It is now July 19th, X783 and some things happen.
A man nearly died.
He coughed, spitting the blood in his mouth. He tried covering his lips on instinct with his right hand but nothing happened as his arm was gone, just like one of his legs.
"What a monster," he muttered, looking at the torn up ground around him. Everything was just destroyed, and for once, it wasn't only because of him.
He was lucky to be alive, though it wasn't because he managed to fight off his opponent. No, it was because that Dragon found him entertaining enough to spare his life.
"Ha!" He barked a laugh, more blood flying out of his mouth. He couldn't believe how embarrassing this was. First, he got lost on his way to his Quest. Then he actually ended up meeting a Dragon despite that, only for that monster to utterly destroy him! He didn't even remember the last time he had suffered such a crushing defeat.
He had to be spared! He wanted to laugh, but it hurt so much. His arm and leg weren't the only injuries he suffered, and he knew as much.
The monster might've spared him, but… he looked at his condition. He might not survive for that much longer if he continued to stay there. He needed to move and find a place to recover. And then… he wasn't sure what he'd do. Though he had to find a way to contact the Master to at least inform him of the Dragon that still roamed Ishgar.
A man spirals further into darkness.
The stench of blood filled the manor as he walked away from it. This was the third place he targeted that night, and two more still remained. He had to be quick about it before the rest could catch on what he was doing. A clapping sound alerted him to his… partners in crime, and he turned towards the three shrouded figures.
"Nicely done," one of them said and flicked his hood off, revealing the innocent face beneath it.
Yoset grunted in response. Those people helped him escape and even gave him the opportunity to strike against the nobles of Bosco, but he knew they were only using him as a scapegoat. They had their own plans, but he didn't care as long as he got to kill as many nobles as he could get his hands on.
"Off to the next one, eh?" The young man asked, a kind smile still on his face.
"Yes," he simply responded, and one of the others approached to help him quickly reach his destination.
"This would certainly be what everyone across the continent will talk about for the next few months. Daylight's Yoset the Shadow Hand killed five noble families in a single night!" The glasses-wearing man said with a joyful tone, but he ignored him, focusing on his breathing to recover his Magic Power as quickly as possible.
Most nobles couldn't use Magic, but they had plenty of Magical Equipment, not to mention that they surrounded themselves with Mages to protect themselves. Not that it mattered to him. If he died while killing just one family, he'd be happy.
A man returns.
He kicked open the door to his home, finding the old man enjoying a glass of alcohol with a smile on his face.
"What up, gramps?" He asked with a smirk as he went over to pour a drink of his own.
Makarov looked up. "The ceiling apparently."
Laxus rolled his eyes at the stupid joke. "Still alive and kicking, eh? Surprised your back didn't give up on you in the morning."
"You brat! It will take more than a crack or two for me to go down," Makarov ribbed back at him.
"Eh, it will happen eventually," he replied as he sat down, kicking his legs on the table and sipping from his drink. He didn't want it to happen, but his gramps was getting really old.
"Hey, did…" Laxus paused, recalling that… girl? Boy? He wasn't sure and didn't even know their name since he left them so quickly. Seeing them just replicate his Lightning Body in a few minutes at most left him quite shocked. "Someone join the Guild recently."
He sure hoped they had arrived since Laxus didn't feel like going out to search for them. Because he would do it, and then he'd beat the shit out of them for not listening to him.
Makarov grinned at him with the happiest smile he'd seen in forever. "Someone did join, yes. And I can't tell you how proud I am of you finally making friends!"
"Friends?" Laxus nearly spat his drink. "They aren't a friend. They… are my replacement. Yeah, my replacement. Someone's gonna need to pick up the slack after you hand me over your position."
He definitely wasn't expecting to see the thoughtful look on his gramps' face. "Yeah, I can see that happening. Unless, I hand it over to Leon first."
"Who?" Laxus asked, not remembering their being a Leon in their guild.
"The kid you sent over… you didn't even know his name?" Makarov asked, informing him that it was a guy. Laxus was still a bit uncertain due to how that Vulcan had reacted to him in their fight.
"Please." He rolled his eyes at Makarov. "That guy could barely fight a Vulcan a couple of weeks ago. Ain't no way he's ready for that."
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Makarov grinned at him. "He's been fighting stronger and stronger monsters each day! The pace he improves at is frankly astounding. And he even helped me with paperwork today! Give it a couple more years, and I'd be happy to hand over the Guild Master position to him."
Laxus stared and stared some more as he realized his gramps wasn't lying. "So he's been doing good?"
There was no way Laxus wouldn't end up as the next Guild Master, so he dismissed that, focusing on the other part. Leon did prove that he was capable, and he did mention that he had just learned to use Magic, but… he didn't expect to hear him accomplish anything of importance.
