw the fear in its yellow eyes.
"Goodbye," Daniel said. He drove his knife into the side of the creature's neck, burying it all the way.
Then, he twisted his body and kicked off the monster's chest.
RIIIP!
The blade tore free, severing the major arteries.
A fountain of blood erupted into the air. The massive beast staggered for a moment, gargling, before toppling over like a felled tree.
THUD!
The ground trembled with the impact. Silence returned to the clearing, broken only by Daniel's heavy breathing.
He stood there, his chest heaving, his body covered in sweat and blood. He felt alive. Truly, dangerously alive.
A soft chime resonated in his mind, followed by a series of glowing blue notifications that floated in his vision.
[You have slain: Spike-Backed Ravager (Level 2)]
[Level 1: 220/200 EXP]
Then, the big one.
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 2!]
[Level Up Bonus: All Stats +10. Assimilation Charges Restored (15/15).]
Daniel let out a long, shaky breath. He felt the energy rush into him, a warm wave that knitted his tired muscles and cleared his mind.
The fatigue from using [Godspeed Rush] vanished instantly.
He walked over to the first beast he had killed. It was time to feast. He placed his hand on the rough, grey hide.
The energy that flooded him was thick and heavy. It was different from the agile snakes or the psychic Mindshroud.
This was brute force.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Spike-Backed Ravager (Level 2)]
[Gain: Strength +3]
[Gain: Vitality +2]
[Gain: Agility +4]
[Gain: Spirit +2]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (1/15 Remaining).]
He moved quickly, moving from one corpse to the next. He assimilated the three he had just killed, then moved to the three that the aspirants had killed before they died.
Six massive beasts. Six sources of power. [Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Spike-Backed Ravager (Level 2)] ... [Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Spike-Backed Ravager (Level 2)]…
By the time he was done, he felt heavy with power. His skin felt tougher, his arms stronger.
He flexed his hand, feeling the tendons snap with new tension.
Total gains from the monsters:
Strength +18
Vitality +12
Agility +24
Spirit +12
He checked his Assimilation Charges. He had used 6. He had 9 left. Daniel turned his gaze to the center of the clearing.
The three aspirants lay there, twisted and broken. He walked over to them slowly.
He felt pity for them. They had fought hard. They had died scared. But leaving them here to rot would be a waste.
In the Aurora Vale, the dead were just resources for the living.
"I'll make it count," Daniel whispered to the silent forest.
He knelt beside the tall man with the spear, Williams. He placed a hand on the man's chest.
A different kind of energy flowed into him. It was complex, filled with human emotions, including fear, determination, and a lifetime of muscle memory.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Williams Onyeka]
[Warning: Residual Consciousness Echo detected. Adaptability check passed. Minimal psychological imprint.]
[Gain: Agility +5]
[Gain: E-Grade Skill - Extreme Speed]
[Skill: Extreme Speed (E-Grade): Passive skill. Increases movement speed by 10%.]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (8/15 Remaining).]
Daniel blinked, shaking off the brief flash of Williams's memories, a girl crying at a train station, the smell of rain on asphalt.
He pushed it down. He moved to the next body. Solomon, the young man with the sword.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Solomon Maverick]
[Warning: Residual Consciousness Echo detected. Adaptability check passed.]
[Gain: Defense +3]
[Gain: Agility +5]
[Gain: E-Grade Skill - Fast Step]
[Skill: Fast Step (E-Grade): Active skill. Perform a short, instantaneous burst of movement in a chosen direction. Cooldown: 5 seconds.]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (7/15 Remaining).]
Agility. Speed. Movement. Daniel was becoming a ghost. Finally, he moved to the woman, Zariel. She had been pinned to the tree.
Her face was frozen in shock. Daniel closed her eyes gently before placing his hand on her shoulder.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Zariel Elunaria]
[Talent: Poisonous Touch - C Grade detected. Degraded to Skill.]
[Warning: Moderate psychological imprint detected - Echoes of venom and decay. Spirit check passed. Imprint suppressed.]
[Gain: Spirit +7]
[Gain: Adaptability +9]
[Gain: D-Grade Skill - Venomous Strike]
[Skill: Venomous Strike (D-Grade): Imbue a melee attack (fist or weapon) with moderate corrosive venom. Inflicts damage over time and minor vitality drain on successful hit.]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (6/15 Remaining).]
Daniel stood up, his head spinning slightly. The influx of stats was massive. He felt faster, lighter. His senses were sharper than ever.
Then, a new notification pulsed in his vision, brighter than the others. It was gold.
[Detected compatible skill resonance: Godspeed Rush (F), Extreme Speed (E), Fast Step (E).]
[Attempting Skill Fusion...]
Daniel stared at the screen. Fusion? He knew he could assimilate skills, but combining them?
"Do it," he said aloud. [Fusing...]
[Fusion Successful! New Skill Acquired: Shadowsteps (D-Grade)!] [Godspeed Rush, Extreme Speed, and Fast Step have been consumed.]
He quickly pulled up the details.
[Skill: Shadowsteps (D-Grade): Active skill. Upon activation, triples the user's Agility for 10 seconds. Grants temporary noise reduction during movement. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
His jaw nearly dropped. Triples his Agility? With his current stats, that would make him faster than anything he had encountered so far.
It was a game-changer.
He activated his [Omnivision]. The world lit up in his mind, vibrant and clear. The range had increased significantly thanks to the Spirit boost from Zariel.
ZHOOM!
One moment he was standing, the next he was ten meters away.
There were more monsters out there. More skills to take. More power to claim. And he was hungry!