An inexplicable heat rose within his body, and his soul shook violently. Rayne sprang to his feet, sensing that a drastic change was about to happen to him.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than an invisible energy storm began swirling through the room.
Rayne could not see this immense energy. The Rune Altar in the Soul Transformation Ritual had not improved his elemental affinity, yet now he could clearly sense that he was surrounded by energy, standing at the very center of the storm.
He did not know the nature of this energy or where it came from. It seemed to have always existed around him, like air—something immensely important to people, yet difficult to notice in everyday life.
At that moment, Rayne seemed to have become a magnet, disrupting the energy's tranquil state.
Surging energy poured into his body at an ever-increasing speed. Guided by Soul Power, it swiftly washed through his entire body. Every muscle, every bone, every cell greedily devoured the energy, transforming his body from within.
Rayne experienced an indescribable pleasure and could not help letting out a low groan.
On the Soul World Tree, its only three leaves glimmered with golden light. The Element Runes upon them grew ever clearer, and the entire tree slowly grew.
Crack! Crack-crack! Crack...
A series of faint sounds came from inside his body. Rayne felt his skin itch, while a prickling pain spread through his body. Then he realized that he seemed to be growing taller!
Not only taller—his build was becoming stronger and more solid as well!
The process lasted for about half an hour. Finally, the energy stopped pouring in, and the invisible storm vanished.
Rayne let out a breath and lowered his head to examine his now somewhat unfamiliar body.
There was a full-length mirror in the room. He hurried over and saw his changed reflection, so surprised that he nearly could not close his mouth. His eyes were filled with delight.
Overall, the face in the mirror was still much the same as before. He had not become unrecognizable. He was still as handsome as ever!
The greatest changes were that he had grown taller and more muscular.
The shirt that had once fit him perfectly was now stretched tight, nearly bursting apart from his muscles. His trousers had become cropped pants, and his shoes had become too small, squeezing his feet uncomfortably.
Rayne had already been close to one meter eighty, though he had been somewhat lean. Now he had shot up by nearly ten centimeters, and his body had expanded by a full size, yet he did not look bloated at all. Every muscle on his body looked as if it had been cast from iron. His shoulders were broad, his bearing steady, and his muscle lines were perfectly balanced, as though he had trained for years. He possessed an intensely powerful physical beauty.
Furthermore, his skin had become darker than before. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to have a matte finish, carrying a metallic texture without looking unnatural.
The worry hanging over Rayne's heart finally eased.
He had been somewhat worried that he would turn into some super-muscled brute. Fortunately, it was not that exaggerated. This was just right.
What pleased him most was that his facial features had also become more rugged, losing some of their delicacy and fitting his own tastes better.
Of course, those were merely outward appearances. The internal changes were more important.
Rayne lightly clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him. It was as if a savage beast were hidden inside his body, and he could kill every enemy with his fists alone.
He had not tested himself, so he did not know exactly how strong he had become. Based solely on feeling, his strength had increased by at least four or five times. Lifting two thousand pounds would be effortless!
"An enhanced 'Strength' element really is incredible," Rayne exclaimed.
His strength was formidable, but his defense was even stronger.
He pressed against his own arm. Under pressure, his resilient skin instantly became as hard as iron. The fingers pressing against it also became rigid, yet this did not affect his movements in the slightest.
When he pressed down slightly harder, his arm and fingers produced a dull collision sound, like two pieces of steel striking each other.
Rayne tested himself for a while and gained a clear understanding of his body.
Body of Steel was a permanent state. His body had been completely transformed, requiring no deliberate maintenance under normal circumstances. He looked no different from an ordinary person, but the moment force pressed against him, his body would instantly harden like iron. If he deliberately activated the element, its hardness would increase further, but his speed would decrease, and it would continuously consume Soul Power.
He tried activating Body of Steel with all his strength. His skin turned dark and deep, and his entire body seemed to have been cast from iron. His footsteps became heavy, his movements stiff, and his Soul Power consumption was enormous.
With his current Soul Power, he could probably maintain that full-defense state for only five minutes.
But that was already enough.
Rayne was extremely satisfied with the result. Superb Elements truly were powerful. Among First Tier Transcendents, it would probably be difficult for anyone to break through this steel-like defense.
"Now I'm a real Iron Man!"
He happily stroked his arm, then suddenly remembered that he still had the Metal Touch element. He quickly discovered that it offered no immediate help to his strength, so he decided to leave it alone for now.
In addition, after fusing with the Gold-Eating Ant's Demon Soul, Rayne saw that his charge had increased—but there were only two bars!
"Only this much?"
Rayne thought carefully about it, then felt that something was wrong. "Can one Gold-Eating Ant really add this much charge?"
His Soul Power had increased tenfold. Two bars of charge, compared to before his Soul Transformation, was equivalent to 20% charge. Yet absorbing an ordinary person before had increased it by 8%. The proportions simply did not add up.
