Northern was still in a daze a couple of seconds after the transparent panel had vanished.
‘What was that? There’s definitely no one around me… and I didn’t witness anyone…’
Suddenly, he paused.
It didn’t take him long to realize the potential source.
He frowned, suspicion creasing his brow.
“No, that can’t be possible. I can copy talents even without being physically present…?”
What Northern was suspecting was the fact that there was only one connection to him that extended outside.
If someone had used a talent ability on Dark Terror, then it made sense.
However, this realization was profoundly shocking.
Could this have happened before, or was it a new capability he gained upon reaching the drifter rank?
Northern didn’t know.
‘I’m confused.’
But something nagged at him.
He summoned his profile and scrutinized it intensively for a couple of seconds.
Name: Northern Longguard
True Name: [Nameless]
Attributes: [Formless], [Spawn of Void], [Limitless Void], [Vestige of Chaos and Void], [All Eyes], [Chaos Thread], [Flames of Chaos]
Soul Rank: [Drifter]
Talent Fragments: [0/2000]
[Copied Talents]: [0/2]
[Owned Talents]: [1]
[Attribute Abilities(Active/Passive)]: [9/10]
[Owned Items]: [Mortal Blade], [Eternal Twilight], [Silver Sword], [Death Glare] and 24 others.
‘My talents have stagnated since I returned from the rift…’
To be precise, it was only yesterday he woke up, according to Annette.
He had been unconscious for about five days. So it didn’t feel like a long time, and he wasn’t pressured to start hunting for talent fragments immediately.
Besides, he’d been preoccupied since awakening.
But seeing he had no talent fragments when the opportunity to copy a Talent arose filled him with disappointment.
‘Crap, I should hunt for some talents then… I also want to experiment with how the talents function…’
Northern had been wondering about the number of talent fragments awarded for slaying monsters, whether the amounts were determined by ranks or danger levels.
Or both.
There were a couple of things he wanted to explore.
But he needed a skill that could allow him to peer into the souls of monsters, see their soul cores, and if possible, their danger levels.
He craved that ability desperately; though it wasn’t a combat skill, it was a necessity he longed to possess.
He stood up, and immediately Mr. Fluffy, who had been slumbering in a corner, raised his head, ears perked like erections.
The monstrous wolf watched with glittering eyes as shards of black sparks wove something around Northern’s body.
A couple of seconds later, Northern was donned in a lustrous black armor, with two horns protruding from his head.
“Are you interested? Let’s cleanse the forest together.” Northern said to the wolfish beast.
At that moment, a shadow suddenly streaked into the room, and Dark Terror rose from it.
He turned his eyes to gaze at the indifferent monster.
“I’m sure you didn’t kill anyone, right?”
Dark Terror stared impassively, the flames of its eyes burning more ferociously then calming a second later.
‘I wonder if that is some way of saying yes…’
Northern nodded and dismissed the devil, returning it to the embrace of the flames of void.
Then he turned to Mr. Fluffy, who was snarling ferociously at the presence that had suddenly disappeared.
Northern looked at the beast.
“You’re quite hostile, aren’t you…?” ‘…or was it because of Dark Terror’s intimidating presence?’
He patted the beast’s head and took the bag that was sitting next to it.
Northern summoned a clone and handed the bag to it.
“All you have to do is harvest the cores of whatever monsters I slay.”
He commanded and headed out with that, flying through the window and landing on the ground in a wake of webbed cracks.
Mr. Fluffy followed, touching down with a softer step and dashing forward, keeping pace right behind Northern.
The afternoon was growing sharper and hotter, heat gradually accumulating inside the devilish armor, but Northern didn’t feel bothered by it.
‘I wonder if it will become an issue later on…’
Despite the temperature, his body felt cooled, but it was still too early to draw any conclusions.
Northern strode forward gallantly, observing his surroundings.
After a couple of seconds of strolling, he came to a stop.
“Hmm, there’s around four… no, six…”
There was a minute flow of chaos that wove the core of every soul, and by following that flow, Northern could discern the number of presences around him.
He opened his hand, materializing a black steel blade and pushed his leg back, ready to spring into action.
Hissing gasly breath escaped his clenched teeth, and in a fleeting moment, Northern’s figure streaked into the forest like black lightning.
The first ox-like monster stood motionless, perhaps disoriented by the harsh sunlight.
Northern didn’t hesitate. In a single fluid motion, he swept past the creature, his blade slicing cleanly through its neck in a rolling motion.
[You have slain Hazardous Beast – Bulfor]
[You have gained +3 talent fragments]
Without pausing, Northern turned his attention to the next target.
He could sense the presence of several more of the ox-like monsters nearby, their chaotic energies rippling through the forest.
Gripping his black steel weapon tightly, Northern sprang forward, his feet barely touching the ground as he closed the distance.
The next monster, alerted by the commotion, swung its massive head towards Northern, its jaws gaping wide.
But Northern was quicker. He ducked under the creature’s attack, his blade slicing upwards in a swift, arcing motion.
The monster’s jaw was severed, blood spraying in an arc as it roared in pain and confusion.
[You have slain Hazardous Beast – Bulfor]
[You have gained 3 talent fragments]
‘This is easy…’
Of course, it was.
Northern paused and skillfully twirled the onyx blade, transferring it from one hand to the other and facing the depth of the forest.
Mr. Fluffy arrived behind him and growled slowly.
The beast wasn’t even given a chance to display his prowess.
Northern smirked, “Don’t worry, buddy, you too will shine very soon…” A menacing grin split his face. “A horde of them is coming.”
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[A/N]
I’m sorry guys for boring you out in these past few chapters.
Don’t run away from me, a little patience, we are slowly getting into it.
Your comments, power stones and golden tickets are my motivation.
Thanks a lot guys.
I really can’t thank you all enough!