Chapter 176 MARCH
Dashing through the forest quietly, Aiden marvelled at the sheer speed his body could attain. That velocity being something he never thought was possible for someone at his level.
Then again, things he never thought possible had been occuring lately.
Being inside the forest allowed his Incredibly sharp sense's pick up the positions of the beasts.
Nodding his head inwardly at the fact that each beast was far apart from the other, Aiden moved towards the one relatively closest to him.
Having immediately separated himself from the various teams, during his entry into that quiet environment, Aiden moved without fear of being seen.
The terrain of that forest proved difficult to move on, as uneven grounds spread for kilometers worth of land. Huge vines occasionally stretched towards the sky, some bearing spikes and all sorts of dangerous features, causing for his slowing down every once in a while.
Although his body seemed to easily handle that speed, Aidens mind proved incompatible. His reaction time at that speed seemed Incredibly slow, as being only an instant slower was all he needed to tumble for multiple meters.
Strangely enough, his body seemed capable of handling even that rough situation, and Aiden soon got reckless.
He spent a few tens of minutes simply running around enjoying his environments turn to a blur. The quietness of his movement also helped him momentarily forget his problems, and let the world fade away.
However, he eventually decided to achieve his goal for coming there.
During his fun-time Aiden had made sure to keep a safe distance from the nine magical beasts, but the fast one often caused him to change direction, even though its actually position was still far from his.
He soon set his senses on a magical beasts nothing more than a kilometer from him, and his body took him there.
He halted his rapid steps when sound vibrations reached his ear, and he didn't hesitate to get a safe spot to inspect his targets.
Aiden laid eyes on a pack of beasts, their species having no particular order.
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ The occasional roars from the twenty beasts disrupted the serenity of the forest, and thier march destroyed trees.
His eyes soon fell on the beast at the center of the escort of twenty mostly middle-staged tier 2 beasts.
He sighted a tusked boar the size of a school bus, its fur deep brown, as it almost glistened in the little light that penetrated the trees.
Its curved tusks stretched for a few feets, causing Aiden to wonder how it moved around with such a large thing.
Its roars of sorts, were the loudest amongst the tier 2 beasts, as it seemed to order them around, though that action remained purely on instincts. Its black eyes didn't possess a tinge of intelligence.
Soon enough, Aiden watched the boar feast on a peak-stage tiger which had died in a submissive posture.
The sickening crunching sounds escaped the boars mouth to shower the space around it with its disturbing glory. And fear couldn't help but spread in Aiden's mind while he watched that scene.
Hesitation soon followed that emotion and Aiden found himself tailing the beasts from behind. He made sure to not allow his aura seep out of his body.
Countless doubts surged in Aiden's mind as he watched the beasts travel without a care in the world. At least the boar didn't seem to have a care, but its followers were under slavery.
A few minutes passed and he simply kept them in his sight while rethinking the action he planned to take.
Although his body had proved able to handle multiple strikes from tier 3 individuals, Aiden couldn't help but hesitate in front of that large beast.
He also couldn't be too sure of his evaluation, as the strikes had been non-magical.
Being used to having a group fight one tier 3 magical beast caused his heart to race while he dashed forward towards the beasts, and his mouth couldn't help but voice a battle cry.ραпdα `nᴏνɐ| сom
His targets immediately heard him and turned to focus their hungry gaze's on the direction of the cry, but no figure could be seen.
Confusion spread in their wild minds, but something soon happened.
A portion of the circularly positioned beasts suddenly turned to bloodly pulps, as a figure burst through their defences to land on their tyrannical leader.
Needless to say the large boar smashed through trees as breakneck speed, causing even more confusion to spread.
The eyes of the tier 2 beasts managed to land on Aiden's figure for an instant, and the fear of death kicked their survival Instincts into action, something not even the boar had achieved.
Aiden's figure seemed to be the emodiment of death to their weak figures.
Marvelling at the sheer power he could muster, Aiden felt a wide grin appear on his face while still in the midst of the escaping tier 2 beasts. They weren't his target after all.
