Chapter 24: Visual Blindness Is a Problem…
The ground exploded beneath their feet at the very same instant.
Swhoooosh!
Grrrrraaa!
Arkan surged forward like a hurricane of fur and earth, his massive body racing ahead of his roar, his eyes transformed into pools of pure madness.
As for Aiden… there was no blind charge.
He moved with a cold, calculating mind.
He vanished from Arkan's field of vision once more, exploiting the terrifying gap in speed.
450 meters per second—no longer just a number, but a crushing reality.
He appeared behind the partially royal wolf, no more than an arm's length away.
But he didn't attack.
"Not yet…"
Arkan sensed a disturbance in the air. He twisted violently, jaws opening wide.
At that moment, earthen mana detonated within his fangs.
Skill [Earth Jaws (Level 5)]!
The air before him compressed into a crushing wall—visible destructive force that seemed ready to fold space itself.
Had Aiden been slower by even a fraction of a second… it would have been over.
But Aiden's eyes didn't waver.
"Found you."
He slid sideways like a flash, and at the instant the jaws reached their widest point, he lunged.
"[Piercing Strike]!"
The fork in his left hand turned into a thread of light, aimed directly at the corner of Arkan's right eye.
Craaaack!
This sound was different—not the clash of metal.
It was the sound of living flesh tearing.
Grrrrraaaaaaaaah!!!
Arkan's scream erupted—something Aiden had never heard before.
The wolf staggered back, thick earthen blood pouring from his ruined eye.
Aiden leapt backward immediately, not pressing the attack.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, his left hand trembling from the shock.
"Hah… so you bleed like us too."
But Arkan no longer heard anything.
Rage… turned into pure madness.
He slammed his claws into the ground, unleashing a colossal wave of earth in every direction.
Skill [Sandstorm (Level 3)]!
The world vanished into a vortex of dust and fine rock. Vision was erased, and the pressure nearly crushed the lungs.
Aiden activated [Will of the Masses] and [Healing] without hesitation.
He felt his inner core stabilize—unyielding resolve keeping fear at bay.
"Visual blindness really is a problem…"
He closed his eyes and relied on instinct.
Footsteps…
Disturbances in the air.
Suddenly, a massive shadow tore through the storm.
Arkan descended with his entire body—no claws, no skills—
a savage fall meant to crush everything beneath him.
Aiden opened his eyes at the last instant.
"[Light-Speed]!"
He vanished, reappearing directly beneath the wolf, body lowered, spear drawn back.
"This… is for the cloak."
"[Power]!"
The spear shot upward, aimed straight at the open mouth that hadn't yet closed from the pain.
Boooooh!
The spearhead pierced through the rocky palate and burst out the other side, accompanied by a violent surge of thick blood.
Arkan's body froze midair.
Then… it fell.
The impact struck the ground like a miniature earthquake, dust scattering in every direction.
Silence fell.
The sandstorm began to fade, as if ashamed to continue.
Aiden stood unsteadily, pulled his spear out with difficulty, then dropped to one knee.
His breathing was ragged, his body screaming from exhaustion, his hands trembling.
He looked at the massive, motionless body before him…
then at the thick fur, almost completely 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?"
"Fine. Let's end it now…"
He gathered all the strength left in his legs and stood, then advanced toward the fallen body.
When he was three meters away, the massive body moved with explosive speed—appearing right before Aiden, jaws wide open as it attacked with everything it had left.
It was a final, desperate assault.
Arkan poured every last ounce of power into it.
Aiden was ready.
He gripped his spear tightly, leaned slightly to the left to evade the reckless charge, then drove the spear forward with all his might—straight through Arkan's mouth.
Crunch!
The spear pierced through the mouth, the throat, the internal organs, and finally burst out through the lower part of the body.
The spearhead emerged from the back, drenched in hot, fresh earthen blood.
Arkan let out a faint groan… then collapsed lifelessly.
"Hoooooh…"
Aiden looked at the corpse before him, exhaling from sheer exhaustion.
Suddenly, he noticed a faint glow emanating from Arkan's body—then it burst forth into a pile of magnificent rewards.
Aiden picked one up: a crystal the size of his palm. He examined it closely, and a status window appeared.
[Experience Crystal: Consumable Item]
All the experience and training level the opponent possessed are condensed into a consumable pearl that can be used by the user and their followers.
"Hmmm… wonderful."
"So this is what activating [Achievement Thief] produces."
"This is really amazing."
He looked at the pile of loot before him and spotted several books and strange pearls.
He stepped forward, picked up one of the books, and began flipping through it—only to find it completely blank.
Puzzled, he opened its information window.
[Skill: Sandstorm]
A skill that summons earth energy and transforms it into a massive vortex of dust, sand, and fine rocks.
It reduces enemy visibility, disrupts their movements, and generates dense air pressure that weakens mobility and balance.
An ideal skill when fighting faster opponents or those who rely heavily on precise vision.
[Do you want to consume this item?]
[Yes] … [No]
"Well, this skill is excellent. No harm in using it."
He chose Yes immediately, and—
The book transformed into streams of starlike light that surged into Aiden and vanished.
Aiden opened his status screen and saw the following:
[Name]: Aiden
[Strength]: House
[Speed]: 150 m/s
[Flexibility]: 100
[Talents]: Language Learning
[Skills]: Power (Lv.4), Light-Speed (Lv.5), Healing (Lv.3), Skeleton Summoning (Lv.2), Piercing Strike (Lv.5), Rabbit Leap (Lv.7), Sandstorm (Lv.1)
[Fantasy Skills]: Comprehensive Formation
[Power Rating]: Rank D
[Fate Points]: 250
"Alright… most of my skills leveled up, except a few."
He noticed the newly added skill. It wasn't at the same level it had been with Arkan—it had been reset from scratch.
"Well, better than nothing…"
He looked at the pile of rewards again with an optimistic gaze, thinking about how to carry all of this without leaving anything behind.
"Alright, that's a problem, but…"
He looked back at his status screen and focused on [Fate Points].
"How much does it cost to create a personal portable storage?"
[~~]
[Ding! Storage: 20 points]
"That's really cheap…"
He thought for a moment, then said, "I want it to be upgradable too."
[~~]
[Ding! Dimensional Storage: 200 points]
"…That's a bit expensive, but much better."
He accepted the skill with bitterness, crying inwardly over the points he had gathered through hardship, effort, and suffering.
[Ding! You have obtained the skill 'Dimensional Storage']
A skill description window appeared before him:
[Dimensional Storage]
Allows the user to open an independent dimensional space used to store 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, living beings can also be stored.
"Well… that description is really impressive."
He smiled faintly, then turned his gaze toward his skeletons…