The Astral soul system

Chapter 261: Done being human

Zaine grabbed onto the wall, holding on to stop himself from falling

Dungeon traps

He HATES dungeon traps

It was never just one either,there had to be multiple. As if the beasts didn’t already have enough of an advantage.

Even worse,it wasn’t just the ground. It could be the wall, even the fucking ceiling. Literally EVERYWHERE was fair game.

They were also usually invisible to the naked eye, usually.

Their first unfortunate encounter with these things as a kid had been a fucking ice attribute beartrap to the leg. It still itched to this day at random times for some reason.

Grunting he looked at the orc cheif. It’s frame was massive, and it’s weapon was larger than him. Luckily it didn’t seem too powerful.

Roaring in some language he didn’t understand, the green skinned brute slammed it’s fist against its chest,its tribal markings lighting up.

"Crap"

[Charge!]

[Flames of rage]

[Soul gun]

Multiple shots flew towards the orc, slamming into it and harmlessly dissipating.

Whatever it just used seemed similar to the fortify skill Zaine had used,it also seemed to enrage it...or... enrage it more?

Interesting

Gritting his teeth, Zaine let go of the wall, dropping to the ground. He couldn’t stay up there forever, especially since his primary ranged attack had no effect.

Time to get in close. He’d deal with the consequences when they came.

[Soul blade]

The shimmering dark energy formed a blade around his hand.

Using a dash to get close, he threw a punch straight for it but the blade barely made a dent.

Roaring it swung its club down again, trying to squash him but he rolled out of the way just in time.

Speed wasn’t this things strong suit , though that didn’t matter if he couldn’t hurt it.

His throwing star appeared in his hand, already lightly spinning above his palm

"Let’s go gambling"

It flew into the air, drawing a wide arc before returning to its target.

[Explode, Freeze, Flare]

It went straight for its head, making a massive boom and for the first time it looked affected, dropping its club to grab at its face as its massive body stumbled backwards.

It immediately returned to his hand and he reacted by doing it again.

[Freeze, Flare,Bless]

[+15HP]

Health,huh?

The description of bless said it could be a buff,10% health regen, or Astra regen. Apparently that was random too.

This time the attack struck its leg, bursting into bright flames before covering it in ice.

Taking the chance, he dashed towards it, charging a soul gun, this time letting it grow and concentrate till he nearly lost control and firing it right at its chest.

As one attack landed after the other, the orc tipped over, falling, the weight of its body causing the ground to tremble.

He was about to go hit it while it was down when his feet suddenly froze

"What?!"

Looking down he could see dark green vines and roots, sprouting out of the ground and wrapping around his legs.

He groaned and tried pulling himself free but it was too slow. The orc cheif had already picked itself back up and grabbed its club, swinging it around and slamming its fist into its chest while roaring.

Once it was done it slammed its club into the ground, cracking it open.

Pairs of green hands started grabbing their way out and pulling themselves up and out as more orcs joined the battle.

"Damnit, where could Syl possibly be doing right now, and where is Moirai?"

"This is why ideally,you enter dungeons with allies"

He didn’t have time for lectures right now,from either Zephyr or Theia

[Equip soul: Jörmungandr]

[Mould]

His hands slammed into the ground as the ground around his led started to part and receded, making it easier to break free.

With one final tug, he broke out, backing away.

Mould was exactly what it sounded like. It allowed him to mould the earth around him, though, only when he was making physical contact with it. The cost of Astra was dependent on how he used it,so it had no standard cost

"Damn traps"

He seethed

The orc cheif roared again,its tribal marks lighting up.

Zaine’s eye unconsciously twitched, and it wasn’t just because he was displeased. It was a side effect of the technique he was using.

Something about this orc chief’s induced rage was triggering to him in a way he didn’t understand .

It charged towards him in its berserk state, almost mindless and crushing everything that dared get in its path, even its own soldiers.

Using quick dashes, he avoided every hit, targeting a regular orc instead.

He suddenly appeared in front of it, inspecting it before he prepared to attack. It was large and muscular unlike the cheif, dressed in simply a loincloth and having two large tusks.

