I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Where they were currently walking through was a gloomy forest, shrouded with a thick cold fog. Towering dark trees dominated the scene, their twisted branches reaching out like skeletal fingers against the dimly lit sky.

The forest was enveloped in thick shadows, obscuring their path and adding to the sense of foreboding that Northern felt, yet Night Terror strolled forward like it was no big deal, unhindered by the absolute darkness that blocked their path.

In contrast to the terror, the scrawny human that walked beside it could not see anything beyond or beside him.

All he could do was stick close to his nemesis… now turned temporary associate.

The dense foliage created an enclosure, as if the forest itself was a living entity, closing in on anyone who dared to venture within.

There was an absence of any sign of life, intensifying the feeling of isolation and mystery.

The air was heavy and the terrible smell was stronger now than ever before.

Yet Night Terror moved like it was no man's business.

They continued down this eerie path for a while, as Northern fearfully checked his surroundings every now and then.

The pungent smell was getting stronger and it was beginning to bother him.

Suddenly, Night Terror paused, and Northern, who kept turning back in search of the source of the discomforting eerieness, bumped into the still monster and stumbled back a few steps.

Rubbing his forehead, he raised his head and grunted:

"Yo, what the hell…"

However, he came to a stop as his eyes met Night Terror's back and what was, or rather were, in front of it as more of the odd creatures crawled out from the corners of the darkness.

Northern instinctively raised his hand, sparks weaving out of thin air to form a black sword that appeared in his hands.

The creatures that appeared before them had large bulbous bodies covered by a mottled hide that gave a rough and uneven texture.

Their forms were hunched and contorted, with thin and gnarled limbs, resembling twisted roots or tentacles, with sharp points or protrusions along their lengths.

They had no distinct head; rather, a series of orifices were scattered across their misshapen body, and at the end of their long neck were a crude set of teeth that were long like bone needles.

They slowly snarled at the even mightier Terror that loomed above them. Hesitation could be noted in the way they moved and had not attacked yet.

Night Terror looked down on them with viciously burning eyes that emanated pure hatred. Yet these creatures lurked, although fear could be seen resonating through the masses.

They still resisted, however, like hungry monsters that had not eaten for decades… one could say that the only foe that could resist the intimidation of fear was the insanity of hunger.

And these creatures, despite having no eyes or a head, looked like ravaged horrors that were ready to raze everything to the ground.

Tension filled the atmosphere as a grave silence persisted in the heart of the forest.

Northern's heart raced, a surge of adrenaline mixed with anticipation coursing through his veins. This was probably the first time he would be fighting since the madness that overtook him got washed away by pain.

Northern gripped his black sword tightly, sparks of power crackling along its blade.

Night Terror stood beside him, a towering presence emanating an aura of primal fear. Their eyes met, and a silent understanding passed between them.

Then what happened the next moment happened in a flash!

With a guttural roar, the creatures lunged forward, their gnarled limbs reaching out like striking vipers.

Northern's movements were a blur, his sword slashing through the air with deadly precision. Sparks erupted with each strike, illuminating the darkness with brief flashes.

Even he was shocked for a moment when he ran forward with all his speed; he didn't expect such immense speed from himself.

It was no joke what he had been through during the time he spent holed up in the prison of madness.

Northern continued slashing and weaving through monsters with the precision of a thread through a needle.

<You have killed a Hazard Savage– Corpse Eater>

{You have slain a Hazard Savage– Corpse Easter}

{You have gained +2 talent fragments}

Night Terror moved with terrifying grace as well, its massive claws tearing through flesh and bone.

The creatures snarled and hissed, their misshapen bodies contorted with malice.

Dodging and weaving, Northern danced with the shadows; the sound of the creatures' distorted snarls filled his ears, mingling with the rustling of leaves and the crackling of twigs underfoot.

Their twisted forms writhed with malevolence, their mottled hide oozing an acrid stench that clawed at his nostrils.

This was probably the source of the stink. And if it was so strong while they had been so far away…

Northern could only imagine how plenty of these creatures were.

His eyes widened.

It suddenly made sense!

'Crap!'

Clearly, these monsters were scared of Night Terror… if they were one or two or even ten, they probably would have backed down, wouldn't they?

Because it made no sense, Night Terror exuded such an intimidating aura of pure malice that no monster would dare to bare its fang at it.

But these ones, driven mad by hunger, dared to do so. The rift could be having an effect on them like it was doing on every other monster, even Night Terror's extreme rage towards the castle lord could also be as a result of this.

Monsters, after all, were simply wired to fear each other if one was immensely stronger than the other.

And the distance between a Savage Rank to a Hellion Rank was a very far stone throw.

Even driven mad by the rift, they would still have feared and hesitated more than they were currently doing.

But if they had numbers… Northern suddenly remembered a detail about ants back on Earth.

He had never come across a creature such as them, but remembering about ants served as a great analogy.

If there was only one or two, or maybe a cluster, and one stepped on them, they would scatter around.

But when their numbers were so enormous that the ground was shrouded in a veil of black, step on them and have your legs consumed by a seemingly harmless veil of darkness. It was amazing and vile how such minute creatures, even in the face of a mighty Terror could turn the tide due to their sheer number.

The whole situation in this forest worked to their disadvantage. And the only hint was the strong rancid smell.

Northern suddenly had no doubt.

The darkness in the forest could be hiding it… but his instincts warned him strongly.

The forest was probably filled with monsters like this…

If that was the case, how long before they began to overwhelm them?

The even crazier thing was, the moment one fell to his sword or Night Terror's blade, they got drawn into the darkness and Northern could literally hear the tearing of flesh.

He observed Night Terror while thinking of the next course of action.

With every swing of his sword, Northern felt the weight of his own fear build up.

However, he moved with confidence, his strikes landing with amazing accuracy.

The creatures fought back with a frenzied desperation, as they bared their crude teeth, but Northern's blade tore through them, rendering different fleshes in an art of gore.

Night Terror's presence was a force to be reckoned with. Its eyes blazed with an otherworldly fire as it unleashed its monstrous strength upon the horde. Limbs were torn asunder, bodies crumpled beneath its relentless onslaught.

The forest became a battleground of swirling shadows and bursts of power, as the clash of weapons and the roar of the creatures echoed through the trees. Northern and Night Terror fought as one, their movements synchronized in a deadly dance of survival.

Time seemed to blur as the battle continued, both sides unwilling to yield. No matter how many were being slain by Northern and his associate, the horde of corpse eaters just kept coming.

At this point… Northern suspected… that he was right after all.

Just then, an enormous Corpse Eater, far larger in size than the rest, suddenly plunged out of the darkness and created a deep gashing wound across Night Terror's chest.