"Oh, let me tell you," Makarov said excitedly and began telling him what the kid he recommended had done in the past couple of weeks. Laxus was impressed, not that he'd ever admit that.
'But damn!' The replacement part he said earlier was a joke, but it seemed that might turn out to be the truth. Of course, Leon was still nowhere even close to him, but… Laxus could change that.
"I just have a good eye for talent," Laxus said smugly. "Just watch. He'll become an S-class Mage by the end of this year."
"Oh? You sure about that?" Makarov grinned at him.
"I am. Give me a few weeks with him, and he will stomp on everyone, becoming a true Fairy Tail Mage," Laxus told him, plans already swirling in his head.
Fairy Tail already had five… four S-class Mages, he corrected himself after remembering how Mirajane flopped. He had such high exceptions for her, but she ended up being a true disappointment. Laxus shook his head, he felt like puking just thinking about that, so he focused on Leon and how he would make him into their newest S-class.
"Morning," Levy greeted me shortly after I woke up. I was planning to relish in her presence for a bit before starting with my day, so this caught me off guard.
"Morning," I greeted her and told her I was surprised she was awake.
She snorted and snuggled. "I think I'm starting to get used to your ridiculous schedule."
"That's great?" I half stated half asked. "Means we can spend more time together?"
"I suppose it does," she chuckled. "Don't suppose you have some breakfast and coffee stashed in that Inventory of yours?"
"I saved some of the cakes from yesterday, but I don't have any cups of coffee. Could brew a few today and have them stored for later," I replied, feeling her wrap around me with both arms and legs.
"Best boyfriend ever!" Her little cheer filled me with satisfaction.
We hugged for a bit longer in the bed before we got up to clean up and have breakfast. I stared at her body without shame as she walked around my little apartment with only her underwear, and I saw how she perked up in happiness when she caught my eyes. I was so glad that we got along so well since Levy was incredibly smart and beautiful, and I dared anyone to disagree with me.
"What are your plans for the day," Levy asked while we ate some of the remaining cakes.
"I want to finish learning Archive," I said before considering what next I wanted to do. Levy just shook her head and chuckled before she focused on her breakfast.
"And… maybe I can go on a short Job if there are any I could easily complete within a few hours, mostly so I can actually use my ability on them," I continued and hummed. "Then I guess I want to see what Mavis is doing and maybe try to find a way to help her eat a cake."
"Hmm?" Levy looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"When I brought the chocolate tree, I saw her try to take some, but her figure passed through it. Figured I could, you know, try to do something about that," I said.
"Oh… I'm not sure if ghosts can actually eat…" Levy paused with a thoughtful look. "Then again, we might be able to figure out a way to do something since she can apparently touch you."
"I thought the same," I replied with a happy nod. "And I have some more time left, I was thinking of trying my hand at Satan Soul since it might be useful. After all, Beast Soul is one of the main reasons I'm as strong as I am now."
"That makes sense. Maybe it's due to Mira, but I do think Satan Soul is stronger than Beast Soul." Levy nodded. "Though… if I'm not wrong, I think one of the Ten Wizard Saints is a Beast Soul user as well. So I'm probably wrong."
Oh, that was interesting. I should probably try to find more about them in the future, but for now, I had a Magic to study.
"I'm close to figuring it out," I told Levy while we sat at our desk–yes, it was ours since no one else used it anyway–in the library. It had been just a few hours since we arrived, but I felt I was there.
"I'm so proud of you." Levy kissed me on the cheek while focusing on her own book about Norse Runes.
"It's not that different from my own Magic," I continued idly talking. "It's not as versatile, but the two are pretty similar. Both have those screens, though mine are invisible…"
I paused, my eyes staring at the Magic Book as I read through the explanation again and again. Then it clicked, and I summoned my Status screen before pushing Mana through it. The thing flickered at first, struggling against my intent before finally fully materializing to the world.
Levy's eyes snapped towards the screen. She tilted her head as she began reading through it, raising her eyebrow as she went over my Skill before moving down, checking out my Magic School. Then she reached my Inventory…
"How much stuff do you have with you?" She asked as her eyes kept going lower and lower. "And why do you even have some of those things?"
"They can be useful at some point," I defended myself, though my eyes looked over my Inventory for a second, noticing that most items now had short descriptions of them. That was interesting to know.
"Really?" Levy turned to me with a look.
"Yes! Even the Zombie Bear corpse was useful once! I threw it at the Gun Mage to stop him from firing at me," I continued to defend myself, giving her proof that all those things had a purpose.
"Well, I guess you're not wrong about that," Levy laughed at me before looking back at my Status.
"It's weird how it gives specific numbers to your Health and… Mana?" She looked at the second in confusion.
"That's… my Magic Power? My Ethernano? I'm not sure if I somehow named it, but it has always been like that," I explained.