A powerful roar followed by an explosion shook Aiden out of his blood pumping excitement.
The tier 2 beasts had almost completely dispersed at this point, only the fatally wounded ones staying around to experience the battle of beings they considered gods.
A wild aura burst forth from the boars figure as its already large frame seemed to increase in size.
It began its march towards Aiden and the ground shook at every step it took.
Soon it had started sprinting towards the tiny figure that dared disrupt its peaceful march to freedom.
Aiden hadn't simply stood around watching his opponent dash towards him; the dead body of a tier 2 middle-stage ape lay in his right hand, and he soon dashed towards his beastly opponent.
His figure arrived in front of the furious boar, and the large ape in his grip struck its head.
Aiden watched blood and furry body parts fly everywhere, as the attack had only managed to move the boar a few meters to his left. Most of the damage being taken by the dead ape.
Quickly letting go of the gory lower body, Aiden threw a punch at the space between he and the boar.
His opponent experienced a force that felt unhinderable smash into its left side of its face turning it into a meat paste.
Not even the tusk on that side of its head survived the attack.
Feeling far more confident, Aiden dashed forward to grab the suffering beast.
His fingers sunk into the its tough skin, and he didn't hesitate to raise it up then bring it down in one powerful smash.
The ground beneath them shattered as shockwaves smashed the trees around them. Aiden's feet threatened to lose their balance, but seeing as the beast remained moving even when its head had dug a few feets into the ground, he gritted his teeth and sunk his fingers deeper into its skin, before spinning and flinging it away, destroying many trees in the process.
Ignoring the loud growling sounds reaching his ears, Aiden let the boar experience terror as it struggled to move its crippled upper body to escape the monster before it.
The earlier smash had shattered its back.
With a sadistic smile that expressed his satisfaction at that scene, Aiden finally threw a punch with all the force his right arm could muster.
The world in front of him immediately turned red at the completion of that action.
Chapter 177 REPULSIVE
Wiping his face of the blood that got to him, Aiden felt an intense wave of satisfaction wash over him.
His eyes soon landed on the beasts almost unrecognizable body. His punch had created a large hole from its neck down the midsection of its body. The head had almost vansihed. Those gory details didn't manage the faze him.
Aiden felt powerful at the sight before him, he had just accomplished something the majority of tier 3's his level couldn't accomplish. His pride shot through the roof at that thought and a chuckle soon escaped his mouth.
That chuckle soon turned to loud laughter, but the scene would remain disturbing if one were there.
He picked the beasts almost complete destroyed head, and wondered what to do. He didn't come there for the money, but it didn't feel bad to earn something. He currently had no money after all.
The only issue was carrying that large body part around. It still dripped blood and would definitely stain him. Not to begin with the problem of keeping it while fighting.
He risked having it eaten by a tier 2 beast, even though the body on the ground would probably suffer that same fate, which would allow such beast or beasts advance after a period of full absorbtion.
Magical beasts unlike humans, had the leisure ablity of absorbing mana from absolutely anything and everything that bore it.
As long as it remained chewable, they could feast on it and get stronger from such meals.
Although refilling their core proved difficult which was a way nature kept things in balance, this was why most beasts simply utilized their natural offensive abilities.
Nevertheless, the higher tier a beast; the faster its absorbtion of the energy around it.
Seeing no way out of that problem, he decided to bear the consequences, and his consciousness soon expanded.
Its range wasn't as large as Noah's, being something around 600m in radius.
The idea of buring the beasts head somewhere crossed his mind, but the problem of finding it overweighed that idea.
The forest looked identical and he'd have to run around searching for beasts.
Moreover the speed at which he ran at didn't allow him capable of estimating how far he had gone from his former position.
'I guess I'll have to carry this thing around,' He sighed then his body shot forward. Unknown to him, the beasts body vanished from its spot immediately he turned his back on it; the red octahedral core also separating from its now dead host and arriving in his inventory.
