Daniel moved with a speed and grace he hadn't possessed a week ago. He moved through roots and low branches without slowing down.
His [Omnivision] was active, a low hum in the back of his mind, painting the world around him in a map of thermal signatures and life forces.
Then he suddenly stopped. A wave of disturbance rippled through his sensory field. It wasn't the subtle ping of a passive creature.
It was a wild, sharp burst of energy. Battle. "Again?" Daniel whispered, a frown touching his lips.
It felt like a strange echo of his past. A sense of déjà vu washed over him. Just like with the Ravagers, he was picking up multiple life forces engaged in a desperate struggle.
He didn't run away. He was done running. He crept forward, his boots making no sound on the damp moss.
He followed the strong signal of his [Omnivision], moving like a ghost through the shadows.
As he got closer, the sounds of the forest, like the dripping water and the chirping insects, faded and were replaced by the distinct, ugly noises of violence.
He heard the heavy thud of impacts, the wet tear of flesh, and the desperate, rough shouts of humans.
He reached a thick patch of bushes and gently pushed the leaves aside. A small clearing lay ahead, bathed in the twilight of the Vale.
In the center of the clearing, a massive beast was wildly moving. It was an Ironback Whelp.
Daniel recognized it from the Academy's bestiary classes, though seeing it in the flesh was a different experience entirely.
Its back was covered in a shell of thick, rough iron plates that rusted at the edges.
He quickly scanned it.
[Ironback Whelp - Level 2]
Stats: High Strength, High Vitality, Low Agility, Low Spirit.
Abilities: [Crushing Stomp], [Bite Clamp]
Threat Assessment: Huge, intimidating beast. Slow but hits hard. Easily outmaneuvered by agile opponents. Currently wandering territory, reacts aggressively if provoked.
Fighting it were two aspirants. They looked exhausted, their uniforms torn and stained with mud and blood.
One was a short, stocky man wielding a mace.
He swung it in desperation, but the metal clanged uselessly against the Whelp's iron shell.
The other was a taller man with a sword, trying to get around the beast, but the creature turned quickly, its heavy tail swinging like a thick branch.
"Move, Pete! Move!" the swordsman yelled.
Pete tried to dodge, but he was too slow. The Whelp reared up and brought its massive fists down.
BOOM!
[Crushing Stomp].
The ground shook. Pete lost his footing, stumbling into the mud. The Whelp didn't give him a chance to recover. It lunged forward, its jaws snapping shut.
[Bite Clamp].
Daniel flinched as the beast's jaws closed around the man's torso. There was a sickening crunch, a short, choked scream, and then silence from Pete.
The beast tossed the body aside like a broken doll.
"No!" the swordsman screamed. He charged in, blinded by grief and rage. It was a fatal mistake.
The Whelp swung its massive arm. It was a lazy, backhanded slap, but it carried the force of a wrecking ball.
It caught the swordsman as he was moving. He flew across the clearing, smashing into a tree with a bone-breaking thud.
He slid down the bark and didn't move again.
Silence fell over the clearing.
The Ironback Whelp huffed, steam rising from its nostrils. It was hurt, with cuts on its legs and a deep gash near its eye, but it had won.
Daniel watched from the bushes. His heart beat steadily. He saw an opportunity. "Two aspirants. One Level 2 beast," Daniel calculated. "That's three souls."
The beast was tired. It was hurt. It had let its guard down, thinking the threat was neutralized.
Daniel gripped the handle of his D-Grade Vibro-Knife. The metal felt cool and reassuring in his palm.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the humid air. "Time to go to work," he whispered.
He activated [Shadowsteps].
ZHOOM!
His agility tripled instantly. He didn't walk into the clearing, he exploded into it.
The Ironback Whelp sensed him a second too late. It tried to turn, to bring its massive defense to bear, but Daniel was already there.
He ran up the side of a tree, using his momentum to launch himself into the air.
He flipped over the Whelp's head, spotting the soft, fleshy gap between its neck and its iron shell.
"Open wide!" Daniel shouted. He landed on the beast's back. Before it could shake him off, he drove the Vibro-Knife down with both hands.
SHLICK!
The blade, enhanced to D-Grade sharpness, sank deep into the creature's neck. The Whelp roared, a sound of pure agony, and thrashed wildly.
Daniel held on, his legs clamped tight around the spikes on its shell. He ripped the knife free and stabbed again. And again!
The beast tried to reach him, its massive arms flailing, but Daniel was in its blind spot. It tried to drop and roll, to crush him under its weight.
Daniel sensed the shift in its muscles with his [Omnivision]. As the beast began to tip backward, he leaped off.
He performed a backflip, landing gracefully in the mud few meters away.
CRASH!
The Ironback Whelp slammed onto its back, its iron shell groaning under the weight. It struggled to right itself, its soft belly exposed to the air.
"Big mistake," Daniel said. He dashed forward, sliding on his knees across the mud. He passed right under the thrashing limbs of the beast.
