Monster Jousting Book 3 - Chapter 9 (Patreon)

You have obtained a Legendary Dexterity Skill Essence - Step of Many Forms: Illusion. Deceit. Mirror-images. This is a technique that utilises masterful control of the body to create an image of your desire. ( The image needs to be one you are familiar with. ) This is a movement Skill. Increases the damage dealt by monsters in the vicinity by a large amount.

This is Legendary?

Noah couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. In theory, it was a great Skill. The mention of mirror-images did get him excited at first, but it wasn’t enough to warrant being a Legendary Skill in his mind. But he couldn’t help but feel there was more to the technique than what was in the description.

During the many hours he spent watching the broadcast back on Earth, he had never once seen a Legendary Skill spawn. And now, it was a bit of a let down. Hell, even his Rare Skills seemed much better than it at first glance.

[Shrouded Presence] was vital to him. It not only made his whereabouts unknown, but it also altered his, and his tamed monster's steps. It didn’t seem too helpful, but changing their steps meant that their enemy didn’t know what to expect.

Of course, then there was [Monstrous Allegiance]. It was one of the main reasons he had even clawed his way up the rankings in the first place. If not for that Skill, he would be vastly weaker than he was right now.

However, Noah repeated the Skill’s name. [Step of Many Forms]. It implied that it was more than just a creator of mirror-images.

Well, it’ll be great to apply it to [Shadow Step].

It may have seemed lacking for a Legendary, but he could overwrite his previous skill with it. He shuddered. Noah remembered the pain and suffering he had to endure to take on his [Shadow of a Monstrosity] Pathstone. Although Skills weren’t nearly as severe of a process, he didn’t relish what was to come.

In the end, Noah decided to wait a little longer before absorbing the Essence. If he could upgrade [Shadow Step] another tier up to Epic, then that would make him a whole lot more confident. After all, if it wasn’t for that strange occurrence within his body helping him absorb the Pathstone, he didn’t want to think about the consequences of that event.

Would it have destroyed his Pathway entirely?

Noah shook his head. That was why he had to be more careful. It didn’t matter what secrets a Legendary Skill held. He wasn’t willing to tarnish his future for it.

“Well?” Pillow gazed at Noah in feverish anticipation. His eyes practically shone with greed. They were almost popping out of his skull.

“It’s a Skill perfect for me, so I’m taking it,” Noah said. Pillow’s shoulders slumped. “You can take all the fragments. There’s a lot. Share them between you. Pillow, you can have your selection of the Essences, and fragments.”

It was only fair. Pillow was the one who had risked his life to lure over the wolf. While Thraz didn’t contribute. In total, Pillow took the largest of the Epic fragments, while he gave the smaller ones to Thraz.

“No,” Thraz said, turning his snout up at the glittering purple, blue, and green that littered the floor. “I didn’t contribute. So I don’t get any.”

“Oh don’t get all prideful you scaly bastard,” Pillow spat. He pointed at the dragonborn. “We are a team. At least that’s what Noah would do, right? I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Even when he hunts alone, he brings back essences and fragments, sharing them. Or do you not see me as part of this team?”

Thraz grumbled then plucked up the Essences from the floor. Then they started arguing. About what? Noah didn’t know. He drowned it out.

His attention was focused on Krall. He was sniffing the infernal crab. He looked back over his thickly armoured shoulder to Noah. Noah nodded. Excited, Krall ripped through the shell of the crab until he was neck deep.

Noah couldn’t see what was happening. Nor did he really want to. But he could visualise it from the last time Krall had begun the evolution process. He was devouring the monster's heart.

Your tamed monster: Krall–the Scourge of the Jungle–has consumed the heart of the Infernal Crab.

| Begin evolution?

Noah looked around. From the street where the hulking beasts emerged, from over his shoulder. He didn’t know if any stronger monster would pick up the scent and come over for a quick snack. Noah hadn’t seen it happen before, but the deeper he went into the city, the more dangerous it was becoming. Pillow’s tense muscles as his head turned on a swivel only affirmed Noah’s thoughts.

No. Not right now.

With that decision in mind, Noah decided to retreat back to the pier of the city; where it was the safest. A couple hours later of non-stop running, and they all made it safely back to the harbour.

Noah had taken the house next to Pillow’s as his own. While Thraz was a few buildings away. He really wanted to stay with Noah, but the dragonborn had some sort of damned sleep apnea. If he had to endure another night of System enhanced snoring, Noah would turn mad.

So Noah had taken a house all to himself. He knew once he hit Level 100, evolution for Krall was inevitable. And he knew exactly how gory the event was prior.

Saying goodbye to Pillow and Thraz, Noah asked Krall to stand in the middle of the room. It was void of any furniture. No bed. No tables or chairs. There was nothing in the room. It was ready for today.

Once Krall was sitting comfortably, Noah activated the evolution prompt. Krall’s beastly visage contorted in pain. He thrashed on the ground, and roared. It was like he was being tortured internally. Each morsel of flesh was being torn apart, and moulded anew. From his muscles, to his bones and the marrow hidden within them.

This time was also different for Noah. He shivered. His enhanced connection with Krall meant that although he couldn’t exactly feel the pain he was going through; Noah could feel how much it hurt him.

Noah grit his teeth as he watched. Krall gazed at him. As if begging him for the pain to stop. Noah tried, but there was nothing he could do once it started.

You can do it, big guy. Hang in there. You can do it, Noah repeated within his mind in an attempt to calm down Krall. Unlike the last evolution process, there was no outward change. Not that he could see, anyway. Nor was there any blood.

However, that didn’t stop the blood from seeping through his sharpened fangs.

Thanks to Noah’s words, Krall clenched his teeth and battled through the pain.

Noah wondered what kind of changes the Infernal Crab would bring about for Krall. He expected a more refined armour around his body–like a powerful shell or chitin–he didn’t expect, well, nothing. Five minutes turned into half an hour.

He was beginning to worry. It was taking too long. The only piece of information that calmed Noah’s increasingly negative thoughts, was that Krall had made peace with the pain torturing him.

Finally, after around the forty-minute mark, something changed. It was the air. It was getting hotter and hotter, until Noah was forced to take a step back. Then another.

Krall opened his eyes. They were orange and red and–blazing. He powerfully clambered to his feet. Two geysers of flames shot out from his shoulders.

Embers squirmed beneath Krall’s claws like there was molten-lava underneath a glass surface. Black smoke tumbled around his body, almost shrouding him from sight if not for the fire summoned from his shoulders.

He stepped to the side. His footsteps were almost entirely muffled. He was the same size. No, he had gotten a little smaller.

Krall shifted his head from side-to-side. Small horns emerged as wicks of flames. When the fire settled, two, small black horns jutted out from his skull.

Krall has evolved.

| Kobold King Mole -> Infernal Monarch

“Holy shit,” Noah mumbled. His eyes widened. “Badass!”

Krall felt the excitement. He danced on the spot. Everywhere he stepped, his claws turned the tiled floor into molten slag.

“Woah there, stop,” Noah said.

Just like himself, it seemed that Krall had to get accustomed to his new powers. The powers of fire. Noah smiled. He couldn’t wait to see what new powers he had awakened.

To the side, Gluttony couldn’t help but stare at Krall in… jealousy.