"How interesting," Levy mused as she pondered on that. "I wonder why? Though I'm unsure how to even test if you have Ethernano or if you are using something else instead. If it's the latter… then I'd have so many questions."
"We can probably figure it out," I replied with a shrug. "We are already both learning so quickly due to those books, so we will for sure get to the bottom of this in the future."
"You bet we will!" Levy exclaimed with a grin on her face.
Learned Archive and gained two Spells for it. Data-Shield and Telepathy.
Data-Shield (0/50): Create a flat screen that can block up 10 + 2xthe rank of all knowledge-based Skill(Mathematics, Magic Theory, etc). Can currently create only one shield. Costs 50 Mana to use per cast.
Telepathy (0/50): Can communicate with someone that's within 32 feet(10 meters) as long as they allow it. Can only be used on one person at a time at the moment. Costs 30 Mana per turn to keep it active.
In addition, all knowledge-based Skills will gain bonus EXP equal to the level of the Magic School, Archive.
"Now that this is done," I muttered and took out the Scroll for Satan Soul. My Magic asked if I wanted to absorb and instantly learn the Spell, but I refused, choosing to do it on my own as that was more satisfying to me. Though I did briefly flash the screen to Levy to show her exactly what I saw.
Before I started reading it, I activated one of my new Spells, Telepathy, trying to connect with Levy. She raised her eyebrow at me, but accepted, and I mentally explained I wanted to train it up a bit and get used to it. Though I was already slightly experienced with that due to the connection with my wolf.
Levy agreed and we chatted idly while I focused on studying the Satan Soul Spell.
Satan Soul wasn't that difficult to learn, especially since my knowledge about Magic was nothing to scoff and because I already knew Beast Soul. Now, I had no doubt that it was harder to use since I assumed that Demons and Devils would be far harder to control. Mira did warn me about that, so I'd have to be careful if I ever ended up using it on one of them.
Levy agreed as much, though she commented that Beasts could be just as hard to control. She didn't elaborate why, but I was starting to piece it tougher, slowly figuring out what was going on. I still didn't know for sure, but I didn't particularly like the picture that was being painted.
Shortly after I got done with the Spell, someone came into the library, surprising both of us since no one really used it beside us. The rest of the Guild preferred learning through experience than sitting down and reading a book.
"There you are," Laxus marched over and asked with a demanding tone, "What are you doing?
"Learning Satan Soul?" I replied with a questioning look, wondering what he wanted.
I honestly didn't know how to feel about Laxus. On the one hand, he acted like an asshole. On the other hand, I might have not joined Fairy Tail if he hadn't told me to come here. And for that, I was thankful.
"Huh… I suppose that could be useful," Laxus muttered and added. "As long as you don't end up being another disappointment."
Before I could ask what he meant, Laxus continued. "Anyway, make sure you are prepared to leave tomorrow morning."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Levy asked, staring daggers at him.
"Are you questioning me?" Laxus got in her face and bared his teeth.
I stood up, ready to face him right there with Levy. Again, I was thankful for telling me to come here, but I wouldn't let him step over us.
"So what if I am?" Levy growled and… Laxus smirked.
"Good." He pulled back, looking pleased. "You two got some spunk. That's good."
"Not that it changes much. You are coming with me tomorrow," Laxus continued pointing at me. "And we are going on a training trip. I swore I'll make you an S-class by the end of the year, and I'll be damned if I don't keep my word!"
"A training trip?" I asked, titling my head.
"Are you deaf? That's exactly what I said!" He barked back.
'I think you should go.' Levy told me over our connection.
'Really?' I asked while still staring at Laxus, who felt like he was about to explode any moment now, so I had to answer quickly.
'Laxus is one of the strongest Mages in Fairy Tail, a training trip with him will only be useful,' she explained her reasoning, but the decision still remained with me.
Learned Satan Soul (0/50) Take over a living monster dubbed as Demon/Devil and store it in your Soul. Can store Soul/20 number of Demons/Devils in Soul. When used, add 50% of a Demon/Devil's Physique Stat to your own, can not raise Physique higher than the Demon/Devil.
"How long would this training trip last?" I asked first. I accepted Levy's suggestion and was inclined to agree, but I also didn't want to spend months away from here. Fairy Tail… was my home, my actual home, and I liked it here.
"Two weeks should be enough to get you into shape," Laxus said after thinking about it for a moment before nodding to himself.
"Alright then," I agreed as Levy urged me to do so.
"Good, meet me tomorrow morning at six am in front of the Guild." That's all he said before leaving.
"This will be good for you," Levy said once he was gone. "He may act like an asshole, but he is still one of us."
"Could do with acting a little bit nicer," I grumbled.
"He's all bark and no bite," Levy chuckled before adding. "Unless you aren't part of Fairy Tail. Then… well, he bites hard from what I've heard."
