With no way to escape, Aries found himself surrounded by monsters from all angles. But just as the creatures closed in on him, the ground beneath them shook violently. Massive spikes of earth erupted from the ground, impaling and annihilating numerous monsters in an instant. The onslaught continued as more pillars emerged, decimating any creature that dared to approach the Terradon.
"I forgot we had this guy on our side."
Kraaack!!
Before Aries could catch his breath, a group of airborne monsters swooped in to attack. Swiftly, he hurled his shield at the birds, knocking several out of the sky. The remaining creatures unleashed a barrage of sharp feathers, but Aries rolled and evaded them. As the feathers closed in, aiming to grasp him with their talons, Aries swiftly retracted his shield, striking the talons and severing them. He used the shield to block the rest of the talons, shielding himself from harm.
Peng!
[Damage absorbed! Shiva's Guard (11%)]
[Synchronization rate increased by 13.9%]
.
.
.
.
.
Aries successfully blocked some of the attacks, triggering his Parry skill and instantly countering, killing the attacking birds. However, a few managed to strike his body, leaving cuts and wounds that were not really life-threatening.
"Damn it! They just keep coming!"
[Shiva's Guard has been activated!]
As another swarm of monsters appeared on his side, Aries unleashed a powerful blue wave, severing their bodies in half. But the onslaught continued, with more monsters attempting to ambush him from behind. Aries swiftly threw his shield at them and, without its protection, deftly dodged a slashing attack from a pack of wolf-like creatures that had crawled up from the Terradon's shell.
Quickly accessing his inventory, Aries pulled out a Stun Grenade, which he deployed with precision, electrifying and frying the pack of wolves to death. His shield returned to him, and driven by instinct, he guarded his left side as a gigantic armadillo rolled towards him, aiming to crush him into oblivion.
"Shit! You're heavy!"
The armadillo continued to roll, putting pressure on Aries as he struggled to withstand the weight. As the shield's durability was decreased by a point, it glowed with a blue hue, prompting Aries to activate Shiva's Guard. The armadillo's hard shell and body were instantly decimated, reduced to mere bits and pieces as gore covered the surroundings.
Graargh!
"Kheuk!"
A powerful roar echoed from behind, catching Aries off guard. He was ambushed by a clawed strike from a black leopard monster, causing him to tumble and fall, blood trickling from his mouth.
[Synchronization rate increased by 20.1%]
"Damn, that hurts!"
His clothes were torn to shreds from the attack, and his body bore bruises from the relentless assault. Now, a black leopard stood before him, agile and dangerous. It unleashed slashes of black flames that caused excruciating pain even with the slightest contact.
"To think I have to fight a rare monster. Not that I'm surprised, but why does it have to be a Black Leopard?"
Aries clenched his teeth, facing the grim fate that awaited him. Rare monsters, as their name implied, were elite creatures that appeared in special circumstances. They were formidable opponents with unique skill sets. If successfully slain, their carcasses held great value, capable of lifting a 4th-class citizen to a 3rd-class status. Furthermore, their mana cores were highly sought after, even by those from higher echelons, due to their exceptional purity. Absorbing such a core was equivalent to absorbing an A-rank monster above its tier level.
A mixture of anxiety and excitement coursed through Aries. If he managed to defeat this black leopard, it meant he would attain a small part of the freedom he yearned for. But the odds were stacked against him. This black leopard was a Tier 2 S-rank monster, a special variant with limited information available to the public. Little was known about these creatures, likely because no one had successfully killed one, or if they had, the details were concealed.
"I have a request."
[Sol: What is it?]
"I'm certain this black leopard is from another universe. Can you find any information about it?"
[Sol: Already done. It's called a Pitch Fire Feline, a Grade-6 lifeform from Universe-9980. Notable features include its black fur and claws capable of conjuring Cursed Flames, a type of flame that cannot be extinguished. The only way to destroy this flame is by killing the Pitch Fire Feline itself. However, the flame can be extinguished if exposed to sunlight, as the creature's natural habitat lacks solar power from stars but maintains enough heat to sustain life due to its high-temperature planet. Given your level, it should be impossible to defeat it, but it has weakened to the point where it can only exert 30% of its full power. You should have a chance at killing it. Its weakness lies in its flaming tail. If you can extinguish or reduce the flames, it will weaken the feline significantly. And yes, Shiva's Vanguard with its ice attribute is the best choice to oppose it.]
"Thanks a lot."
After reading the information provided by Sol, Aries felt a surge of hope. He charged toward the black leopard, who lunged at him in response. The frenzied state caused by the bait made the leopard's attack pattern more predictable, but that didn't make the fight any easier for Aries. Despite observing numerous battles, he had limited experience actually fighting head-on. His movements were basic and lacked refinement, as this was his first true confrontation. The Scavengers and birds he had killed previously didn't count, as the shield had done most of the work. This battle was far from trivial and needed his absolute focus.
