Feeling Powerful

My eyes flicked open. I jumped up onto my feet. I looked around me and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Tizi was looking at me and her mouth started to open as she spoke. "A-r-e--y-o-u--o-k-a-y?"

At the same time, a blue window opened next to me.

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*Mana capacity has exceeded 50. Your mana has become more pure and consolidated. Your soulstone size will increase shortly. ERROR → soulstone has already been compressed to the size of a needle head. A foreign mana has taken over the subject's body. No enhancement will be made.*

*Mana control has exceeded 50. You can now send messages using mana to others. Strings of mana are no longer required to send a portion of your soul anywhere. Your soul is split between every piece of your mana.*

*All physical stats have increased to 25! Your body's frame size has been enlarged to allow you to fully express your new strength.*

Status Screen:

Health → 370/370. Stamina → 290/290. Speed → 225. Weight → 324.8/900. Strength → 500. Combat Sense → 225. Mana capacity → 64/64. Mana sense → 53. Willpower of the Soul → 25.

Inventory: Soulstone, mana map, 4 bolas, 1 makeshift set, 1 laced arrow, compound bow, 18 metal arrows, 1 steel broadsword, 1 combat knife, and 1 Ascendant skillbook.

Skills: Transcendent → Murder Maniac's Soul Almanac. Ascendant → Soul Flayer. Magic → Aura Implementation.

Soulbound items: Magic → Ring of the Training Maniac.

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As I looked away from the screen, I glanced at my body. I had become about a foot taller and every appendage of my body had followed in proportion. I looked extremely muscular.

I shrugged and took the ascendant skill book from my inventory. It was the one I had received from successfully being the first to have created a descendant with a soulsave. Extension of Will is what it was called and it would give me 100 stamina, 10 mana capacity, and 10 mana control.

I flicked the option that popped up "YES" and I felt a wash of power flood through my body. With all my new stat points, it felt underwhelming. I looked at my status screen once more.

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Status Screen:

Health → 370/370. Stamina → 290/390+. Speed → 225. Weight → 324.8/900. Strength → 500. Combat Sense → 225. Mana capacity → 64/74+. Mana sense → 63. Willpower of the Soul → 25.

Inventory: Soulstone, mana map, 4 bolas, 1 makeshift set, 1 laced arrow, compound bow, 18 metal arrows, 1 steel broadsword, and 1 combat knife.

Skills: Transcendent → Murder Maniac's Soul Almanac. Ascendant → Soul Flayer and Extension of Will. Magic → Aura Implementation.

Soulbound items: Magic → Ring of the Training Maniac.

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I turned around to Tizi who had just finished her sentence. My processing speed as well as all of my other senses had been amped unbelievably high. It was going to take some getting used to.

I took a deep breath and allowed my sense of time to slow down. I looked back up at her. "Hey, I just absorbed a skill and became stronger."

She looked annoyed. "You know everyone is going to be hunting for you now. We need to get back to our base right now!"

I shrugged. "Then I will kill them all. Simple. I do agree though let's head back."

The whole rest of the day we spent walking back towards our base. We saw no dinosaurs, but at the sulfur and oil node area, my soul slaves harvested lots.

We had made good time, because we hadn't been distracted by any animals and we were hurrying. Or at least everyone else was, I was walking slowly.

It was night when we reached my base. I unlocked the door and I walked in. The eleven others streamed in behind me. Good thing that we had made a second story, because we were going to need it tonight. We could fit everyone, but I wanted to have some fun because I was overflowing with energy and I wasn't quite ready to go to sleep.

As Font, Twon, Zint and Isot saw the nine new members crowding the entrance, their eyes widened. I stretched out my arms as I strode through the doorway and almost hit the two soul slaves that were eating in the backs of their heads. "Behold, my new soul slaves. Some of them are high enough to make stone structures. Even higher than you."

Isot glared at me. "Everyone on this damned island is going to hunt you down. Are we not going to talk about that?"

Font nodded in agreement while Twon stayed still and expressionless.

I grinned at them. "They will come and they will die."

Isot continued. "Don't you think you are being too arrogant? There are thousands of people on this island."

I nodded. I wanted to say 'you too', but I held my breath for a moment and said something else. "I want to show you all something outside. Follow me."

They walked outside with me and as soon as they had come out the door, I opened my tribe settings and removed them both from the tribe. As the green icons above their head disappeared, I let two balls of black mana form in my hand.

I smiled at them. "Go to fucking hell."

I let loose the balls of mana before they could do anything. Their bodies instantly turned to ash. I felt two sources of mana from inside their body cashes and I instinctively knew that I consume them or keep them. I consumed both of their souls.

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You have killed subject 8712 (level 14) and 4278 (level 15). You have received 23,200/29,000 experience.

You have 467,200/1,000,000 experience needed for level 20.

*You have consumed two souls. You have gained → 40 weight and 20 stamina.*

Status Screen:

Health → 370/370. Stamina → 187/410. Speed → 225. Weight → 324.8/940. Strength → 500. Combat Sense → 225. Mana capacity → 64/74+. Mana sense → 63. Willpower of the Soul → 25.

Inventory: Soulstone, mana map, 4 bolas, 1 makeshift set, 1 laced arrow, compound bow, 18 metal arrows, 1 steel broadsword, and 1 combat knife.

Skills: Transcendent → Murder Maniac's Soul Almanac. Ascendant → Soul Flayer and Extension of Will. Magic → Aura Implementation.

Soulbound items: Magic → Ring of the Training Maniac.

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I felt a tiny increase in my power as I flicked my eyes between Tizi, Twon, and Zint. None of them had an expression of horror on their faces. They had all probably expected as much.

I knew Zint was obsessed with me, so she would not be a threat for the time being. Twon could be a threat, but he knew how to play it cool, so I would let him live. Tizi probably wouldn't betray me although she was the strongest of everyone. I would make them all souls slaves at the slightest hint of betrayal.

I walked through them and went inside. As I walked through the door and looked at Tie, the woman with white hair and golden eyes who had resisted me the most and who was a higher level than me, I commanded her. "Make a bed quickly with the materials you salvaged from your base and then come upstairs."

I would punish her for resisting me so much.