Learning from someone who was that strong was definitely a good opportunity for me… as long as he wasn't like Erza and knocked me out with a single punch or something like that. The only problem was that I had just gotten used to this place and would really miss it–miss Levy–even if I would be gone for just two weeks.
"I'll miss you too." Levy stuck her tongue out.
"Did I say that out loud?" I asked.
"No, but the connection is still on," she giggled and patted me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll make up for it once you come back."
"I'll look forward to that," I replied while wondering if I should stick to my plan now that I knew that I'd be going on a training trip tomorrow.
"Guess I'll have to skip the Job today," I said as I got up. "There's a few things I'd like to grab before the stores all close today."
"Things like what?" Levy asked, walking beside me.
"Things like this!" I quickly grabbed her butt, giving a firm squeeze before running out of the library.
"You rascal!" I hear her call out from behind before laughing loudly. "I'll get you back for that!"
I passed through the main hall, quickly greeting a few members. Before rushing out, I noticed Natsu growling while staring at the upper floor where Laxus was smirking at him. Usually, he'd attack anyone he wanted to as long as Erza wasn't around, so I guess Laxus had the same effect on him?
Not that it mattered at that moment since I had things to do. I passed through a few stores, stocking up on all of the essentials. I had plenty of food with me, but it never hurt to have some more. A few books were added to my collection as well, just so I had something to do in my spare time.
And finally, I entered a shop that sold various equipment, though I was only interested in weapons and armor. Not that I really used armor due to my Beast Soul transformation, but it wouldn't hurt to have some. But the swords, that's what I really needed to get before mine ended up breaking.
After browsing for a bit, I decided to purchase two swords that were of fine quality. They felt right in my hands and testing them proved that they were even sharper than my own. This was good enough for me, even if I had to spend five thousand Jewels for them. I briefly considered grabbing a couple more lesser quality swords to have as spare, but I ended up deciding against comes to worse, I could also use my fists now. Plus, I could also get lucky and receive a sword as a reward from using Boss Battle.
With everything now stored in my Inventory, I made my way back to the Guild and entered the kitchen. I used a few cups to scoop a bunch of the chocolate sap and stored that in my Inventory as well.
Now, I just had to find Mavis around here. The library was the first place I checked, but she wasn't there and didn't appear even when I called for her. Hmm, I wondered how to get her out of her hiding spot before an idea struck me. Mavis always appeared when I went out to train, so I pretended to do just that.
It took her a bit, but she ended up peeking from behind a fence while I stood in the middle of the place we used to train. I gave her a wave and beckoned her closer. She looked at me in suspicion and cautiously came over.
"I have a surprise for you," I said and took out the cup with the chocolate. "I saw you trying to get some yesterday, so I wondered if I could somehow help you have some since you are able to touch me."
"Really?" Mavis was suddenly latched on to my body, staring up at me with her big eyes.
"Really." I nodded, and she offered me a smile that lit up the area. Her little hands tried taking the cup, but they passed right through it, and her eyes turned watery.
Now, that was a problem, and I wondered if I could do anything to change that.
There were a few ways that I came up to help her eat the chocolate. Some of them involved layering on me, so she could lick it off my body… another was about me eating it and then transferring it over mouth to mouth… Those were discarded as soon as I came up with them. Though I did keep them in the back of my mind in case Levy wanted to try them out. I could even be the one licking the chocolate of her body.
Mavis was cute, but I liked Levy a lot, so I had to find another way. This made me question why she was able to touch me and not anything else. I spent quite a bit thinking about that while I entertained Mavis by telling her about our adventure to Roza.
In the end, the only conclusion that I could think of was that it was due to my Mana. Levy had pointed out earlier that it could be an entirely different type of energy, so I tried pushing it out of my body and right into the cup of chocolate.
It was annoyingly hard to get it to stick in one place, taking me more than a few tries to succeed, but I managed to get it done in the end. Then I urged Mavis to try it again. She looked doubtful at first, but she did make an attempt and her tiny hands grasped the cup.
"It works!" Mavis exclaimed in ecstasy and then gulped down the entire cup, moaning loudly during the entire process.
"This is the best feeling ever! More! I demand more!" Mavis stared at me with desperate eyes, and I decided to oblige, giving her a few more cups of the chocolate.
She ended up trying a few more of the foods I had in my Inventory while sharing stories about our adventures. It was enjoyable, but I had to leave since I needed to meet with Laxus early in the morning.
I passed through the Guild and saw Levy waiting for me in front of it. "You wouldn't mind if I spend the night with you, would you?"
"Not at all," I replied, taking her hand in mine as we returned to my apartment where we ended up having a bit of fun before falling asleep.
Those are the following Skills and Magic Schools that can be leveled with this EXP. For Skills; One-Handed up to rank 5 at max. Unarmed up to rank 5 at max. Ranged up to rank 3 at max. Magic Theory rank 6 at max.
