"Don't tell me its entire body turned to minced meat…"
Lukas frowned while jumping from one stone to another. Although Minotaurs were generally considered physically strong, against stones weighing thousands of kilograms, there was nothing it could do. Immediately upon impact, its body exploded, sending bloodied stones flying crimson.
"Tommy, any luck on your side?" He stopped and asked the Astral Bone Vanguard. Tommy, who was searching, also shook his skeletal body skull in the distance.
Lukas' mood hit rock bottom. His days of hard work were going to waste.
Just then his gaze landed on something—a dark grey piece of hoof. Immediately his face lit up.
Lukas, like an excited monkey, rushed to grab it, not forgetting to call Tommy over.
The bony skeleton also stopped its search operation and moved closer to Lukas.
Meanwhile, Lukas tried to lift the piece of dismembered leg, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Damn, this is insanely heavy." Lukas felt as if he was trying to lift a piece of solid iron. It was only with Tommy's help that they managed to drag the entire thing out.
"Tommy, get to work…"
Lukas commanded Tommy to assimilate the Minotaur's last remains. Although the chance of getting a skill from body parts other than the skull was low, trying wasn't going to hurt anyone.
Maybe if he was lucky, they might succeed—who knows.
While Lukas waited with a look of anticipation flashing in his eyes, Tommy finished gobbling up the entire thing.
[Ding! Your Rare‑grade summon Astral Bone Vanguard has assimilated the leg bone of Epic‑grade Starforged Minotaur.]
The light in Lukas' eyes intensified, his heart beating like a war drum.
[Ding! You have learned the innate skill of Starforged Minotaur: Gravity Pressure.]
[Gravity Pressure – Rare‑grade Passive]
[Description: All enemies within a hundred-meter radius with the user as the center feel the increased effect of gravity, increasing weight and slowing speed.]
"Jackpot!" Lukas jumped like a little kid who had gotten his favorite toy on Christmas, his hands thrown up into the air.
To think he would actually succeed.
From his past experiences, it was quite clear: the chances of getting a skill were incredibly high if Tommy assimilated with the skull.
He had chosen each of the three passives with extreme consideration. If the assimilation had failed, it would have been a disaster.
Given that he had already decided to move alone, he needed skills that worked magic against groups of enemies.
While under the effect of Gravity Pressure, his enemies would slow down while he could move freely.
This passive reminded him of the skill from his favorite game which allowed the character to slow down time.
Of course, although Gravity Pressure didn't slow down time, the effect was still the same.
After enjoying his moment for some time, Lukas calmed down. It was time to move toward the location of his second prey.
With Gravity Pressure in the bag, now it was time to learn a passive that could allow him to flee.
While Gravity Pressure would slow down his enemies, he needed a passive that could increase his speed and help him escape dangerous situations.
With that thought in mind, he dismissed Tommy and looked at the back of his palm. Even though the gloves were covering his hand, he could faintly feel the pulsing stars.
"I only have one star of energy left. Gotta be careful with my next set of actions."
As it was nighttime, meditating to conserve the Star Energy reserve was completely useless.
He still had a few hours of daylight left. Lukas wanted to hunt his second prey today itself.
His second target was another Epic‑grade monster: Cometfang Wolf, a creature of First Rank with almost insane speed. According to the information mentioned in the Night Phantom Guild booklet, although Cometfang Wolf was only an Epic‑grade monster, in terms of speed it could even rival Legendary‑grade creatures, and in some selective situations, it could even outclass them.
With such insane good prospects, how could Lukas not be tempted?
Just as he was about to start moving, suddenly the space in front of his eyes distorted slightly, and a new window popped up in front of his vision.
[Ding! Evolutionary requirement met]
[Astral Bone Vanguard Evolutionary Requirement]
[Help Astral Bone Vanguard assimilate with Epic‑grade creatures' bones]
[Progression: 1/3]
"So I just need to kill two more Epic‑grade creatures and Tommy would evolve again." Lukas commented after reading through the notifications.
He wasn't expecting to suddenly hit an evolutionary requirement, but he wasn't the one to complain about it.
"Guess it's just my lucky day today!"
Lukas cheered in his heart and started moving.
…
Each of these Epic‑grade creatures lived in their own separate habitat. Compared to Starforged Minotaur, which lived in a stony region, Cometfang Wolf lived in plains that could allow it to move freely.
After traveling for just two hours, Lukas arrived at his destination.
Flat green plains with sparse trees extended endlessly as far as one could see.
The terrain was favorable for both the hunter and the hunted, so Lukas encountered other Awakeners—every few hunters, all with tense expressions. It seemed the news of the horde had become widespread.
While moving, he even overheard one group of three young Awakeners led by one woman and two men, armed to the teeth, heavy storage bags on their backs filled with precious materials.
"The inner region is really a mess. Star Beasts have started going mad. Anyone who dares to take one step inside the inner forest gets slaughtered almost immediately." While looking around vigilantly, the woman muttered."
Hearing her words, the other two also exclaimed.
"I just pray to God we survive the upcoming disaster…"
"Damn, I should have paid the Star Crystals and returned home when I still had time…" Another exclaimed, his voice dripping with regret."
Hearing this conversation, Lukas' steps became even more hurried. It appeared time was running out.
He wanted to be best prepared when the disaster finally struck.