Chương 710: The Godless Spellcaster

Core: Spectral Beast Rank: E Rank D Cores: [202/1000] Core Skill: [Form Devourer] Beast Skills: [Spectral Rend (Rare)], [Predatory Sovereignty (Epic)], [Typhon (Mythic)], [Form Devourer Slot I (Legendary)], [Extended Bond (Rare)] Form Devourer: [Juvenile Sunken Kraken (Rank E)], [Reef Glider (Rank E)] Form Devourer Skills: [Titan Grip (Uncommon)], [Maelstrom Dominion (Epic)], [Leviathan's Embrace (Legendary)] Form Slot I Skills: [Gliding Leap (Common)], [Diving Rush (Uncommon)], [Scaled Gleam (Rare)] Luke tapped the new skill.

[Extended Bond (Rare)]: The black thread connecting the Spectral Beast to its host stretches far beyond its original limit, allowing the creature to operate at a much greater distance while remaining linked to the core in the user's stomach. As the thread lengthens, so does the host's reach. The beast can pursue fleeing prey, attack from unexpected angles, guard distant positions, and move across the battlefield as an extension of the user's will.

This expanded range also allows the Spectral Beast to assume larger forms with far greater freedom, giving its body the space it needs to grow without limiting its host. In addition, destructive abilities that would be too dangerous at close range can now be unleashed far from the user. What was once a short-range manifestation becomes a predator with room to grow. The beast goes farther. The will stays absolute. Luke read every line carefully, leaning against the wreckage as night swallowed the island around him.

I wouldn't have complained about another beast transformation slot, but this one's useful enough. The Spectral Beast had always been dangerous, but distance had limited it. Now the black thread wasn't just a chain. It was a leash long enough that no prey should ever feel safe.

"Angie and Charlie… they're still not back…" Anne's voice came out low, heavy with worry.

"They're fine. They're probably hunting cores too." Ever since Luke had evolved to Rank D and reunited with Angie and Charlie, his connection to them had changed. It wasn't exactly emotion, and it wasn't stray thoughts leaking into his head either. It was more like sensing their state of mind, a distant pressure against his soul that became clearer when they were nearby. With Angie, the link was stronger because she was also Rank D. Charlie was close to evolving, so the bond was weaker, but still there.

With Angie, Luke could even speak mentally when they were within a reasonable distance. It felt similar to when she stayed inside his soul, except she was outside his body. Less intimate. Less stable. Still useful.

"I'm going back to the lab," he said.

"Call me if you need help, Anne." The night was too quiet, and the group stayed hidden among broken buildings and deep shadows. Here, monsters were not the only danger. Hostile participants could show up too, and Luke really wasn't in the mood to waste time on idiots. When he opened the office door, he started thinking about where to begin his preparations.

"So, making more pervert potions?" Artemis asked. Luke stopped for half a second.

"Pervert potions? No idea what you're talking about." In the corner of the laboratory, a small tree grew in a space prepared especially for it. It was a shrunken apple tree, with a thin trunk, delicate leaves, and roots adapted to the improvised pot.

"I did it," Luke said, stepping closer.

"I made a kind of apple bonsai."

"Wow. Amazing. Congratulations…" Artemis said, sounding dead inside. The experiment was the result of the new skill Luke had chosen for his profession at level 90. [Botanical Transmutation (Epic)]: The Botanical Guardian masters the power of [Transmutation] and guides it down the path of botany.

This skill allows the user to alter seeds and plants, control germination, perform instant grafts between compatible species, accelerate or modify fruiting cycles, and fuse compatible materials into a plant's structure to create unique mutant specimens. The botanist's cultivation abilities take a great step forward, opening the way to new plants, new harvests, and new forms of plant life shaped by their will.

"Very impressive, little witch. A new plant."

"I'm not a witch anymore. And you've been kind of gloomy for the last few hours. Something happen?"

"Of course I'm gloomy. Anne refused to wear the swimsuit." Luke closed his eyes for a moment.

