Desperate Situation

August looked at the stats of the beast.

[ Type : Awakened Beast ]

[ Age : 3 years ]

[ Species : DeCrab ]

[ Level : 266 ]

[ Strength : 288 ]

[ Agility : 207 ]

[ Vitality : 390 ]

[ Dexterity : 210 ]

[ Intelligence : 6 ]

[ Wisdom : 6 ]

[ Skills : Aura(SS), CruxCutter(SS), (S), HammerClaw(S), Water burst(S), Sharp Shell(S)….]

The beast was a crab type hybrid. August wasn't that interested in the other skills except for the Aura, as it would increase his level after absorption.

While he was analyzing the beast, the large crab moved its pincers toward him. The two pincers came from both sides, as to tear him apart.

But before it could even reach him, August activated his authority and touched its claw.

" Too bad, your strength means nothing in front of me."

He activated his 'acquire' skill and this time he could select a specific skill to absorb instead of all. After the fight with the continental rulers, his control over acquire has risen, and if he concentrated enough, he could separate the skills and acquire the skills that are needed. As the 'acquire' skill was too powerful to tone down, the system also supported the skill separation.

[ Skills acquired : Aura(SS=>SS) ]

He finally managed to only acquire the aura skill. Looking at the skill, which was still at SS rank, he sighed. After the skill levels reached higher ranks, it was harder and harder to upgrade them. He would have to hunt down more high rank beasts to get the aura to Ex rank.

Feeling the aura inside his body that enforced his body, he immediately felt the increase in level. Even though it was not enough to go up a rank, it was significant when considering his level. Sure, to rulers, this was not even worth looking at, but for human standards, his level was on the very top of the awakened hierarchy.

He then located the next beast that was close to him. It was a seal type beast with two giant flippers. It was swimming in front of him as he appeared beside it. The beast looked at him after he appeared there and turned its head thinking that he was a beast. The beast opened its mouth trying to swallow him, as its mouth approached him.

'Authority'

The beast's mouth that was meters away from him, was stopped as it froze in its place. August then approached the beast and touched its forehead.

[ Skills acquired : Aura(SS=>SS) ]

'Still not enough!' August thought that absorbing three SS rank auras will be enough to increase it to the next rank, but it looked like he was wrong.

He let go of his hand and looked at the beast that looked incapacitated. After losing its aura it was nothing more than a sitting duck. Even if he canceled his authority, it couldn't move, as it relied on aura to move its giant body. Without the support of aura, the body couldn't sustain its own weight.

August applied his aura on his hands and cracked its skull. A glowing blue core was revealed, pulsating inside its head. He grabbed the beast core and transferred it to his storage box. The beast core disappeared from his hand.

' Now, let's see how many of them are left ?' He scanned the entire lake again. There were about 5 more SS rank beasts left on the other side of the lake.

He teleported to the locations of SS rank beasts one by one.

[ Skills acquired : Aura(SS=>SS) ]

He looked at the skill level which was still not increasing. In front of him was an eel-like beast with a thirty meter long body, floating lifelessly. He collected its beast core and moved on to the next beast.

[ Skills acquired : Aura(SS=>SS) ]

An alligator-like beast was split in half as August was holding its beast core, looking at the status window. He transferred the beast core again. He absorbed almost five SS rank auras till now, but there was no sign of it ranking up. Still, there were three SS rank beasts left and also the final SSS rank beast, which he was saving for the last.

As he was looking at the status window, he received a notification.

[ System Control Alert ]

[ User Nile Brooks and Daisy Kertyn are in danger ]

[ A group of S rank beasts approached their position.]

[ They can not return back to the bubble ]

'How many S rank beasts are there?'

[ 3 higher level S rank and 2 lower level S rank beasts ]

[ The leader seems to be a semi SS rank beast about 199 level ]

' Hmmm, they are still no match for S rank beasts… well it's been only a couple of weeks, so I can't expect them to get that strong yet.'

August thought about how he was going to proceed. On the one hand, he could just teleport them back to the bubble or transfer the beasts elsewhere. But that would gain nothing.

' I want them to experience life and death situations sometimes.' August thought as he monitored their fight from a distance.

The five beasts surrounded both Fatty and Daisy from all directions, cutting their escape route. As they were in a fighting stance, ready to engage in battle with the five beasts, two beasts attacked from behind.

*Graaaahhh*

A blue water pillar escaped their mouth and headed in their direction. From the looks of it, it was pressurized water with aura infused in it. The high pressured water pillar tore the surrounding water apart. In a split second, it approached in front of both of them. Daisy used her gun as a shield as it changed shape to that of a black plate. Fatty did the same, as he turned his hammer-head into the shape of an umbrella. Yet, these artifacts were not shields. Their defense was not high enough to entirely protect them. The water pillar swept them away, as the artifacts trembled. The force was seeping inside the shields as they were about to lose their defense. The only good thing was that the durability of the nanobots was keeping the artifacts together.

*GAAAH*

As the water pillar went away, the duo could be seen with their trembling body and bloodshot eyes. The water pillar went past the defense and injured them as the aura of the beasts penetrated their body.

Daisy stopped trembling and gripped her gun. It changed shape into a large rifle and its muzzle was a meter long.

She quickly aimed for the beast's open mouth that was closing after the attack. She didn't waste any moment and used a significant amount of her aura to shoot a single bullet aimed at its open mouth.

*DHROOP*

*ZRRRR*

The water resounded in a muffled cracking of water as the bullet split the water and headed straight to the beast.