Ares sat in the middle of the forest with his legs crossed. His fists were joined together and his eyes were closed. He was meditating.
[You Have Unlocked The Passive Skill - Meditation]
[Meditation]
Base: None.
Info: By focusing and entering a state of oneness and calm. You can recover your stamina and energies as well as heal yourself.
Meditation helped him get his energy back and clear his mind.
"After making a rift big enough to swallow the Leviathan, I used up most of my Ethereal energy."
After meditating for hours, Ares opened his eyes, as he stands and begins to stretch.
"Now, the first order of business is to find a civilization and gather as much information about this world as I can."
The only thing Ares knew about this world was it's name, "Varethos" which he found out when he used Void Eyes on the sea serpent.
Ares resumed his journey, he moved even deeper into the forest. Even though he was alone, Ares was not scared not one bit.
At certain points, he was attacked by different types of Monsters, the first group he encountered were goblins...
"Void Eyes."
Ares looked dissapointed after checking the status of the Goblins.
"Their strength is nothing compared to the Sea Serpent I fought." Ares wore a sinister grin as a cruel thought entered his mind.
"Come to your master, My first Void Walker - Black Leviathan!"
Blackness spread all over Ares and the Goblins tearing through the sky.
A loud and mighty roar rang out from within the Void making the Goblins freeze with fear. The huge serpentine creature emerged from the blackness. Its scales which used to be a bright blue color were now died pitch-black with vague purple highlights.
Black Leviathan landed in front of Ares and bowed its head.
The Goblins were shocked by this sight - The powerful monster that ruled the lake was now kneeling to a human. Ares patted its head like it was a pet.
Who is this human, and how is he controlling an Elite-Grade monster?
Is he a tamer? No, not even the strongest users of tamer magic can subdue and control the sea serpent so easily.
The leader of the horde and the only Hobgoblin amongst their ranks had his eyes glued on Ares. When he looked into his eyes, he saw something sinister... He saw an unending darkness... He saw his demise.
'We're going to die.'
The Hobgoblin dropped his weapon with rest following suit as they all raised their hands.
"We surr—"
"Attack."
Before he could finish, the Black Sea serpent flew up and fired a stream of black fire. The Goblins screamed and rolled on the ground, begging for death.
"I don't understand surrender," Ares declared as he walked toward them. "Why attack me if you were going to give up?"
"M-Mercy..." the Hobgoblin cried. He was still experiencing immense pain despite his body was crumbling apart with only his upper half remaining.
"Mercy?" Ares tilted his head, his face showed no emotions whatsoever. "I do not know what that means." Ares had never felt pity or kindness. Emotions were still new to him.
He looked around at the destruction. Most Goblins have already turned to ash. Only ten were still alive and suffering.
"But maybe..." Ares rubbed his chin. "I can use you. How would you like to become my servants?"
Their answer didn't matter. He had already made up his mind.
He summoned the blackness and devoured them whole.
[You Have Created New Void Walkers]
From Goblins, to Kobolds and even Orcs. It didn't matter what race the attackers were, Ares made sure they all perished the same way - By the breath of Black Leviathan.
And now, he finds himself surrounded by a new race of monsters which he hadn't encountered before. They were as large as the Orcs, they gathered like the Goblins, and had Fangs like Kobolds. These creatures had red horns sticking out of their heads.
"Ogres..." Ares muttered after using Void Eyes. "Still weaker than Black Leviathan." He yawned.
The Ogres became enraged after seeing his nonchalant behaviour.
How dare this feeble human look down at them, the strongest race in the entire forest area?
"Should I just have Leviathan burn them like the others? No, I think I should try something else. But what...?"
Ares was tired with dealing with the monsters the same way. He pondered on how he can go about it a different way.
"Come to think of it, I haven't tested out the other Power systems..."
While in the Void, Ares learned the theories of various different energies and concepts which he dubbed as powers.
An example of these "Powers" was Atma - The power that manifests a system related to a concept. In this case, The Void System itself and all of his Void related abilities were as a result of Ares' Atma.
