"Argh, where did that little shit go!?" A gruff, lanky youth groaned under his breath, his face scrunching into a frown as his dark eyes scanned part of the abandoned alley. This wasn’t good. If he returned to the boss without the youth’s treasures, and head, he’d be in for a lot of trouble.
"Looking for me?" Aurelian smirked, his figure stepping out of the shadows, appearing right behind the one who had been trailing him. "...Gravis." He finished, uttering the youth’s name with deliberate drama.
"Huh? How do you know my name?" Gravis turned, his scar-lined face twitching as his eyes landed on Aurelian, wariness creeping in.
"Hmmm, how do I know your name?" Aurelian breathed, feigning a thoughtful expression. His upgraded appraisal skill had come with this new function, but of course, he wasn’t about to say that outright. Better to act mysterious. "That matters not. Give me all your treasures, and I’ll let you leave here in one piece. Refuse, and... well, I don’t think you’ll like the second option." His obsidian eyes lit up as he spoke.
"Wait, no, that’s not how it’s supposed to work... I won’t fall for your mind games. Die!" The youth sputtered, a crazed glint flashing in his eyes. He reached for the massive blade strapped to his back and charged at Aurelian. His words trailed like an echo: "Activate D-rank: Bull Strength!"
A crimson glow flared around him, his eyes burning red as the ground cracked faintly beneath his steps. He barreled forward with reckless momentum.
"Hmm, guess I’ll need to work more on that mysterious flair." Aurelian muttered absentmindedly, flicking his fingers. Before the charging youth could register what was happening, a massive two-meter demonic spectral blade, oozing corrosive wisps of energy, materialized before Aurelian. Recognizing his intent, it shot forth, streaking through the air. It found Gravis’s forehead, struck true, and exploded his head into chunks of flesh and blood.
"You should have just chosen the first option, Gravis." Aurelian breathed softly, watching the headless corpse slump to the ground. The moment Gravis had attacked with intent to kill, his fate had already been sealed.
Before Aurelian could get lost in his thoughts, the blade, still corroding the fallen corpse, buzzed sharply, pulling his attention. "What?" he snapped, only for the words to freeze in his throat.
The wisp of soul that departed from the headless youth wasn’t grey like the others but a deep crimson. As the blade devoured it, Aurelian felt a powerful buzz. The weapon’s pure black glow gave way to the faintest tinge of red.
More importantly, the feedback slammed into him like a tidal wave. Pure euphoria rushed into his veins. The blade’s excitement coursed through him, and he could feel it, growing stronger. Hungering for more.
Then came the clarity. His obsidian eyes turned crystal clear, gleaming with a mesmerizing light. The world before him sharpened in staggering detail, showing things he had never noticed before. The sensation exploded inside him, rippling outward, only for burning pain to stab into his body, like a thousand needles pricking his brain, forcing him to collapse to his knees.
His fingers curled into fists, nails tearing into his palms as blood welled. A guttural growl of pain slipped out. "Uh, what have you done to me, you stupid blade!?" Aurelian cursed shamelessly, dumping the blame onto it.
Seconds ticked into minutes as he writhed in the storm of agony, until the pain finally ebbed. A cool sensation spread through his body and mind, soothing the raw edges. Then a moment of silence.
A youth knelt in the abandoned alley, head bowed, midnight-black hair brushing against the breeze. Slowly, his eyes snapped open, only this time, they were no longer obsidian. Crimson light burned within them, laced with an abyssal hue, a sight both mesmerizing and terrifying.
"Holy... fucking... shit!" Aurelian rasped, struggling to make sense of the changes. Then laughter erupted from his throat.
"Hahahaha! I was wrong, I love you, Bladey!" he snickered, feeling out the transformation, most obvious in his eyes. As if to confirm it, a notification blinked before him.
[Ding! Congratulations to the @£#&’* of Lust for slaying a human and devouring their soul. You have triggered the awakening of the Sphere of Soul Detection.]
[Soul progression: 0.1]
[Current range: 5 metres]
"I see!" Aurelian blurted, clarity slamming into him once more, this time sharper.
Everything within five metres became crystal clear. His perception wrapped around the world in perfect detail. A 360° sight? He tested it, mind racing to keep up. He could see the rock buried two feet beneath him, the wrinkles of decay spreading across the corpse before him, even the microfractures littering the ground, all streaming into him in real time.
"Incredible!" He breathed. With this ability, didn’t it mean he no longer had blind spots? Even crazier was the new soul progression tab that had appeared.
Did that mean his range would increase with more kills? Did humans fuel it differently than beasts? Questions surged in his mind, but he shoved them aside. This wasn’t the time to lose himself in amazement.
Taking a sharp breath, he reined himself in and crouched beside the headless corpse. Without even looking, his hand darted to a hidden pocket inside the robes, pulling out an interdimensional storage ring. His sphere of detection had already locked onto it.
With the soul link broken upon death, the ring opened easily. Aurelian scanned the contents, his eyes lighting up. "Bingo!" Inside were about fifty gold coins and a handful of miscellaneous items. Sure, the bastard wasn’t as loaded as Aurelian had hoped, but he’d already given him too much already.
"One last thing." He muttered, eyeing the corpse. Leaving evidence wasn’t wise, and letting all that go to waste would be foolish.
"Vortex of Doom!" he intoned, discreetly pocketing the youth’s blade into his own storage before striding out of the alley, his mood noticeably lighter.
Another notification blinked to life.
[Ding! The Vortex of Doom has absorbed all the energy from the slain foe. Where do you wish to channel it? <<Attribute Points?>> <<Increasing proficiency of talents and skills?>> <<Equipment?>>]