His senses picked up the position of a beast which appeared somewhat closer to his position, though that distance still stretched for a few kilometers.
Aiden found himself travelling deeper into the forest, and he soon arrived at his target, but his findings left him disappointed.
A battle unfolded in his vison, as the trees present were mostly on fire, and the resounding collision of spells further destroyed the environment.
A group of six Individuals were in a heated battle with a flaming lion, whose every movement caused flames to spread.
The lion seemed to be in a desperate position as its brownish body featured multiple deep wounds.
Its opponents weren't totally fine either, as some had nasty burns on the exposed parts of their bodies.
The battle seemed to have been going on for a while, causing Aiden to wonder why he hadn't sensed the cultivators earlier.
He didn't put much thought into that matter since something he sensed something move towards him at high speeds and a powerful force sudden landed on his chest.
Aiden seemed to blink away from his position since his body shot backwards at maddening speeds.
His back eventually landed on a rough surface stopping his movement, but a crack resounding behind him nonetheless.
His body had remained mostly fine, but he didn't have time to focus on his condition since a figure flashed in front of him.
A large grasshopper of sorts appeared in his vision, its height being around 12ft. While its length couldn't be seen from his angle, he could tell that it would be something.
Aiden only managed to catch sight of that large yellow figure for a second, then its figure transformed into a blur. He couldn't follow its movements!
His instincts tingled at that sight, and he managed to jump towards his right.
The beasts figure appeared on his former position and its weirdly jagged mouth bit on the tree behind him, destroying it.ραпdα `nᴏνɐ| сom
A swallowing sound escaped Aiden's throat at that sight, and he didn't hesitate to jump backwards before it moved again.
Quickly dashing forward without any real direction, Aiden didn't mind his half naked state while he evaluated his opponent.
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ It was fast. Far faster than his eyes could follow. While his whole body seemed to possess memory of moving at that speed, his mind remained far slower than it. A big problem.
He also affirmed that something in that area didn't allow his senses work properly, since he had only sensed that beast only when it had been too late
His senses Informed him of a rapidly moving figure behind him, and he felt surprised to find that the beast looked close to him.
Its powerful legs smashed the ground with each hop, and it's wings allowed it maintain its direction. It didn't seem able to fly, simply gliding.
Aiden also noticed a grey glow around the beast, and the wind currents seemed to obey it, allowing it reach higher velocities.
Aiden came to a stop and launched a kick at the beast, but its figure vansihed, and another powerful force landed on his shoulders.
The large beast appeared to stand on his shoulders, probably to try and crush him, and Aiden didn't hesitate to grab its legs.
As if reading his mind, Aiden watched its two legs develop sharp features immediately he grabbed them.
They didn't manage to pierce his palms some even snapping due to his seemingly impenetrable palms, but a sizzling sound soon spread in Aiden's ears, followed by pain.
The edges of the spiky objects secreted a brown substance that melted his palms, though slightly. And those superficial injuries soon healed.
Right before he could celebrate that repair, Aiden felt something hot stab into his sides, but it didn't go past his skin.
The grasshopper had stabbed him its claws, but hadn't succeeded in bringing him down. Those substances were being generated by its concentrated mana which allowed for injuring Aiden's body.
Struggle soon began between the two, as Aiden refused to let go of its legs while his hands went through a constant cycle of damage and repair.
Despite its large figure the grasshopper found that it couldn't move Aiden, his strength was too great for it.
A plan tried to form in Aidens mind during their seconds, but nothing worthy came.
Letting go of the beast would mean surrendering himself as a kicking dummy. He couldn't follow its movements meaning he would have to endure its attack.
A weapon would do currently, but he had none which meant he hand to find a way to kill it while it remained on his shoulders.
Unfortunately the beast wouldn't let such happen as a liquid exited its back side which remained above Aiden.
A repulsive smell struck Aiden's nose with the force of a freight train, while his figure got covered with the deep brown substance
Aiden felt his gut tremble madly at the stench of the beasts faeces, as whatever had been inside him threatened to spill out.
