Konrad returned to his den just as the first sickly rain drops started to fall from the bleak sky to bleed into the cracks of the ruined city. He moved slowly, methodically, like a man carrying the weight of both triumph and exhaustion. His armor, stained with blood and coral dust, scraped faintly as he walked.
Inside the den—nothing more than a broken chamber reinforced with scavenged stone and salvaged furniture from the ruins— Konrad got to work. He hung strips of transcendent shark meat over his crude smoking rack, using a slow, smoldering burn of wood to draw out the toxins and preserve the essence.
After setting the meat to smoke, he sliced a modest chunk and skewered it. Roasting it over a flickering flame, he watched fat drip into the coals. The smell was sharp and metallic with a sweet undertone. He tore into the cooked meat slowly, savoring each bite like it might be his last.
He took care of mecilinous tasks.
Once everything was done in order, Konrad sat down in a shadowed corner of his den. This was the moment he had waited for. It was time to examine his gains.
He laid the soul shards out before him like a gambler's final hand: two transcendent shards, four ascended, and nine awakened. A treasure haul by any measure. He stared at the pieces of crystallized soul fragments, watching the strange glimmers swirl within them like galaxies.
His soul core was nearly full—nine hundred eighty fragments out of one thousand. Just twenty more. That was all it would take to cross the line. To cease being merely a Beast. To become a Monster. His second soul core would take from.
Konrad picked up the two transcendent shard.
No hesitation.
He shattered them into pieces and absorbed it.
[Your soul grows stronger...]
He let out a long, low growl as the soul shards integrated.
[996/1000].
Konrad let the taste of the new power settle inside him. He could feel the edge of something vast, something primal, coiling beneath his skin.
Then, he reached for an ascended shard.
Just one was enough.
[Your soul grows stronger...]
The voice of the Spell resounded once more, echoing in the darkness of the ruined chamber:
[Your soul is overflowing with power.]
The moment it entered him, the world went white.
Pain.
It hit like a freight train, like a divine punishment. Konrad screamed and fell to his knees. It was as if every part of his soul was being uprooted and rebuilt. Something inside him was rising—dragged from the depths, clawing upward.
[Your soul core is taking shape.]
"D—da… damn it all! It hurts! It hurts so much?!"
He writhed, hands digging into the cold stone floor. His armored gauntlets scraped deep scars into the stone as his body twisted in agony. Tears burned down his cheeks. It wasn't just pain—it was undoing. Like his essence was being dismantled and put back together with pieces that didn't fit.
He slammed his fist into the ground. Once. Twice. Again. The ancient stone cracked under his blows, then shattered. He kept hitting, kept striking, until the pain had something else to destroy.
Only when the stone had turned to dust did the torment begin to ebb.
The Spell whispered into his ear:
[Your soul core is complete!]
His arms fell limp. He collapsed, chest heaving, sweat and blood mingling on his face. He lay there for minutes, unable to move. His breath rattled like broken glass.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
He had done it.
His second soul core had formed.
He is a monster now.
Released from the paralyzing pain, Konrad fell down and sprawled on the floor. Breathing raggedly, he remained motionless for a few minutes, and then summoned the runes.
Familiar symbols shimmered in the air:
***
Name: Konrad.
True Name: Night Haunter.
Rank: Dormant.
Class: Monster.
Soul Cores: [2/7].
Soul Fragments: [0/2000].
Konrad smiled weakly. His gaze lowered as he continued to read the tunes.
Memories: [Red Mane], [Bleakmail], [Blue Mercury], [Grinning Trophy], [Hellpicker], [Marble Chalice], [Black Box], [Burning Amber], [Mantle of the Night].
Echoes: [Dread Lancer].
Attributes: [Nightwalker], [Outerspawn], [Flame of Divinity], [Clairguard], [Thunderheart], [Stygian Talons].
Aspect: [Night Haunter].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Abilities: [Clairvoyance].
Innate Ability: [Paradox].
Flaw: [Mandate].
***
Konrad focused on his echo.
***
Echo: [Dread Lancer].
Echo Rank: Ascended.
Echo Class: Devil.
Echo Attributes: [Nightwalker], [Depth Hunter], [Tide Knight].
Echo Abilities: [Echo Sense], [Lancer], [Lure], [Impaler].
Echo Description: [Once a knight of a glorious Dread Slayer Order, hunting leviathans of the depths, now became one of them.]
***
[Nightwalker]
Attribute Description: This echo can see in dark, breath in water and unaffected by the cold.
Konrad's month twisted. "Is [Nightwalker] attribute this common nowadays? Even a random devil from some random sea has it."
[Depth Hunter]
Attribute Description: This echo is expert at aquatic combat and marine hunting.
[Tide Knight]
Attribute Description: This echo wears armor and wield weapons into battle.
[Echo Sense]
Ability Description: This echo can detect enemies through sensing vibration.
[Lancer]
Ability Description: This echo can effectively wield any spear weapon.
[Lure]
Ability Description: This echo can send mental hexes to make enemies rush at it.
[Impaler]
Ability Description: This echo will have higher possiblity of impaling enemies.
***
"Well! Well! Well! It is no Sunny's stone saint. But it's the best echo a Nightwalker could get. Let's give it a name."
Konrad started thinking about a name to give to his echo. He snapped his finger as he decided, "Your name will be Lancer. I know it is very generic. But shadow slave echoes get this kind of names. At least it is better than being called abomination."
"I am a generous master indeed." Konrad nodded to himself. Then he absorbed rest of the soul shards. He will test out his new capabilities after the storm passes.
***
After storm washed the bloodied ruins of the dark city, Konrad started testing out his limits of power as a monster.
First of all Konrad got an around physical enhancement which is a lot more than what Sunny would get after class level up. Closest thing Konrad could compare is Sunny being augmented by his shadow and Nephis her flames.
Of course, Konrad didn't got an extra shadow or extra flames likes them. He got buffed in another way. Later on that.
While Konrad's speed, stamina and agility increased manifolds, his strength increase seem lacking. To off set this mediocre strength increase, he got enhanced regeneration.
But, the biggest increase Konrad saw after class up, is his psychic capabilities. His mind became stronger, his thought process got faster, more calculation capacity, more mental stamina and mostly importantly another pov.
It is like Sunny seeing through his shadows. But Konrad could also apply his clairvoyance to it. Although it will increase his mental pressure expedientially.
He could also move this pov around himself, but not far. Maybe the range would increase as he grows stronger.
***
Let's talk about how Konrad's
Clairvoyance work.
Clairvoyance: [Past Visions], [Present Vision], [Future Sight], [Prophecy], [Appraisal], [Farsight], [Danger Intuition].
Past Visions: Visions of the long past. (Very Very Very Rare.)
Present Vision: Visions of important events happening long distance away from him. (Very rare.)
Future Sight: Seeing few moments in the future. (He uses this part of the ability most of the time.)
Prophecy: Visions of events happening in the future. (Rare)
Appraisal: Knowing name, attributes, aspect rank and hunch about what it might be.
Farsight: Can see at long distance with great detail.
Danger Intuition: Intuition about danger of doing something or incoming danger.
***
It took Konrad around a week to fully master his new power as a Monster. Now, he go back to the Bright Castle and claim it's throne.