In a small forest outside the city, the howl of wolves and numerous other animals could be heard clearly.
The Nova Terra Planet was located at the heart of the Human Federation and thus could be considered extremely safe.
However, this didn’t mean that humans were the only creatures living on this planet.
Aside from them, there were several other races, most of all demons—animals that had evolved after ing into contact with Cosmic Energy.
The reasons these demons existed were twofold.
It was partly because their large numbers and high birth rate made it impossible for humans to kill them all, and partly because of the need for suitable training grounds.
Just like other power systems, Awakeners also needed to experience life-and-death battles in order to improve.
The stronger among them were fine as they could always participate in extraterrestrial battles.
But there were many who could not.
Granted, only veteran Awakeners would engage in such training. They had to at least reach Rank 1 before leaving the city.
Yet now, in a forest packed with bloodthirsty demons, a girl who had just awakened could be seen wandering alone.
She walked casually through the forest, pletely ignoring the stains of blood beneath her feet and the humongous plants that looked ready to devour her.
The woman continued going deeper, heading toward the territories of more dangerous demons.
A few minutes later, her footsteps suddenly halted.
Not because she had realized the gravity of the situation and regretted her actions, but because she found herself surrounded by demons.
It was a pack of wolves.
Their front limbs were surrounded by a green glow, while they bared their teeth at her, encircling her from all directions.
The largest and most powerful wolf growled violently.
It stared at its powerless prey with human-like greed and desire in its eyes.
It had been a long time since it had eaten a human.
Recalling the taste of rich taste of human flesh and the sweetness of their blood, it could no longer hold back.
It didn’t have the intelligence to wonder how this "ordinary" person had managed to reach this place.
With a loud howl, it ordered its subordinates to attack.
Moreover, as if afraid that they would dare to steal its prey, the wolf leader also went into battle in person.
Within moments, the girl’s situation had seemingly grown dire.
Under the siege of nearly a dozen Rank 1 Gale Wolves, even Rank 2 Awakeners would struggle to survive, let alone an ordinary person.
Yet, the woman showed no fear or panic.
Facing the ining wolves, she calmly raised her hand and clenched it into a tight fist.
Then, she casually punched forward.
Though the wolves had not reached the point of awakening intelligence, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of disdain for their opponent.
In their minds, the other party’s response was akin to a desperate struggle before their eventual death.
But the next moment, their pupils shrank.
Their bodies froze as the air around them solidified, locking them in place.
A split second later... their bodies burst apart!
Whether it was the ordinary Gale Wolves or even their leader, a demon infinitely close to reaching Rank 2, their bodies were torn apart.
Only a few pieces of flesh remained, dropping on the ground in front of the girl and making the scene terrifying.
A trace of disgust crossed the woman’s face.
However, the girl, or rather Liora, had witnessed much more gruesome scenes.
Though she felt the display had been unnecessarily bloody, she leaned down and grabbed the few pieces of flesh.
"I must find a way to consistently keep the corpses intact, or create a method to devour my enemies while alive. I can’t always get things so messy. I have a reputation to uphold in this world, after all.", she whispered, taking a seat on one of the few intact rocks near the battlefield.
Demons were strongly territorial creatures who would never barge into other demons’ territory.
Since this place was near the base of the Gale Wolves, no demon would dare to e any time soon.
Even though they had already died, no one knew yet. Their aura lingered even in death.
As long as it didn’t disappear and no one learned of their death, no demon would dare to e.
"Let’s see...", Liora muttered, picking up one of the few pieces of flesh and observing it closely.
Moments later, she invoked the main ability of every Awakener—their awakened talent.
A single point of light flashed at the center of her body.
It was black and eerie, similar to a black hole or the mouth of a giant cosmic beast.
Even pared to just a few days ago, the Predation talent appeared to have changed.
If one had to describe it, it was more powerful... more perfect.
As Liora activated it, the skin on her palm parted, and a mouth emerged.
It was ordinary, with red lips and white teeth, resembling her own mouth.
Yet, this was merely its external appearance. As soon as the flesh of the Gale Wolf drew near it, the mouth went berserk.
Its lips opened wide, and a long tongue shot out, firing towards the flesh and wrapping it up.
Then, at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, it brought it into its mouth and swallowed it in a single gulp.
The mouth faded away. Yet, Liora could sense its effects had not disappeared.
As the flesh of the Gale Wolf was devoured, its essence appeared to have been deposed, broken down to its original form.
The wind elements around her began to riot as her mind established a connection to them.
At the same time, a small green light emerged from her body.
A process similar to when she awakened the Predation talent seemed to occur, and Liora felt herself "awaken".
She could be certain that several prompts would have flashed in her field of vision if the System had not been a simple program.
[Affinity to Wind increased 1 1 1]
[Plundered Ability: Wind Strike (D)]
Liora almost saw an experience bar appear above her head.
Suppressing these inexplicable thoughts, she shook her head and raised her hand.
She waved it in the air before her, causing the wind elements to surge.
A small green blade materialized, flying out of her hand and shooting at a nearby tree.
Though its width was enough for several people to hug, the trunk was neatly cleaved into two.
A creaking sound echoed, followed by a bang. The tree’s upper part crushed into the ground, creating a deep crater and several cracks.
Liora observed this scene, nodding her head with satisfaction.
Such power was nothing to her and was hardly any better than her current physical strength.
However, the implications of this strike were clear.
"Predation deserves to be a talent that even the System cannot judge. Plundering the talents of other creatures through devouring them is extraordinary."
"Others can only awaken a single talent, setting their future in stone. However, I can have as many talents as I want.", she thought, her eyes flashing with ambition.
"Given enough time, it’s not impossible to gather one hundred, a thousand, or even millions of different talents. Even if these talents are just F-Rank, quantitative changes will lead to qualitative ones."
Liora suddenly felt that her gamble with the Hollow Ancestor might be an opportunity.
As long as everything went well, there were great benefits to be had. The Hollow Ancestor’s possessions were only a part of these—another was the power system itself.
Liora soon shifted her gaze towards the rest of the Gale Wolves’ remains.
She knew that things were not over just yet. Predation could not only plunder talents.
As long as she devoured enough creatures of a certain type, she could not only gain their talent, but also upgrade them accordingly.
With that thought, she moved. The same mouth materialized in both of her palms as she activated Predation and urged them to swallow what little remained of the Gale Wolves.
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