The grasshopper had played dirty, literally.
Anger burned in Aiden's mind at the sickening realization, but something hot spilled on him, and his hands gave up.
Pain struck Aiden's senses like it had never before, he watched with horror his skin give way to that hot substance, as his brain had shutdown his pain receptors almost instantly.
Blood poured out of him as it mixed with his melted flesh. The beast gained it balance and immediately bit on his suffering figure.
'What the fuck is going on!' Aiden screamed in confusion. The core within him tried its best to heal him, but its contents had been lower than half by the time Aiden gained consciousness.
Nothing managed to happen when the beast tugged on Aiden's bitten shoulder. His exposed muscles remained too powerful for its teeth. And it soon let go of him after that realization.
His figure lacked skin at this point, only the redness of his blood could be seen, but his muscles remained in good shape.
A loud chirping sound escaped the grasshoppers figure, then it kicked Aidens figure sending him flying. But by this point he had already lost consciousness.
Chapter 178 MERE SCRATCH
The grasshopper beast thrashed Aiden's figure multiple time more, but its attacks didn't manage to hurt him enough.
It released more of its acid like substance on his still unconscious figure, but nothing worked.
It eventually bit on his torso, lifted him up, and suddenly dashed towards a seemingly random direction.
Being a really agile beast allowed it traverse that forest will almost full ease, but its encounter with other beasts slowed it down.
It managed to Injure its opponents, but did nothing more, before continuing it travel.
A few hours eventually passed, and it arrived at a cave deep inside the forest. At this point only quietness could be heard, as being an artificially empty forest, nothing produced any sound.
At least that was valid until the grasshopper arrived. It landed a few meters from the cave with a powerful thud. Part of the ground around it featuring large cracks.
Each of its steps towards the cave sounded heavy, and a light eventually lit inside that large natural space.
A whistle escaped the caves insides, and the beast rubbed its wings withs its legs to generate a chirping sound.
A series of Inscriptions lit up on the caves empty entrance, and two figures quickly exited it.
Their cloaked figures moved towards the yellow beast, and their soft steps gave off an eerie vibe.
"Good girl," One of the two figures spoke, placing his left palm on the grasshoppers head, and her reaction spoke of her satisfaction.
The other person raised his hand and she dropped Aiden's body on him, before proceeding to sit beside the caves entrance.
Although it looked big enough for her entry she wasn't allowed into it.
"He's still alive!" the man who received Aiden's body exclaimed. The acid like substance had dried up at their point making it safe to come in contact with Aidens still skinless body. He also didn't bleed since the acid-like substance had cased his body with its properties upon drying, or rather solidifying.
The person who had commended the grasshopper gasped at his partners words, walking forward to Inspect that grotesque scene.
"He's still alive," he gasped, still in disbelief. Glancing over at his pet grasshopper; he frowned.
"Let's get him inside first," the other person eventually spoke.
The two still cloaked men carried Aiden into their cave, and the inscriptions shone again, before returning to their invisible state.
Inside the well lit cave five other figures could be seen sitting around a fire. So as not to get noticed by the outside world, they had to limit their use of magical items.
"She actually got someone else!," one of the three males exclaimained, his eyes mocking Aiden's figure.
"It's fascinating how many Individuals try to act cool in these events," one of the two female spoke; giggling at the end of her words.
"Well many are tired of their subpar lives, and are trying to gain valuable attention," another male spoke.
"Yeah, yeah. All I want to know is why he's still breathing," the owner of the grasshopper spoke, letting go of Aiden's body carelessly, so did his partner.
"Does it really matter. We were asked to bring them dead or alive after all," the other female present spoke.
"Delivering a living person for a ritual isn't a problem I want to face. He probably still has most of his powers," the owner snorted.
"Well just end him then....I do wonder why she hadn't. Maybe someone spotted her," the man that spoke upon the duo's entry suggested.
"Already on that," the other of the duo spoke, an axe suddenly appearing in his grip.