The first Power Ares learned was Ether - the purest form energy within the universe. It has Two main applications; Magical Ether or Magic and Internal Ether or Chi.
"I've decided, I'll deal with these creatures using Chi"
Ares closes his eyes and begins to focus. He imagines a core at his chest - that was where his Chi is stored.
"I've got a perfect picture in my head now."
The Ogres tilted their heads as they watched him meditate while standing.
"Focus... Picture the energy flowing from the core... circulating through my veins… Channel it and let it flow!"
Suddenly, a faint aura radiated around him as he opened his eyes.
[Congratulations, Through Your Strong Will And Focus, You Have Unlocked The Passive Skill - Internal Ether]
[Internal Ether (Chi)]
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Ether.
Info: You can tap into your Chi to give yourself a boost in physical abilities as well as manifest an aura for offence and defence.
[You Have Unlocked The Following Skills: Aura Projection, Physical Enhancement, Keen Insight]
[Aura Projection]
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Ether - Chi.
Info: Manifest your Internal Ether outwards through sheer will in the form of Aura. Through mastery, you will be able to project your Aura and have it take various Shapes and sizes. Consumes Ether.
[Physical Enhancement]
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Ether - Chi.
Info: By circulating your Chi through your body. You can hardened your body and give yourself a buff in speed, strength and endurance. Consumes Ether.
[Keen Insight]
Mastery: Level 1.
Base: Ether - Chi
Info: You have a heightened level of awareness and sixth sense. You can sense your surroundings and tell the location of others through their Ether.
The Ogres went on alert instinctively. Not wanting to give him any chances, They growled and rushed at him. However, despite their overwhelming numbers, Ares was calm. He used minimal movement to avoid their attacks.
"I can sense their presence more clearly, even the ones that are far behind. This must be how Keen Insight works." Ares smirked at the Ogres, "what's wrong? Why did you stop? Come at me!"
The Ogres roared in unison. They felt humiliated by this puny human. All they need is to get a single hit in.
However...
"Huff, huff." The Ogres were out of breath. They have been at it for so long now yet Ares did not have a single scratch on him.
"Done already?"
The Ogres looked at Ares. He no longer appeared like a tiny insect to them. Rather, they were the ones who felt small now, they felt as if Ares was a giant and they were insects.
"If you're not going to come, I will!" The prey had become the predator - Ares leapt forward as he charges with his fist which were coated in a densed violet colored aura.
Bam!
His fist landed on an Ogre's jaw. A loud crack followed as the Ogre flew back like a broken doll, crashing into the others behind it.
The rest of the Ogres trembled in fear. With a single attack, this human cut their numbers into two?
"The output is still not perfect," he said. "But it'll do for now." Ares turned to the remaining Ogres. Guess I'll just have to keep using you lot for the experiment."
Fear filled their eyes. Some took a step back.
"I told you already." He cracked his hands. "If you won't come to me, I'll come to you."
He dashed forward once again...
Bam! Crack! Boom!
Bodys flew, bones cracked, and skulls shattered. Blood was splattered everywhere. The whole forest echoed with the sounds of destruction.
If anyone had been watching this spectacle, they would find it difficult to tell who the real monster was between the Ogres and Ares. He moved like a beast. The Ogres tried to run, but none escaped.
Once the experiment ended, Ares stood over the broken bodies, breathing slowly.
He raised his hand and a blackness emerged from the ground. It spread and swallowed the corpses one by one.
"Void Ritual."
[You Have Created New Void Walkers]
[Your Skill - Void Ritual Has Leveled Up. You Can Now Create Units And Appoint Generals]
"Status."
[STATUS]
Name: Ares.
Race: Unknown.
Age: Unknown.
[TITLES]: Returner of the Void.
[POWERS]: [Atma], [Ether].
[SKILLS]:
[PASSIVE]: [Void Eyes], [Blackness], [Meditation], [Internal Ether (Chi)], [Aura Projection], [Physical Enhancement], [Keen Insight].
[ACTIVE]: [Void Walking], [Void Ritual], [Black Drain], [Black Retribution].
With 100 Void Walkers, Ares was now a walking army. And this same army had finally reached the other side of the massive forest...