"I don't know why I ask. I know I'm going to regret whatever comes out of your mouth, and I still keep asking."

"Luke, you have Anne and Charlie wearing maid outfits. You're in fetish paradise."

"It's not a fetish."

"But I like sexy statues," Artemis continued, completely ignoring him.

"And since Angie unfortunately stopped being a statue, the closest thing I have left is dolls. Anne is a doll. Therefore, a sexy doll in a swimsuit would be, to me, what the maid outfit is to you."

"I'm ending this conversation before you invent an entirely new category of harassment." He dropped into the chair and gave it a light push. The chair spun smoothly. At least that had been a success. Using [Transmutation], he had managed to create a swivel chair. He had also repaired a few pots, which might not have been glorious, but it was useful. In a world like this, an intact pot still had value.

"Go play with your plants, little witch."

"Like I said, I'm not a witch anymore." And that was true. The class Luke had chosen at level 100 changed how he understood mana. [Arcane Spellcaster]: Your understanding of mana has surpassed the limits expected for your rank. What others treat as unstable energy, you perceive as structure, flow, and purpose. You do not cast by instinct alone; you shape mana with knowledge few witches can claim.

As an Arcane Spellcaster, you may pursue Telekinesis, Death, Space, Time, Life, and, where your affinity is greatest, Destruction. Simple spells no longer satisfy you. Your goal is to understand the forces behind matter, distance, decay, vitality, and ruin. Each spell becomes an expression of that knowledge, bending reality through mana and forcing the battlefield to obey your will. No god guides your steps. No pact defines your power. There is only mana, and your growing ability to command it.

(Attribute Bonus per level: +40 Intelligence, +31 Wisdom, +22 Perception, +19 Willpower, +10 Agility, +8 Dexterity, +7 Vitality, +25 Free Points.)"My lord, we have arrived." Angie's voice surfaced inside Luke's mind. He left the laboratory and climbed onto the deck. Charlie and Angie were there, soaked, tired, and in one piece.

"Hey. Glad you're back." Luke looked at Charlie.

"Did you hit Rank D?"

"No…" The silence that followed said everything. Oof. Sore spot. After Angie and Charlie washed up, the group gathered around an improvised table on the deck. The ship moved slowly, cutting through the dark water without hurry.

"You got ten cores?" Charlie asked, surprised. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Anne nodded.

"We got lucky," Luke said.

"Found some jellyfish, so we just focused on the ones that had cores." Angie and Charlie, meanwhile, had brought six cores back for Luke. He studied the items on the table, doing the math in silence. If I keep averaging eight cores a day, I'll clear three hundred before the deadline. That was an absurd increase in power for the Spectral Beast. On top of that, it would unlock a new skill.

"Maybe we could trade resources for cores with other people," Angie suggested. Cores were used as energy sources for forging weapons and equipment, so it was not as if people would sell them out of kindness. Still, Luke had gold and a growing collection of strange things. It was worth trying.

"When we get back to the citadel, I'll look into it. We have gold. Someone might be selling." He picked up one of the cores.

"I should save some for Franky, but he'll understand where I'm coming from."

"Franky…?" Anne tilted her head.

"Your… pet?"

"Yeah. The snake from the tutorial. By now, he's probably with my family at their house. Or stuck somewhere waiting for me to get back to Earth."

"I like… snakes," Anne said.

"Human Mommy… has one too." Luke stayed silent for a few seconds before answering.

"Most of your family should be back home, Anne. I just hope your sister explains that I didn't kidnap you." The doll maid gave a small smile. It did not last. Her face soon returned to its usual stoic expression, though her voice betrayed real concern.

"I'm worried… about my sister."

"Erza should be fine. She's Erza, after all. She's come back from the dead a few times already." No one pushed the subject. For Anne's sake, they let it drop. Little by little, the tension gave way to a discussion about Rank D and the changes it brought.

"One big difference I noticed is how much sharper everything looks. Smells, too," Luke said.

