49 Effortless Killing
----
Not long after finishing up his display of the executing the Demonic Massacre Wave, Apollo recovered and stood before the cave's sealed entrance. As per Azridan's instructions, Apollo placed his hand on the molten rock, causing a vortex to appear in the middle of his palm.
A moment later, the previously sturdy rock crumbled to dust and the radiant rays of broad daylight blazed on Apollo's skin.
Afterward, Apollo glanced around before noticing some changes in his surroundings. "How far did you venture away from the original area?"
[Well, I considered the fact you should have become stronger by now, so we're now inside the inner ring. With that being said, shouldn't we focus on something else?]
"Right!" Apollo responded before halting his step blowing his overgrown hair out of his face. After months of training, feasting on Spirit Beast Meat, and absorbing the demonic energy inside the pellets, Apollo had undergone some noticeable changes.
In addition to his hair now reaching his shoulder, he has also grown almost half a foot in the course of a few months, now standing 5 feet tall. From this point of view, it seemed as if his body mirrored the state of his stats while keeping them within a certain threshold, as to not look freakish.
Not to mention, Apollo's current appearance was akin to a wild person, appearing to be homeless with his unkempt appearance. But, he didn't have a fix as of now. The battle with the Queen Widow left his simple robes in tatters.
Not to mention, the clothes inside the pouch were entirely too large. At his current growth rate, it'd take at least another year until those clothes fit him properly. Fortunately, Apollo possessed one more set of packed clothing.
After wearing them, although they were in tatters as well, he didn't feel as naked. Once that was dealt with, Apollo dashed forward, closing distances of meters with single steps.
Almost immediately, high levels of activity caught Apollo's attention. Each one of them appeared to be Rank 0 Spirit Beasts, the weakest being Early Stage, which were equal to a peak Mortal in strength. However, with his current strength, Apollo estimated they weren't his match.
So, he brandished the Dark Cutter before hurtling it forward. At first, it seemed like a throw made without much prior thought, but a yelp sounded seconds later. And, the sight of his knife embedded into the skull of a Spirit Beast entered Apollo's view as soon as he burst through a bush.
"Unable to dodge. Is that how fast I threw that? Interesting indeed. No wonder at least 60 Strength was required," Apollo mumbled. Although this number seemed as if it was a mere indication of Apollo being 50 times stronger than he once was, that was the wrong assumption.
On top of the number, his Incomplete Demonizing needed to be considered as well. Once that was said and done, the resulting value was one that most youths wouldn't be able to reach unless their meridians were strong enough to support a brutal influx of essence to strengthen themselves.
In short, Apollo's base damage eclipsed even a Peak Mortal but operated on a different principle. So, to others, although Apollo was on par with this world's Zul Warrior, it would appear as if he was still in the lower ranks of a Mortal.
Finally, Apollo retrieved the knife from the dead panther's body before extracting its core and leaving the body there. Afterward, he advanced in search of other Spirit Beasts to kill. "
[Hm, it would seem these beasts are becoming too easy for you. And, their experience is diminishing as well. Should we move on to going no lower than the Middle Stages? Your power should be exactly on par with those.]
"You're right," Apollo in admittance as he shifted his feet, using 3 precise strokes to collect a subpar Essence Core. However, he didn't mull over or discard this item. After all, with this system, all items served their purpose. No matter how small the gain, an improvement was what Apollo sought.
As a result, Apollo didn't actively seek out any of the early stage beasts, but if they intruded upon his path then he killed them all the same as to not deviate from the route he wanted to take. And, because of his actions, he ended up traveling in a straight path towards the depths of the inner ring.
And, doing so, would also mean that while he would find more middle stage Rank 1 Spirit Beast with ease, he would also be entering an area that housed some Rank 2 Spirit Beasts. With that possible danger, Apollo first made sure to scrutinize his surroundings for any signs of those beasts.
After all, something on par with a Zul Knight was an energy he didn't wish to face. Despite the trump card in his possession, he still wasn't too clear on its abilities. Confirming it was clear, he proceeded to execute the first of the Baleful Steps, the Partial Shade Silhouette.
Half of his body seemed to fade into the shadows as his movements quickened. In a short period, he dealt with a lone middle stag Rank 1 Spirit Beast. Compared to before, the difficulty lessened greatly because of the incorporation of techniques in combat.
Prior to now, all of Apollo's kills were made using basic hand-to-hand combat. So now that he got his hands on a movement technique, he was a force to be reckoned with. All of a sudden, his action alerted three beasts in the area.
Therefore, Apollo was forced to react quickly.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Apollo's eyes narrowed as he analyzed his hastened reactions upon deflecting the beasts with three well-timed strikes. More than ever, it seemed his attributes were beginning to carry other properties besides just affecting him physically.
He also noticed something else after awakening his Juvenile Demon Body. 'When not factoring the use of the Partial Shade Silhouette… My stamina is recovering faster than I can use it! Perhaps…'
[It may be possible. But, if you wish to do so, I suggest you take a look at your lowest stats.]
"This feeling is amazing!" Apollo exclaimed as his jubilant expression brightened. The dark air produced by his Juvenile Demon Body seeped from his body before being forced into an intangible wave that burst forward and sliced a few beasts into minced meat.
[Hoh? Well isn't that interesting. It seems that learning with the system by your system allows you to control a portion of your demonic powers with greater ease. Perhaps it is linked to your Intelligence stat.]
'Intelligence? Now that you mention it, it's the only stat that doesn't have any information on it. Are you able to tell me anything about it?' asked Apollo as he bent down collecting multiple Essence Cores.
[Sure, but it probably won't be what you're looking for. Intelligence is, for the most part, linked to your senses. In short, I believe it is one of the single most important aspects since it can control the volume of energy you can interact with in the future.]
'Hmm… so it's that important, huh? I'll have to be more considerate of that in the future then,' responded Apollo before scaling a tree. Choosing this spot to take a breather from the repeated use of the Partial Shade Silhouette, he recuperated. In a short period, Apollo's hastened recovery rate managed to recover his stamina to a considerable degree within a short 10 minutes.
Granted, the pendant hanging around his neck also contributed to this.
Once he finished healing, Apollo dropped down from the tree and continued to journey around the depths of the Inner Ring. It went without saying, the beasts then shifted from the middle stages to the late stage of Rank 1.
Although the fights became more difficult, it wasn't to the extreme. He could easily handle one. Two were also well within his limits, whereas three simultaneous enemies of this stage provided their fair share of difficulties.
'What is that? I feel something…' Apollo thought while shifting his gaze. His ears twitched at the sound of repeated tapping growing in volume.
[I presume that you are sensing people, because that is quite a different reaction from sensing beasts, unless it's some strong beast that warrants a different reaction.]
'People? I thought I did well to avoid them' questioned Apollo with a curious tone and bewildered gaze.
[Well, you undoubtedly did so, but it seems that these particular people are focused on something, or maybe even in search of something.]
"I see," Apollo murmured with a sharpened gaze. His hand clenched around his knife in preparation for battle, but what greeted him was outside of Apollo's expectation. Gradually, he relaxed and produced a different image of himself.
'Fortunately, it's not what I expected.'