As he slid past, he slashed his knife across the creature's exposed stomach. It was a deep, tearing cut.
The Whelp let out one final, gurgling moan. Its struggles ceased. Its massive arms flopped to the ground, lifeless. Daniel stood up, wiping slime from his cheek.
He checked his Databand.
[You have slain: Ironback Whelp (Level 2)]
[EXP Gained: 30 EXP]
[Level 2: 50/450 EXP]
"Not bad," Daniel murmured. He walked over to the beast. He didn't have much time. The smell of blood was strong, and in the Vale, blood attracted company.
He placed his hand on the iron shell.
[ Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Ironback Whelp (Level 2)]
[Gain: Strength +4]
[Gain: Vitality +4]
[Gain: Defense +5]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (5/15 Remaining).]
The surge of vitality was immediate. The minor aches in his legs vanished. His skin felt tighter, harder, as if it had absorbed some of the iron from the beast.
He turned to the fallen aspirants. He moved to Pete Moore first, the man with the mace. He knelt beside the body.
"Rest easy," he said softly."
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Pete Moore]
[Warning: Residual Consciousness Echo detected. Adaptability check passed.]
[Gain: Strength +3]
[Gain: Defense +3]
[Gain: D-Grade Skill - Kinetic Pulse]
[Skill: Kinetic Pulse (D-Grade): Generate a concentrated pulse of kinetic energy that radiates outward from the user, disrupting the movement and balance of enemies within range.]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (4/15 Remaining).]
Daniel's eyes widened. [Kinetic Pulse]. An area-of-effect skill. That was useful. It was exactly the kind of crowd-control ability he lacked.
He moved to the second man, Nelson Constantine. The swordsman.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Nelson Constantine]
[Warning: Residual Consciousness Echo detected. Adaptability check passed.]
[Gain: Strength +4]
[Gain: Agility +2]
[Gain: D-Grade Skill - Power Strike]
[Skill: Power Strike (D-Grade): Channel kinetic energy into a single melee attack, increasing its impact force significantly.]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (3/15 Remaining).]
Daniel stood up, looking at his hands. He felt a hum of energy beneath his skin. [Kinetic Pulse] and [Power Strike]. Both manipulated kinetic energy. Both were D-Grade.
His Databand chimed. A golden notification pulsed in his vision. [Detected compatible skill resonance: Kinetic Pulse (D), Power Strike (D).] [Attempting Skill Fusion?]
"Yes," Daniel subvocalized instantly. The potential was thrilling. If his theory was right, fusing two D-Grade skills should result in something far more potent. [Fusing...]
He felt a strange sensation in his chest, like two magnets snapping together. The knowledge of how to use the two separate skills blurred, melted, and reforged into something new.
[Fusion Successful! New Skill Acquired: Forceburst (C-Grade)!]
[Kinetic Pulse and Power Strike have been consumed.] C-Grade! Daniel grinned. He had done it. He checked the details immediately.
[Skill: Forceburst (C-Grade): Manifest a kinetic force for impact or shockwave on a limb or weapon upon activation. Can be discharged on impact for a devastating single blow OR released as a focused shockwave. Cooldown: 15 seconds.] Versatility.
That was the key. He could use it to punch a hole through armor or to blast enemies away if he got surrounded. It was the perfect offensive tool.
He looked around the clearing one last time. He had taken everything he could. He needed to rest. The fight hadn't been long, but the high-intensity movement and the assimilations took a toll on his mental stamina.
He moved away from the clearing, finding a secluded spot near the roots of a massive tree about half a mile away. He sat down on a huge, flat stone, resting his back against the rough bark.
The forest was quiet again, save for the distant hoot of some alien owl. Daniel let out a long breath.
He felt safe here, hidden in the shadows. He brought up his Databand to do a full assessment.
[Name: Daniel Rivers]
[Level: 2 (50/450 EXP)]
[Talent: Soul Assimilation (SSS)]
[Assimilation Charges: 3/15]
Attributes:
Strength: 70
Vitality: 58
Agility: 78
Spirit: 59
Defense: 43
Adaptability: 41
Attack: 37
Active Skills:
[Omnivision (E-Grade)]
[Shadowsteps (D-Grade)]
[Forceburst (C-Grade)]
Passive Skills:
[Mental Fortitude (F-Grade)]
[Mental Echo (C-Grade)]
[Venomous Strike (D-Grade)]
Inventory:
[Vibro-Knife (D-Grade)]
[Deflector Vest (D-Grade)]
[Celestial Voidpocket (A-Grade)].
He stared at the numbers. They were absurd. A normal Level 2 aspirant might have stats in the low 30s if they were lucky. He was pushing 60 in almost every physical category. He was becoming a monster. And for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like prey. He felt like the most dangerous thing in the woods.
Daniel closed his eyes, listening to the hum of the forest through his [Omnivision]. He was alone, yes.
But he was strong. And soon, he would be strong enough to go home!