"Whoa, whoa! We are eating here! At least let us finish. I do not desire human flesh in my food," the last male present complained, his face filled with disgust as the imagination of his last words.
"But he might wake up," the individual wielding the axe spoke.
"In such a state? I doubt that," one of the females spoke. She had black hair while the other sported blue.
"He might even die before we need to butcher him up," she added taking a bite from her plate.ραпdα `nᴏνɐ| сom
A sigh escaped the expert holding the axe, and it soon vanished from his hands.
"I guess you're right," he stated dragging Aiden's body to the egde of the cave, where two corpses could be seen. Both males.
The group of seven ate and conversed; mostly jokes. As they seemed to know each other to a moderate degree.
Their meals eventually ended, and by this point the sun had fully set. The darkness of the night seemed to engulf that area in even more darkness, as not a shred of moonlight penetrated the densely packed trees.
"It's time to move. We don't have much time. I'm sure the other's are already on their way to deliver their findings," the owner of the grasshopper spoke, his tone that of authority.
The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, had short blonde hair, tired looking features, and held power at the peak of the lower-stage of tier 3.
Actually, they all held power at the peak of the lower-stage, only tiny differences in powers existing amongst them.
"His he still alive?," the black haired woman enquired absent-mindedely.
"Ye...yes!" the axe owner exclamained, and his axe immediately appeared in his hand.
The others nodded at his action, and without hesitation he swung the axe down in one powerful move.
To their utter shock, the axe bounced off Aiden's exposed muscles, and the sound of metal striking metal resounded in the cave, echoing in their perplexed ears.
Silence reigned in their midst as they tried to process what just happened, until it eventually dawned on them.
"Uh...." The axe holder muttered In a daze, and his axe suddenly struck Aiden's chest again.
A clanging sound echoed in the cave, and he couldn't help but glance at his colleagues to see their expressions.
"Aren't you doing it well?..." The blue haired lady complained, trying to deny the reality of what she just witnessed.
"I definitely am....." The axe wielder muttered, then his axe lit up with multiple green inscriptions, as the weapon suddenly gave off an aura of its own. Its metallic material began to radiate power at the bottom of the lower-stage of tier 3.
That heavy weapon soon arrived on Aiden's chest with a powerful bang.
An explosion resounded immediately the empowered axe touched Aiden's exposed muscles, and immense shock filled their minds when they saw that the axes' tip and barely pierced him. The effect of that attack being a mere scratch!
The axe wielder delivered two more attacks, the next contained more power than the last, but the results were only slightly better.
"What the fuck!" The axe wielder exclamained taking a few steps back. His eyes remained wide open in utter disbelief, and his colleagues faces featured the exact same expressions.
They had felt the power in those attacks, and confirmed that they were something even they would have to cast defensive spells to block.
But they had merely scratched the unconscious figure before them.
"Let me try," the owner of the grasshopper announced moving forward, and a silver sword quickly appeared in his left hand, flames instantly bursting out of its tier 3 material.
Soon the caves insides experienced a sharp increase in temperature, and he soon executed a slash with what looked like all the power his body could muster.
His colleagues shot out of the room at that sight, and the entire cave trembled violently when the slash arrived on Aiden's body.
Orange flames exploded out of the caves opening and its entire structure saw large cracks spread on it, threatening to bring the whole place down, but fortunately didn't.
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ The others quickly rushed back in after a few seconds to witness the effects of the attack, and their hearts inevitably skipped a few beats at the sight that lay before them.
A red mark stretched from Aiden's chest down to his waist, and it only bled superficially.
Their shock couldn't be expressed with words.
"What sort of monster have we gotten our hands on?" The fire mage grimaced. His brown eyes flickering with complex emotions, fear being one of them.
Chapter 179 CRIMSON
Silence. His words met utter silence; but he didn't feel insulted by their lack of words.
Heck the question was more to himself than his colleagues, which showed of how weird their situation had become.
"Is he even human?," one males present spoke, and his words met another wave of silence.
"He definitely is. He has no resemblances to the other races," the man fire mage explained, storing his sword, and straightening his position.
