Fear etched deep into Vanessa's features, her eyes wide and trembling.
Beside her, Amos's expression was tense, a furrowed brow revealing his deep apprehension.
Samuel, meanwhile, wore a look of utter shock, his mouth agape and eyes staring in disbelief.
"What is… that?" Amos asked.
"That is my Astral Wolf. A gift from sLeylarhads I killed when I still lived in New Alexandria."
"Yes, but… how?"
The question that everyone was eagerly awaiting an answer to was that. How could Erik, who had a power capable of making plants grow faster, and one that could allow him to make a weird energy, have another ability that allowed him to make that monstrosity behind him and barely fitting the room?
Humans had a limited understanding of awakeners, and even Liberty Watch's Village knew very little about them, but these three powers were completely unprecedented for everyone.
"I can't tell you how, just that I can get more brain crystal powers. I have not only two or three." Erik paused, then he turned to look at one of his clones. "June."
As if already knowing what the young man wanted to do, June stepped forward.Immediately, he undid his shapeshifted form, his visages changed from that of a handsyoung man resembling Erik to that of a weird humanoid resembling a worm with two legs and two arms.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe presents were even more frightened by that than they were by the Astral Wolf.
"A Thaid?!" Vanessa said. It was better to say that she yelled.
"Not at all." Erik turned to look at June and raised his hand as if he was presenting a product.
"This is June. He is a clone of mine I made with the Mirror Centipede's brain crystal power. No matter what, June is just like the rest of us, a human. It's just that his birth is a bit odd. Oh, by the way, Noah is one of my clones, too."
The room fell into a momentary silence as everyone held their breath.
Amos, Samuel, Ethan, and Vanessa were all in disbelief as they witnessed and heard what was happening. That explained everything.
Those responsible for targeting Erik was eager to find out the method behind his impressive capabilities.
They all understood that was likely the reason for pushing those guys to chase him. The greed for power.
It was truly incredible and nothing short of a miracle how Erik could gain powers from fallen beasts.
In a hypothetical scenawhere everyone possessed such a capability, humanity would no longer feel the need to hide within cities due to the fear of Thaids.
They would be able to reclaim their planet, to even reclaim the Mur continent.
"Of course, this means I'm not an awakener. That is just something I cup with to justify my powers. Back in New Alexandria, I told everyone I had a sharpening power."
Amos, aware of the potential risks of disclosing such information, posed a question that was on everyone's mind, including his own.
"Why are you telling us this? You could have kept silent and said you didn't know." Vissit nvelbin(.)cm for ew ovels
The old man's eyes were filled with curiosity, as if he was eager to uncover something unknown. He was curious about the reason behind it, but he was also interested in finding out if he could gain that power for himself. Maybe Erik had a way.
Erik's eyes were filled with a flof fierce determination that was underscored by an icy resolve, a sight that had never been witnessed by none of them on Erik's face before.
Samuel and Ethan, who had already witnessed Erik's resilience during their encounter with the human-like Thaid and the Acidspitter Arthropods, were taken aback by the intense look on his face.
There was a certain expression in his eyes, a look that insinuated something sinister.
"Two reasons," Erik said. "The first is that I'm sick of hiding. The second is that none of you can kill me, or capture me, for all that matters."
Erik made a simple statement that left no room for misunderstanding. There was nothing they could do to oppose him. It was clear to both Vanessa and Ethan that, although they were stronger than the average child from Frant or Etrium, they were still much weaker compared to Amos and Samuel.
However, the two individuals in question were perplexed by how the younger man had becstronger than both of them.
"I know what you are thinking. Letgive you an answer to those silent questions I see in your eyes. June," Erik said.
"You see, my friend here is as strong as Samuel, at least in terms of physical strength, but that's not all, he can shapeshift even into Thaids, he can make armor made of bones and many other stuff I'm not keen on revealing."
The young man had a group of 21 clones standing behind him, and it did not go unnoticed by the others.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIf his statements held truth, it would show that Erik possessed an astonishing level of power.
Not a single soul could be found in this place, or in the entire village for that matter, or even outside of it, who could even cclose to challenging him.
All he had to do was dispatch one of the clones to handle anyone he encountered along the way.
However, this also implied that Erik possessed the ability to control every single one of them and make them submit to his will.
"Don't worry, I'm not Becker. I don't plan on asking you anything. If you want to work with me, I will make sure that will benefit us both. If instead you don't even want, just telland we will leave the city regardless of what my people had built here. You can take whatever we leave."
Erik then dismissed the Astral Wolf. The present breathed a sigh of relief when it vanished, yet the feeling of apprehension remained.
After all, there were 21 other monsters in that room, and they weren't even sure Erik wasn't one of them.
"I have to think about it," Amos said.
It was certainly not a straightforward decision to make, that's was sure. Despite the potential benefits that the village would receive from Erik's help, they were still going to confront the Blackguards, who were the most powerful organization on the entire planet.
Even Amos, who was born in a village inside the forest, knew who they were.
Should even a fraction of the tales regarding their strength hold any truth, the village would soon encounter an opponent whom they may not have the ability to defeat.
"Letjust tell you this. If you accept in joining me, you will becmy people. I will treat you like everyone else. That may change the dynamics between us, but it will also cwith many perks."
"For example?" Vanessa asked. It were the first words she said since Erik and the clones entered the room.
"For example, a new and better neural link training technique."