I am currently possessing the body of a Kobold soldier. It is similar to an elite goblin in that it is more powerful than common kobolds.
It is also about 20 cm taller than a normal kobold. Approximately 1.5 meters or 5 feet.
His fur is brown and he has some scars on his face. Proof that he didn't get this strong by relying on luck.
To prepare for the boss battle, we decided to take a break in front of the gate. Ember lay down on the floor and I sat next to her.
I didn't realize it before when I was inside her, but she had already become twice the size of an adult wolf.
This is probably a side effect of leveling up. Most of the creatures I've seen had similar levels for their ages, but Ember was different.
Her level far surpassed her pack and even mine.
I decided to first check my status and review my new skills.
≪??? (Usagi)≫
Race: Monster (Spirit)
Species: Kobold Soldier (Wandering Soul)
Gender: Male (None)
Age: 4 (0)
Level: 44 (63)
Magic Attributes: None (Fire, Water, Earth)
≪Inherent skills≫
Sharp Fangs Lv. 3 (Passive), Sharp Claws Lv. 3 (Passive), Darkvision Lv. 5 (Passive), Enlarge Claws Lv. 3 (Active)
[Possession Lv. 4 (Active), Soul Eater Lv. 4 (Active), Soul Guard Lv. 3 (Passive), Assimilation Lv. 2 (Active), Soul Share Lv. 2 (Active)]
≪Active skills≫
Bite Lv. 4, Charge Lv. 3, Ambush Lv. 2
[Appraisal Lv. 4, Charge Lv. 5, Ambush Lv. 3, Bite Lv. 4]
≪Passive skills≫
Kobold Language Lv. 5, Evade Lv. 4, Increased Movement Speed Lv. 4, Increased Dexterity Lv. 3, Danger Sense Lv. 3, Stealth Lv. 3
[Lunaria Kingdom Language Lv. 3, Goblin Language Lv. 6, Kobold Language Lv. 5, Wolf Language Lv. 2, Shortsword Mastery Lv. 4, Club Mastery Lv. 2, Leadership Lv. 2, Quick Thinking Lv. 2, Darkvision Lv. 3, Danger Sense Lv. 5, Stealth Lv. 5, Climbing Lv. 3, Evade Lv. 5, Escape Lv. 3, Increased Physical Prowess Lv. 2, Weapon Strengthening Lv. 2, Increased Intelligence Lv. 1, Experience Boost Lv. 3, Etiquette Lv. 1, Chantless Casting Lv. 2, Fast Casting Lv. 2, Mana Flow Control Lv. 2, Magic Consumption Reduction Lv. 2]
≪Magic≫
None
[Fire Magic Lv. 2, Water Magic Lv. 2, Earth Magic Lv. 2]
I had a smug smile on my face.
'Heh. Poor kobold, he couldn't use any magic.' (Lepus)
Although I finally could! Now other creatures will not look down me!
It's not like it has happened though. Haha.
Leaving my self-praise aside, I can't check Ember's status because if I did, this empty vessel would disappear. I appraised her though.
Appraisal became level four thanks to using it a lot in this dungeon and is now showing its true colors.
Now it gives me information with an easier-to-understand structure, similar to my status window.
≪ Ember
Race: Monster
Species: Dark Fire Wolf
Gender: Female
Age: 1
Level: 88 ≫
"You have become a lot stronger since we met, Ember." (Usagi)
"Yes! It is all thanks to Master!" (Ember)
She wiggled her tail for a few moments until it suddenly stopped.
"But ... I liked it more when Master was by my side ... " (Ember)
"Aren't I still here?" (Usagi)
I smiled and thought she was a silly pup. I wouldn't go anywhere.
"I mean ... when Master was inside me, I felt stronger. Also, your words were warm and made me happy ... " (Ember)
" ... " (Usagi)
I see ...
"Don't worry, I don't think this body can go with us outside of this place. We will be together again then." (Usagi)
I pated her head carefully with my paws.
"Yes!" (Ember)
. . .
After a few hours of rest, we stood up with serious expressions on our furry faces.
We have two options. Going all the way from where we came from to find the exit or open this big door and see what was on the other side.
I can't feel any presence coming from it. If there truly is a boss monster within, that means that something is blocking my use of my skill.
The first option was easier and almost guarantees our safety, but we would gain anything more than just experience.
On the other hand, the second option was dangerous and our safety was all but guaranteed, while the things we could gain were unknown.
Obviously, the option I took was ...
"Ember, are you ready? I am going to open the door." (Usagi)
Nod. "Yes." (Ember)
"Good. Be ready to fight at any moment." (Usagi)
I used all my strength to pull its handles and it slowly opened.
What was on the other side eventually became visible.
≪ Taiga
Race: Monster
Species: Blood Red Tiger
Gender: Female
Age: 3
Level: 72 ≫
So her name is Taiga? Such a cute name for a fearsome creature.
As for her appearance, it had dark vertical stripes on blood-red fur with a lighter underside.
I could feel my body trembling and blood flow freezing. No matter how much my skills strengthened it, it wasn't enough to overcome this pressure.
Like it was waiting for this moment, the door closed abruptly with a "bam" sound.
Once it did, the tiger opened its eyes. They were golden colored.
Roar! (Blood Red Tiger)
"Ha ... haha ... hahaha!" (Usagi)
'Finally a challenge!' (Usagi)
I wasn't like this before. At first, I thought that other beings' memories wouldn't affect me, but they indeed do.
Absorbing so many souls and memories from monsters changed me. Now, I enjoy fighting with others.
The adrenaline that a fight stimulates in me makes me think faster and my attacks become more precise thanks to my skills ...