"But I heard that high level dragons, or dragons with noble blood can manipulate their physical form...." The man who had mocked Aiden upon his unconscious arrival tried to make sense of the situation.
"You heard yourself. How would a high level dragon, or even noble dragon lose to a mere grasshopper. What would one even be doing here," the fire mage snorted placing Aiden's body on his shoulder.
His colleagues reasoned his words while carefully following his movements due to the entity on his shoulder.
"It's time to go," the fire mage, who also seemed to be a changed man announced seeing that they weren't moving.
"Shouldn't we leave him! And will he even be suitable for the ritual," the black haired lady questioned, worry evident on her face.
"We can't leave him. He's the last Individual we need to fulfill our side of the deal. He also isn't impenetrable; all we need is more power," the fire mage spoke, getting on his grasshopper.
"There will be middle-staged experts present for the ritual. I doubt his body can withstand one of their attacks," he explained.
"All we need to do his make sure he doesn't rise from his slumber," he added.
"Seeing as he hasn't moved since last night, we can only hope he remains like that until we arrive at our destination," he explained while placing Aiden's body on his beast.
The others nodded at his words, each of them simulating what could happen if their luck ran out out. Would they even be capable of stopping him? They thought.
They journeyed deeper Into the forest, until finally arriving at its end, where an underground passge laying await for them.
They crossed the hill from underneath it and the passage took them towards the outskirts of the Claw city, where mostly trees and small bodies of water existed.
The flora and fauna of that city thrived Incredibly due to the high density of mana, but most of the beasts migrated towards the landemasses at the horizon, and they usually did in groups.
Their travel remained mostly silent as no one desired to awaken the sleeping beast.
This reality further added tension to thier minds. Everyone was on edge, and suddenly the pay for that mission didn't sound good enough.
Morning eventually arrived, this day being the third day since Noah arrived there, but only a few hours remained for that time limit to be complete.
Not having an ounce of energy in his core, Aiden couldn't gain consciousness. And even if he were close to it, the pain his body experienced would shock him back to his coma of sorts.
ραпdα nᴏνa| сom It seemed being part Speedling had started to reveal its cons.
"We'll rest here," the man atop the grasshopper eventually announced, stoping in front of another relatively large cave.
They had travelled for nine hours straight, and the sun had already risen at this point, but the day still remained fresh.
Relieved gasps escaped their mouths at those words, and they quickly filed into the identical cave. They had utilized it on their journey to the small forest.
The illumination from the outside wasn't enough for the cave, so mana bulbs were utilized.
They had reduced their usage of magical items in the forest since the barrier they had set in that area of the forest needed such requirements.
It was to keep their presences hidden, while their beast went out to bring individuals into that area.
They placed Aiden's body at one corner of the cave; where their eyes could easily sight him. They weren't taking any chances.
A few hours eventually passed, and something eventually happened to Aiden's body.
[Commencing reintegration of >HostsUtilize the skill 30 times: 1/30Gather 40 skill points: 0/40Kill 500 people under the influence of the skill: 0/500<]
Noah could only read the first line of the panel as rage engulfed his mind before anymore words could reach his eyes. A red maisma then burst out of his figure, sending waves of violent energies into the cave.
His eye sockets blazed with a crimson light and his environment got tinged with that unique colour, a foreboding aura quickly stretching out to match that fantastical scene.
Noah felt pure power course through his whole being, but couldn't focus on that detail since in return for that might, his body had almost turned into a skeleton. A very powerful one that is.
He soon understood that the skill would only be capable of keeping him awake for a second or two; as his body needed essence to sustain it. He could even die from prolonged exposure to its violent energy sapping feature.
Four small bottles of yellow contents appeared in his hand, and his environment slowed down immensely.
Feeling his consciousness tremble while it threatened to return into his body, he threw the bottles into his mouth and directly crushed them with his teeth.
His tongue received Injuries in the process but healed almost instantly.
