[Devour in progress…]

  [Devour Complete]

  You absorbed 38% of the Demonic Gnoll's memories.

  You have unlocked the [Demonic Gnoll] form.

  The [Demonic Gnoll] form is considered an adjacent species to the already assimilated [Wolf] form. Do you wish to merge the two?

  That was new. Previously, the system would tell Xen that the species was superior rather than adjacent. However, looking at the corpse at his feet, he could somewhat see the resemblance. The Demonic Gnoll was effectively a wolf standing on its hind legs and a little more humanoid.

  Since merging forms always brought about benefits, Xen saw no reason to refuse, as he didn't see a future where an underleveled Demonic Gnoll form would serve him better than any of his other forms.

  "Yes, merge them."

  The [Demonic Gnoll] and [Wolf] forms have been successfully merged to create the rare [Hellfang] form.

  You acquired the following skills:

  [Hellfire Howl (B)]

  You and the target shared similar skills:

  [Pack Call (E)] has been upgraded to [Blazing Rally (C)]

  [Predatory Strike (E)] has been upgraded to [Infernal Claws (C)]

  [Blood Scent (F)] has been upgraded to [Bloodthirst (D)]

  Transferring experience from the [Wolf] form:

  [Hellfang] has leveled up: 8 -> 9.

  Xen blinked at the long list of system messages.

  "So many new upgrades," he said, smiling to himself. He was happier than he cared to admit, seeing the wolf skills that had helped him survive his first hours as a Shapeshifter getting some love. As he had never gotten a chance to have his wolf form evolve, all of those skills had been stuck at the low grades, making them fall behind new and shiny skills.

  "System, give me a summary."

  Hellfang: Level: 9 (E)

  < [Hellfire Howl (B)] - [Blazing Rally (C)] - [Infernal Claws (C)] - [Bloodthirst (D)] >

  [The Hellfang form is a giant wolf variant birthed by the World Dungeon in areas with a high concentration of fire and demonic energy. Typically eight feet long and weighing over 700 pounds, with claws that can tear through armor and speed that seems impossible for their size.]

  Xen grinned. This new form sounded far better than either the Wolf or Demonic Gnoll form could ever be. I really need to get away from these humans so I can level up my other forms, Xen thought as he went over the new skills.

  [Hellfire Howl (B)]

  Unleash a fire breath in a wide cone. Applies Burn and may cause Fear to enemies under your level.

  [Blazing Rally (C)]

  Unleash a thunderous, mana-infused demonic howl that summons a spectral pack of burning wolf-shades.

  [Infernal Claws (C)]

  Wreathe your claws in demonic fire that inflicts a Burn and Bleeding effect on enemies damaged by your claws.

  [Bloodthirst (D)]

  Gain a substantial increase in speed when chasing an opponent you inflicted with a Bleed effect at the cost of stamina.

  These were all outstanding abilities and suited the picture of a Hellfang in Xen's mind. Furthermore, this new form was at level 9, meaning it needed only one more level to evolve.

  While pondering his new skills, he finished devouring the rest of the large corpse.

  [You gained biomass]

  Licking the blood off his lips with his black tendrils, he put his blood-stained mask back down and looked behind him at the destruction his use of Cataclysm had caused to the passage.

  "Threadwalk," he said, and casually walked horizontally along the cliff face and began his trip back to the humans.

  I'll have to carry them one by one over this new chasm, how annoying, Xen thought as he glanced down into the abyss where he had sent the Gnoll Grunts plunging to their brutal ends. If he hadn't been in such a hurry to take down the rude Demonic Gnoll that had dared to insult his intelligence, he would have been calm and collected enough to know there was nowhere for the Demonic Gnoll to run. He could have taken his time slaughtering the Grunts for the maximum experience, rather than simply getting assistance experience for destroying the passageway.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Xen decided to conveniently ignore the fact that the Demonic Gnoll might have been partially correct. Since, at the end of the day, he was the one still alive and stronger than ever, while the Demonic Gnoll sat digesting inside his slimy stomach.

  "Gerald!"

  A sudden panic-filled shout broke him out of his amused thoughts.

  "Was that Randy?" Xen panicked. "Windveil Agility."

  Wind swirled around his form, and he rushed around the bending passage. Not a second later, he laid eyes on Randy and Valoria facing off against a swarm of bats.

  "Appraisal," Xen said, his eyes flicking between the foes.

  [Vampiric Bat (Level 21)]

  [Vampiric Bat (Level 23)]

  [Vampiric Bat (Level 19)]

  [Vampiric Bat (Level 26)]

  There were too many of them, possibly twenty. Most were swarming overhead, looking for an opportunity to strike the two weakened humans. That's when Xen realized something.

  "Where is Vesper?!" he shouted.

  Valoria, distracted by his shout, looked to the side. Her expression immediately relaxed, if only a little. "Gerald! The bats took hi—" she didn't finish her sentence as one of the monsters took the opportunity and dove down to grab the distracted girl.

  Oh no, you don't, Xen raised his finger and pointed at the massive bat. "Radiant Smite."

  It was an E-grade skill, but with his insane magic stat and the sudden flash of light it provided, the swarm of Vampiric Bats let out a chorus of ear-grating screeches as they fled.

