The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Bel was proven right. As more time passed, more and more Beastlings were killed.

The creatures were erratic, wild and hungry, and they would attack Aeric, Kael and Bel's position at times, but Kael's flaming shield magic kept them away until Alzera caught sight of it and dealt with them.

Because of this, Aeric made sure to stay close, supplies slung over his shoulders as he watched the team operate with impressive coordination.

However, one of the Beastlings managed to make it through Kael's shield when he was regenerating. Aeric was watching the battle but he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye.

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He saw the Beastling slip through, darted around Kael and of course, it ignored the big strong man and the girl with a long powerful staff and headed straight for him — the dude carrying heavy bags.

'Fuck!'

Heart pounding, Aeric gripped his small blade. The Beastling leapt toward him, jaws snapping. He swung the blade, managing a glancing blow that knocked the creature off balance.

Aeric took off the bags, and lifted his head. He called on Bel and Kael but Kael was busy holding the shield and Ryn had asked Bel for a quick heal as he was fighting.

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The Beastling on the other hand, recovered quickly, snarling as it lunged again, claws flashing. When Aeric dodged this time, he barely made it and the claws grazed his side.

He grit his teeth, feeling a sharp sting as he pivoted, forcing himself to remain steady.

'Stupid creature!' he cursed. 'The only skills I have are abstract skills, nothing physical that can harm it. I'm going to have to engage with it closely.'

The Beastling began to snarl as it sized Aeric up, but this time, Aeric was the one to attract first. He made a move for it, flashing his blade. His movements were awkward compared to the others, but he tightened his grip on the blade and attacked with full steam.

The Beastling refused to duck and rather sprang forward again. Although this was surprising to Aeric, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity.

This time, he struck decisively, driving his blade into its side with a surge of adrenaline. The creature let out a final, strangled growl before collapsing at his feet. Aeric exhaled, chest heaving as he registered what he'd just done.

[You have killed a Beastling]

[XP allocations for an Initiate Level Beast is 5]

[5xp allocated]

[Your Divine Body grows stronger]

Aeric sat on the ground and let out a sigh of relief while staring at the interface. 'Oh, I see now. Killing beasts could even help strengthen my Divine Body. I could control my Divinity influx with these rewards.'

The final scream of a dead Beastling rang in the air and then silence took over. Aeric looked up to see the others watching him, surprised but approving.

"Wow. You just killed a Beastling on your first Dungeon Challenge," Bel remarked. "Pretty cool, Dagwood."

"Not bad, Courier," Kael grinned, his tone light. "Looks like you got a bit of fight in you."

"Guess we can count on you after all," Ryn added with a slight smirk.

Aeric's eyes moved to Alzera whose gaze was cold, watching him as though she was lost in thought. But then she gave him a curt nod, "Well done." Then she turned around and walked away.

Aeric tightened his lips. 'I guess coming from her that's like a million silver reward.'

Still trying to process their reactions, he got on his feet while the rest of the team gave him soft taps on the back, congratulating him for his first kill.

Then, following Alzera's orders, they began to harvest the beast cores of the dead creatures. They also took some of their teeth and eyeballs which helped for medicinal purposes.

Once they were done, they handed the gatherings to Alzera who stepped forward and thrust the bag of harvested beast cores into Aeric's hands.

She nodded toward the slain creatures. "These beast cores may be low-tier, but they're still worth something. Protect them well."

Aeric looked her deep in the eye. "I will."

She stayed still, looking into his eyes as well, before saying, "Good," and walking away.

Aeric scratched the back of his neck. 'Gosh, she's so intimidating.'

With the bag of beast cores added, Aeric's load felt heavier. He adjusted the bags over his shoulders, trying to arrange them in a way that their weight wouldn't press into him so hard.

Once he was done with that, the system chimed again, updating him on his progress.

[First Lobby cleared successfully. Progressing to the second Quest Lobby.]

"We go ahead," Alzera announced.

They obeyed.

As they made their way to the next chamber, Aeric's mind churned with questions. How exactly was he going to Claim Alzera's skill? She was clearly formidable — her movements precise, her sword strikes deadly, her character unshakable and her attitude indifferent.

A woman like her, surely there were many other men all over the Starlight Region and even the entirety of Erothyria trying to court her. She could have sex with any man that she wanted.

Why would she ever want to have sex with him?

That was the goal here. He had to give her a reason why. He had to create a quality of himself that she would find so very appealing and exciting.

But a cold woman like Alzera the Fierce. What exactly in the realm could excite her?

The second Quest Lobby loomed ahead, even darker and larger than the first. Once it was revealed, Aeric saw that it was a chamber scattered with fallen columns and broken statues, relics of an older, forgotten world.

Krrrraaaaaaaaa!!!

A shrewd, piercing cry suddenly shattered the silence, causing everyone to gasp and take positions of caution.

Aeric lifted his head to ceilings and the fallen columns, searching for what made that noise. 'What the hell was that?'

Alzera scoffed. "I know what beast makes that sound."

Aeric and the rest of the team looked at her. He didn't want to be the one to ask the question but no one else was volunteering. "What beast?" he whispered.

But it was his system that answered his question as it declared the objective of the Lobby.

[Objective Updated: Defeat all beasts to progress]

[Beast type: Faceless Lizard].