Red P.O.V

The fight was over. Red wasn’t sure even when the flood of insects had ceased. Now she was certain. The insects that surrounded Mash turned to dust. She wasn’t sure what he was doing to do that, but not one insect remained on what she had been referring to as a shrub. Jill had been the first to call it that, but the name had stuck. The thousands of insects stuck to the branches kind of looked like leaves. Their carapace was vaguely green too, and they were packed densely around Mash. The branches only added to the look.

Seeing him appear. Hearing the bone-chilling laugh made her wish that the shrub still had its leaves. Mash looked disturbing. His head wasn’t shaped right. He didn’t have eyes, ears, or even a nose. All she could see was a seamless mass of scales. Even his hair was gone. Now that she was thinking of it, his usual appearance was strange too. His face looked mostly human, but it just had scales instead of skin. And his teeth morphed into something that would better fit a shark. That still wasn’t the same as this. That was disturbing, this was just wrong.

All she could see was a mouth. One that felt larger than feasible. It was probably the same size as normal, but it felt bigger when there was nothing else there. His laugh didn’t help. She shivered as the sound echoed as if two different creatures were making it. She almost felt like it was coming from multiple places, but nothing else could sound like that. The unhindered laughter carried through the air. The raw joy of it didn’t match at all with the emotion she felt hearing it.

The moment was as inspiring as it was terrifying. There had been thousands of monsters. She couldn’t even estimate how many had been stuck on his creation, but they were all gone now. The swarm that had clumped around Mash was an army. A mountain of the insects that eclipsed what she had fought. It wasn’t really a fair comparison.

Mash’s skills made him perfect for fighting monsters like that. Plus, she couldn’t fight continuously like him. The battle had been rather long, in that it had lasted several hours. She didn’t know exactly how long, but she had needed to set up a rotation with Luke and Jill. It would’ve been impossible for anyone without unlimited stamina. She was the most effective of the three and spent most of the time fighting but her mana had its limits, and she couldn’t exceed that limit like Mash. So, she rotated with Jill and Luke.

Even with the rotation, she had leveled a lot. She had gained seven levels from the fight. Which was impossible. All of what her family had taught her went against the idea. Someone over level 100 didn’t just gain seven levels in a few hours. It didn’t happen. The number of monsters they killed shouldn’t matter. Even after checking multiple times, the very notion was unthinkable. She couldn’t help but wonder if everyone was leveling this fast. Her parents certainly hadn’t.

Her father had spent decades going from 100 to 150. Although he didn’t really look his age. It was a byproduct of how levels extended someone’s life. Most strong people looked young. With all that hanging in the back of her head, she still knew that she would be even younger than expected. Her father was considered exceptional for his time, yet it had taken him nearly half a century to reach that level. All of that made her worried. Why were they leveling so fast? If Mash had been right, what was the world owner preparing them for? Who was going to invade? Her questions cut off as Luke broke out of the moment, his shout shattering him from her thoughts.

“What happened? What did you do?”

Mash P.O.V

Mash laughed and laughed. He could feel his lungs straining with the effort and had to bite his tongue to stop. Luke had stepped into his domain and was running toward him. Mash turned slowly, opening his eyes. The light bothered him a little bit. A small sting made him want to rub his eyes, but he noticed Luke was shouting something. Then realized he couldn’t hear a single word and remembered that he had scales over his ears.

Mash let the transformation break, and the scales slowly vanished. They receded slowly, melting into his skin as the insects had. Mash stopped laughing, but he smiled as Luke walked up. The smile didn’t drop until he actually heard what Luke was saying.

“You ate them. I mean, you ate their souls. Absorbed them like…like a necromancer.”

His voice went from a shout to a whisper within a few steps. He realized what he was saying and was obviously trying to hide. Sweat left a bright sheen on Luke’s forehead, which was impressive considering the clod. Then Mash recognized that look. The slight vibration in his hands. Luke was afraid. He was terrified, and Mash’s first instinct was to feel bad. He didn’t really know what he had done, but Luke’s fear bothered him. Mash hesitated and almost stepped away when Priscilla stopped him.

[It’s not at you.]

The simple message got him to freeze, and he realized what she made. His domain let him know. let him understand a little about the people inside of it. And he realized that Luke wasn’t afraid of him, but for him. Well, that was different, and he was left uncertain.

“Wait, what? And what are you afraid of?”

