Awakening: I Ascend Alone-Chapter 33: On This Snow Land

Melvin stared at the system runes floating before him, and he understood so well why the Aftertick was so effective against the supposed hard skin of the monster.

It was an evolved creature, the second rank of profanity, a mythical creature descended. And since the weapon he wielded was of possibly a very high immeasurable rank, it was no surprise.

[You have gained 10 Fragments.]

[Fragments]: 15/5000

Originally, Melvin should have gained only two fragments after killing the Frostmaw, but due to his 5x multiplier, he received ten. Still, looking at the limit he needed to reach before his next soul core’s evolution, it felt impossible.

Especially considering that the order in which they would now face monsters in this part of the ruined world was going to be rank-specified. That is to say, since they were still initiates, the creatures they were supposed to be facing would be of the Feral or Evolved rank.

’I hope so. Really.’

But there was one more thing. Melvin expected to have received a Soul Signature after defeating the creature but then remembered what the interviewer had said. It was rare to even receive one.

It must have been his luck that he received a lot in the trial zone.

"That’s fine," he said as he turned to meet Aurex’s glittering eyes and shuddered backward.

"That was awesome just now," Aurex complimented.

"Was it? I thought as much," Melvin said, and instead of dismissing his whip, he flung it to wrap around him diagonally. Then, he turned back to the monster corpse lying before them and stared at it for a while.

"We should cut out some meat to survive on," Melvin said and moved forward, gesturing for Aurex to lend him his katana blade.

However, Aurex immediately moved before him and knelt before the massive creature, examined it for a while, and turned to Melvin, who had halted in his steps, watching to see what the black-haired boy was about to do.

"You absorb essence from monsters after defeating them. All you need to do is to establish contact with them, feel the surrounding flux around it, and channel them into your soul core."

"For a feral..."

"It’s an evolved creature," Melvin corrected.

Aurex nodded. "Whatever it is, you should already know the order in which they are ranked. You will gain an essence measured in equivalent fragments to their tier."

"For the Frostmaw, since it’s evolved, it should be in Tier 2."

"I know all that," Melvin replied. "Besides, I..."

He wanted to tell Aurex that there was no need for him to do that since he had already gained a substantial amount of fragments, but thought against it.

"Why don’t you show me how it’s done?"

"Very well. But that’d be only possible with your contact. I won’t be able to absorb it since I didn’t kill it."

With that, Melvin moved closer to place his hands on the monster’s corpse, following Aurex’s guidance.

Although he doubted that it would work since he already gained fragments after killing the monster. He only wanted to try for justification purposes.

After about five minutes of following Aurex’s guidance, Melvin finally understood how things were done, and to be very honest, he never for once expected what happened next.

Once he had gotten the process right, smoke tendrils began to seep out from the monster’s corpse, and soon, they channeled themselves into his chest region... disappearing totally into his body.

To be sure what happened was real, Melvin called up his fragment runes.

[Fragments]: 17/5000

His eyes widened a bit, but he disclosed it immediately to avoid entertaining questions from Aurex.

"Thanks a lot."

Aurex nodded, glad that he could help. Then, he brandished his katana blade and began to cut pieces out of the Frostmaw’s meat.

Melvin only sat there in silence, what had just happened swimming happily in his mind.

He had indeed misunderstood what the mark [5x Multiplier] really did.

Now, he sincerely understood that the mark was also there to serve as an "addendum mechanism" and not just a multiplier. Which meant that if he happened to somehow kill another mythic creature, he would gain the normal essence for it and an additional 5x of whatever essence it gave him.

Why didn’t he think about it?

The Sea Slug had given him five fragment essences, but when he earned the 5x multiplier, nothing seemed to have happened. He should have reasoned that it was because the passive mark only acted on presented kills.

Nodding in satisfaction regardless, Melvin turned to meet Aurex’s proud eyes.

"You are done, good. But how do we store the chunks?"

