Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine-Chapter 176 - 175- Soul aging

Edric’s powers allow him to devour the prey he has hunted and utilize their powers, not all of them, but yes, he does gain their abilities to a decent extent.

Each transformation has its own benefits and drawbacks. And each transformation tolls on his Soul Energy differently.

Like the elven form that enhances his senses takes about twenty soul points every minute, that’s why Edric can retain the form for the longest. And the berserk state, where his stats amplify by five times, takes two hundred Soul Points every minute.

Well, he generally doesn’t face any problem because of his soul energy, since he always had it in abundance.

The major problem was proficiency.

The more he uses a transformation, the more he gets to know about the form—the species he has turned into.

So, the duration of each transformation depends on three things—his physical condition, his Soul Energy, and his proficiency with the transformation.

As of now, because of the toll it takes on his body, he has used the elven form the most and his Berserk state the least.

There are three other forms other than the two above-mentioned. Taurus, Wolf, and Fox. However, since he can gain enhanced senses and agility with the Wolf form, Edric doesn’t use his Fox form regularly.

Now that Alex has reminded him of his ambition and also made him realize the severity of this message from the Gods, Edric has decided to widen his reach and hunt even more.

His Soul Energy was quite overwhelming for a human, however, in comparison to the other races, he was nothing but an insect.

He wants to be selected as one of the ten warriors who will be given the trials, and for that, he needs to prove his worth.

"Where are we heading to?" Amanda asked just as Edric stepped out of the room.

Edric was slightly anxious about taking Amanda along....however, treating her as his weakness would be unfair to her. And as Alex said previously, as of now, Amanda might be as strong as Edric. So there was no point in hesitating.

"I think the Westwoods would be good for us. There are several unregistered Labyrinths."

Amanda was slightly hesitant, "Unregistered Labyrinths means we won’t know the danger level of the dungeon. Will that really be okay?"

A guild or adventurer’s hub first inspects a labyrinth before preparing a report so the hunters can make the team accordingly and clear it.

Edric assured her, "Trust me, Amanda. In the past, I used to be reckless and ventured into any Labyrinth I came across. However now, I have a big reason to remain cautious." Cupping her cheek, he added,

"I will not take any decision recklessly."

Amanda’s lashes fluttered, and with a smile, she held his hand and muttered, "I trust you."

°°°°°°°°

While Edric and Amanda were preparing to leave the academy and explore a few Labyrinths, Alex was also preparing to leave

He heard from the Headmaster about his wish to visit the cathedral and discuss things with the Saintess.

Naturally, Alex didn’t say anything against it since, as the Headmaster and a council member, it was his duty to be aware of every important detail regarding the matter that concerned world security.

Celestria was also coming along since Melissa said that it was okay for her to travel—but she was told to avoid traveling to high altitude and was advised to remain hydrated all the time.

Along with that, she gave a few potions and medicines to Alex and asked him to feed them to her regularly.

Now, inside his room, he was packing his bag and keeping every important thing inside his storage items.

He didn’t put everything inside a single thing—for obvious reasons.

’Weapons are really not needed that much...’ Alex has recently started to rely more on the Curse to defeat the enemies.

Although it is efficient and more effective, somehow this made him feel quite sad.

All his life, he has depended on the sword since it was enough to decimate any kind of enemy.

Kind of felt like he was detaching something significant from himself.

[You are being a little too emotional. In the first place, you won’t be able to use my powers just like the previous few times.] Read latest stories on novelbuddy

Alex was taken aback by that statement, "What do you mean by that?"

[Your soul book—check it.]

Alex had a bad feeling, but still he checked it,

[Name: Alex]

[Age: 37]

[Str: 112 (Avg: 30)

[Spd: 119] (Avg: 30)

[Int: 87] (Avg: 25)

[Skill: Storage, Sword Arts, Rapid Regeneration, Heightened comprehensibility, Cursebind, Tempest Surge, Blizzard Storm.]

[Soul Energy: 51225]

[Upper limit: 500]

[Lower limit: 25]

...

Alex’s eyes widened upon seeing his age.

He instantly shot toward the mirror and checked his face.

’No wrinkles, my body seems fine...then...’

[It’s not your physical age, but the age of your soul which your Soul Book represents.]

Alex frowned as he sat down and asked the Curse, ’You mean to say my soul is aging faster than my body?’ This was the first time he had heard such a thing about one’s grimoire.

[Yes. The Soul Book was created to track one’s soul age and condition. And because you have been using some ancient powers, it took a massive toll on your body, and the side effect was your accelerated growth of the soul.]

Alex felt anxious at the news, as he asked, "What are the consequences of this continuing. And how can I prevent it?"

Thankfully, the Curse seemed in the mood for a talk, as he relayed without making him wait,

[There is a limit to how much a mortal’s soul could grow. And the more you approach that limit, the more unstable your Soul Energy will grow. Your efficiency would go down, and at some point, you will only possess Soul Energy to survive.]

[I am not sure what is the limit of a mortal human, but it shouldn’t be more than three hundred, in my opinion.]

[As for how you can control it....well, stop using all my powers and start from the basics.]

Maybe because the news was too sudden or the Curse was too vague, Alex instantly said, "What do you mean by that?"

Well, his tone told him that he, indeed, was nervous. Defeating an enemy was one thing, but he could not fight the Soul Book and stop his soul from aging.

And considering how often Alex would need the Curse’s help, he has to know what he could do to slow down this aging.

[There are two things you can do—first, turn into a Vampire and get your Soul age increased by a few thousand. Or the second option is to start from the basics and aim for immortality.]

[Since you must be wanting to know more about it, let me explain it in an easier way:]

[You have been using all the powers I granted you. During that time, the part of me that merged with your soul was actively in use. As a result, it places an excessive burden on your soul.]

[However, now that I have fully become one with you, you can slowly adapt to what I possess. You can slowly unlock my powers through training and hunting. In that way, your Soul wouldn’t age rapidly, and once you enter the upper realm, you won’t have to worry about your Soul age at all.]

Ignoring the part of the upper realm, Alex asked, "Is there any way I can start slowly and adapt accordingly?"

There was a long pause from the other side—making Alex restless as he asked, "Curse?"

[Just let me think.]

He complained before Alex turned completely silent.

The situation was severe but there was no point in panicking. All he could do right now was to rely on the Curse; after all, someone who has lived for so long must have something in store.

Right?

After a painfully long five minutes, the inner voice resonated in Alex’s ears,

[There is one skill I absorbed from one of the...well, from someone. The skill is called ’Creation’]

Alex raised his brows, but before he could have asked what it was or how it could help him,

{Ding!}

{Welcome Host!}

{This system will help you assimilate the power of the Creator using different tasks and quests.}

{Based on your performance, the efficiency meter would go up.}

{And based on your assimilation status, new skills, and traits would be unlocked.}

{Are you ready to take the challenge?}

Alex was stunned to find the system screen floating before his eyes.

He expected something like this the moment he reincarnated.

However, after this long, he was getting something like a system.

[This system will help you slowly absorb my powers, while actively alerting you if you somehow harm your Soul. It will track your Soul condition and also, will grant you the abilities I once absorbed, based on how much you have adapted.]

Alex was quite taken aback by all the information he had received in these few minutes.

However, to ensure a safe future and victory in the tournament, he has to stop being hesitant.

"Okay, I accept."

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A/N:- Late introduction of the system. Well, this system is under the Curse control and would help Alex absorb all his powers. Drop a comment