Luke got close. He almost stepped on Mash’s own feet. Luke’s hands shot out, grabbing hold of Mash’s shoulders in a quick motion. Mash didn’t move, didn’t even flinch. But he did realize something. Luke was big. They both had muscle, but Mash’s didn’t really stand out. Luke’s muscles bulged, though Mash hadn’t really noticed before. Now that Luke was standing right in front of him, Mash came to the realization that Luke needed better choices in clothing. It wasn’t that he wore a robe, but his clothes were loose. Which had made sense back when Luke’s body had physically changed with his skills. Now Luke was essentially aura based. He could do with some better-fitting clothes. Those thoughts passed through his head in an instant. Luke’s whispered response drew his attention.

“Do you feel any different?”

Luke shook him a little as he whisper-yelled at him. Mash’s response vibrated with the shaking, not that it mattered. It had only been a single word after all.

“What?”

That was clearly not the answer he was suspecting. Mash stepped away from Luke, pushing his hands away. He didn’t really like the shaking. Luke had also leaned in as he spoke. Mash decided he didn’t really like feeling another person’s breath. It was noticeable too as Luke’s breath was visible in the cold air. Mash leaned away from it, and Luke mirrored him. He had probably gotten closer than he realized. Looking a little shamefaced, Luke backed up a bit before explaining. He visibly gathered himself as Red and Jill approached.

“You can’t use soul skills like that. It will warp your mind.”

Luke said it like it was obvious. He was met with blank stares and empty faces. His gaze spun around but there was nothing. Not even Red seemed to know what he was talking about. She noticed his gaze and replied simply.

“Sorry, but the only person to really talk about soul skills was you.”

Luke’s eyebrows rose a little.

“That doesn’t make sense. It’s pretty common…among beastmen.”

His voice broke a bit as he realized what the problem was. Mash understood what he meant then. Soul skills weren’t something humans could get naturally. He kind of had one now, but he wasn’t really human anymore either. He wasn’t sure about the other races, but beastmen were the only ones who could get those skills from the beginning. All the most famous necromances in history were beastmen. The living ones were also beastmen.

“I’m not going to become a necromancer.”

Despite what Luke was saying, Mash didn’t really feel like it applied to him. He said as much and said it with confidence. His skill might affect the souls of the monsters he used it on, but he didn’t notice any differences in his thoughts. And he felt like somewhat of an expert when it came to being influenced by skills or classes. Luke shook his head slightly.

“Necromancers aren’t just classes to raise the dead. Most of them have the skills to devour people’s souls. Your skill did the same thing.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t do anything to my mind. Priscilla would notice even if I didn’t.”

Mash tried to explain that nothing happened. His skill wasn’t what he thought it was, but Luke was insistent.

“But you plan on using it again.”

Mash nodded his head with little hesitation. He didn’t see the problem.

“They were just monsters, and it makes it so that I don’t need to feel the consequences of hunt. It’s too useful.”

Luke searched Mash’s face, trying to find something that wasn’t there. Mash just stared back, unsure of what Luke wanted from him. He had an idea though.

“I won’t use it on people.”

Mash meant every word. He imagined using the skill on someone alive and watching as their body broke down. A shiver ran down his spine utterly independent of the cold temperature. He could almost imagine the kind of pain and horror he would be inflicting on someone and knew that it would be a bad idea. He had done enough horrible things to people. Luke seemed to relax a little at that.

“I know you won’t. And I trust you that you would know if it was changing you, but just be careful. Those skills are dangerous. I can’t be certain your skill is the exact same though. You might be completely fine, but…”

He cut off what he was saying and looked at him for a second. Just looked at Mash. Even if he didn’t say it explicitly, it was clear that Luke believed that Mash wouldn’t be careful. It was a shared opinion as Red and Jill both nodded their heads. He could even feel Priscilla agreeing, and she even sent a message to reaffirm it.

[I will notice any changes to his mind.]

It was Priscilla's message that seemed to reassure Luke the most. Mash wondered what that said about their group, that Priscilla was the most restrained among them. Not that Mash disagreed, but it was still weird to consider. They weren’t really careful, especially when it came to fighting and leveling.

[And everything else too.]

Mash didn’t disagree, but he didn’t need to hear it either. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like that message was sent to everyone. Well, he made his promise, and he would keep it. Luke himself said he might be wrong, but he wasn’t going to take the risk. Arguing about it was different from actually doing something so dangerous. Although, he knew that there would eventually come a time when he would need to use it again. Hopefully, it would just be for monsters, but he didn’t think that he would be that lucky. Whatever fate he had; it wasn’t a kind one. There was no doubt in his mind about that.