An ordinary person's soul was clearly stronger than a Gold-Eating Ant's. It took two or three Gold-Eating Ants to equal one Fallen One's soul, but the charge they provided differed enormously. The Gold-Eating Ant had actually increased his Soul Power by more.
Could it be because the methods of absorbing souls were different?
One involved fusing with an intact soul, while the other directly devoured the soul. Did the two methods have different charging efficiencies?
Rayne had a guess. Fusion was the better method: it granted more Soul Power, produced greater improvements, and could even obtain the elements within the soul. Devouring souls, on the other hand, was inefficient. It was like grinding the soul into pieces and crudely absorbing everything, regardless of its elements. It was swallowing without chewing, and in truth, most of the Soul Power was wasted.
He made a rough estimate. Given the same soul, the Soul Power gained through the two different methods differed by nearly tenfold!
"This is way too wasteful."
Rayne was quite helpless. At this rate, if he wanted to fully charge up, he would need to devour the souls of at least a hundred ordinary people, or more than thirty Transcendents!
"If I really killed that many people, I'd be completely insane."
He secretly shook his head.
Even if devouring souls was extremely inefficient, it was still far faster at increasing Soul Power than practicing a Meditation Method or drinking potions.
This was a shortcut to the pinnacle of the world. If someone with weaker willpower took this path, they might not be able to resist the temptation and would sooner or later become a bloodthirsty madman who slaughtered innocents.
Rayne silently warned himself that he had to hold fast to his bottom line and never stray onto the evil path.
He came back to himself and thought:
From this moment on, I'm a Wizard. A First Tier Combat Wizard.
Rayne straightened his clothes. They barely held together without tearing, and he left the room, crossed the corridor, and returned to Viola's office, intending to bid her farewell.
When he knocked and entered, Viola immediately noticed the change in him.
"Rayne, you fused with the Demon Soul so quickly?" She rose and carefully examined his body, as if admiring an exquisite work of art. Her eyes shone with astonishment.
"Yes, I'm a Combat Wizard now." Rayne did not hide it. Such a dramatic change could not be concealed anyway, and he wanted someone to share his joy with. He said happily, "None of this would have been possible without your help. I'll repay the money as soon as I can."
Viola congratulated him. "Congratulations on becoming one of the Wizards."
As she guessed what kind of Demon Soul Rayne had fused with to produce such a change, she smiled and said, "You do not need to rush to repay the money. Just follow the trade contract."
Rayne silently nodded, simply keeping that gratitude in his heart.
He took the contract and was about to say goodbye when Viola suddenly asked with a bright smile, "Rayne, are you free the night after tomorrow?"
Looking at the Half-elf's breathtaking smile, Rayne's heart stirred. "I have no plans for now."
He could not help activating Soul Eye and secretly observing Viola. He found that the color of her soul shifted back and forth between yellow and orange, showing that her current emotions carried anticipation and a faint trace of excitement. She was not nearly as composed as she appeared on the surface.
Viola spoke as if it were no big deal. "The night after tomorrow, Violet House will be holding a small trade gathering. Everyone attending will be a Transcendent. If you are interested, you can come have a look. I'll introduce you to some friends."
Rayne immediately understood what she meant. She wanted to bring him into her social circle.
As a Wizard who ran Violet House and possessed a mysterious background, Viola's social circle was naturally different from that of ordinary people.
Those qualified to associate with her were either powerful nobles or Transcendents. They had to be among Longsand City's uppermost class. If he could join them, it would be immensely helpful for his future development.
Naturally, Rayne would not refuse Viola's kindness, but he was also somewhat puzzled. Why was she taking such an interest in him?
Even if she intended to befriend him, it seemed a little too hasty.
Considering Viola's true emotions at that moment, Rayne suddenly thought rather smugly, Am I really that handsome? Even a peerless beauty like her has fallen for me?
He wanted to test her, so he agreed. "All right, I'll definitely come. But I have no experience attending this sort of trade gathering. I don't know the rules or etiquette, so I'm afraid I might make a fool of myself."
"It's fine, I'll help you." Viola's eyes were full of amusement. She seemed delighted that Rayne was coming. "Come here half a day early, and just follow my arrangements."
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
Seeing how proactive and warm she was, and how genuine she seemed, Rayne's heart immediately grew more eager as well.
What man did not like beautiful women?
Especially a super beauty with looks off the charts like this!
Rayne could not tell how old Viola was. The Half-elf had the beautiful face of a woman in her early twenties, yet also the mature charm of a woman in her thirties. Her temperament was elegant and noble, her figure flawless and stunning, and she carried a touch of exotic allure. She was simply the Supreme Tier lover of every man's dreams!
Perhaps her true age was much greater, but Rayne did not care in the slightest.
If he had the chance to taste her sweetness and cling to those long legs in the process, he would be willing even if people called him a pretty boy living off a woman!
Living off a woman took skill too, all right? Some people wanted to do it but never got the chance!
Rayne was overjoyed inside, all manner of tricks for courting women flashing through his mind. Yet his face remained calm as he bid Viola farewell. When he stepped out through Violet House's doors, he felt as though a lifetime had passed.
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