In the next second he had eaten the remaining three bottles, and their energy vansihed immediately his core absorbed them, nut in return his healing process began.
He soon turned off the skill to lessen the strain on his body, but still passed-out anyway.
His body healed so rapidly, that steam eventually began to pour out of his body in fumes.
In the next second, his muscles had regrown, and he soon got able to remain conscious, which he did.
Noah sat cloth-less on the bare ground, and quickly unfolded his consciousness to trap the individuals with him.
The event that just happened had occurred in four seconds, which was enough time for his captors to make their escape.
But having been blown away by Noah's explosion of power, their bodies had inevitably recieved Injuries which in turn delayed their escape.
Shivers shot down their spines when their consciousness touched his. In addition to that; their bodies also gave up on them when their eyes met his cold one's.
Noah was livid, and the already frozen cave confirmed it.
Chapter 180 ONLY THROUGH DEATH
Intense anger filled Noah's mind even though he had turned off the berserk skill.
His eyes swept its cold gaze across the icy cave, not hiding his anger in the slightest.
However, due to his experience in that world so far; he didn't allow that boiling rage overcome his rational thinking.
Nevertheless, ice spikes still exited the frozen walls and grounds to stab into the bodies of the seven. Of course he stabbed the non-fatal places. He still needed answers after all.
Another bottle appeared in his hand, and he didn't hesitate to chew on it again.
That sight sent shivers down his terrified audience, but he didn't care.
A minute of silence passed as Noah reviewed the memories that rushed into his mind.
'Am I Noah or Aiden?' He pondered in genuine confusion. His eyes also remained blank while those thoughts filled his mind.
His life as Aiden playef inside his head, but he understood that many details were missing in that life. Soon, his life as Noah played inside his mind. It started all the way from his time on Earth till the moment he accepted the systems help.
He tried to recall where he was during the period three days, but only blankness filled his mind.
[[You are Noah. My host]]
The system affirmed, and he took it as the truth.
"Why are my memories mixed with Aiden's," Noah spoke outloud; weirding out his audience, as they struggled to get an answer for his question.
[[It would always have been that way. But I can erase them if you desire that]]
[Do you wish to edit out simulated memories]
[Yes/No]
Noah gazed at that panel in hesitation. Truth be told, he loved Aiden's life, even though he knew it was artificial.
Nonetheless, he found that memories of things he never knew existed amonst the miscellaneous ones, and he considered them valuable knowledge.
He wondered how the system recreated whole landscapes, and seemingly right information of that world, without him actually knowing them.
He valued those memories since they contained useful knowledge.
"Can I keep them?" Noah eventually enquired of the system.
[[You can; but do note that you may experience short bursts of confusion or distractions. I created a whole set of habits, idealogies, experiences, and a personality far different from yours. Keeping it may prove troublesome in the long run]]
An internal sigh resounded in Noah's head at those words, then he voiced words again, still weirding his now captives, out.
"Is it possible to keep the information filled memories?."
ραпdα nᴏνa| сom [[No and Yes. No because that is against what you currently have access to. Yes because I can go ahead and do it since it's nothing too important, but there will be a consequence]]
"What type of consequence?," Noah asked feeling his anger reduce a bit.
[[You'll have to lose a portion of your soul island. Which would make you weaker]]
[[This is simply because you still do not have access to that function. So in order to utilize it, you'll have to give something in return. Basically a sacrifice]]
"Hmmm....That's a bit," Noah furrowed his brows, "How long do you think it'll take to regain that portion of my strength?," Noah enquired, stabbing his captives when they tried to free themselves of their impalement.
[[According to my calculations, with a steady training session; it'll take you a week at best]]
A frown appeared on Noah's eyebrows at that point startling his Injured audience.
"A whole week," he muttered, "That's a lot of power gone," he shook his head.
"We'll do that later. For now I need to focus on them," he announced, shooting a cold glare at the seven experts, and his body busrt out with even more coldness at that point.
'This is really inconvenient,' Noah thought at the effect a spike in his emotions made.