For Magic Schools: Conjure Wolf can be increased to rank 25 at max. Body Enhancement has no limit. Lightning Bolt has no limit. Data-Shield can be increased to rank 15 at max. Root Manipulation can be increased to rank 10 at max. Beast Soul can be increased to rank 20 at max. Satan Soul can be increased to rank 15 at max.
For Stats, Physique has no limit. Soul can only be raised to 60.
The following Spell can also be learned from Laxus, each cost 250 EXP to learn. They can also be leveled up with no limit.
Lightning Fist: Close Range Lightning Spell.
Chain Lightning: Ranged Multi-Target Lightning Spell.
Lightning Speed: Speed Focused Enhancement.
"You got everything?" Laxus stared me down while leaned against the front of the building.
"Yes." I nodded since I always carried everything in my Inventory.
"Keep up then," he said and took a step–I noticed a small burst of lightning underneath his foot–before appearing a distance away.
I used my overcharged enhancement to barely keep up with him. Though no matter how much I pushed myself, he always stayed just a step ahead of me. Thankfully, I could sustain my Spell for a very long time now that my Mana was regenerating so quickly.
We left Magnolia and continued moving for quite a bit without him even saying a single word. I could take the silence for only so long until I asked, "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere…" Laxus faltered in his steps for a brief second before turning around, going in a new direction.
"You have no idea, do you?" I asked, causing him to turn and glare at me.
"Shut up," Laxus grumbled but didn't deny my accusation. I held back my chuckle and silently followed along.
"What have you done since entering the Guild?" He asked half an hour later, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
'Did he expect me to get tired by now?' I wondered. He'd be disappointed to find out that I could go on for a long time now, especially due to how energetic I had been feeling ever since I ate those two Peaches at the same time.
"Well, I found an apartment and did a few–"
"Not that," Laxus interrupted me. "What did you work on?"
"Quite a few things," I said before getting an idea. "Why don't I show you?"
Laxus paused and turned around, looking ready to start a fight, but I simply summoned my Status screen with my new Magic and showed it to him.
"Archive?" He asked with a tilt of his head before looking at the text on it.
"Yeah, it synergizes with my original Magic," I said before giving him a brief explanation on what it was.
"That's interesting." That was the nicest thing I heard him say as he looked at my Status.
"Genius, my ass," he snorted as he checked my Skills first.
"I did copy your Spells in a few minutes!" I defended myself and my Magic. It gave me that title for a reason!
"...Maybe," Laxus muttered, still focused on my Skills. "What does rank five represent?"
I was about to say I didn't exactly know when I noticed that my Magic suddenly formed a short description for it, calling it a Master rank. "Huh, I didn't know it could do that."
Then I focused on the One-Handed Skill, and it showed off as Skilled. Everything else was at a Beginner or Experienced rank. I felt satisfied with my progress, but Laxus just frowned.
"That's so disappointing. You should have multiple Skills at the Master rank if you want to pass the S-class trials." He shook his head and moved his gaze down.
The Conjure Wolf was completely ignored, and I wondered if he'd change his mind if he saw my newly upgraded one. He nodded at my Enhancement Magic and then had a look of disgust on his face. "Green Magic? Really? Growth? Bah, at least Root Manipulation seems useful."
I wanted to defend it since it was super useful in my mind, but he moved on. Going further down the list. Lightning began crackling around his body as he saw the next one.
"Why is Lightning Magic so low?!" Laxus looked at me with a snarl. "Are you mocking me? That's your best Spell! You should've worked on that alone!"
"Whatever… I'll make sure to fix some of your issues." He shook his head and checked my Take Over and Archive last. The former peaked his interest for a second, and he mouthed something to himself.
"At least this gives me an idea what to work on with you," he muttered and then saw my unique abilities.
"This." Laxus pointed at Boss Battle. "Oh, you will be using this on four enemies every single day."
"That's fine with me," I agreed since it was the ability that really got me here and made me who I was.
"You really have the space for all of that?!" He looked shocked when he saw my Inventory list, but he shook his head. "Never mind. This will just make things easier for us. Alright, I have a plan now that I know what you are capable of. However, I will need to personally test you and see how good you actually are."
Laxus flashed away, appearing a short distance from me. "So come at me, and do try to at least make me sweat."
The first couple of days were grueling. Laxus pushed me to my limits and then beyond them, especially after he realized that I could regenerate my entire Mana pool in five minutes. That's how I ended up fighting nearly constantly for two days straight, and he somehow managed to keep up with me.
However, despite how mentally exhausting that was, it was more than worth it and my abilities greatly soared. I still couldn't really touch him since he dodged my attacks or even allowed them to pass right through his lightning body. And my own Lightning Bolt did nothing but make him laugh at me since he absorbed it into his body, even going as far as to ask me to do it a few more times, telling me it was a form of practice.
