A faint dark aura pulsed in Nox's fingertips.
Then, before everyone's eyes, the dark pulse began to increase in size gradually.
Standing behind Nox, Reyes, Captain Bofan, and the leader of the guild, their eyes widened as they felt the tremendous aura emanating from the dark pulse in Nox's fingertips. The aura was similar to the same one they had felt from the destructive hurricane.
It was... an ultimate skill!
A cataclysmic sound rang out in all directions as a powerful dark blast, almost as huge as the sun, descended on the frozen mountains. Countless fragments of ice were blown into the air, and several cracks and fissures webbed through the ground.
A smoke screen made of frost covered the entire area where the apocalyptic blast had descended. For a moment, no one could see the current state of the towering mountain, but they could vaguely make out the craters that had appeared in the surroundings.
The hurricane had already destroyed a large portion of the ice-born forest, but Shadow Oblivion had obliterated everything in its path. The once quite forest was now a chaotic wasteland of shattered ice and debris.
The sheer scale of devastation was staggering; the powerful dark blast had torn through the landscape with such force that the frozen ground was shattered into jagged, unrecognizable fragments.
Captain Bofan and the leader of the Silvermist Guild gawked at Nox, who seemed to be in a daze, their jaws almost hitting the ground. Was this kid the heir to some noble household or what?
"No, it can't be. Even nobles don't carelessly hand out an ultimate skill to someone as young as this," Bofan shook his head, his mind spinning as he tried to come up with an explanation. "Could it be that he's the hidden prince who always stays indoors?"
One of the princes of Snowhelm Kingdom was rumored to be a genius, but not many people knew about him because he always stayed indoors... Could this be the hidden prince? Perhaps he had heard about the Elemental Beast and came in disguise to hunt it down? It was a wild thought, but the only one that made sense. There was no way a commoner could get their hands on such a powerful skill.
'I must poach him!' The leader of the Silvermist Guild's eyes practically sparkled as she stared at Nox, a ravenous glint in her eyes. Unlike Captain Bofan, she didn't think about Nox's potential—her mind was only filled with the heights Nox would take her guild to.
With someone on her side, she was very certain that it was only a matter of time before her guild completed the promotion quest and became Silver Rank. The only obstacle in her way was Reyes.
She strongly doubted her rival would let go of Nox after witnessing this. However, she had an interesting offer that would surely sway him.
Meanwhile, several questions swirled in Reyes' mind. Unlike the leader of the Silvermist Guild and Bofan, his thoughts were much clearer.
After witnessing the destructive power of *Shadow Oblivion*, only one thought came to his mind.
'This kid is not a mere mercenary, he's something more!'
When he had first witnessed Nox's speed, he had felt a trace of an ultimate skill, but because the kid was moving at an intense speed, he hadn't been too sure.
However, after witnessing [Shadow Oblivion], he could confirm that this was indeed an ultimate-tier skill.
'... I knew there was something strange about this kid from the beginning. The powerful beast, the speed, everything... I was blinded by his talent all this while... Could it be he's after the Elemental Crystal as well?'
Unaware of the countless gazes staring at his back, a deluge of text crowded Nox's peripheral vision.
[Ding! You have killed Level 2 Wildin.]
[Ding! You have received experience points.]
[Ding! You have received experience points.]
[Ding! You have received experience points.]
'It seems the Shadow Oblivion annihilated some small fry nearby.' Nox noted as he dismissed the screen from his face. The experience points he received were far too small to make any significant impact on his experience bar. Almost eight months had passed since Nox had been stuck at Level 14.
After getting the Elemental Crystal, his next plan was to increase his level and expand his taming and skill slots.
Glancing at his mana points, Nox winced as he saw that *Shadow Oblivion* had consumed 100 mana points, as usual. Now, he could only use it four or five more times.
While he was mulling this over, a string of ominous red messages caught Nox's attention.
[Ding! You have killed a Level 16 Awakened.]
[Ding! You have killed a Level 20 Awakened.]
[Ding! You have killed a Level 30 Awakened.]
"Wait.' Nox's heart sped up as he reread the message. An Awakened? People were inside—'
Before he could finish the thought, the thick veil of snow mist that was covering Shadow Oblivion's point of impact began to clear up. Nox's attention, along with everyone else's, was diverted to the front. While the members of the alliance watched with bated breath, Nox was in an internal dilemma.
'I k-killed someone. Why am I so calm?' Nox thought, genuinely frightened of himself. It was right there. He knew the system could never deceive him. He had really killed three people, yet he was unfazed, as if he had merely taken the life of a beast.
What was worse was that he didn't even feel a semblance of remorse. It was very frightening, considering that he was a transmigrator... Could it be because he had spent too much time with Eve?
Just then, everyone made out the faint figure of the towering Elemental Beast in the distance.
"As expected, it's still alive! For a brief moment back there, I thought it was dead," one person commented with a bleak look on their face.
Meanwhile, the likes of Captain Bofan and Reyes stepped forward. Though they wanted to ask the kid many questions, dealing with the beast was more important.
Not too long after, the remnants of the ice mist disappeared, revealing the yeti-like Elemental Beast in all its full glory.
As soon as the beast appeared, Nox activated his skills.
[Beast Sense Activated!]