After the battle, Axiom gathered the scattered corpses of the Horn Wolves together.
Screech.
Then the Shadow Ghoul began to drool again while looking at the Horn Wolf corpses.
Axiom pondered as he watched.
'This is troubling. If I cancel sense sharing, the summon will also be canceled. Do I have to watch this thing's eating show in full detail?.. Surely I won't feel the taste too, right?'
Then a new notification appeared in the corner of Axiom's eye.
[Would you like to partially block sense sharing?]
»However, at least 2 senses must be maintained for sharing to continue.
Axiom breathed a short sigh of relief looking at it.
'Fortunately, I can block it partially.'
Sometimes, the system seemed flexible in such aspects.
Axiom immediately blocked all senses except vision and hearing.
'Let's start with one first. Eat it.'
Screech-
As soon as the command was given, the Shadow Ghoul's mouth opened wide.
Chomp. Crunch. Crunch.
'.. Eww.'
Axiom clicked his tongue inwardly.
Blood spurting bright red.
The scene of flesh being torn and the sound of flesh being chewed struck Axiom's senses.
'It's like watching a slasher movie right in front of me.'
Still, he thought this was better than feeling everything.
'But this is strange. This creature reacted to the corpses of Horn Wolves, so why didn't it react to those assailants back then?'
Does it distinguish between humans and monsters?
Or because Axiom, the summoner, is human?
Axiom soon dropped that thought.
'.. I have no idea. I'll come to know as time goes by. Let's focus on the current task.'
Eventually, when one Horn Wolf completely disappeared into the Shadow Ghoul's stomach,
['Horn Wolf' absorption completed.]
»You have acquired 'Soul of the Horde(E) x1'.
A new notification appeared in Axiom's view.
'Soul of the Horde?'
Axiom looked at the notification with curious eyes.
'First Shadow Ghoul, now Soul of the Horde.. along with the Soul of the Demon God skill. Is this trait similar to the necromancer series?'
But before his curiosity could be satisfied,
Flash.
'Huh?'
At some point, Axiom's vision had completely changed to a different place.
***
'Where is this now?'
Axiom felt a strange feeling.
Whoo.
Was it a place wide open in all directions?
The wind blew, giving a cool sensation.
Axiom looked around.
A purple sky stretching endlessly, as if not a single cloud existed.
'....'
That was it.
Civilization.
Nature.
Even the stars in the sky.
It was a place where nothing existed, enough to give goosebumps.
Like the void space he had seen at first.
Tap.
'!.. What is this...?'
Momentarily, Axiom looked down at the sensation of something touching his foot.
Ground covered with black soil.
No, more precisely, there was land about 20 meters in diameter centered around Axiom.
'No, wait. More importantly, something is being stepped on?'
He had become a newborn baby who couldn't even walk.
How could he be standing upright on the ground?
Axiom looked down at his body.
Instead of his original body, a translucent shadow figure with no features was there.
'Is this.. me?'
Axiom looked down at the vague hand shape in confusion.
'I only remember receiving a notification that I acquired one 'Soul of the Horde'.'
What was this situation?
This place.
Himself.
Everything was full of incomprehensible things.
However, Axiom soon regained his composure.
'First, I need to find out where this is.'
Axiom moved his steps to the edge of the land.
'But if it's land, why is the area only this much? Could it be a mountaintop?'
However, that thought was soon shattered.
Having moved to the edge, Axiom blankly looked down.
'There's no ground below..?'
The black land that he thought was the top of somewhere.
Whoosh..
Its true identity was a floating island in the high purple sky.
'Was there such a region in 'Ethereal Odyssey'?'
As far as he knew, he had never seen such a place in the game.
But why?
Despite being an unfamiliar place, Axiom felt somewhat comfortable.
'What on earth is this place..'
[Changes occur in the player's inner world.]
Then, a notification appeared in the corner of Axiom's eye.
Axiom's pupils dilated as he confirmed the content.
'My inner world?'
This place?
It was then.
Boom boom boom..
With a thunderous sound, vibrations began to occur from the black land,
Crack. Crack.
As the ground split, something began to sprout from between.
At the same time, a new notification appeared in Axiom's eyes.
[The 'Demon Spirit Tree' grows on the land of mind.]