“I arrived in Ender Town about 5 years ago. Back then, I had not even opened any Spirit node. As a mortal,l I did have the ability to tame small animals relatively well. So, I mainly did odd jobs that involved animal rearing. Slowly, I gathered enough money and improved my training with Essence—one day, when I was touring the outskirts of this forest. I came across a fairly powerful snake; these species of snakes grow a silver horn whenever they form a core, and although this one had not formed a core, it was still way beyond my level. However, to my surprise, it was not as hostile; it seemed my innate ability had some effect on spiritual animals that could use Essence also. So I began to devise strategies; although previously I didn’t work with spiritual snakes, I realized it was these snakes my innate ability affected the most. As time passed, I began luring and killing less powerful snakes and selling their parts. It was a good run. But then, one day, something terrible happened. “
Aron had a look of fear.
“I was busy scouting around when an enormous pressure descended from the sky just like now, but it was much worse. I had seen Essence Artists before then, but this pressure was nothing like I had ever felt. Even Master Pike just now still pales in comparison! 5 people suddenly appeared and seemed to be running from something by the time they reached me. I realized they were all Essence Artists, albeit quite injured. One of them was Master Pike. Maybe because of their opponent, they didn’t have time to notice me. As I tried to run, the beast appeared, and my entire body couldn’t move as I lay flat on the ground, thinking it was the end. The Silver horned snake then examined me momentarily and moved away.”
Aron pondered for a moment before he continued.
‘I have sufficient reason to believe no rank 1 Essence Artist could make me unable to move by just spiritual pressure alone, even those at the stronger stages like Master Pike, same as an ordinary beast that has formed a core, which means that the Silver horned Snake was actually at a much higher stage. Just as I thought I had escaped the danger, one of the Essence Artists had escaped for the first time, noticed what happened, and captured me. His other companions, including Pike, also learned about the situation. My captor seemed to think there was something special about me, though the others dismissed it, thinking that maybe because I was too weak for the Snake to have any interest. But they still did a little experiment. This group had captured a spiritual Snake, not just any ordinary one. This Snake also had a silver horn, meaning it had formed a core. Perhaps that was why the larger snake was so agitated. Through their little experiment and my confessions, they learned about my innate ability. The days that followed this were not so peaceful...”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“I was now more or less a slave to Pike and his associates. Although the rewards were not so bad, it was not an arrangement I was comfortable with. And I also realized that they would never allow me to become an Essence Artist since that would make me harder to control. That’s when I hatched a plan.”
“There was a nest of those spiritual snakes in the forest. Through my investigations, it turned out that the giant silver-horned snake that Master Pike and the other Essence Artists were running from was very close to advancing to the next stage. The stage was the same as a Rank 2 Essence Artist. I have never heard of such a person in the Wastelands. However, although it was powerful, it had just laid a batch of eggs, so it became relatively weak.
This gave them the confidence to attack it head-on; still, the snake proved too much for them. Usually, I could approach the snake nest much more easily than the essence artist. One day, I managed to get a glimpse of the eggs that the mother snake had personally delivered; they were vastly different from the usual ones. I knew that when I told Master Pike and the others about what I saw, their greed would be aroused.
The Mother Snake had already recovered from most of her injuries from my investigations. I waited months before telling them about this, hoping the Mother snake had already recovered from most of her injuries.
Master Pike and the two others then set out again. At first, the Silver Horned Snake seemed injured, and the Essence artists had the upper hand. My job was to try to grab the eggs while they were busy with the Snake. However, amid the fight, something terrible happened. Out of nowhere, a powerful Silver-horned Snake, most likely a male, appeared. Although it was less powerful than the Mother Snake, it was still much more troublesome than the normal Stage 1 spiritual beast. The tides slowly turned, and eventually, one of Master Pike's companions died, and the remaining two had to retreat. I managed to grab just one golden egg before I fled when I noticed the other Snake.” Aron let out a deep sigh.
“When I later met Master Pike and other Essence Artists, they were almost on the verge of death. I won’t lie; I had the urge to try to kill them. That was how bad their injuries were, but I didn’t have the courage; no matter what, an Essence Artist was still an Essence Artist. And I was right. When I showed them that single egg, the two began to argue about who would take possession of it; at first, I thought it would just be harmless bargaining, but Master Pike suddenly erupted with power and killed his partners.
Aron had a despondent expression; clearly, these moments were painful memories.