Aries had to dodge the black leopard's cursed flames since his shield couldn't fully block them without his body making contact. The flames, although short-lived, burned like lava upon contact. The leopard conjured more and more flames with its claws, making it difficult for Aries to counterattack. Whenever he tried to block the flames, the leopard would pounce and slash at him. This pattern repeated several times, leaving Aries covered in slashes and burns. On top of that, other monsters constantly bothered him, making it challenging to focus on a single opponent.
"Fuck it!"
Blocking another round of cursed flames, Aries threw his shield at the leopard, triggering the Parry skill and stunning the feline. As the shield rebounded towards another monster, Aries activated Shiva's Guard, unleashing a blue wave that cleared out a portion of the monster wave that was after him, providing him some breathing space to deal with the stunned leopard. Catching his shield in mid-air, he swiftly approached the black leopard and used the shield's edge to sever its tail. The leopard cried out in pain, further weakening it. As the feline sank its fangs into Aries' shoulder as its final struggle, he disregarded the pain and thrust his shield towards its throat, successfully severing its head.
"You're dead, bitch!"
Aries cursed in triumph, although the pain he felt was overwhelming, causing his body to numb. He removed the leopard's head from his shoulder, along with its body and tail, storing them in his inventory. He then reached for a healing potion in his inventory to treat his wounds.
"Argh, it's painful as hell!"
As his wounds began to heal, Aries had no time to rest. More monsters bombarded the shell, relentlessly attacking him. He was grateful for the replenishing effects of the potion, which restored his stamina. With no other choice, he confronted the waves of monsters.
[Sol: Great job. You still have 23 hours and 30 minutes before the effect of the bait ends.]
"I hate you so much."
[Sol: I sincerely apologize. I didn't anticipate the bait having such a significant effect. Hehehe..]
The situation had escalated to this point, and Aries had no option but to fight back. The Terradon engaged in the larger battle, contending with higher-tier monsters, while Aries focused on handling the tier 0, 1, and 2 creatures that managed to climb onto the shell.
After hours of battling, Aries found that his studies had paid off. His knowledge of the monsters' strengths and weaknesses made it easier for him to handle them, although it was still challenging. As he fought, he received good news from the system.
Ting~
[Synchronization rate increased by 100%]
Ting~
[VISHNU'S VANGUARD HAS RISEN FROM GRADE D!]
[NEW EFFECT HAS BEEN ADDED!]
Ting~
[Vishnu's Vanguard
Grade: E (Growth)
Enhances the entire body's strength, agility, flexibility, and defense greatly.
No Pain, No Gain (Passive): Absorbs damage inflicted on the body to increase proficiency and raise synchronization rate. When synchronization rate reaches 100%, Vishnu's Vanguard increases its rank by 1 (Capped at S-Grade).
Assimilate (Active): Absorbs and assimilates a material's properties. The duration and power of the effect depend on the grade and type of material. Only one material can be used at a time. A 30-minute cooldown is required after using a material before it can be used again. Assimilation can be canceled, and different materials can be used as long as no material is currently in effect.]
"Wow! I feel stronger!"
Aries was amazed by the effectiveness of the grade increase. He also obtained a new skill from it.
[Sol: Try using Assimilate on the Terradon's shell.]
Aries nodded and placed his hand on the Terradon's shell. When he activated the Assimilate skill, his entire body transformed into the pattern of the Terradon's shell. This granted him a significant boost in durability, but it also caused one of the shell patterns on the Terradon to lose its luster. Fortunately, the Terradon couldn't feel the effect, as it had thousands of shell patterns on its back and it was too focused on dealing with the monsters fighting it.
[ASSIMILATION SUCCESSFUL!
Terradon Shell: Sharp increase in durability and immunity to most acids and physical attacks from Grade-6 and below. Increased physical strength but greatly decreased agility.
Duration: 1 hour]
"I'm strong, but I feel so sluggish."
Suddenly, a giant venomous red viper appeared and sprayed a gush of acidic venom at Aries. He was unable to dodge in time, and the venom showered over his body. However, to his surprise, the assimilated material's property made him completely immune to the acid's effect. The venom felt as harmless as water. The viper didn't stop there and coiled around Aries, attempting to crush his bones and kill him. However, to Aries' amusement, the material's property made it feel like he was being embraced by a soft pillow.
"This is how you give a proper embrace!"
Aries counterattacked by locking his arms around the viper's body. The constriction caused the viper to release its grip on him, as its bones began to crush under Aries' strength. Aries applied all his power, and the viper wriggled in pain but couldn't make Aries budge in the slightest. It was as if the viper was being crushed by a giant boulder, and no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't escape the immense pressure. In a matter of seconds, Aries completely killed the viper.
