Chapter 68 - The Wind of Eutinus (3) (1/2)

The Wind of Eutinus  (3)

I teleported in rapid succession with Ubiquitous, moving from the ground to up into the air, from a monster’s tail to their head. My skill was wreaking confusion through the monsters each time I teleport, all the while I kept my detection area increased to focus on the surrounding area. It felt like my head was going to explode, but I had to keep all of these skills up.

[Kagagak!]

My senses were focused on the entity created by the fusion of two monsters. The rest were running amok about me, assured of my destruction. They all were physically stronger than me, but this battle happening on the Rookie’s Battlefield wasn’t simply a collision of physical forms. These monsters didn’t just attack physically; after all, their souls would collide violently with my own as they struck. ‘If I can make even one of their souls collapse, it’s enough.’ I had to give it to them, their sheer tenacity to cling to life to the point where they were no longer recognizable as human.

I further expanded my detection range. My own body and soul were no exception. I had time to analyze the Demon’s Claw protruding out of my left shoulder while I battled, beginning to understand its power. I only knew how to defend during my battle with L, but now I was learning how to attack. It made me realize how much my defense had been lacking. Now it was as if I had another body that I could move at will, a body that I had been leaving unprotected. Now I needed to learn how to deal with it.

I had to sharpen my soul, make it harder and deadlier. I focused on the Demon’s Claw, moving it down from my shoulder to my hand, overlapping it with my sword. ‘Now it’ll be easier to actually use as a weapon.’ The claw wasn’t an object with a physical presence, something I confirmed as it began to overlap with Blood Shadow. A low vibration went through my arm for just a moment. It felt as if the part of my soul that I had been moving had assimilated into Blood Shadow.

[Beginner Demon’s Claw has become Lv4.]

‘Now this’ll work.’ It was still impossible for me to invade their souls by transforming it into those tendrils; its mobility was lacking compared to these monsters. They must have had intermediate, or even advanced, skills. But that was fine. The higher the opponent’s skill level, the more effective Predation would be.

[Kiii!]

[This guy… is he one of us?]

I heard a human voice from one of the monsters but ignored it, leaping up once more into the air with my teleportation. Now that I had a better understanding of their skills, I could see why they were sensitive to my presence. They didn’t have a proper body, their soul and body were becoming mixed, and now the boundary between the two was blurring. They now were in a form that shouldn’t exist, and it granted them heightened senses and an ability to attack the soul directly.

I had only been attacking their bodies, but they had been attacking both my body and soul. I could sense their physical form, but they were able to sense my soul as well as my physical body. So, little by little, my detection was failing me, and attacks were slipping through my defenses. It had also been why they had seen right through me, knowing that I was a human.

But now, I could use my own soul to attack. Now the playing field was level. Even if I could move my soul’s shape with as much power or finesse, it was still enough for me to take advantage of.

I was everywhere. I raised the power of my confusion and Shadow Walk, dark metal hung from my waist, shaking and silently crying. It was the second item Rain had given to me, Drops of Darkness.

[Drops of Darkness [500/500] – Ancient Rarity. It absorbs all noise that the wearer emits.]

Simple but incredibly useful. It made my biggest weapon, Surprise and Fairy Tale, even more powerful. I thought their abilities of detection were too powerful, so it didn’t have any use. But now, it was different. Now that I could control my soul through these claws, I could hide it from them. I jumped again; my goal was the monster’s head.

[Kiiiiiih!]

This monster, created by merging three animals, had its head split open, contaminated blood gushing out from the wound. I barely had time to think before someone unexpected popped up.

[Convergence successful. Traces of one’s own soul are now hidden.]

[Superior Surprise became Lv10 and has evolved into Extraordinary Surprise. No matter how much you move, it is still as if you are not there. Surprise attacks will deal additional damage.

[Advanced Martial Arts became Lv7.]

I did it; I was able to hide my soul. It was hard not to feel elated by this progress, but I knew that this was no time to celebrate as I narrowly dodged an attack from another monster. ‘It’s almost funny, I was nearly hit by a monster because my plan worked, and it caught me off guard.’ But it was all worth it regardless. I had mastered the art of stealth, but I had to remain vigilant and not let myself grow overconfident.

Now I could move forward and show my true strength against these monsters instead of being put on the ropes and struggling to kill them. My initial wound against this large beast in front of me didn’t look as impressive as I had originally thought, but it was a start. Their souls were reinforcing their bodies. In addition to tough flesh, they had gained a lot of strength by projecting their souls outside their bodies. But by doing so, they also exposed their weaknesses.

[Kill him! Make him one of us!]

[He’s devouring everything!]

I revealed my presence to them after my attack, watching as their soul tendrils filled the air and made their way toward me. I could’ve jumped away from it but stood my ground instead. I didn’t have to run anymore. I swung my sword, enhanced by the Demon’s Claw, and it easily cut through all the tendrils before they could reach me. Fragments of body and soul scattered in the air, fading from existence. ‘If only I could eat that too.’ But I suppose devouring pure fragments of a soul wouldn’t be possible with Predation. It wouldn’t have been necessary, anyway. The fact that I could block their attacks and hurt them was enough.