The First Store System

The sudden change around Aakesh and evident disappointment in Aakesh’s eyes caught the mirrored Aakesh off-guard, and the mirrored Aakesh’s laughter came to a stop.

Before the mirrored Aakesh could understand what was happening, he suddenly found something tightening around his neck and suffocating him.

The mirrored Aakesh then looked down and found that Aakesh had grabbed hold of his neck and slightly picked him.

The mirrored Aakesh wanted to say something, but before he could do so, a wave of heart rending pain attacked him.

Aakesh destroyed the mirrored Aakesh’s throat. The process hadn’t ended as Aakesh then crushed the mirrored Aakesh’s head, and a blood cloud filled with brain matter erupted from it.

After crushing the mirrored Aakesh’s head, Aakesh went to his heart, and it also got the same fate.

Aakesh still didn’t let go of the mirrored Aakesh’s body and activated the skill, Apocalyptic Blast. The next moment, the mirrored Aakesh’s body disintegrated into nothingness while still in the hold of Aakesh’s hands.

For someone to kill someone who looked like them was very cruel to oneself. It was out of character for Aakesh, as he always ended the life of his opponents in a single strike, not like this torture.

Aakesh still did this as the creature in front of Aakesh could only be killed this way.

The mirrored Aakesh wasn’t actually Aakesh but a creature belonging to the third dimension.

The creature in question was called Veidrodis. It was a race exclusive to the third dimension. These beings had the capability to capture every ability of their opponents.

Veidrodis wasn’t very strong when it came to their strength, but this ability put them in a mid-tier race in the third dimension.

Aakesh had no idea about the identity of the creature at the start since Veidrodis was only one of the few who had the capability to copy someone’s abilities and strength. And the other reason was that Aakesh didn’t have enough power to see through the disguise taken by the Veidrodis.

Aakesh only found out about it in the end when the mirrored Aakesh’s appearance at the end slightly fluctuated after Aakesh grabbed hold of the mirrored Aakesh.

If it didn’t have taken the form of Aakesh, Aakesh would’ve failed to defeat it since Veidrodis had a disadvantage when it came to their transformation. Their transformed strength couldn’t exceed the power of the creature’s form they had taken.

When the Veidrodis returned to its true form, it was already late as Aakesh crushed its throat straight away.

If Aakesh had forgotten even one of the four steps he had used in the creature’s killing, Veidrodis would have revived itself. Following the sequence was the only way to kill Veidrodis. If even one of the sequences got interchanged, it would restore back to its prime in no time.

No creature in the third dimension was weakling or easy to kill.

After the Veidrodis disintegrated into nothingness, the area around Aakesh started restoring itself back to how it was when Aakesh had appeared on the one hundred and eighth step.

It didn’t take long for the area to return to its usual environment. All the signs showing that once a battle that could shake the entirety of the Primal dimension had happened here disappeared, never to appear.

“Eh!” Aakesh couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise as he suddenly sensed warming energy appearing in his body.

Aakesh activated the skill Energy Overseer and looked at his surroundings, only to see that the innumerable elements spread in the area were coming together to form energy. The energy then engulfed Aakesh. It was the source of the warm feeling Aakesh had felt.

[Host, the energy isn’t harmful to you. It’s beneficial! It is the purest form of elemental energy. It could help you bypass any breakthrough.]

The next moment, the system informed Aakesh in its emotionless and mechanical voice. Aakesh nodded as he had just attempted to influence the energy, but it completely ignored him.

Aakesh had heard about the elemental energy, but it was the first time, Aakesh had seen it. This power can only be accessed by the creatures who have surpassed the divinity and have gained Primordial forms.

Aakesh could guess that the elemental energy was his reward for clearing the one hundred and eighth step, just like he had gotten presents for clearing every step since he had entered this world.

[Host, the system is acting. The elemental energy is trying to bypass the system’s restriction on the increase of your cultivation.]

[Host, you have two choices:

You can request elemental beads that would help you in the future.

You can ask the system to influence the elemental energy and make it help you to gain more physical attributes.]

Before Aakesh could feel marvel at seeing the energy controlled by Primordials, the system broke his reverie.

The next moment, the system presented him with two choices as the system couldn’t let the elemental energy increase his cultivation. Aakesh was already at the peak of the Primal dimension. With even a slight increase, the Primal dimension would force him out, and he had no choice but to ascend, which was the last thing he and the store wanted.

Aakesh then focused on the two choices the system had given him.

The first choice was that the system could transform the energy into beads, which would help Aakesh in the future. Since it belonged to the third dimension, it would help him in the Sacred dimension.

The second choice was that the system could influence the energy in his body, so he would gain a flurry of stats if he chose it.

Aakesh also noticed a difference between the two choices. If he chose the first one, it was a request. If the second option, then he was telling the system.

Since the first choice was a request, Aakesh needed to pay some price.

“What do you need if I were to choose the first option?” Aakesh asked the system.

[Host, the elemental bead doesn’t have enough energy to form even an inferior bead, so the system can turn it into a pseudo-elementary bead. Whatever extra remains, it would belong to the system.]

“Since it’s like that, I choose the first option,” Aakesh replied after the system’s answer.