Reverse System
Astaroth could feel that his soul was on the verge of dissipating as it sped through the night air. While he had developed a means to survive a physical death by isolating his soul, the soul could only last so long without a physical vessel.
Astaroth knew he had to find someone to latch onto fast, lest he disappear into nothingness as the Fates intended.
Suddenly, he spotted a silhouette on the ground.
*There!*
With one final push, Astaroth adjusted the trajectory of his soul-comet to aim directly towards the figure below him.
As he drew closer, he could see the back of his intended target looming larger and larger. The impending victim seemed to be a young man in his late teens.
He would have preferred an adult male specimen, but he supposed that a teenager would be his second best option. In any case, he was in no position to be selective right now.
The boy seemed to sense the comet's presence, turning around to gaze in horror at the red light shooting straight at him with blinding speed. He finally reacted, frantically swiping at the air to produce some sort of virtual panel.
*Huh? What's that?* Astaroth thought to himself. He'd never seen a spell like that before. Was it some sort of power tied only to this world?
Either way, it was too late for the young man. Astaroth's soul smacked straight into him, and Astaroth's presence instantly seeped into the mind and soul of the boy. The young man's mind struggled with all its might, but it was no match for the experience and mental fortitude that Astaroth had amassed over centuries as an evil overlord.
Soon enough, Astaroth took complete control over the body. He devoured the young man's memories and presence, grinding and assimilating them into the depths of his own mind. Astaroth raised his new hand and flexed his fingers, savoring his return to a form of flesh and blood.
He closed his eyes, breathing in the crisp night air as he adjusted to his new physical and sensory transformations. He scowled as he realised one glaring issue.
This body is too weak....
While Astaroth's biggest asset had always been his magical prowess and vast political and military experience, his old body had been honed through countless years of magical augmentation, alchemical reinforcement and pure training. It was durable beyond measure, which was extremely important as harnessing mana in his old world required a great amount of physical endurance.
But now...
Astaroth grimaced as he moved his flimsy arms and legs. He would have to be extra careful from now on; his priority was to gradually build up power and return to his former peak strength.
Fortunately, building back up his powers would be far, far easier this time around. He estimated that it would take a mere fraction of the time it originally cost him. This body was essentially a blank slate, and so he could mold it into anything he so desired using the vast experience he had accumulated over all those years.
He theorized that he could perhaps grow this body into something even stronger, as he could now avoid many of the pitfalls and impurities that he had unwittingly encountered during his training in his previous life.
He clenched his hands as a fiery determination kindled within his eyes. Yes, in time, he would take back all that he had lost, for he was no longer chained to the hands of fate.
Suddenly he remembered something. The boy had used some sort of ability when Astaroth was just about to reach him.
He absently swiped at the air in a crude imitation of the boy's strange gesture. Surprisingly, it worked. A blue screen popped up before him, showing a list of commands and information.
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[Name: Kaden Sumerius Raevan]
[Age: 18] [Level: 8]
[Commands:]
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Astaroth blinked confusedly as he saw this. He had never seen such an interface before; it simply did not exist in his old world.
He cautiously lifted a finger and selected the
An extra panel materialized next to the original. This one, however, served as a a mirror.
As he gazed into the new screen, he saw a reflection of his new body. Gazing back at him through the "mirror" was a slender young man with dark messy hair. It was a largely unremarkable appearance, save for all but the eyes. His obsidian eyes betrayed the existence of an entirely different entity beneath the mundane visage, a petrifying gaze that exuded both an otherworldly authority and a vicious hunger.
Astaroth soon learned that this was no simple mirror. As he stared into the reflection, a series of description boxes popped up throughout his body with all sorts of info: Height, weight, reach etc.
However, Astaroth's attention was immediately drawn to the table at the top right corner of the screen. Here, it contained the info that Astaroth sought the most:
[HP: 29] [Detail: Health Points]
[Mana: 14]
Stats:
[Strength: 9] [Detail: Increases your overall physical attack damage and HP]
[Dexterity: 12] [Detail: Increases overall attack speed, accuracy and evasiveness]
[Intellect: 11] [Detail: Increases mana and lowers Cast Time/Recovery]
[Endurance: 7] [Detail: Increases overall physical defense and HP]
[Faith: 5] [Detail: Increases mana and allows access to faith-based spells ]
Extra Stats:
[PHYS ATK: 11]
[PHYS DEF: 9]
[EVASION: 7]
.....
Astaroth's eyes bulged as he gazed upon the alien list of information before him. But one particular word stood out to him:
Mana.
He stared at the status table for several silent seconds, but soon a wicked sneer dawned upon his face. He had a tiny feeling he had just found a massive loophole for himself.
Astaroth quickly shifted his gaze back to the main menu interface and selected
A massive list of spell names appeared before him. As his current body's mana capacity was still very low, he could use almost none of the spells. Astaroth sighed as he picked an offensive spell at the very bottom of the list.
[Magic Arrow]
Upon selecting the spell, he pointed forward, and a purple dart of energy shot forward for several meters before gradually fizzling away.
Astaroth curled his lips in digust. "What a feeble and cumbersome system....." he said to himself.
The process of opening the spell list and selecting a spell took precious seconds that no one in real combat could ever afford. The mages in this world were likely relegated to artillery support in the backlines.
Astaroth checked the detailed status page once more. Sure enough, the [Mana] category was now at [8/14].
He smirked and shook his head. This was all wrong. Very, very wrong.
Astaroth held out his hand once again. This time, instead of using the interface, he simply willed a magic arrow into existence. An azure glow coalesced in his palm, and then using the incantations that had been drilled into him over countless years, he guided the energy from his surroundings and focused them into the glowing light in his hand.
A ripple of power burst from his palm as an arrow shaped form of crackling energy shot from his hand into the distance. As it streaked through the evening air, it crackled with a cerulean light and disappeared into the distance.
THAT was real magic, he thought to himself. Willed into existence using imagination, and fueled using mana guided from the environment, not from the individual.
Harnessing mana from the environment required physical ability, and Astaroth could feel the energy draining from his body at that moment. But he did not mind. All he had to do was invest completely in [Strength] and [Endurance], and he would have both the strength of the greatest warrior and the magic of the greatest sorcerer.
It was perfect.
There was just one problem....
How were these "stats" increased? Surely they weren't simply static constructs? Did he have to undergo some kind of training or so-
His thoughts were interrupted as his gaze lingered upon a peculiar word in the main menu.
[Level]
Astaroth's eyes sparkled with a maniacal gleam.
He knew what he had to do. And this time, he would do it HIS way.