Uriel felt honestly a bit better after talking with Ininise; however, the problem of what to do with the monster soul still remained, so he opened the system again.
"Hey, you know? I'm going to try fusing this monster soul with my ability." Uriel focused and opened the system panel once more.
"Wouldn't you rather combine it with your mace?" Ininise looked somewhat worried; her brows were slightly furrowed. "I've heard that if you combine an ability with a monster soul, it will affect your soul in some way. It's better to take them to a specialist who can reveal their characteristics."
Even so, despite saying that, her gaze never left Uriel. Her eyes were bright; on one hand, she seemed to be struggling with the urge to see what would happen to him, and on the other, with her personal concern.
Uriel had thought about it, yes, but he discarded the idea because he realized he would be wasting his gain if he combined the monster soul with something as simple as his mace. Above all, he didn't know if it was reversible or even how to do it properly. Though now he was genuinely worried about what she said regarding his soul being affected—that sounded quite serious—but he didn't panic.
"The previous fights made me understand that if I don't make use of everything I have, I might as well die. Even if it's dangerous, if it gives me even a small advantage, it means I can survive."
Ininise didn't try to convince him further; deep down, she understood. The tower had turned out to be, at the very least, a dangerous place; even a well-formed group like hers had been forced to split up. Who knew what might have happened to the other, less prepared, less powerful groups? How many had died by now? That was why she could understand Uriel's decision—and she wouldn't stop him.
"Whatever happens, I'll be with you. Don't worry."
Uriel trembled slightly. When she put it that way—like he was about to step into the world of drugs—his resolve wavered a bit, but he still moved through his system panel until he reached a new tab.
Souls
Flesh Monstrosity Soul: A creature that was once human. Its body is composed of numerous parts from different beings, a masterpiece of biomancy. It retains the intelligence of a normal human brain, remaining aware of its condition.
"Behold my great achievement, the first step toward my vengeance."
He narrowed his eyes; the description sent chills down his spine.
Even so, Uriel continued, and just as when he wanted to summon his ability, he strongly wished for the soul and his ability to merge.
Uriel clutched his chest tightly. He felt his body changing; something inside him moved, producing sounds that even Ininise could hear.
"No! Hold on, please!"
Her voice sounded worried, and for good reason. At that moment, Uriel was experiencing far more pain than all the previous times he had been injured—and, above all, a ravenous hunger struck him, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.
But the pain slowly subsided, and before him, a new panel appeared.
Abilities
Devouring Flesh Carapace
Type: Defense / Counterattack / Life Steal
You transform your body into a living flesh carapace that reacts to incoming attacks.
Effect
Reduces damage taken by 40%.
Reflects the damage received.
If it devours the enemy's flesh, it can heal the bearer's recent wounds.
Duration: 10 seconds
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Uriel was impressed. The monster soul had completely transformed his ability. While he could now only use it once per minute—and he was sure it would be more physically exhausting—he could withstand even more damage, and it lasted nearly four seconds longer.
On top of that, he now had a way to harm his enemies, turning a defensive ability into something capable of attacking.
Though he now felt extremely hungry… was this the change Ininise had mentioned?
Once Uriel regained control, he noticed the girl's expectant yet relieved gaze.
"Hahh… heh… I did it." Uriel smiled. Now he had a secret weapon in case he fought other tanks; they would never expect him to recover from his wounds and, on top of that, be able to damage them. If it came down to a war of attrition, he would win—though, of course, his opponents might also have hidden cards, just like he did.
Uriel understood he had to be careful not to underestimate his opponents; there was no way to know what tricks someone else might have.
"I'm glad. For a moment, I was worried you wouldn't be able to endure it."
It had undoubtedly been painful, but right now Uriel genuinely believed it had been worth it. He stood up, ready to test his new ability and grow familiar with it.
Ininise didn't interrupt him; her eyes gleamed like a scientist about to see the result of an experiment.
Uriel activated the flesh carapace, and his arm quickly changed shape, almost deforming. Lumps of flesh formed continuously, defending him. He felt how the parts of his leather armor that were still intact tightened due to the increase in mass; honestly, it looked disgusting, and it made him uneasy to imagine how grotesque it would appear if he decided to subject his entire body to a full transformation.
Though the lumps were grotesque, they were as resilient as his previous hardened skin and, most importantly, they created an extra protective layer that prevented attacks from reaching his real body.
The test to understand what the ability meant by reflecting attacks would have to wait. He wasn't willing to let Ininise try to hit him; he didn't want her to get hurt, even by accident.
However, Uriel had always wanted to resemble one of those warriors clad in shining, grand armor. This transformation took him quite far from that image—and, above all, it made wearing armor somewhat complicated. After all, his flesh would expand, making any tight clothing uncomfortable.
Ininise approached him timidly.
"It's okay… you're worried it looks too unnatural, right? Don't worry, it looks good—actually kind of cute if you think about it. It's like your skin has, um… smaller little skin."
Uriel looked at her without showing any expression. He couldn't believe the lie he had just heard.