"For me, it feels like I got older." Angie brought a hand to her chin, thoughtful.

"Or maybe wiser?"

"And very beautiful," Artemis added, refusing to miss the chance.

"Extremely beautiful. Perfect curves in the brea—" Luke silenced her before she could finish.

"You changed too, Anne," he said, turning to the doll.

"You grew a little."

"Two centimeters," she answered.

"But… proportionally. I'm more… filled out. Strange."

"You got prettier too," Charlie said. Then she looked at Luke.

"You too, Master Luke. You became very handsome."

"Every time we rank up, we take another step toward becoming gods," Angie said.

"Appearance reflects that. But I imagine this idea of beauty registers more clearly with humanoid beings, especially those close to human society."

"There's got to be an ugly god out there somewhere," Luke mused.

"And maybe, for his species, looking terrifying is an advantage."

"It isn't that rank evolution makes you beautiful," Artemis said.

"What evolves is your potential. You become superior to your previous self. For humans, that often appears as what they call beauty. For other races, the traits may be different. A terrifying race, for example, might become even more terrifying." If a goddess was saying it, maybe there was some truth to it. Or maybe she was just messing with them, which also sounded like Artemis. Later, when the night had turned truly cold, Charlie lay pressed against Luke. He covered her and pulled her close.

She liked being spoiled. In the dark, the two of them shared warmth beneath the blankets while the ship creaked softly with the motion of the waves.

"Master Luke."

"Yeah?"

"Um…" Charlie hesitated.

"Is there any chance I'll turn back into a skeleton?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I… rank up." Luke went quiet for a moment, understanding where that question came from.

"I don't think so, Charlie." The silence that followed was too heavy to ignore.

"Don't worry," he said, holding her a little tighter.

"I'd still like you, even if you turned back into a skeleton."

"You… knew I was thinking about that because of the bond?"

"No. I just know you really well, Charlie." She relaxed a little.

"I'm glad you said that." Her voice came out softer.

"So you really would still like me? Even as a skeleton?"

"Of course. It would just be weird if you were a skeleton right now. I'm holding you, hugging your soft little belly. A bony belly would be weird. Actually, would that even count as a belly? It'd just be ribs, right? Those breasts I like so much would disappear too. That nice-smelling hair would be gone, and our fun nights under the blankets would be over. Now that I think about it, Charlie… I'd break up with you." She elbowed him.

"Idiot."

"I was joking. Relax. Don't look at me like that."

"I know."

"But you turned around and you're staring at me in the dark."

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me."

"Just like that?"

"Do you want to cheer me up or not?" Luke sighed, defeated by logic he could not possibly argue with.

"Fine. I want to cheer you up." He kissed her. Charlie curled against him afterward, warmer and calmer.

"So now we're having that fun moment under the blankets?" he asked.

"No." The answer came far too quickly.

"Now you're going to wait until I rank up." Luke stared at the ceiling in the dark. She tricked me… I thought that was supposed to cheer her up.

Crustaceans came at them from every side. The island was crawling with them. Shells scraped against stone, claws snapped like blades, and dozens of creatures poured from cracks between the ruins in a living tide of chitin, sand, and violence. Luke and Charlie advanced together, carving a path through the monsters, but it was obvious this fight meant something different to her.

"Want me to call Angie?" Luke asked in the middle of the clash. Charlie answered by cutting one of the creatures in half with her sword. The strike was brutal, fast, and packed with bottled-up anger. With a single teleport, Luke could return to the ship and bring help. But Charlie did not even look at him.

"No! I need to do this." And she kept advancing alone toward the swarm. At the center of the ruins stood an enormous mound of sand, almost like a warped anthill. Tunnels opened across its surface, and crustaceans spilled out in masses, crawling over one another, hungry and aggressive. Charlie did not hesitate. She forced her way through and went inside. Luke followed, helping just enough to keep her from getting surrounded, but not enough to steal her fight. This mattered to her.