Aries realized that his slowness was a disadvantage, but Sol reminded him to drink a Haste potion to counteract it. Aries retrieved a vial of haste potion from his inventory and consumed it. The effect was instantaneous, and he regained his mobility.
Now practically invincible, Aries roamed freely and fought against the monsters that approached him in a rapid frenzy. They fought him like rabid animals, but their attacks barely dealt any damage. Aries decided not to use the Shield to save its durability. Instead, he relied on his own strength, crushing skulls with his bare hands, striking his arm down their chests to burst their hearts, pulling out spines, cutting open jugulars, removing heads from bodies, and even grabbing the mana cores directly in their body to kill them instantly.
The bloody massacre continued for an hour until the assimilation effect wore off. Aries had to wait for the 30-minute cooldown before assimilating the Terradon Shell again. During this cooldown period, he experimented with assimilating different materials. He tried assimilating the sharp and sturdy talons of a Scavenger, resulting in his body turning dark and shiny, his fingers becoming sharp and long nails, and an increased speed lasting for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Although not as sturdy and defensive as the Terradon Shell, the increased acceleration compensated for it. Aries dashed and diced his way through anything that came his way, accumulating damage but relying on his shield for defense.
He became a one-man killing machine, leaving piles of monster corpses in his wake. Even the few S-rank tier 2 monsters he encountered weren't a challenge due to the overpowering effects of assimilation. As soon as the 30-minute cooldown ended, Aries would assimilate another Terradon Shell, leading to another one-sided massacre. If his stamina fell, Aries would replenish it with potions and continue fighting.
With full control of the battlefield, everything became a breeze for Aries. His body became more adept in battle, and he turned into a killing machine. Sol, who found the fight boring, left for a few hours but returned after the effect of the Bait Ball ended.
[Sol: I'm back, holy shit! This is like the aftermath of a genocide!]
"Oh, you're back," Aries responded nonchalantly. The area immediately surrounding Aries was the only space devoid of monster corpses, as they were scattered everywhere else. The Terradon had managed to defeat all the monsters it faced and died honorably after the 24-hour mark. Once its effect disappeared, the surviving monsters fled. The Terradon seemed to have been one of the few true bosses in this world, as only a few monsters dared to come close to it even after its death. Aries took some time to recover from the nonstop fight. Surprisingly, he didn't feel mentally tired despite his battered body. He still felt energetic.
"I guess, as long as you put your mind to it, you can really do anything, huh?"
[Sol: Well, you deserve the rewards for your labor. What should you do now?]
"I'm going to clean up this place and find the nearest base."
[Sol: Clean up? You mean...?]
"Collect all the mana cores and valuable monster parts, absorb the highest quality mana cores to fulfill the requirements for reawakening, and find a base to reawaken."
[Sol: Sounds easy. Go for it.]
"It'll be boring."
[Sol: Actually, I enjoy watching you dissect monsters more than watching you fight them. It's like watching skilled workers doing satisfying jobs."
Aries simply smiled and began his task. He first cleaned up the carcasses surrounding him, as those were the most important ones he needed. He didn't butcher the weaker monsters but instead collected their mana cores, checking if any contained an Elemental Stone. Then he proceeded to collect parts from the other monsters. This process took another 24 hours due to the vast area and the multitude of corpses to gather. Sol intermittently checked on him but often disappeared since Aries was essentially performing the same task repeatedly.
[Sol: It really does get boring.]
"I told you."
After cleaning up the area, Aries still had to deal with the remaining Tier 2 and Tier 3 monsters. However, he decided to prioritize absorbing the high-quality mana cores to fill up his mana aptitude. Aries had developed his own method of mana absorption, combining his self-taught knowledge with his unique abilities.
Ordinary mana absorption techniques allowed for absorbing around 15% of the essence of a mana core. Intermediate methods could increase it to 25-30%, advanced techniques taught by personal trainers reached 40-50%, and masters could absorb anywhere from 60-80%. Aries, however, had developed his own technique that enabled him to absorb an impressive 72% of the mana essence in a mana core. He was proud of this achievement and even attempted to sell his method on the market, but it was met with skepticism and labeled as a scam since others couldn't replicate his results.
Aries' method involved carefully sensing the openings of his mana veins and manually placing the mana core near these openings. He had to control his body to prevent any restriction of the mana flow, ensuring the process wasn't disrupted. It was an arduous and complex process, which explained why no one else used it. The traditional method of absorbing mana by placing it near the center of the mana core and using a proper breathing technique was much simpler and widely preferred.
Several days passed, and Aries finally absorbed all the mana cores he needed to awaken and he was met with the buzzing noise of the mana crystal embedded in his wrist.
Tti-ring~
[Aries - Human
Rank: Starter (S+)
Tier-0: 500/500
Tier-1: 200/200
Element: None]