“CONSUME!!!”

As Levi activated his skill, energy busted out of the beast like a gust of wind. Visibly, a mixture of red and black energy rapidly poured out of Aigar and into Blue.

It looked like Blue was absorbing the very essence from the beast causing the king of destruction to gradually fade out of existence.

The large hall was covered by the blinding light coming from the Sprite. The more energy it absorbed the brighter it became.

Aiden's widened eyes reflected the unexpected twist of events, and his jaw dropped in utter surprise as a wave of shock rippled through him, freezing him momentarily in disbelief "Im-Im-Impossible" he muttered.

He watched as Levi completely devoured Aigar, leaving nothing but dust behind. The king of destruction was no more and the hall returned to its dim lighting, produced by the small windows.

Aiden had since realized that Levi wasn't an average warrior but he couldn't believe Levi was powerful enough to defeat a beast of this level. That must mean he had kept his true powers hidden all this time. 

_____

S-rank beast "Aigar's" essence consumed 

Assimilation: {1%}

*Unable to efficiently extract properties due to low warrior Assimilation rate.

Buff strength (+159); Buff Agility (+170); Buff Vitality (+230); Buff perception (+130); Buff Intelligence(+60)

New buff Effect: Demonic Beast Presence 

*Unleash haunting aura that instills dread in nearby foes. Those with low wisdom and perception may succumb to a brief, spine-chilling stun. Use duration depends on available mana.

–––––

"Now we can go" Levi casually called out heading for the door, his footsteps echoing in the hall as he walked further away from a baffled Aiden.

He had crossed to the hallway before noticing Aiden still hadn't moved from where he stood "Aren't you coming?"

"I-I am" Aiden responded as he reconnected with reality, sprinting to catch up to Levi.

Levi wore a calm and composed expression as he continued down the hallway. From what he saw, the skill was very powerful, Powerful enough to consume a beast of that level but he couldn't fully utilize its full capacity yet.

'So this is what it meant by low Assimilation rate… but because of how strong Aigar was the stats I got is almost fifty times my current level and I even got a new buff Effect' 

He released a sigh of contentment, although he knew he would have to figure out a way to increase his Assimilation rate if he wanted to effectively use the skill. 

The only issue would be that the beasts had to be immobile before he could consume them. He couldn't tell if immobile included dead or just unable to move. 

'Capturing a beast alive is definitely more harder than killing one' he reasoned. 

As they got to the grand door leading outside the temple, Levi paused remembering what was waiting for them beyond the door. 

Levi suspected that even with his current buff level he might still not be as strong as the Minotaur, but if he is lucky it might also be a good opportunity to devour another beast. Either way, he would need a solid plan to battle the beast.

Aiden on the other hand had lost all his sense of fear because he was fully convinced that Levi was a very powerful warrior who was simply hiding his powers. 

With Levi's protection, he didn't care about the monster outside causing him to push open the door without hesitation. 

Levi was stunned as the door swung open. Cold wind gushed past his face as he stared at the horizon fully bathed white by the snow. 

In the haze of the moment, Levi did a quick survey only to find that the Minotaur was nowhere in sight.

One cautious step after another they stepped into the snowy grounds but there was still no sign of the Minataur, only the sound of heavy breathing.

Heavy breathing?! 

Levi turned around to see that the Minotaur had emerged from the snow and was now standing right behind them.

He quickly activated his skill "SPRITE BUFF" right before the monster swung his giant battle axe, sending both of them flying.

{–480 HP}

_____

<Sprite buff activated>

Strength:62(+229); Agility: 62(+240); Vitality: 65(+300); Intelligence: 31(+60); perception: 1(+130);

HP:(1636\2116) MP: (270/270)

Usage time left: 10min

–––––

Levi had instinctively used his axe to block the attack at the last minute but the Minotaur's brute strength was enough to send him flying even with his activated buff.

'I knew it, it's still too strong, capturing the beast is definitely out of the question... I'm not even certain I can kill it' he reasoned as he struggled back to his feet

'how do I find a weakness?'

"INSPECT"

______

**Snow Minotaur 'Kerra' **

HP: 17,680/17,681

Beast Grade: A-rank {lvl 141}

The beast has snow and ice mana affinity but is unable to create skills due to it's low wisdom so he uses it to fuel his brute attacks. He has poor eyesight but can accurately locate his enemy by sensing their Aura and applying his senses of smell and hearing.

–––––

This time as he activated the inspect skill there was more information than before, including the stats of the beast.

'Did the buff on my perception add all this extra information?' he reasoned. He already suspected that increasing his perception would affect his observation and inspect skills. 

<Observation skill used>

His observation skill could now also detect the possible attack pattern of the beast, with a few gaps in between the joints of its solid frame.

-Huff-

The beast shot out misty air from its nostrils as it prepared for another attack. He charged at Levi with a speed that defied its size, and swinging his axe immediately it got close enough.

Even though Levi could predict the minotaur's movement combined with his boosted agility he still barely managed to dodge the attack. 

The Minotaur didn't take a moment, sending his axe in the opposite direction once again narrowly missing Levi.

Wielding both his axe and blade, Levi saw an opening in between the monster's attack. He swung at its neck since it was one of the few critical points he could see. The Minotaur shifted it's head parrying the attack with his horn

Levi relentless in his attack continued until he managed to strick it perfectly, landing a clean hit with his axe

(–1860HP)

only to be sent flying by a light punch from the beast.

The wounded beast fueled by rage, let out a deafening roar, echoing its fury across the battleground with the axe still firmly stuck to his neck 

Levi struggled to his feet clenching hard to his small blade. The sound of his breathing was heavy from exhaustion. 

Only a brief exchange had left him this exhausted and now he had lost his axe… 

'His body is too thick to cut through, even if I hit the critical spot it doesn't do much damage. The only way to pierce his hard skin would be by stabbing it, but how do I get close enough to his neck with this short blade?'.

As if enraged by the injury Levi had inflicted on him the Minotaur ferociously charged at Levi. Leaving him no chance to react, he grabbed his throat and slammed him into the ground.