Rakna woke up from his soul meditation and sighed before sitting up. He glanced at the sleeping form of Nyx and smiled internally before getting up. There was still a bit of leftover lunar energy in the air but since the sun was already rising, it didn't affect him at all.
"Though…" He whispered and focused on his ears and tails with a bit of his soul. Nyx had told him that they had acted as the catalysts for the lunar energy to enter his body so if he focused a bit, he might be able to consciously gather and use lunar energy.
What he did not expect however was the speed at which the lunar energy flooded into him with just a small nudge. For a second, he almost seriously considered jumping back in bed in order to avoid transforming but he quickly realized that nothing was messing with his mind. Instead, he felt stronger, though marginally so, and a System prompt then popped up in his vision.
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You have learned a new skill; Werewolf's Moon Shine!
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Werewolf's Moon Shine (Lv.1): By absorbing the lunar energy permeating the world, it is possible to wield its boundless power. This is a spell that can only normally be learned by lunar magic users but as a werewolf, this skill becomes a racial skill.
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The effects vary according to the phase of the moon:
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Full Moon – All attributes +10%, -50% to All Cooldowns, +200% MP & Regen.
Waxing/Waning Gibbous – All attributes +7%, -30% to All Cooldowns, +150% MP & Regen.
First/Third Quarter – All attributes +5%, -20% to All Cooldowns, +100% MP & Regen.
Waxing/Waning Crescent – All attributes +3%, -10% to All Cooldowns, +50% MP & Regen.
New Moon – All attributes +1%, -5% to All Cooldowns, +25% MP & Regen.
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Note: Lunar energy can also be used as an alternative to mana so the latter's consumption can be considerably reduced but the extent of that ability is limited by how much lunar energy the user can absorb at once as well as the average concentration of lunar energy available.
The base effects will apply wherever the user is located, regardless of how covered the moon is from where you are. The effects will cease once the moon is fully set and each phase of the cycle lasts for an average of 4 days.
Lastly, if the sun has risen, the effects will all drop to their minimum value, regardless of the phase the moon is currently in or if it's still visible.
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"Uh…"
"{Well, this is what I call taking advantage of a drawback,}" Higure suddenly commented.
'I agree. This doesn't seem to lead to a loss of control. Which is a good thing, though it probably is irrelevant in the full moon. However… Alexa, how long does the full moon phase last?'
[Roughly three days. But you do not need to worry about going berserk again. It normally happens once every cycle. This is something common to all werewolves. While the possibility of you being an exception is still there, it's very unlikely. Today was in actuality the second day of the 'full moon'. The reason why the first day didn't force your transformation was that it wasn't the 'true' full moon yet.]
"{Indeed. What most people don't know is that the full moon only lasts an instant. With the naked eye, it appears to be full, but it's just very close to it. And the night that it occurs is the night of the full moon; there can only be one every month or so.}"
'Good to know,' Rakna responded.
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❮◈❯ Werewolf's Moon Shine has leveled up! ❮◈❯
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'…right,' he deadpanned and checked the skill's description again. The level up had incremented every percentage by one. 'Not bad,' he thought then heard a rustling from behind him. He looked to his left and saw Nyx rubbing her eyes while sitting up.
She yawned lightly then blinked when her brain caught up with what she was seeing; namely, a certain therian looking at her with an amused eye. Her expression twitched and her complexion grew a bit redder.
"Ah, yes…" She whispered as she remembered. "I have to say, it is my first time waking up along with someone else like this," she remarked whilst keeping her embarrassment in check.
"Really?" Rakna was a bit surprised. "Considering who you are, I would have expected you to have already experienced everything a mortal could."
"Are you insinuating I'm old?" Nyx huffed.
"I'm insinuating that you've probably lived long enough to have seen and done a lot of things. I am not saying that you're old," he retorted calmly. "The value of one's age is intrinsically correlated to their life expectancy. It would be just nonsensical to call someone old after something like a hundred years if they can still live for thousands of years."
Nyx blinked a few times. "That's… very true," she uttered and shook her head before standing up as well. "But, well, to answer your question, I never experienced what mortals would consider the norm. As a goddess born from ideas, I do not even have parents, my only meaning in life was to simply exist as a conceptualization of the night. Divinities like me do not have carnal desires. The only reason we would even indulge in it would be for entertainment."
"And you didn't, huh?"
"There was no appeal. For me, indulging myself for nothing more than hollow interest would just lower my self-worth," she stated and faintly blushed. "In this case, I suppose we're talking about my chastity… I wouldn't give it away carelessly. Baba Yaga would always tell me so."
"Baba Yaga?" Rakna's eyes widened.
