15 - Rampager
Johan gazed down at his own shadow with an impassive expression.
He wondered why it faced that particular direction even though there was no sun in the sky, just the light that came from 'above.'
But it at least gave him some sense of direction.
He's been travelling in the direction opposite to his shadow for hours now, hoping that it would eventually lead somewhere...
But nothing aside from the usual scenery of Dreamland came into view.
"...On the bright side. At least, there aren't any faceless corpses this time around." Johan muttered to himself as trudged through the waters.
Just like last time, his Magic Crest and Circuits had all been taken away from his body, which should have left him an ordinary human...
But that wasn't the case this time around.
"This is amazing..." He said to himself in awe as phantom, illusiory scales erupted from his skin, covering him like armour.
The Phantom Scales were one of the abilities that Johan had acquired after drinking the Sailor Potion.
These scales were piscine in structure and dark blue in colouring, the type you'd see covering the bodies of fish and eels instead of reptiles. But that didn't mean they were weak.
No, they were actually quite strong.
Johan didn't know exactly how strong, but no matter how hard he tried to break them apart with his hands, they wouldn't budge at all.
There was also the added bonus of them making his skin extremely slippery, thus preventing anyone from getting a proper grip of his body during combat.
They only emerged whenever he wanted them to, and they could cover any part of his body in a near-instant, even his reproductive organs.
...Wait, if I covered my dick in this thing, won't it become both extremely slippery and rigid? Johan almost immediately regretted having that thought.
Moving on...
His physique and athleticism have been greatly enhanced.
When Johan first glanced at his own reflection in the water, he had been mystified.
Although his body was already quite good, it was far from aesthetic. But now, he even had ripped abs and slightly wider shoulders!
Hopefully, no one would think he had used steroids or something...
Each of his muscles were firmer, and Johan could even feel that his bones had gotten much tougher.
Even without Reinforcement, Johan concluded that his physical strength and endurance had already reached superhuman levels. He could shatter the base of a tree with a few good punches, and perhaps, he could even effortlessly bend steel!
What would be his strength if he stacked Reinforcement on top of that? Wouldn't he able to one shot an african elephant and even toss one around like a toy!?
Johan would be lying if he said that the thought didn't excite him.
Of course, with physical enhancements, there were the implied sensory enhancements as well.
His eyes could see much father than before, and maybe, he could even see in pitch-black darkness.
Alas, Johan wasn't able to confirm that fact since Dreamland was perpetually stuck in midday lighting.
Moreover, his movement speed wasn't at all decreased by the water. He could even run at full speed without slipping!
At least, with this he wouldn't need to worry about the recent curse of slipping and falling again.
"...Is there really nothing this time?" Johan asked as another hour of monotony passed.
Last time, he got some Potion Formulas directly injected into his brain, he'd figured he would get some more accursed knowledge here, but...
He hadn't even stumbled upon a single clue!
"Or am I supposed to do something by my own?" He asked mostly to himself, glancing down at his naked body.
Just like last time, he didn't feel anything weird about it... which was weird.
"...How the hell am I to figure this out?" Johan lampooned whoever set this whole thing up as his gaze lingered on the Gobbler Ring.
Hm...? Oh, right. The engravings... last time I recited them, nothing happened, but since I'm here now... could it actually do something? Johan wondered.
"Well, I'll never know if I don't at least give it a try..." He muttered to himself before taking one deep breath after another.
"I am that I am."
Ancient Hermes.
It was an extremely hard language to speak, requiring Magical Energy to even attempt.
...Yet in Dreamland, he could speak it freely without restraint.
Immediately, the water began to stir.
A portion of the stone floor cracked, releasing murmurs and whispers regarding things best left unknowable.
Instinctively, Johan covered his ears and began singing random shit to dilute the noise, having learnt from his previous experience with eldritch ravings.
From the cracked floor, a black bile rapidly seeped out, congealing on the water's surface.
The black blob grew and bloated, before steam arose as the waters began to bubble.
Yet, Johan didn't feel any heat from the supposedly boiling water, just some light pressure.
"What the...?" He widened his eyes as the black goo molded into a familiar shape. "This is..."
The black goo had transformed into an exact naked replica of himself, just without a face.
Johan felt chills down his spine as memories of that island made of faceless people drilled into his mind. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before taking a few steps back, wariness evident in his eyes.
The replica stumbled forward, its previously stiff body now animated. I froze, but didn't lose my composure.
"Hey..." He called out. "Is there any chance that you're actually friendly?"
It tilted its head, perhaps in contemplation.
...And then scales began to emerge out from its skin, covering every single part of its body.
With a snarl that seemingly came out from nowhere as it had no mouth, the replica lunged forward.
"...I figured!" Johan cursed as he jumped back with rapid haste, narrowly dodging a jab and strike.
The replica showed signs of degeneration as small tendrils sprouted out from its chin, forming a beard of tentacles. Flippers grew from between each finger, and it even started growing a tail!
Don't tell me I have to fight this thing! Johan lampooned in his mind as the replica snarled once more.
No, calling it a replica would be a shame to Johan's name, it now more resembled an out-of-control beast, a mutated monster, a...
Rampager.
Even the once non-existent facial features made a return, albeit, completely inhuman as a catfish's head replaced his.
Standing before Johan was a Rampager that greatly resembled the Murloc that he had harvested the bladder from, how... poetic.
This... Johan's throught process went into another direction. The formula specifically warned for me to have a stable mind... is this what would have happened if I had drunk the Potion with an anxious mind!?
That was a chilling realization, one that left him with a bad premonition.
There is still the high possibility of this happening to me even now... I have to get a therapist once I return to the real world! Johan thought to himself.
"But for now..." He took a deep breath as he raised his fists. "I'll have to kill you!"