He threw a punch around the same time as it, clashing with it and although he was stronger he could tell it wasn’t by much, though this was simply his base state.

Using a quick burst of charge, his stats doubled and his energy became more violent, allowing him to knock it away easily.

Before he could move, another suddenly grabbed him from behind, tightening its elbow around his neck to choke him while another went for his legs, holding him in place.

Noticing a shadow over him, he looked up and saw the chief’s club headed down for all of them.

Furious, he suddenly released his wings, unfurling them straight into the orc behind him and knocking it back.

Two feathers flew out, cutting the wrists of the one holding his legs and giving him enough time to escape while it bled in pain.

Hearing the thud, he looked back and saw the pile of blood and mush that used to be the two orcs under the club.

"Shit,these things are deviously smart"

Theia mumbled.

"And stupidly loyal"

Zephyr added

Zaine growled, snapping

"That’s it! I’m done"

He said, pulling off the tattered remains of the jacket that had already been ruined by the wings.

"We’re not in our old world, right? Then there’s no reason to keep fighting like a human.

"..."

"..."

No one disagreed so...

[Transformation]

His skin started to lose its colour, fading to an almost pitch black as his facial features disappeared one by one until all that were left were his eyes ,all four of them in their unholy brilliance,the center left glowing in a furious crimson lighting up the otherwise empty socket.

His frame stretched and bulged, somehow looking more relatively slim compared to his previous build .

His nails became like daggers, though they weren’t exactly claws and several markings grew visible on his body, glowing brightly, specifically on his back and right hand. Two grew on his face especially,under his eyes like trails of blood staining his cheeks, perhaps his version of Zyro’s stitches.

The proverbial cherry on top was the almost cute little horn that just barely poked out from under his hair that now had a grey tint to it.

He was now completely unrecognizable from what he was before.

[Transformation complete]

[Stats boosted]

[Skills boosted]

[Vitality doubled]

[Transformation duration: 2:00]

Name: Zaine Animus](LV 25)]

[Species: (Rank2 Astral) (bloodline - ????)]

[Class: soul sage]

[Profession: Abyssal warlord (Arcane)]

[True name/soul name: Azrael??? Moirai]

[HP 200/200]

[Astra: 200/200]

[Strength:15]

[Agility: 15]

[Endurance: 15]

[Intelligence: 15]

[Charm: 50](bloodline effect)

[ Wisdom: 20]

[Stat points: 0]

[Skill points:0]

[Codex:Moirai]

[Status: Furious,Threefold suppression]

Less than two minutes. Odd, perhaps it was this world but it was usually longer.

No matter, he’d make it count.

[Charge]

[Soul blade]

His already boosted stats doubled alongside his aura.

The translucent blade formed around his hand, this time longer, nearly reaching his feet.

[Dash]

He suddenly appeared in front of one orc, faster than it could react to, he thrust the blade right through its skull, killing it instantly.

Opening his palm,a ball of pure energy formed in the blink of an eye, growing then shrinking then growing again before he shot it at another ork , blowing it to bits.

[Defeated work(×2)]

[Gained exp (×2)]

[Bonus exp(×2)]

Seeing his exp bar shift, Zaine looked towards the rest. They had frozen in place, staring like they didn’t understand what they were looking at

"Scared? You should be"

Luckily he didn’t have to initiate it.

One of the orcs had somehow gotten a rusty weapon, charging at him with it.

He didn’t need to move, one of his wings curled around him like a shield before flicking out, knocking it away into a wall somewhere.

Dashing again, he grabbed one, skewering it with his soul blade and pulling its head off before kicking the one next to it, turning it into a pile of mush on the wall

Slowly lifting off the ground, his wings flapped, carrying him directly towards the boss.

Creating another concentrated ball, he fired, breaking through its defenses and finally doing some damage. Though for some reason it didn’t matter,it still swung at him wildly.

Apparently berserk state made it immune to pain.

He braced himself, making sure the hit struck his wing first but it still sent him down.

[-50HP]

Getting up, he barely acted like he’d just been hit. Vitality determined the speed he healed and regenerated energy, and since that was doubled his body was in overdrive

This isn’t over yet. Far from it