After purchasing everything that he needed, maps, food, and everything else, he placed it into his ring and set off on his way, hands tucked in his pockets as he left the city.

At the gate, there were a lot of young Awakened as well. They had formed parties and were going on hunts and quests to raise their levels higher. Everyone wanted to be prepared before leaving.

"Hey, looking for a caster for a swamp gecko hunt!"

"Looking for a warrior to help in taking down a black wolf."

Different people were out there yelling for new party members. Aren casually walked past, none of that having anything to do with him.

After he got past the gates, he headed for the forest. The sun was high in the sky, and its warm rays clung to his body, making him feel alive.

He took out the map and unraveled it. It showed exactly where the black horned snakes were located. He folded the map and placed it away, stretching a little, and then bolted at full speed into the forest.

Aren ran at top speed for half an hour, a performance that would put all the world's best runners to shame. He stopped only when he was close to the location.

He sat under a tree and pulled out the system screen. There was something he recalled on his way here and decided it was time for him to do it.

He summoned the merged wolf and Fang. The two stood there, looking at him.

"Hmm, alright," he muttered. "Merge."

Immediately, both shadows merged into themselves. He expected something far bigger than what the first merge was, but when the merge was completed, the shadow wolf was smaller but far more streamlined.

It gave off a far stronger aura though, so Aren could already tell that it was much stronger.

"The size shocked me, but you are looking far better, Fang. Looking more ferocious."

[You have successfully merged your Shadows. Shadow will now undergo evolution.]

"Evolution?" Aren muttered in shock. He stared at the new Fang with a confused gaze. "My shadows can evolve?" he asked.

Before he could do or say anything else, Fang unsummoned himself, which also shocked Aren, as that was a first.

[Evolution time: 24 hours]

"Tsk, I wanted to use him against the snakes. Sigh, whatever."

He got up from the ground, cracked his knuckles, and then summoned wolf guard on his hands. He didn't go full armor yet.

The location of the nest was a network of rocky caves according to the map. They spanned for kilometers, and finding an egg might take time.

Aren looked at the cave openings, just large enough for a person to enter.

"Tsk, going underground again," he muttered before taking a step forward. He stood at the entrance, took a deep breath, and then walked in, immediately activating shadow sense.

The darkness was thick. He could almost feel it on his skin. He kept his eyes forward as well. After walking for a bit and getting swallowed into the darkness, he saw a warm glow ahead. It was a soft yellow-orange light, and the more he approached, the brighter it got.

Soon he could see the source. Several crystals were embedded in the roof of the cave. They gave off the warm glow. Seeing this, it made sense why the snakes stayed here.

"Alright, let's keep a lookout," he muttered as he used shadow sense to scan the entire area. He could basically see two hundred meters now, and that would probably double by the time he evolved.

"An egg," he muttered after his sense picked up an egg in the cave, but it wasn't alone, as there were tens of black horned snakes. Each one was as long as twenty feet, with bodies the width of a small child.

It seemed the snakes were aware of his presence the same way he was of theirs, and they immediately took him as a threat, lunging out of their hiding spots and heading his way rapidly.

He counted ten of them coming for him, their speed amazing as they managed to reach him in a very short time. Their black scales gleamed under the glow of the crystals, their dark red eyes carrying pure killing intent. The horns on their heads were their signature. They were black and curved slightly, nearly a foot long, and they used them to impale targets.

The horns carried a mild venom that made the target feel dizzy and have headaches. It allowed them to take control and defeat the target.

"I'll have to make this fast."

The first snake lunged forward, its horn at the front, ready to penetrate. Aren stepped forward and parried it before stepping to the side, wrapping his hands around the snake. Before it could react, he planted his feet hard.

"Arghhhhhhhhh!" He let out a roar and swung, lifting the snake off the ground and using its body like a whip.

It slammed into one that was rushing forward and sent it flying, and then another. This caused the other snakes to hesitate for a moment. Aren slammed the first one into the ground hard after using it. Its skull cracked from the impact, killing it instantly.

[You have gained 50 soul fragments]

He ignored the system, lunging forward at the next snake, which tried to attack with a cobra-like snap. Aren was too fast, stepping to the side and then lifting up, landing a clean Superman punch with his right hand and shattering the horn and parts of the skull.

The snake was sent to the ground instantly.

[You have gained 50 soul fragments]

He used shadow sense to pinpoint the exact location of each one left, and in the next moment, he lunged, moving extremely fast. The snakes tried to react, but he dodged their attacks and then unleashed close-range claw strikes, decapitating them with ease.

When he was finished, their bodies lay on the ground, and he had gained [500 soul fragments].

He walked off the scene casually, but after he was gone, a figure materialized from thin air, standing in the darkness. The figure pulled out a syringe, then walked to the snakes on the floor. He was completely cloaked from head to toe.

He used the syringe to extract something from the skulls of each of them, exactly under the horn spot, a black-looking liquid. He filled a bottle with it and then vanished again.

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