He could see it in the tension of her shoulders, in the violence of her swings, in her refusal to ask for help. Inside, the air was damp, heavy, and stank of salt, blood, and cracked shell. At the center of the nest, Charlie found the larger creature: a gigantic beast that looked like a lobster fused with a crab, with thick claws, too many legs, and a carapace covered in old battle scars. The fight was brutal. Charlie was forced to activate [Blood Familiar Armor I].

The armor wrapped around her body, strengthening her movements while draining stamina and mana every second. Still, she kept going. She cut, dodged, punched. When the sword was not enough, she used her fists. When the creature's claws snapped too close, she stepped even deeper into danger. Luke watched and only intervened when necessary. Charlie was taking the monster apart piece by piece. Until, after a long exchange of blows, the giant beast finally broke.

Its carapace split with a heavy crack, its legs failed, and its massive body collapsed into the sand. Charlie stood in front of it, sweaty and exhausted. The armor had drained almost everything she had, but even then, a smile began to spread across her face. Among the notifications, one stood out more than all the rest. [Charlotte Vespertilio has reached Level 100! Vampire (Rank E)] (+2 to all stats, +7 free points.) [Rank Evolution Available!]"I did it, Master Luke!"

She ran to him and hugged him so hard she nearly crushed him.

"Congratulations, Charlie." The system invited her to evolve, but she did not accept right away. She stared at the screen, frozen for a few seconds. The fear was still there. Not of dying, not exactly. It was another kind of fear. The fear of losing the body she had gained. The shape she had learned to call her own. Luke placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll still like you, no matter what you become." Charlie nodded. Then she tapped the screen and accepted the rank evolution. Her entire body lit up. For an instant, her form seemed to come apart. Not like flesh being destroyed. More like a structure being taken apart by something greater, reduced to light, essence, and will. Then it began to rebuild itself. Watching the process gave Luke a clearer understanding of what truly happened during an evolution.

At Charlie's center was a white sphere, bright as a tiny sun. That was where her body drew the energy to remake itself. A soul core. Something beautiful, powerful, and absurdly fragile in that state. The evolution took an entire day, just as Luke's had. When it finally ended, the light faded, and Charlie stumbled forward before dropping to her knees.

"Are you okay?" Luke caught her before she could fall completely. Charlie blinked several times, as if her eyes were still learning how to see the world again.

"I am. That… hurt and didn't hurt at the same time."

"I think last time you didn't feel it as much because you were a skeleton." Luke helped her steady herself.

"But at Rank D, yeah, it hurts. It's like being a sword hammered into shape." She looked at her own hands. Flexed her fingers, touched her skin, her arms, her face. Then a smile appeared.

"I'm still flesh and blood."

"Yeah. You're still a vampire." Luke looked her over more closely and raised an eyebrow.

"And yeah, you got prettier. Your hair is huge, Charlie. You'll need a haircut. And a nail trim." They were side effects of rank evolution. But it was not just that. Charlie had changed. She was still Charlie, but something about her had sharpened. More refined. More elegant. More intense. Luke could not explain it properly. He only knew it was impossible not to notice.

"If Artemis were here, she'd probably make a sexual comment," he said.

"But I'd have to agree with part of it. You got even hotter." Charlie's face went red for a moment. The compliment seemed to reassure her more than any explanation could have.

"W-we should head back," she said, looking away.

"They must be worried about us."

"Wait."

"Oh, right. We need to collect the cores from these creatures."

"I already did, Charlie. A whole day passed." Luke stepped closer.

"That's not what I meant." She blinked.

"What is it, Master Luke?"

"I didn't forget your promise."

"Promise?" Luke pulled her in by the waist, just enough to make her remember.

"You said we could do it after you ranked up." Her face turned even redder.

"Here? Now?"

"There's no one here."

"B-but…" Charlie looked around.

"There are monster corpses everywhere. I don't want it like this."

"Fair enough. Your call." Charlie hesitated for a second, then leaned close to his ear.

"But on the way out of this place, there are a few intact houses in the ruins."