"Yes," she nodded. "You should probably know her, right? She's heralded in popular folklore. But please don't believe how she is depicted. She is a gentle elderly woman with a heart of gold. She is a grandmother to me in everything but blood."
"Don't worry. I would not judge someone without meeting them first. At the end of the day, legends and folklore are mostly human fantasies," he replied and looked at the time. "By the way, do you and the rest have a place to gather in the morning?"
Nyx nodded. "We do. Do you want to go there with me?"
"Yes. I want to give a few instructions to Evelyn and Flavia for their training before I go practicing smithing on my own. Sorry, but you'll have to wait another day or two before I join you in the 10th Plateau."
"It's all right. We were already prepared to wait longer. Though two days will be perfect for us to reach level 35. There isn't a lot of foes stronger than level 30 on the 10th, so that's our limit. We're still waiting for you for the Dungeon though."
"I see," Rakna nodded and put on his jacket. "Let's go then," he said and they left the hotel they were in.
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* * *
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When Rakna stepped inside the small restaurant, the first thing he saw was Pronos and Tyran devouring several plates of food while Allan stared at them incredulously. The second thing was the looks of betrayal Evelyn and Flavia were throwing at Nyx.
'She's the enemy too?!' They shouted silently and the former goddess tilted her head as she walked to them.
"Is something wrong?"
"N-no," they stuttered and looked away.
"{Hah… heh… haha…}" Meanwhile, Higure was barely holding back her laughter.
Rakna decided to ignore both the lioness' hysteria and the inquisitive stares. He sat down next to his blond childhood friend and glanced at Tyran. "So? Still scared of him?"
Allan groaned. "Come on, don't tease me, now. He was damn big when I saw him. And since Flavia brought him with us hunting, let's say that it didn't get any better with all the craters he casually would make with his fire. How did you even make this guy your pet?"
"He's not," Rakna retorted as he scrolled through the restaurant's menu. "I killed him."
"…huh?"
"Then I revived him as an undead."
"…" Allan's eyebrow twitched and he looked at Tyran again who cocked his head to the side. "You are being serious… aren't you?"
"Of course," Rakna answered as if it was obvious.
"An undead, huh?" Nyx commented, having been unsuccessful in discovering why the two other women in the group were glaring at her. "I suspected it but I have to admit it's a very good one. I didn't know you had necromancy."
"I don't. It comes from an Item," he said. "Anyway, I'm mainly here to ask Evelyn and Flavia a few things. Are you girls okay with the weapons we trained with last time?"
"Well, yes. We trust your recommendations," the succubus said and Flavia agreed. "Why?"
"If that's the case, I will forge one of each for you two in the next few days. I should be able to make something decent enough that you won't need to buy one. Though, Evelyn, you'll have to find a bow since I'll take Sonata back. A longbow, to be exact, would be preferable for you."
"Got it."
"So, how did the full moon go?" Flavia followed up.
"I asked a guildmate to help me. Long story short, I went berserk and he stopped me. Nyx stopped me from transforming again with her magic after that," he said.
"Now that I think about it, you have been absorbing the lunar energy ever since you woke up. Is it normal?" The former goddess asked and the two other girls stiffened when they heard 'woke up'.
"It's a skill I've just learned. As a werewolf, I can make use of lunar energy to increase my attributes and stats as well as cast magic with it. While it's considerably weaker than my transformation under the full moon, it's a nice power-up. But of course, it doesn't work once the moon isn't visible anymore and the sun weakens it."
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❮◈❯ Werewolf's Moon Shine has leveled up! ❮◈❯
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'Speak of the devil.'
"I see. It sounds like lunar magic tailored to be a stand-alone skill," Nyx said and the food they had ordered arrived at their table.
They then ate while chatting about random topics. Rakna offered Evelyn and Flavia a few pointers for their close combat practice but the girls seemed to be more intent alternating stares between him and Nyx as if they were trying to decipher a puzzle.
When Rakna finished eating, he excused himself, going back to Old Wang's house, and left his two pets there. Immediately after, the night goddess was 'abducted' by the two women for an amicable interrogation.
Allan blankly watched them as they huddled themselves inside a barrier raised by Evelyn. He eyed the two pets who were chewing a slice of cake, "Hey, guys. Do you think Rakna has some kind of innate charming skill or trait? At this point, it might just be a secret Nirvana Skill or something."
Tyran returned an innocent look, unaware of what he meant, while Pronos made a sound similar to a snicker while putting his tail in front of his grinning mouth. A vein protruded on the blond's forehead and he grumbled, "Damn reptile."
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Thus, for the next two days, Rakna concentrated on his blacksmithing skills, while also learning more runecraft from Higure. It was in the evening of the second day that he began to forge the last object that would fill up the evolution bar of Star Make.