Renegade's Dominion

After finishing his brief exchange with the Elder Goblin, Tyberius dismissed him, not wanting to steal more of the old creature's time. He returned to his shelter, mind preoccupied with the process of sensing aura, something the Elder Goblin had explained, albeit only in theory.

According to the Elder, sensing one's aura wasn't difficult, especially for monsters. Unlike other beings, monsters were born with instinctive awareness, a natural faculty embedded deep in their physiology. For them, it was more than just an intuition, it was as real and tangible as a beating heart, a primal mechanism allowing them to perceive danger, detect others, and know when to runway and when to stay and fight.

Humans, however, and the other intelligent races, lacked this inborn talent. For them, aura perception had to be earned. They required skills like Danger Sense or heightened awareness through sensory-enhancing abilities. In short, where monsters were guided by innate perception, humans had to learn to listen, practice before they can become able to use it.

To begin the process, Ty needed to find stillness, attained through meditation or whatever posture offered comfort and absolute calm. The goal was not physicaly discipline but mental clarity. Once seated, the next step involved slow, deliberate breathing, deep inhalations and soft exhalations meant to soothe the nerves and settle the mind.

He closed his eyes and focused.

In... Out... In...

Constant repeat of the same action over and over...

And then...

[Notice! Due to individual's action, you have acquired the Extra Skill: Aura Perception.]

"I se—! Holy fuck!"

The moment his senses aligned with aura for the first time, Tyberius was overwhelmed. It hit him all at once, a massive torrent erupting from his body as if he'd plunged headfirst into an ocean of ink. The aura wasn't calm; it was thick and suffocating, pouring out of him like a black mist, wrapping his form in an oppressive shroud.

He couldn't find the words to describe it properly. But if he had to, he'd liken it to being trapped in a pitch-black building, where darkness was absolute and the silence broken only by haunting echoes with no discernible source. There was no direction. No clarity. Only dread.

This was the feeling Tyberius now emanated.

Anyone who saw it, any creature sensitive to aura would flee at the sight of him. The sheer intensity of it screamed unnatural, like an omen. He finally understood why the forest around his shelter was so empty. Everything had abandoned the area. They weren't hiding. They were escaping him.

And yet, the Gribnakh Goblins chose to approach him.

"They've got guts, I'll give them that," he muttered in genuine admiration.

Their decision to come to him to seek protection rather than run like the others now carried greater weight. They had defied instinct, ignored what their physiology screamed at them, and placed their trust in him. Brave or foolish, Ty couldn't tell. But it earned his respect.

Still, one question lingered.

"What about the wolves? Why didn't they run from me?"

The contradiction nagged at him. With the sheer amount of aura he was producing, the wolves should have been the first to flee. So why didn't they? Why had they attacked instead?

Then it clicked.

"Maybe… my aura surged after I used my unique skill… after I transformed into the wolf form."

It made sense. Before his transformation, the Goddess herself had scorned him for his lack of presence, no aura, no hero charisma she had said. And now? He was practically a walking storm of spiritual pressure. A visual nightmare.

It wasn't far-fetched to believe that his overwhelming aura came from the wolf form he had taken. Not just any wolf, either, an Elder. Much stronger than an Alpha. The transformation had to be the trigger.

"Yeah... That has to be it."

Still, dwelling too much on it wasn't Ty's style. He was never one to waste time pondering a single problem endlessly. The overthinking bit? That was for scholars. He had always struggled with prolonged focus. It's why academic pursuits had never suited him.

"But how do I deal with this?!"

He stared at the aura swirling around him. Though invisible to most, Ty could now feel it, an ever-present pressure pushing out from his skin, exposing him completely. The thought of monsters keeping their distance was appealing. Less conflict meant less risk.

But this came with a new burden.

To be seen as a monster.

That terrified him more than the wilderness.

What would happen if he came across a human? Especially one with skills allowing them to perceive aura? Their response would be immediate and hostile. No questions. Just battle.

No. He couldn't have that.

On top of it all, the sensation of being so exposed felt… indecent. Like standing in public with no clothes, vulnerable and completely on display.

Something had to change.

"Let's see... What if I tried to..."

Tyberius narrowed his eyes and focused inward. If this aura was pouring out from within him, then surely there was a place it originated. Somewhere inside a core or a spring. His aim was simple: pull it back in. Contain it.

He visualized the mist reversing course, retreating into his body.

To his surprise, it responded. Slowly but surely, the aura coiled back, streaming inward, returning to where it had come from. He could feel it, a concentration of power gathering in his lower abdomen, spinning gently like a vortex.

It didn't hurt. It didn't even strain him. It was… peaceful.

"This is amazing," Ty said, his voice laced with astonishment.

The progress came faster than expected. What he thought would be a grueling challenge ended up unfolding naturally. Like learning to breathe all over again.

"If I keep this up, I can—"

[Notice! Due to individual's action, you have acquired the Extra Skill: Aura Control.]

"Another one?!"

___

Current Status:

Name: Tyberius

Class: Renounced Hero

Unique Skill: Out of Body Experience

Intrinsic Skill: Astral Possession, Astral Projection, Astral Harvest

Extra Skills: Form of Elder Blumund, Elder's Howl, Aura Perception, Aura Control