Magical Theory now rank 6 (0/7000) and we get to choose a Perk.
One-Handed now at rank 5 (0/6000) and we get to choose two Perks.
It didn't take us that long to find a suitably strong monster since there was quite the loud one nearby. The ferocious bear whose body was covered in earth made the ground shake with each of its steps despite not being that large in size. It still towered above me, but with the way the ground shook, one would think there was an entire mountain moving around.
"Go on then, show me what you got." Laxus crossed his arms and stayed still, allowing me to fight it on my own. Not that I expected any help from him after the past few days of battling monsters on my own. Plus, he did tell me that he won't interfere no matter what, even if I was about to die. I wasn't sure how much I trusted his words, but it was better to play it safe.
Just as I was thinking of maybe getting a sneak attack in, Laxus fired off a bolt of lighting at the monster, and it turned towards us, looking pretty much undamaged from the attack. It let out a furious roar, and the entire area began visibly shaking from its power as it charged in our direction.
Massive spikes of earth erupted from the ground, all aiming to skewer me on the spot. This could've been dangerous if I didn't have the ability to fly, though I was slower in the air than I was on the ground.
That's why I used those spikes it conveniently made for me to jump off and propel myself at it. I briefly noticed that another spike erupted from the already made one, but I was already flying towards the monster.
My swords sliced and diced its body as I aimed to hit the parts that weren't covered by earth. I got a good few hits in before I was forced to disengage due to its Earth Magic.
I flew back and carefully observed it before summoning my wolf right behind the bear to distract it right as I activated Boss Battle. My companion charged at it without hesitation, forcing the beast to turn around. I knew my wolf didn't stand a chance against it, but the monster wasn't aware of that, which allowed me to get a another free hit on it.
The monster absolutely destroyed my wolf, crushing it with a single blow from its paws. I almost froze on the spot after seeing how powerful it was, realizing that I couldn't take more than a couple of hits from the bear.
'I might get dusted with only a single one even.' I though in panic, which was a mistake since I was in the middle of a battle, and the monster tried to take advantage of that.
"Shit," I cursed as massive shards of rock flew my way, forcing me to pump as much Mana as I possibly could in my body to barely avoid them.
"Wraaar!" The monster roared as more earth began gathering around it, and I rushed to attack it as quickly as possible before it made itself impenetrable to my swords.
I hacked and slashed at the still uncovered parts, chopping off both flesh and rocks with all my attacks. It tried fighting me off, swinging an armored paw my way, but I flew behind it, continuing my assault.
The fight was getting more and more dangerous by the second, but the monster was already badly hurt, so I tried using Take Over on it at that moment.
That… might've been a mistake since it appeared just as strong in my Soul place. In fact, it seemed even stronger here as it began filling the entire space with earth, expertly controlling it as it flung them my way. I could barely stay out of the way while I attempted to throw lightning at it from a distance. That didn't work, and the monster continued destroying my Soul place with its abilities.
Anger surged inside me after seeing what it was doing. I charged it in fury and began slamming my fists against its armored body. This place represented my home and everything I cared about! And it dared to destroy it? I was livid, feeling pure anger at its actions.
The bear didn't just stand idly while I pommeled it with all my might and fought back with just as much anger. I didn't care and ignored its attacks, focusing on annihilating it with my fists. This was my Soul place! I was the strongest here! And I proved it as much I finally defeated the creature.
However… I felt that this was far from over. The Earth Shaker seemed to have grown stronger in its last moments, and I felt worried that I might not be able to beat it again as I was now. I'd have to get much better before I attempted to fight it again.
Earth Shaker
Physique: 220
Soul: 190
Abilities: +90 armor to physical and magical attacks when used; +500 Health when used; Earth Manipulation: costs varies. Earth Shards(5d150+75) 100 Mana per cast; Earth Spikes(3d180+100) 100 Mana per cast. Earth Armor: +50 armor to physical and magical attacks. Greatly reduces speed when used. Costs 30 Mana per turn to sustain.
Now let's see our loot. 3 1d100-35
Once I came to my senses, I was standing in the form of the Earth Shaker, and I felt unbeatable with the amount of energy coursing through me. Just peeking at my Status showed that the creature was five times stronger than me without my enhancing spells.
Damn! I was lucky to have defeated it, and even luckier to be able to take its form now. Though I'd still have to fully subdue it first, which I wasn't fully confident in doing at the moment.
I shook my head and looked at the rewards from the battle, surprised to see three of them there. I recognized the pills from that time we took down the Griffons with Elfman, so I quickly grabbed those first.
The Scroll was for an Earth Magic Spell, something I expected after learning more about my Boss Battle ability and how it rewarded me. It went into my Inventory just like the large shiny rock, which was a natural diamond according to my improved Magic.