Yes. I had become a battle freak.
"Come!" (Usagi)
I made a beckoning gesture with my paw and our fight to the death began.
. . .
The Blood Red Tiger's most powerful inherent ability made my movements sluggish just by being close to her.
It may sound simple, but you wouldn't say that if a bloodthirsty tiger was in front of you.
Nor did I have any weapons other than my claws. Biting her? No way. First, it would fail. Second, she would bite back and that would not be a joke.
Why am I so sure of that? Because I tried, of course. She would have ripped my head off my shoulders if I hadn't escaped in time.
Using magic? I can't instantly launch it. Furthermore, using earth magic to try to slow down her movements was useless. Even when my spell, Mud Slide, worked, she was already out of reach.
Water magic? What? Should I make her take a shower? The first two spells of water magic were pretty garbage right now.
Water slimes could undulate their bodies to make Water Slashes sharper, while Water Wall is only good to block fire magic.
However, the damage I did to her was a real joke. After a few repetitions of evading and attacking with my claws. I noticed that my attack couldn't even pierce her fur properly. I almost wanted to cry.
The skills I was so proud of didn't work as I wanted.
Ember assisted me with magic from a distance, mostly using fireballs and sometimes casting her new spell, Fire Wall to give me a few seconds to breathe.
Fire Wall worked wonders, but this tiger was actually a bit resistant to fire magic and evaded the fireballs Ember released while ignoring mine.
This kobold's body is quite weak, which makes my magic weaker than Ember's.
In the end, my tired body couldn't keep up and I had to use our plan B.
"Ember!" (Usagi)
"Yes, Master!" (Ember)
She used Fire Wall one more time before coming to where I was. I quickly left the body of this kobold (which immediately turned to light particles), went into Ember, and used Soul Share.
Compared to the Kobold Soldier's body, Ember's was much sturdier.
She wasn't shaking and her blood flow was still fast. The slow effect caused by the Blood Red Tiger didn't seem to affect her.
If I could see an "HP bar" on our enemy, I think it would still be around seventy or eighty percent of its capacity.
Ember's mana is almost empty, so she can't use any more magic, but I still believed in our victory.
'Let's do it, Ember!' (Usagi)
'Yes! We can do it! Master is by my side, after all!' (Ember)
A strange red aura started to surround her body and I became startled.
It was dim and hard to see, but I could feel all her muscles rejoicing at their newfound power.
The Fire Wall she cast before dissipated and I could see an awestruck expression on the face of the Blood Red Tiger before it regained its stance.
Roar! (Blood Red Tiger)
Howl! (Ember)
Ember rushed towards our enemy. Our foe didn't stand still, she also came running toward us.
We clashed like that a few times. Ember claw attacks managed to pierce the tiger's fur while her bites tore parts of its flesh.
On the other hand, the Blood Red Tiger couldn't do anything. Her attacks bounced on Ember's aura and didn't inflict any damage.
She tried to bite Ember a few times, but she wasn't fast enough.
Our enemy was becoming weaker while Ember was getting accustomed to using aura and her power only grew.
When our battle was nearing its end, the Blood Red Tiger's appearance looked pitiful. Her shiny red fur had holes and claw marks on it, while her breathing was rough.
'Ember, finish her. We should end her suffering.' (Usagi)
'Yes ... ' (Ember)
The Blood Red Tiger was no more. Only white light particles illuminated this dimly lit room.
<'Ember' has leveled up! (Lv. 88 -> Lv. 100)>
<1. Dark Fire Lycanthrope>
Lots of messages appeared in front of Ember's eyes and we were enveloped in a gentle white light before suddenly becoming unconscious ...
. . .
"Hey, are you awake? Hey!" (Mysterious Female Voice)
A mysterious voice roused me from my slumber. I slowly opened my eyes and different sensations enveloped me.
"Eh?" (Ember?)
Where is this? This room was white all over. White ceiling and white walls. I was also resting on a comfortable bed. If this was my past life, I would think I was in a hospital.
"Humph. So you finally woke up. You suddenly collapsed in the boss's room after clearing it. Be grateful that I brought you here. If you were a human, I might have just killed you." (Mysterious Female Voice)
Her words made me remember. That's right, that's what happened.
"But what are you, really? You killed my lackeys without even touching them and one of them even helped you fight the boss. Anyway, the most impressive thing is your evolution path. Monsters normally don't gain a human form so easily." (Mysterious Female Voice)
"Huh? ... Human form?" (Ember?)
I raised my hand and looked at it. It was a small white human hand with black nails. Also, some strands of black hair covered my vision.
"Yeah, it was really surprising, you know? By the way, the outfit you are wearing now is a gift from me. It isn't a part of the treasure I am going to give you." (Mysterious Female Voice)
"Outfit?" (Ember?)
I slowly raised my body and sat on a corner of the bed. Certainly, I was wearing some black colored clothes.
"You see, I am an expert in sewing magic clothes. I forgot! You haven't seen how you look yet, have you? Let me bring you a mirror!" (Mysterious Female Voice)
Suddenly, a big mirror made with water magic appeared in front of me.
In it, I could see the figure of a 15 years old cute demihuman girl with white and glossy skin. She had wolf ears on top of her head and waist-length black hair with red highlights at the ends.
Her eyes were beast-like, orange in color, and looked like sparkling gems.
She was also wearing a luxurious gothic black dress that did not cover her shoulders or limit her mobility.
Her feet had small black shoes and thigh-high white socks.
She was slim, had a modest chest, and might as well be a model for a girls' magazine.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeh?!" (Ember?)
It was "me".