Chapter 24: This Visual Blindness is a Problem...
The ground exploded beneath their feet at the same moment.
Whoosh!
Grrrraaaaa!
Arkan surged forward like a tornado of fur and earth, his massive body preceding his roar, as his eyes turned into pools of pure madness.
As for Aiden… there was no blind rush.
He moved with a cold mind.
He vanished from Arkan's field of vision once more, exploiting the terrifying difference in speed.
450 meters per second… was no longer just a number, but an overwhelming reality.
He appeared behind the Quasi-King Wolf, just an arm's length away.
But, he did not attack.
"Not now…"
He was waiting.
Arkan sensed a disturbance in the air and violently turned around, opening his enormous maw wide.
At that moment, Earth Mana exploded within his jaws.
The skill "[Jaws of the Earth (Level 5)]"!
The air in front of him turned into a crushing wall, a visible force of compression that almost folded space itself.
If Aiden had been a fraction of a second slower… everything would have been over.
But, Aiden's eyes did not even blink.
"Found you."
He slid sideways like a flash, and at the moment the jaw reached its maximum width, he lunged.
"[Thrust]!"
The fork in his left hand transformed into a thread of light, aimed directly at the corner of the right eye.
Craaack!
A different sound echoed this time… not the clang of metal.
But a living tear.
Grrrraaaaaaaah!!!
Arkan's scream erupted, a scream Aiden had never heard before.
The wolf staggered back, thick, earthy blood gushing from his injured eye.
Aiden jumped back immediately, without attempting to press his advantage.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, his left hand trembling from the impact.
"Hah… so you bleed like us too."
But Arkan was no longer listening.
Rage… had turned into pure madness.
He struck the ground with his claws, and a massive earthen wave exploded in all directions.
Skill [Sandstorm (Level 3)]!
The world disappeared inside a whirlwind of dust and fine rock, vision was lost, and the pressure almost crushed the lungs.
Aiden activated [Will of the Multitude] and [Healing] without hesitation.
He felt his internal cohesion, a firm resolve preventing fear from seeping in.
"This visual blindness is a problem..."
He closed his eyes and relied on sensation.
The sound of footsteps…
The disturbance of air.
And suddenly, a massive shadow pierced through the storm.
Arkan pounced with his full body, no claws, no skills,
a savage descent, wanting to crush everything beneath him.
Aiden opened his eyes at the last moment.
"[Swift as Light]!"
He disappeared from his spot and appeared directly beneath the wolf, his body low, the spear pulled back.
"This one… is for the cloak."
"[Strength]!"
The spear thrust upward, targeting the open mouth that hadn't closed yet from the earlier pain.
Thuuump!
The tip of the spear pierced the rocky palate and exited from the other side, accompanied by a gush of thick blood.
Arkan's body froze in mid-air.
Then… it fell.
Its impact with the ground resounded like a miniature earthquake, scattering dust in every direction.
Silence reigned.
The sandstorm began to subside, as if ashamed to continue.
Aiden stood swaying, pulled his spear out with difficulty, and fell to one knee.
His breaths were ragged, his body screaming from exhaustion, and his hands were shaking.
He looked at the massive, still body in front of him…
Then at the thick fur, almost undamaged.
He smiled, a tired but satisfied smile.
"…Yes."
"It will be perfect as a cloak."
But… deep within Arkan's chest, something pulsed once.
Aiden's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Not over yet?"
"Alright, let's finish it now..."
He gathered all his strength in his legs to stand, then stepped towards the body lying before him.
When he got within three meters of it, the massive body moved with lightning speed, appearing in front of Aiden with its maw wide open, attacking with all its might.
It was as if it was a desperate final attack, where Arkan had put everything he had into it.
Aiden was prepared for this. He gripped his spear tightly and leaned slightly to the left to avoid the desperate attack, then drove his spear with all his might, piercing Arkan's mouth.
Schlik!
The spear pierced the mouth, then the throat, reaching the internal organs and finally piercing the lower region of the body.
The spearhead emerged from the back, covered in fresh, warm, earthy blood.
Arkan let out a faint groan, then fell, a lifeless corpse...
"Hoooh…"
Aiden looked at the corpse in front of him, sighing from exhaustion.
Suddenly, he noticed a faint glow from Arkan's body, which then exploded into a collection of splendid loot.
Aiden grabbed one of them—a crystal the size of his palm. He began examining it with his eyes, and then an identification screen appeared before him.
[Experience Crystal: Consumable Item]
All the experience and training level the opponent had reached is gathered and condensed into a consumable pearl for the user and their followers.
"Hmmm... excellent."
"So this is what activating [Achievement Thief] produces."
"This is very good."
He looked at the pile of loot in front of him, where he glimpsed a collection of books and strange pearls.
He stepped forward and took one of these books, starting to flip through it, only to be surprised that the book was completely empty. He was puzzled by this and opened the book's identification screen, which appeared before him:
[Skill: Sandstorm]
A skill that summons the energy of the earth and transforms it into a massive whirlwind of dust, sand, and fine rocks, used to reduce opponents' vision and disorient them, while generating dense air pressure that weakens their movement and affects their balance.
It is considered an ideal skill in combat against faster opponents or those who rely on precise vision.
[Do you wish to consume the item?]
[Yes]...[No]
"Alright, this skill is very good, no harm in using it."
He immediately chose Yes, and then…
The book turned into a cluster of starlight, then rushed towards Aiden and disappeared...
Aiden opened his status screen and found the following:
[Name]: Aiden
[Strength]: house
[Speed]: 150 meters/second
[Flexibility]: 100
[Talents]: Language Learning
[Skills]: Strength (Level 4), Swift as Light (Level 5), Healing (Level 3), Summon Skeleton (Level 2), Thrust (Level 5), Rabbit Jump (Level 7), Sandstorm (Level 1)
[Imaginary Skills]: Comprehensive Formation
[Power Rating]: Rank D
[Fate Points]: 250
"Alright, the level of most of my skills has increased except for a few..."
He looked and noticed the newly added skill; it wasn't at the same level it was with Arkan, as it had been reset from zero again.
"Well, that's better than nothing..." He looked at the pile of loot in front of him with an optimistic look, thinking of a way to carry all these things with him without leaving anything behind.
"Alright, this is a problem but..."
He looked at his status screen, then settled on [Fate Points].
"How much does it cost to create a personal portable storage?"
[~~]
[Ding! Storage: 20 points]
"That's very cheap..."
He thought for a moment, then said: "I want it to be upgradeable as well."
[~~]
[Ding! Dimensional Storage: 200 points]
"Sigh... that's a bit expensive, but it's much better."
He accepted the skill with bitterness, while crying internally over the points he had painstakingly collected after long effort and harsh suffering.
[Ding! Acquired skill "Dimensional Storage"]
An identification screen for the skill appeared before him:
[Dimensional Storage]
This skill allows the user to open an independent dimensional space used for storing tools, weapons, resources, and loot without affecting their weight or size in the physical world.
Stored items are suspended outside of time, preserved in their original state without decay or deterioration.
At a certain level, the user can place living beings inside.
"Alright, this description is very good...."
He smiled slightly, then turned his gaze towards his skeletons....