[You've absorbed a Soul Essence... Soul Resonance +4...]
[Soul Resonance has reached 10... Leveled up...]
...
[Class: Soulweaver]
[Rank: Novice]
[Soul Resonance: 7->11]
[Level: 2]
[Abilities]
[Passive: Soul Perception]
[Active: Soul Thread, Phantom Minion, Shadow Veil]
...
Aaron's Status Panel automatically appeared before him, but he paid no heed to it. His thoughts were still clouded by what had just happened, fragments of another life looping inside his mind.
The hunger, the urge to destroy, and indifference toward life were still fresh in his memory.
It took him several minutes to recover and for his dazed expression to disappear.
When he lowered his gaze, he discovered that the Essence Shard he had been holding was gone, reduced to scattered grain-like fragments that glimmered softly with a violet light in his palm.
This sight, coupled with the message he had just received, made him realize something.
'Did I just absorb it?'
His gaze lingered on the fragments, as his mind pieced together everything that had just happened. The system messages, the changes within him, and the strange clarity in his soul all led him to one conclusion.
'So this is how Ascendants advance...'
As far as Aaron knew, Ascendants were divided into Ranks according to their strength.
The lowest among them were Novices, like himself, while above that came Adepts and Masters. As for what was beyond that, Aaron could only speculate.
Every time an Ascendant advanced their Rank, both their abilities and body would undergo a massive transformation, giving them the ability to crush those weaker than them.
On the other hand, although Ascendants within the same Rank varied in strength depending on their Class, the development of their abilities, and their combat experience, there was not much difference in their base power.
'The key to leveling up seems to be Soul Resonance. The higher Soul Resonance is, the stronger the Ascendant will be.'
'And the way to raise it should be to absorb Essence Shards...'
Possessing the memories of his past life and the knowledge of this one, Aaron roughly understood. However, this also raised doubts.
Aaron could vividly remember his previous experience: the strange sensation of becoming a monster, going through its life, and even dying.
If that experience occurred every time an Ascendant absorbed an Essence Shard, it would be difficult for them to maintain their sanity for long.
Aaron had only barely managed to wake up this time at the end of the experience. Even then, this was partly because of his past-life memories.
Other Ascendants would find it many times more dangerous.
'There must be something more to it. Something I don't know about.'
'Gathering more information regarding Ascendants should be my utmost priority going forward. Although my past-life memories give me more insight than other people, I still need to collect information.'
Aaron exhaled, forcing the thought aside for the time being. For now, he decided to test the results of his Level Up.
He didn't rush to activate his abilities. Instead, he first paid attention to his own body, sensing his current state.
Before becoming an Ascendant, Aaron's body had been frail from years of malnutrition and bad habits.
However, once he awakened the Soulweaver Class, his strength had reached the level of a healthy adult, perhaps even slightly beyond.
Now, Aaron could sense that his body had undergone another strengthening. It was subtler, yet perceptible.
'If each Level increases physical strength by roughly five percent, then a Novice at Level 10 could easily overpower a small group of trained, armored guards... and that's without Ranking up.'
Thinking of this, Aaron's understanding of the power wielded by Ascendants deepened. At the same time, he turned more wary.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to his abilities, beginning with the Soul Thread.
A second later, Aaron stared at the floating blue filament and sensed its changes.
'Its speed has increased, making it easier to control. Moreover, it has become denser and tougher, about five percent stronger.'
This improvement seemed small, but Aaron knew that the outcome of a battle was often decided by thin margins.
For example, if the current Soul Thread bound the rat monster he previously encountered, it would have found it many times harder to struggle.
After he played with the Soul Thread for a few minutes and made sure he missed nothing, Aaron continued to the next ability, Phantom Minion.
A white mist seeped from his body and slithered to the floor, soon transforming into a translucent silhouette with a rat-like appearance. Its form flickered like a restless spirit.
Aaron studied it carefully, then frowned. He could feel that the Phantom Minion's power remained unchanged.
'Does the strength of the Phantom Minion relate to the strength it possessed while alive?', Aaron guessed.
That was disappointing, but not unexpected. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Phantom Minion back before turning to his last active ability, Shadow Veil.
At his commands, the shadow beneath him rippled, subsequently turning into black ink that enveloped his body in a film of darkness.
The world around Aaron dimmed. His breathing slowed, his heartbeat softened, and even the sound of his steps seemed to vanish.
For a fleeting moment, he felt invincible, as if he had become part of the shadows.
However, he knew that this was merely an illusion.
'The Shadow Veil only conceals my presence, not my form. Moreover, if I move too abruptly, like my battle with the rat monster, the effect will fall off.'
'Perhaps only when I Rank Up will such limitations disappear.'
Still, even now, it was a powerful ability. In such a state, it was easy to get closer to an unsuspecting enemy and kill them in one strike.
As the shadows covering him faded away, Aaron took a moment to gather his thoughts.
His class was far more versatile than he had initially thought.
The passive skill Soul Perception let him detect enemies, while Soul Thread and Phantom Minion offered him means to attack, as well as to restrain them.
As for Shadow Veil? He could use it to either get close to his enemy or hide in case of danger.
'Are all Ascendants this adaptable, or is the Soulweaver unique?'
'If even a Novice Soulweaver is this strong, how powerful will they be once they Rank Up?'