"That was almost passable," Laxus said as he approached, trying to take a peek at the rewards I had received, but I had already hidden them away. I learned my lesson after he tried taking some of them when he hadn't even assisted me in my previous fights. If he had fought with me, I might've been willing to share some with him, but I earned them on my own.
"We'll have to work on your skills some more since your swords could've snapped against that armor, so it's time to teach you how to properly punch." Laxus grinned at me, and I knew that the next few days would be very, very painful for me.
The next few days were even worse than the previous ones since I wasn't allowed to use my swords. I knew I enjoyed using them, but I hadn't realized just how much I relied on them.
Well, Laxus made that painfully clear, and I truly meant it. He threw me against monsters, forcing me to fight them with my bare hands alone, not even allowing me to use my Beast Soul at first. That was bad enough, but he also beat the shit out of me–as he put it–every single night after he realized how quickly I healed overnight.
That was one experience I would rather never ever repeat in the future, despite how much I ended up improving due to him. Laxus was many things–an asshole, a dickbag, greedy reward stealer–but he was a master at hand to hand combat and Lightning Magic. I had to give him that much at least after learning from him.
Unarmed is now at rank 5. Time for more Perks, I guess…
We ended up traveling all the way to Joya next, a country that bordered Bosco. We heard that a Dark Guild was targeting the nobles in Bosco, but Laxus said he'd look into that after we finished with our trip.
So, now we were camping on a mountain while I cooked some animals I hunted earlier. I hid my smirk as I watched him eagerly wait for the meal and shook my head. 'To think he laughed at me having the Cooking Skill.'
"What's been happening with the Guild while I was gone?" Laxus asked idly while we ate our food.
"I can't say for sure since I haven't been part of it for that long," I replied. "Though I did go on a couple of Jobs with Elfman and Levy."
"Levy, huh?" Laxus grinned at me before frowning. "But Elfman… he's as disappointing as his sister."
"What do you mean?" I asked with a frown of my own. "He helped me get the Griffin, and he even ended up fighting back the Beast after it evolved. He can even transform two of his arms now."
"Really now?" Laxus looked really surprised after hearing that. "Maybe there's still hope for him, after all."
"And what's wrong with Mira?" She was a tease, but she was my friend, and I would defend her if I had to.
"She used to have some spunk, but turned into a disappointment after one bad Job." Laxus shook his head. "Now she's a shell of her former self."
"What happened?" Now I was worried, wondering what Mira… and her brother had experienced. I wasn't that stupid not that catch on that there was something wrong there.
"Ask her yourself." He grinned at me. "Maybe you'll get as lucky as you did with Elfman."
"I will," I replied, already planning on how to approach that topic with her.
Just asking her directly might be a bad idea, so I'd have to be careful. Or I could try to figure out exactly what happened to them before that. Though I also didn't want to go behind their backs while asking about their past. Alright, this was far more difficult than I imagined it would be.
"Whatever. Eat your food, we need to get up early to find that Demon for you," he said and threw me his plate, which I quickly stored in my Inventory.
The hunt for the Demon wasn't easy since the only thing we knew about it was it was spotted near the settlement at the bottom of the mountain. We scoured the place, looking everywhere to find any signs of the Demon, but there was nothing.
In the end, it was actually the Demon that found us, openly approaching us from a distance. The monster resembled a feminine man with bat-like wings on his back and a long tail swishing behind him.
"My, oh, my." His voice was sweet and pleasant to the ears.
"Shit," Laxus cursed from beside me.
"I knew I smelled a virgin around here, and I'm pleasantly surprised," the Demon continued with his sweet voice.
"Why did it have to be an incubus of all things," Laxus grumbled with sparks dancing around his body.
"I have no interest in you, big guy." The Demon shook his head with a smile. "I'm far more interested in your little friend here."
His words were calming, making me feel relaxed, but Laxus suddenly shocked me, releasing me from my stupor.
'Shit!' I cursed and activated my transformation and enhancement, prepared for a hard battle.
"Oh my!" The Demon gaped. "Don't tell me you can also use Take Over? Is that why you were looking for a Demon?"
"You will find out soon enough," I replied, ready to rush at the monster.
"Oh, I truly do wish to find out," he replied with his kind smile. "So why don't we skip the battle and get to the interesting part."
"What?" I asked in surprise, and even Laxus looked perplexed.
"You do realize that if he loses control, I will just knock him out, right?" Laxus told him.
"Oh, I am fully aware of that. Your Magical Power is absolutely terrifying, so much that I would have never approached it if it wasn't for your little friend," the Demon answered and looked at me.
"I have no desire to fight, and I'm even willing to submit to you as long as you promise to lose your virginity within a month. And if you don't… I will fight you tooth and nail every time you try to use my form. What do you say, little friend?" He offered me something I hadn't expected and even sweetened the pot. "I'll even freely teach you how to get a woman to sleep with you as long as you accept my offer."