  Valoria was unceremoniously dumped by the fleeing bat, with Randy managing to move his broken body in time to partially catch her. However, neither of them was concerned about themselves.

  "Gerald, you need to save Vesper," Randy said, clearly short of breath as he helped Valoria to her feet. "The bats took him!"

  Xen came to a stop near the two humans and glanced at the bats overhead, not finding Vesper. "Where?" he asked as he activated Geomantic Perception, discovering it was only helpful for mapping the area and locating beings directly touching the ground. He could also trace mana, but it seemed the injured Vesper didn't put up much of a fight, as there were none of note.

  "I can't locate him," Xen said, "he's gone."

  That was that, as far as Xen was concerned. He only needed at least one of the humans to survive for him to reach the surface, and having one less liability made things easier.

  However, the two humans didn't seem to share his nonchalance toward the situation.

  "There has to be something you can do, I just know it!" Valoria said, her voice croaking from the forming tears in her eyes. "Please, Gerald, Vesper is a good friend of mine. He doesn't deserve to die here."

  Xen wasn't even sure there was anything he could do, not without shapeshifting at least. Which would expose him to these humans more than he already wanted to. Vesper's life simply wasn't worth taking that risk.

  "As I am now, there is nothing I can do for Vesper. I'm sorry, but we need to move on—"

  "You're a shapeshifter, aren't you?" Randy said, stunning Xen into silence.

  "How did you..."

  "Know? It was rather obvious once I thought about it some more. You admitted you were once a Mind Slime, and after seeing how you feast, there's still your slimy body somewhere in that skinsuit you are wearing. While that doesn't mean you are a shapeshifter, you could just be puppeting a dead corpse like a necromancer or able to make copies like a doppelganger." Randy paused. "In fact, I was leaning more on the doppelganger theory, but then I saw you take over Ghostwire's actual body with the mask still attached, and I don't see any skin discoloration or rotting like I'd expect from a corpse."

  "Randy, your long explanations don't matter right now!" Valoria yelled, pointing into the darkness of the chasm. "Vesper is out there and needs rescuing, if he hasn't been torn apart already!"

  "You're right," Randy said, meeting Xen's gaze. "We know what you are, Gerald, and yet we all willingly turn a blind eye. Please... trust us. Vesper is a dear friend, and I will be haunted for the rest of my life if I know he died down here when there was someone who could help."

  There was a short silence as Xen glanced between them. He could see the hope in their eyes, and even to his cold heart, it was hard to say no.

  "Fine," he eventually said. "You're right, I am a shapeshifter. However, that does not mean I can bring back Vesper for certain," he clicked his fingers to summon multiple Orbs of Light to surround them. The bats overhead hissed and backed off again. "But it does increase our chances now that I don't have to hold back as much."

  "Thank you, thank you, thank you," Valoria said, her eyes red from tears. "All I can ask is that you try."

  "Guard me for a moment," Xen said, feeling the stress of the situation set in now that he had agreed to be involved. "I need to transform into something that can fly."

  And he only had one option.

  [Do you wish to take on the Vampiric Bat form?]

  Yes, he mentally agreed.

  [Shapeshifting in process]

  Xen felt his body melt away as a new one, crafted from the large amount of biomass he had stored up, took its place over the next minute.

  A new form that not only had wings, but could fly.

  [Shapeshift complete]

  He opened his beady eyes and was now a giant Vampiric Bat with the damned Faceless Cursed Mask still stuck on his forehead.

  Time was of the essence.

  Mentally switching out Quiet Steps for Hellfire Howl in his free skill slots, he gathered fire in his mouth, and to the shock of the bats overhead, he unleashed hellfire into the sky, catching many of them and setting their fur alight. Moments later, they exploded in the air, their blood having boiled from the heat.

  You have killed multiple opponents. Bonus experience awarded.

  Experience split between [Necroplague Slime] and [Vampiric Bat] form.

  [Necroplague Slime] has leveled up: 47 -> 48.

  [Vampiric Bat] has leveled up: 1 -> 8.

  Letting out a bestial roar in triumph at the rush of level-ups, Xen allowed the [Winged Flight] passive of his new form to control his instincts, and with a flap of his wings, he was in the air.

  Ignoring the stunned faces of Randy and Valoria, he used Echo Pulse. A wave of mana echoed through the caves, and once it came back, a strange mental image of the surroundings appeared in his mind. Most importantly, he knew where Vesper was and that he was still alive.

  "He's not far and still alive," he informed the two humans and was surprised at how good the Vampiric Bats' vocal cords were. "I'm going to get him back. Stay here, under the lights. They will keep the bats away for a time."

  Flapping his wings to change direction, he went to cast Windveil Agility again but realized it wasn't in his free skill slots. Expending a bunch more mana to replace Geomantic Perception with Windveil Agility, as he was only level 8 as a Vampiric Bat and lacked the stats to catch up. Already feeling a headache coming from early signs of mana deprivation, he shrouded himself in wind and shot forward.

  While continuously casting Echo Pulse to keep on Vesper's tail, he couldn't help but grin.

  How long had it been since he felt this free?