'I may as well stop hiding my trio-affinity status if this is what I constantly have to deal with,' he mused standing up.
The eyes of the seven followed his movement, and their minds couldn't help shudder at his naked figure.
Although he barely gave himself credit for it, Noah had an amazing body. One that looked regally sculpted by a god obsessed with perfection.ραпdα `nᴏνɐ| сom
His skin looked firm and spotless even from the few meters distance, and it seemed to glisten in the cold mist around them. Even his little brother seemed to shine in there.
Noah took a step forward and that simple action brought them out of their daze, danger quickly spreading in their experienced minds.
They felt his anger from their various positions, and silent prayers to suddenly disappear, thereby escaping the breath-taking monster, filled their minds. But reality wasn't so nice.
A series of difficult expressions appeared in thier minds with each step Noah took. They all still had their powers available to them. And could try to escape, though the chances of success looked low.
Nevertheless, they had to try anyway, their lives were at stake. It felt naturally to take such risks, so the planning began.
If each of them launched a spell towards his figure, a few of them would have the chance to escape, but the others would most likely get killed. And no one wanted to be the one to sacrifice their life.
The fire mage had an idea which he didn't hesitate to pass on to his teammates using his mind.
Fortunately, they could communicate without Noah listening. One of the perks of mental-waves.
One could create a space where their communication using their consciousness was safe. Only existences with largely stronger minds being able to bypass such protections.
"Are you sure?," The axe owner questioned to the fire mage. His voice that of worry.
"I'm ready to sacrifice her if needed. As long as we get the chance to escape," the fire mage replied, his mental voice somber.
No one objected any further at that point. They didn't want to die after all.
Noah's barefooted steps echoed in the cave, each step sounding wet.
He seemed to take his sweet time crossing that distance, or maybe he wanted them to come up with some sort of escape plan.
The light of inscriptions flickered on the caves entrance, and a large figure burst into the cave at break-neck speed.
The seven cultivators gritted their teeths in that Instant, breaking the ice spikes in their bodies to stand up, and make a break for the exit.
A few magical circles also tried to expand, to launch spells at Noah's figure, but not on his watch.
The world slowed down in front of Noah almost instantly. A cold grin immediately broke on his face, at their already failed attempt to escape.
He had found the perfect reason to not keep them alive, and that was none-other than to allow them see him use his speed.
Yellow sparks of pure electrical energy crackled around his figure, as he utilized the empowerments of the speed forces's energy mostly on his mind. Allowing for that unique view of the world.
He took another step forward and appeared in front of the oversized grasshopper.
He recalled Aiden's fight with that creature, and felt he needed to show his superiority.
He placed his palm on its head activating another skill he hadn't utilized in a while.
[Frozen Touch[Active]: When activated your hands gain the unique attribute "Frost", and are capable of freezing anything they touch as long as it doesn't have cold resistance higher than the user's.
Cost: 20SE, Duration: 1 minute, Cooldown: 15 seconds]
Noah watched ice begin to spread slowly on the creatures body, as it froze it down to its very insides.
He moved forward at that point, calmly walking towards the exit. Creating a series of densely packed walls with his control over ice, Noah couldn't help but admire that affinity even more.
With that done, he walked towards his former position; allowing his perception of things return to normal.
In the blink of an eye a ice sculpture appeared in the cave, the exit of the cave sealed shut with a whitish-blue material.
And a yellow streak moved around the cave.
The first person to reach the exit slammed the ice wall face-first and bounced back. Her nose and part of her lips being crushed as a result of the impact.
The blue-haired lady had only been mere inches from the exit, such an effect on her face was absolutely expected.
The others managed to stop in their tracks, but confusion and terror remained evident on their faces.
What just happened? They thought in utter shock. And their necks slowly turned to glance at the only Individual who seemed capable of doing such.
The cold smile on Noah's face confirmed it all, and their moods soon turned foul; a grim expression appearing on their faces.
They had seen smiles like that, heck even made ones like that. Which was why they understood that the only way out of that cave was through death.