Chapter 20: The Plunderer
This skill was likely inspired by games, where the hero, after defeating an enemy, obtains all the experience and achievements they gained in the form of skill books or spheres containing years and years of accumulated experience.
And these skills were before him now.
He didn't hesitate and tapped on the approval box, and then—
*Whoosh!*
A rainbow-colored whirlpool formed, spinning in one direction before scattering into a collection of light points that launched to be absorbed into Aiden's body.
Then a screen with rainbow colors as vivid as starlight appeared, announcing the creation of the first original skill belonging to "Aiden" himself.
Aiden's eyes were wide open, brimming with anticipation and boundless excitement. They saw the future and what this skill could bring.
And upon looking at the screen:
[Ding! You have obtained the skill: "Achievement Thief"!]
He gently tapped on it.
Another screen appeared before the previous one, with the skill description written on it:
[Achievement Thief] [Passive]: The Thief or Plunderer is an advanced-level skill, activated passively upon killing any enemy. It influences reality to distort it and convert everything the other party has gone through into useful consumable resources for the user and others. This skill includes: training, combat experience, memory, skills.
Aiden's lips curved into a wonderful smile, suggesting that all his effort hadn't been in vain but had materialized before him in the form of this perfect skill.
And some might wonder: How can a skill like this be created at such a low price?
The answer lies in his imaginary skill and the explanation provided by the [Secrets Revealer] skill.
> [Skill: Comprehensive Formation]: An imaginary skill that cannot exist for more than one being in existence. This skill holds a supreme position within the comprehensive existential system, where all great powers in existence seek to obtain a skill of the same level or even the same category. This skill possesses a power that contradicts existence itself, as it can bend existential laws to achieve anything or any goal at an appropriate cost. The cost is very low when obtaining this skill at low levels of strength within the existential system itself.
[Fate Points]: A term given to the points collected from the number of destinies that can be changed by a person or entity. These points are calculated according to the strength level of the person and their specific world. The user is now at the lowest degrees of the universe, so every destiny changed will earn one fate point.
The definitions clarified that Aiden's low level would allow him to use fate points more easily and effectively, as anything he tried to create with them would require the lowest possible number of points. But this discount was only for the lowest levels in the universe, which would allow him to ascend as quickly as possible and join the upper elites.
Therefore, skills that required 1000 points at a very advanced level would cost Aiden only one point.
It was a discount indescribable in words.
He sighed deeply, then looked at the group behind him and said loudly:
"I see you are tired."
Then his lips curved into a kind smile, and he said:
"What do you think about some rest?"
"..."
No one could answer for a moment, until a small child shouted:
"Yes, Commander! Rest, rest...!"
And others shouted after him too:
"Rest, rest!"
"Rest, rest!"
"Rest, rest..."
Aiden smiled at them kindly, then said:
"Alright, let's rest for a while!"
... And so Aiden's group decided to stop for rest, after searching for and rescuing a respectable number of people on their way to a residential area containing many habitable buildings. It was expected that this area belonged to a number of people living there.
And they might not welcome Aiden and those with him. However, Aiden didn't care; if they stood in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to turn them into points for himself.
---
In a distant place within the City of Radiance.
"Grrrrragh!"
Screams rose, and blood scattered on the ground like waterfalls.
"Chomp... chomp"
"Crunch... crunch"
The sound of chewing flesh and breaking bones spread everywhere.
"Don Wan... no!" A desperate scream erupted from one of them. He was one of the individuals who left Aiden's group a long time ago.
"What the hell are these things... ah!" someone screamed loudly and desperately as something huge pounced on him with unstoppable force, knocking him to the ground like a sacrifice.
"Aaah" The man looked at the beast above him and noticed its huge claws and giant jaw heading towards him.
"No no no..." he screamed in refusal, then—
*Chomp*
"Aaaaah"
*Tear*
*Whoosh*
His face was completely torn apart in a terrifying manner, leaving only the inner skull bones and some of the brain intact.
"Noooo!" someone screamed loudly, then changed direction and started running as fast as he could.
The beast saw him escaping and jumped from over its prey to chase him... or it couldn't even be called a chase; it was like a tortoise against a rabbit, no room for comparison.
*Whoosh*
The beast launched like a bullet as its claws began emitting brown light.
[Earth Claw]
*Whoom*
It appeared directly behind the fleeing man, then—
*Boom*
It swung its huge claws that descended on the man's head, turning him into minced meat.
The looks of the remaining people were bleeding from shock and horror. Not long ago, they were with Aiden in safety and comfort. Since they parted from him, they had faced many strange and terrifying events, but this was the most terrifying.
A pack of giant creatures had attacked them. Their fur was dense and coarse with pale earthy colors, with supernatural camouflage they couldn't notice until it got very close. The fur was distinguished by black clumps resembling barbed wires along their spine.
They had massive, overwhelming jaws that could swallow a whole person in one bite. And looking into their sharp eyes, one could feel limitless killing intent.
These giant beasts resembled dogs or wolves...
They were "Earth Wolves," the terrifying creatures Aiden decided to avoid from the beginning and not clash with.
They were hunting all creatures within the City of Radiance and had annihilated a huge number of lives.
Not long ago, they caught the scent of a large number of humanoid creatures, so they decided to leave the small number they had and chase this huge group.
And this was the reason they left those people whom Aiden saw and deemed their end inevitable. But without realizing it, he had saved their lives by making himself and his group a target for them.
When they reached the place where some decided to separate from Aiden's group and follow another path, the pack was slightly surprised, then decided to split into several groups and launched a large-scale hunting operation.
And this brings us to the current events.
While darkness enveloped the corners of the City of Radiance, the wolves weren't just ordinary animals... they were an organized force, sweeping through human groups one after another, slaughtering them in the most horrific ways the human mind could imagine.
The terrifying scenes weren't confined to one place but spread in scattered neighborhoods of the city, where the sounds of screams and fangs tearing flesh became a familiar call in the dead of night. Blood painted grim murals on building walls, and torn bodies told tales of endless horror.
Amidst all this hell, Aiden's group remained the only one that hadn't faced that nightmare yet... but how long would this silence last? Were they truly safe, or were the wolves also lurking for them in the darkness?