"Not a problem," Aurex said and extended his hands. In seconds, a glass orb materialized on it. "This is a Storage Sphere."

Melvin’s gaze turned inquiring, and Aurex understood it immediately.

"It’s just a replica of a Soul Signature that can be used to store items. The first and only set of Climbers that were able to return from the second step were the brains behind some of these replicas."

"Some of them have affinities that allowed them abilities to do these things."

"So, your sword is a replica too?" Melvin asked to be sure he understood.

"You can say that. However, unlike real soul signatures, the replicas don’t have those unique names. I only know it’s made of a katana blade."

"I see."

"So, what’s your whip called?" Aurex asked.

Melvin stared at him a bit confused. Why does he want to know? Well, it’s no big deal if he knew.

"Aftertick," Melvin replied.

"Unique and strange as usual. I wish I would be lucky enough to earn one soon."

Melvin chuckled. "You don’t need to worry about it. As far as you stay with me and trustworthy until the end, until we conquer this step, you will receive one."

Then he added. "In fact, you will be bound to face a lot of amazing situations, trust me."

Aurex stared at him, trying to make sense of what he said. But when he tried to no avail, he nodded and placed the glass orb on the gathered chunks.

Not long after, they stored every bit of the meat and set off north.

***

The snow stretched endlessly before them.

White plains rolled across the land like frozen waves, broken only by the scattered rocks and the occasional jagged ridge of ice. The cold wind blew steadily from the north, carrying with it a sharp bite that gnawed at exposed skin.

Melvin stared at Aurex occasionally and found out that the boy was shivering under the flying flakes of snow.

His essence seems not to be enough to hold down his ability longer.

Due to this, Melvin and Aurex decided to walk side by side to provide for themselves even the faintest flicker of warmth. Their boots crunched softly against the hardened snow.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

They had agreed to head north. It was the only direction that seemed to lead to a safer zone. Well, in a place like the Silver Spire, safer zones often meant opportunity... or danger.

Usually both.

After nearly an hour of walking, the terrain began to change. The flat plains slowly rose into a long slope of packed snow and jagged ice.

Soon, they found themselves climbing a hill.

The climb wasn’t easy. The wind grew stronger the higher they went, howling across the ridge like a restless spirit. Snow slipped beneath their boots more than once, forcing them to carefully find stable footing.

However, for Melvin, his slime-made boots made his footing on the snow firm. And eventually, they reached the top.

Melvin stepped onto the crest of the hill and exhaled slowly.

"Let’s see what’s ahead—" his voice stopped as his eyes widened slightly.

Aurex stepped up beside him and froze instantly.

Below the hill, spread across a vast frozen basin, was a sight that immediately caught their attention. Dozens of creatures filled the snowy valley.

Dozens of wolf-like monsters.

Their bodies were large and muscular, covered in thick gray and silver fur that blended with the frozen landscape. Some had long, curved horns growing from their skulls, while others bore jagged scars and dark markings across their bodies.

What caught Melvin’s attention, though, wasn’t just their number but their formation. The wolves had gathered in a massive circle.

At first glance, it looked almost like they were holding some strange gathering, standing shoulder to shoulder as if attending an important meeting.

But the longer Melvin stared, the clearer the truth became.

The case was that the wolves were surrounding something or someone.

Melvin narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the shifting bodies of the creatures. Slowly, the wolves parted just enough for him to glimpse the figure trapped in the center.

The moment Melvin recognized the shape of that body, he chuckled awkwardly and turned to Aurex.

"It seems like you will be rewarded with Soul Signatures sooner than later."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Melvin turned back to the pack gathered below, and his grip tightened slightly around the handle of his whip. Then, placing the tips of his index and thumb fingers of his free hand inside his mouth, he whistled loudly. A skill that was brushed into his being as an outskirt kid.

The pack answered his call and turned in his direction.

Aurex advanced closer. "What are you doing?"

Melvin smiled, and his voice dropped low.

"On this Snow Land, there will be bloodshed."