SSS Awakening: Creating Primordial Beasts To Be My Summons-Chapter 4: Early Morning Hunting

Cohen woke before sunrise, finishing the last of his preparations for the day.

The Heavenly Spire had begun hosting training sessions for the Outliers—allowing them to level up and develop their abilities.

The program had started three days after the accident, making today the fourth session.

He had woken up earlier than he usually did today because he wanted to reach beyond the walls before the given time, so he could grow familiar with his abilities.

They weren’t your usual recorded type of ability after all.

More importantly, he wanted to close the gap between himself and the other Outliers.

By the time the sun peeked over the horizon, Cohen had silently left the house like he usually did.

This time, his destination wasn’t Carcass Processing Facility, but the Wild.

’Last time, I went to clean up after awakeneds after all my dreams of being one were gone. Now, it’s different.’

He passed the usual tall buildings of Heavenly Spire City, reaching the designated city exit before long.

The place he and Ceha were staying was now close by.

Reaching the exits, he encountered two city guards he was familiar with, also members of the Heavenly Spire Guild.

They recognized Cohen as the enthusiastic worker of his now former workplace.

"Boy, it’s been a while!" A man with a bow at hand said.

"Sure has. How do you guys do? The recent explosion didn’t affect you guys, right?"

"Not me," the bow man said with a look of relief. "Mr. Koil’s apartment was affected though."

Mr. Koil, a man with a wrinkled face and a bushy beard, tsked.

"Forget me. Boy, don’t you live near the Guild too?"

Cohen ruffled his hair. "I did. Tough times."

Mr. Koil’s gaze dimmed slightly.

"Your mother... I heard there were no victims, but is your mother alright?"

"Actually... She isn’t." Cohen tried being dismissive.

"What? Did the guild lie?" the bow man chimed in. "No..."

Cohen sighed silently, before explaining.

"No, they didn’t. I was one of those who awakened from the accident—an Outlier, as they’re calling it.

"In the midst of my awakening, the mana outburst affected my mother, who was already weak."

The bow man said. "You awakened but at what cost..."

Cohen was about to say it’s fine when Mr. Koil said:

"Don, don’t be a negative fool. Times may be tough now, but if he awakened as one of those Outliers, he can make enough to pay for his mom’s bills now.

"Boy, it may seem hard now, but trust me—awakening will grant you the money to heal your mother!"

’Sir, even if I earn the money, mother can’t be healed by any existing means right now. If I didn’t have a string of hope now, your words might actually do me more harm.’

Cohen shrugged it all off and nodded.

"Right, Mr. Koil. That’s why I need to head out now and grind."

"Oh, yes. Being an outlier means you’re a part of the program."

Mr. Koil’s smile brightened at Cohen’s enthusiasm, then followed the procedure going through Cohen’s newly given access card.

The Wild was dangerous to non-awakened humans.

Even descending the destroyed mountain which Heavenly Spire was built on was dangerous, so to leave the city, procedures had to be undergone.

- - - - -

Heavenly Spire was built on the surface of a large mountain that was destroyed in half.

It was destroyed during the World War that occurred before Day One—the day the system arrived.

The shattered slopes were still scarred from that war—jagged stone ridges and broken cliffs that made travel deadly even before monsters were considered.

Its high elevation was a natural escape for the people running away from monsters.

Cohen went down to the East of the Heavenly Spire City, which had more monsters than other points.

Through his days in the facility, he had picked up information that was useful today.

In some of these forest parts, there were low-level monsters that Cohen could hunt.

That was his target.

The problem was that these monsters were very hidden, due to fear of other monsters.

But that problem didn’t apply much to Cohen.

’I’m already reaping the boon of this class.’

Cohen concentrated, the passive effect of Perception of Grays expanding around him.

He had an omniscient view of the world within twenty meters, with a clear quality.

His eyes narrowed on a slight flutter in the scrub to his right, quickly followed by three other disturbances.

Not subtle movements, but the very faint presence of life.

He funneled a tiny amount of his Mana into the skill.

Hiding among a cluster of rocks were several beasts.

They looked like normal wolves with gray fur, only a bit bigger than usual.

- - - - -

Race: Gray Wolf

Tier: Common

Level: 2

- - - - -

Four low-level Gray Wolves lurked in the brush, their eyes glowing a hungry yellow.

They were Level 1 and 2, weak enough to be a manageable first encounter.

He drew a simple steel dagger from his belt—a tool from his days in the Carcass Processing Facility.

He’d learned to use this with practiced efficiency months—or even years—ago, hoping for an awakening.

As the wolves launched their attack, a subtle, cold grey energy—his Null Aura—instinctively enveloped him.

He felt it settle, a weightless, invisible shield hardening his skin and strengthening him.

The first wolf, a level 2, lunged, but Cohen didn’t dodge far, letting the enhanced defense absorb the scrape of claws as he pivoted, his dagger a blur.

With a low grunt, the Aura channeled into the blade, making the common steel feel unnaturally dense and sharp.

His practiced dagger-strike, a quick, upward slash learned from months of necessity, found the monster’s throat.

Two more wolves crashed into him, and the Null Aura flared, deflecting the full force of their impact.

He dropped low, his dagger sweeping in a practiced arc and dispatching the two Level 1 wolves almost simultaneously.

Cohen then faced the last, a Level 2, with a cold, focused calm.

He lunged, his dagger meeting the wolf’s fangs.

The Null Aura coursing the blade turned the contest into a one-sided slaughter.

In seconds, all four lay still. He barely felt winded.

A grim satisfaction settled in his chest as the system notified him of the accumulated EXP.

’Null Aura is fucking broken. I see a disadvantage though. Since it’s moving on my instincts, it moves regardless of how much mana I want.

’Now I’m halfway through my reserves.’

Cohen considered how to reduce this drawback.

The only solution he could think of was simple—remain calm.

The more eager he was to save himself, the more Aura consumed to protect himself.

The more desperate he was to bring an enemy down, the more Aura was fed into his weapon to do that.

He could have brought down the last wolf without using the Aura, for example.

Cohen looked down at the corpses, tilting his head slightly.

"[Baptise]."

He willed his Talent to activate, stretching his hand toward the nearest corpse.

[Baptism failed.]

He tried two more times, only to be met with the same failure.

Although he knew, he still wanted to confirm if the Talent worked on the dead.

’You can never be too sure what the system considers what.’

Cohen lingered for a moment, thinking of the cost of these corpses.

’The time used to rethink such obvious decisions is also a waste. And time is money.’

Turning toward the deeper parts of the forest, Cohen darted forward.