Chapter 83: The Soul of a Wild Creature

"Are you sure you want to take it over?" Makarov looked at the large, green crab in front of him. "That will mean taking its body."

"Yes, I want to try." Rhodes nodded. "Even if I take it over, as long as I 'release' it within a certain amount of time, it shouldn't be harmed, right? I've already mastered the method to 'release' it."

Back when Rhodes first learned to ride a bicycle, he experienced the painful lesson of only knowing how to ride but not how to stop, always crashing into a wall to come to a halt. Naturally, he learned his lesson—learning to stop before learning to skateboard, and asking how to brake before learning to drive. When he learned summoning, he was excited and only learned the forced recall later. Now, learning Take Over, he wasn't about to make the same mistake.

Makarov frowned but felt that Rhodes was trustworthy. "If you're sure, then let's begin."

"Alright." Rhodes placed one hand on the crab's head. "Be good, don't resist."

He closed his eyes, focusing on the 'flow' of magic within his body, trying to match the state described in the books. At a certain moment, Rhodes opened his eyes: "Take Over!"

A blue magic glow poured from Rhodes' hand, enveloping the swift canyon crab entirely. Immediately afterward, light patches flickered on Rhodes' body, and golden light enveloped him.

The golden light only lasted for a short time. When it faded, Rhodes felt a large chunk of his magic power drained away.

And then... nothing happened.

Through the crab's eyes, he could see himself looking confused.

Makarov said, "It failed—concentrate."

"Even a failed Take Over uses up that much magic?" Rhodes was disheartened. A failed attempt like this meant one less chance to practice in the morning.

"Of course. When magic reaches this stage, whether it succeeds or not, the magic power has already been consumed."

Makarov asked, "Why did you get distracted at the last moment?"

"Well... I was worried it'd look ugly."

Rhodes was a bit anxious. There are different kinds of Take Over magic. Some people completely transform into the creature they take over, while others keep their original form with only some features of what they've taken over.

Rhodes... really didn't want to end up scuttling sideways like a crab.

"If you're worried about that kind of thing, then maybe Take Over magic isn't for you," Makarov said. "First, you have to believe in your own heart, and then it will respond to you with a 'miracle.' But remember, it isn't really a 'miracle'; it's just your heart. Magic is the power of one's heart."

"Believe in myself, believe in my own heart," Rhodes tried to ask himself, what did he want most? First strength, then style.

If he could be strong enough, it wouldn't matter if he wasn't stylish—because as long as he defeated his enemies, that'd be the coolest thing. But how strong could taking over a crab really make him?

No, no, crabs have their own strengths.

Also, the power of Take Over magic, aside from depending on the creature being taken over, also relied heavily on the user's own magic power. If the Master used Take Over magic, even if he took over a common rabbit, he could probably kick most of the guild members into the sky with one blow.

Believe...

"Take Over!"

Light patches lit up, a flash of golden light, and the crab disappeared from its place. Rhodes' appearance changed dramatically!

Hands, legs, and body, even his head, were covered by a hard shell—like he was wearing green armor.

A pair of antennae stood up from his head, and his face seemed to be wearing a mask, his eyes glowing a faint yellow.

His chest was protected by a thick shell, and the gauntlets extended from his fingers down to his forearms, appearing particularly strong.

These were all things Rhodes could "see" for himself. After taking over the crab, he had a peculiar 360-degree field of vision, and he could see his entire appearance without needing a mirror.

"Is this... Mōzi? Golden Armor Jirou? Armored Warrior Elephant Handsome?"

After seeing himself, Rhodes suddenly associated himself with three characters of similar color schemes.

Suddenly, he thought that this green armor looked quite cool. He used his fists to tap his chest and arms—the hardness seemed pretty decent.

Makarov stood with one arm behind his back, the other hand raised in front of him, two fingers up, as if he was ready to subdue Rhodes at any moment if he went berserk.

"Master, I'm fine."

Makarov lowered his arm, "Good. How do you feel?"

Rhodes moved around a bit. He felt more agile than usual.

He raised his right hand, and the gauntlet glowed, transforming into a crab claw. As he opened and closed it, he could feel the power behind it.

Rhodes tried moving his legs, and immediately he dashed forward, much faster than usual.

He focused his mind, immediately using the crab's skill, and it seemed like afterimages were left behind as he moved.

"Is this Phantom Step?" Rhodes got momentarily distracted, and with a loud crash, he smashed through the courtyard wall, charging straight out.

It was, apparently, the same spot that the crab had smashed through last time he summoned it.

What a coincidence! Rhodes was thrilled to find that crashing through a wall didn't hurt at all.

"Rhodes!"

"I'll fix it later!"

Rhodes' voice was carried away by the wind as he ran to the lake behind the guild.

Swimming, diving, even standing on the lake surface!

Taking over the crab automatically gave him mastery over water combat!

Speaking of the crab...

Rhodes focused his mind, sensing the Summoner's Canyon. In the upper and lower river lanes, one crab was patrolling the upper lane, and the other hadn't disappeared but instead had entered a resting state, its main body submerged underwater with its antennae sticking out.

This left Rhodes confused. This magic was supposed to take over the target's body, but what exactly had he taken over? Its respawn timer?

Rhodes spent a while in the lake, getting familiar with this magic, then returned to the courtyard and undid the Take Over magic in front of the Master.

Thankfully, there was no situation like Chita's where his clothes tore.

"Any discomfort?"

"No, just that magic power is drained a lot—feels like it uses more than summoning two crabs simultaneously."

"That's one of the drawbacks of Take Over magic. Increase your magic power and get used to that form, and it'll improve."

Makarov thought for a moment, then asked, "How's that crab doing?"

Rhodes checked the Summoner's Canyon. There were crabs patrolling both the upper and lower lanes. "It has recovered."

"That's good." Makarov didn't say it out loud, but in his heart, he still felt a bit uneasy about the idea of taking over one's battle companions.

"But Master..." Rhodes said, confused, "I only canceled the Take Over magic—I haven't performed the 'release' step yet."

"What? How could that be..." Makarov said in shock, "Could it be that, in your Summoner's Canyon, there's actually a third crab?"

"That shouldn't be..." Rhodes had clearly seen the crab jump out of the water from a resting state.

Could a new one have been spawned?

Makarov thought for a while, "Well then, can you still use Take Over magic right now?"

Rhodes closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened them. "Take Over!"

Familiar light patches appeared, and Rhodes transformed once again.