The silence in the clearing felt heavy, broken only by Daniel's own ragged breathing and the faint, unsettling dripping sound of blood pooling on the azure grass. He straightened up, pushing through the post-battle fatigue that lingered despite the invigorating rush of his level-up. A glance around confirmed the carnage: five colossal Veridian Constrictor corpses lay scattered amongst the remnants of a desperate, failed defense by three fellow aspirants.
Urgency pricked at him. He recalled snippets from their Verge theory lessons, snakes, even alien ones, often possessed strong familial or territorial bonds. Defeating these five might attract others, potentially larger or more dangerous members of their species. He needed to harvest his spoils and vacate the area quickly.
First, the Assimilation Charges. He checked his Nexus Interface.
[Soul Assimilation Charges: 10/10 (Limit Increased!)]
His gamble had paid off beyond expectation. Leveling up hadn't just refilled his charges; it had doubled his maximum capacity from 5 to 10. This was a massive boost to his operational efficiency, allowing for more frequent enhancements and assimilations between rests or level-ups. The SSS-Talent continued to reveal layers of power.
He immediately focused on the nearest Constrictor corpse, initiating the assimilation process.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Creature: Veridian Constrictor.]
[Gain: Strength +3]
[Gain: Vitality +2]
[Gain: Agility +3]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (9/10 Remaining).]
Significant gains from a single Level 1 creature! He quickly moved to the next corpse, repeating the process. Strength +3, Vitality +2, Agility +3. Charge 8/10. And again. Strength +3, Vitality +2, Agility +3. Charge 7/10. He continued until all five snake corpses had yielded their essence. The total gain was immense: Strength +15, Vitality +10, Agility +15. His base attributes were soaring far beyond what any normal Level 1 Awakened could hope for.
His attention then turned to the grisly task he'd anticipated. He approached the two Constrictors whose midsections were unnaturally swollen. Using his E-grade Vibro-Knife, he carefully, grimly, cut into the tough reptilian hides. The stench that erupted was vile, a mixture of decay and digestive fluids.
Inside, nestled within the partially digested remains, were the corpses of Maya Singh and Kenji Tanaka. He quickly pulled them free, averting his eyes as much as possible, then found Min Takao's body nearby. He performed Soul Assimilation on each.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Maya Singh.]
[Warning: Residual Consciousness Echo detected. Adaptability check passed. Minimal psychological imprint.]
[Gain: Agility +0.1]
[Gain: E-Grade Skill - Extreme Speed]
[Skill: Extreme Speed (E-Grade): Passive skill. Increases base movement speed by 10%.]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (6/10 Remaining).]
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Kenji Tanaka.]
[Warning: Residual Consciousness Echo detected. Adaptability check passed. Minimal psychological imprint.]
[Gain: Agility +0.1]
[Gain: E-Grade Skill - Fast Step]
[Skill: Fast Step (E-Grade): Active skill. Reduces the cooldown of movement-related abilities by 15% for 10 seconds. Mana Cost: 25.]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (5/10 Remaining).]
[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened: Min Takao.]
[Warning: Residual Consciousness Echo detected. Adaptability check passed. Minimal psychological imprint.]
[Gain: Spirit +0.1]
[Gain: F-Grade Skill - Mental Fortitude]
[Skill: Mental Fortitude (F-Grade): Passive skill. Slightly increases resistance to mental status effects (Fear, Confusion). Effect minimal.]
[Assimilation Charge Consumed (4/10 Remaining).]
Two agility-related skills and a minor resistance buff. Good additions. The passive speed boost from [Extreme Speed] was immediately welcome. [Fast Step]'s cooldown reduction could be useful for maximizing the uptime of skills like [Adrenal Surge]. But then, something unexpected happened. A new notification flashed brightly on his interface.
[Detected compatible skill resonance: Adrenal Surge (F), Extreme Speed (E), Fast Step (E).]
[Attempting Skill Fusion...]
[...]
[Fusion Successful! New Skill Acquired: Ghoststeps (D-Grade)!]
[Adrenal Surge, Extreme Speed, and Fast Step have been consumed.]
Daniel stared at the notification, stunned. Skill Fusion? His Talent could combine skills? This was incredible! He quickly checked the details of the new skill.
[Skill: Ghoststeps (D-Grade): Active skill. Upon activation, triples the user's Agility for 10 seconds. Grants temporary noise reduction during movement. Mana Cost: 40. Cooldown: 1 minute.]
His jaw nearly dropped. A D-grade movement skill that tripled his agility for ten seconds, had noise reduction, and a relatively short cooldown? This was leagues better than the temporary 50% boost from the F-grade [Adrenal Surge].
The fusion capability added a whole new dimension to [Soul Assimilation]. Even low-grade skills assimilated from fallen recruits could become stepping stones to powerful, higher-grade abilities. He felt a thrill course through him, the potential of his SSS-Talent seeming truly boundless.
Suddenly, his [Aura Sense] flared, picking up multiple life forces approaching rapidly from the southeast, more large, cold-blooded signatures. Snakes. Likely drawn by the scent of blood or the demise of their kin. They were still some distance out, maybe a hundred meters, but closing fast.
He was out of time. But wait, the Constrictors were guarding something. He quickly scanned the clearing. His eyes caught a slight disturbance in the earth behind where two of the snakes had been coiled most protectively. A patch of soil seemed freshly turned, and poking through it was a cluster of vibrant purple leaves unlike the surrounding flora.
Remembering the potential for hidden resources, Daniel rushed over. He used his knife to dig frantically. Just beneath the surface, nestled amongst thick roots, was a phosphorescent herb. It pulsed with a soft, violet light and emitted a clean, almost minty fragrance that counteracted the surrounding stench.
[Item Identified: Detoxifying Purple Herb (E-Grade)]
Effect: Highly effective at neutralizing common biological toxins and venoms found in the lower strata of the Astral Verge. Can be consumed raw or brewed. Minor restorative properties.
Treasure! An E-grade consumable, but potentially life-saving in a place filled with venomous creatures. He quickly but carefully dug it up, securing the precious herb in a pouch on his belt.
The approaching snake signatures were much closer now, less than fifty meters. He could hear the faint slithering sounds, the rustle of displaced foliage. There was no time left.
With a final glance at the carnage he was leaving behind, Daniel activated his newly acquired [Ghoststeps]. "Boom!" The sound was softer this time, muffled by the skill's effect. The world exploded into motion around him. Triple his already enhanced Agility felt blindingly fast. The wind shrieked past him as he burst from the clearing, not stumbling, but moving with an unnatural grace and speed, his feet barely seeming to touch the ground.
He used [Aura Sense] to guide his path, weaving through the alien jungle, putting distance between himself and the vengeful serpents hot on his trail. He was leaving the den behind, richer in power, skills, and the brutal knowledge of survival in the Verge.