"No thanks," I replied without hesitation. That offer seemed too good to be true. I mean, why would a monster willingly offer to be Taken Over? It made no sense. Not to mention, "If I'm going to have sex, I will do it on my own terms."
"Stop…" He replied with a moan, and I felt disgusted, my entire body shivering due to that sound. "You're making it sooo hard~"
Right, I tried to pretend I didn't hear him and focused while thinking of how to attack him.
Incubus: Land'oran
Physique: 150
Soul: 200
Abilities: Set Seduction to 5 when used. Set Persuasion to 3 when used. + 40 Magic Resistance when used. Can perform Charm and Illusion Magic. Gain Flight through bat wings.
Land'oran willingly submits, requiring no further Will fights against him.
My Lightning Bolt had failed me only once before, so I started off with that, hitting the Demon with my Spell from a distance.
"Kinky," he said, his body shivering despite the fact that he didn't seem to have been paralyzed from the Spell.
Ignoring him, I summoned my wolf behind him, forcing to to turn around before I burst into action, flying at him with my weapons in hand.
"Ahh!" He moaned as I did my best to cut off his head, forgetting for a moment that I planned on using Take Over on him. Nevertheless, he did dodge my attempt, using his wings back away.
The Demon seemed like he was about to say something, and I used Boss Battle on him at that moment, causing him to flinch in place.
"That's not fair!" He yelled as he multiplied into a dozen more.
"The one at the back," Laxus yelled, helping me for once, and I flew with all my speed at my target, swinging my swords with all my might and skewering him through his stomach.
"Not gonna lie, I imagined you piercing me with something else," he said, a smile still on his face despite the blood dripping from his mouth. His body began glowing as he attempted to do something, but I dropped my weapons and smashed him on the head, pummeling him with punch after punch until he dropped from the air.
I landed next to his unconscious form on the ground and activated Take Over on him, just in case he was pretending. Appearing in my Soul place, I prepared to continue the fight, but I found the Demon idly looking around. He turned towards me and gave me a wink.
"This will be fun," he said, and I prepared myself, but I felt him disappear as he… willingly submitted to me? That was surprising, though I would still have to keep my guard up around him since Lord'oran–that was his name–was dangerous.
Once I regained my senses, I found out I looked pretty much like I usually do, just with a pair of bat-like wings and a tail swishing behind me. Laxus was in my face, staring at me intently with a raised fist.
"It's me, I'm fine," I said and quickly looked at the reward for the fight before he could attempt to get it from me. The first thing there was a little note that was filled with ingredients, apparently a recipe for pancakes–it seemed simple at first glance, but it required the usage of Magic to make the real thing, making me wonder how to even do that– and the second one was.
ligh uses a crit for the loot. Gained Helltaker Pancake recipe: Requires Cooking 5 to make the real thing.
Physique gains 357. Now at (2765/4600).
Soul gains 177. Now at (557/5100).
One-Handed gains 327. Now (857/6000).
Unarmed gains 327. Now at 327/6000
Conjure Wolf gains 567 now rank 18 (228/950)
Body Enhancement now at rank 21 (167/1100)
Lightning Bolt now at rank 10 (536/550) - 2 Upgrades available.
Beast Soul rank 21 (167/1100) - 4 upgrades available.
Satan Soul rank 11 is now (17/600). 4 upgrades available.
Laxus tested my capabilities in my new form and deemed me, "adequate for a beginner." According to him, all I had to do from here on out was to improve on what he taught me and go from there.
Though he did teach me a couple of more Spells to use, both ones that complimented my current close combat style. Then he forced me to use them until he considered them good enough to deal with the trash.
I also got to work on my only defensive Spell–excluding the Earth Shaker's abilities since I still lacked the confidence to face it again–which was my Data-Shield. Laxus wasn't as pleased that I focused on that one so much, but even he agreed it was a good idea to have that in my back pocket.
And before we finished the trip, he asked if I was interested in learning one more Spell. Of course, I agreed, though I had to do it quickly since he wanted to check up on some things.
Learned Lightning Fist (0/50): Deal 1d30+15 lightning damage. Can only be used at melee range. Costs 10 Mana per use.
Learned Chain Lightning (0/50): Fire a lightning attack that bounces between enemies. Can currently bounce only one time. Deals 1d20+5 per bounce. Costs 20 Mana per use.
Learned Lightning Speed and increased it to rank rank 10 (0/1050): An enhancement strictly focused on speed. +100 to battle rolls. Costs 15 Mana per turn to use.
Data-Shield now 15 (0/800): Create a flat screen that can block up 150+2xthe rank of all knowledge-based Skill(Mathematics, Magic Theory, etc). Can currently create three shields. Costs 25 Mana to use per cast. - 2 major and 4 minor upgrades available.