There was another reason, besides breaking his nose, that Xen had smacked Ghostwire so hard in the face—he wanted to test the mask's durability and was incredibly pleased that there was not so much as a scratch on it. Next, he tried to pull it off, and, as expected, the mask had some magical way of sticking to a person's face. What he hadn't expected was for the effect to be so strong that he had to tear it off along with a layer of skin.

  "Just how durable is this thing?" Xen muttered. While it seemed indestructible, that aspect didn't seem to carry over to the squishy human flesh it had been attached to. Ghostwire's nose was crushed entirely, as Xen had intended, alongside his cheekbones and jaw. It was honestly miraculous that Ghostwire hadn't died on impact and had survived a full minute underwater with these injuries.

  "Appraisal," Xen said, while staring at the mask. It took pouring a lot of mana into the skill until it finally conceded and revealed to him the information he desired.

  [Faceless Cursed Mask: Unique Grade]

  A mask that cannot be taken off.

  "That's it?" Xen chuckled, tilting the mask in his hand as if it were hiding a dark secret. Yet the appraisal message never updated with any new information. "It has the same grade as my Shapeshifter class, Unique. But why would anyone want to wear a mask that cannot be taken off? I suppose that's why it's considered cursed."

  Xen carefully set the mask aside. He would try it on later, but for now, he wanted to focus on his two meals: Ghostwire and the Underworld Orc's head.

  "Let's start with Ghostwire," Xen decided as he crouched over the corpse's head, and slimy black tendrils dripping with corruption erupted from his mouth. They burrowed their way into Ghostwire's skull and cradled his brain. It was so soft and vulnerable compared to the Hunter's high-level body that had protected it until now.

  [Devour in progress…]

  [Devour Complete]

  You absorbed 22% of the human's memories.

  You have unlocked the [Phantom Scout] class.

  You acquired the following skills:

  [Ghoststep (B)]

  [Windveil Agility (C)]

  [Threadwalk (C)]

  Xen blinked as new memories flooded his mind. Some of them were pretty horrible, especially the ones involving the mask. He winced as he digested the traumatic memories that were now his. "You poor creature," Xen muttered as he glanced down at Ghostwire's body and slowly pulled up what he assumed was the man's shirt, revealing a clear tube piercing his skin.

  "There really is a feeding tube," Xen acknowledged. "After finding the mask, Ghostwire foolishly wore it without getting it appraised first and suffered the consequences. Unable to take it off, he couldn't eat and had to resort to feeding himself through a tube."

  Pulling the tube free with an oddly satisfying plop sound, he discarded it to the side. He doubted that plastic was delicious, even if he could technically dissolve it.

  "Now, how should I assume his identity?" Xen pondered. While he could alter his current human body to resemble Ghostwire, it wouldn't be an exact copy, and he had no idea what level of scrutiny he would have to pass to survive on the surface. The best option was to take over his body and puppet it. "But should I do that in view of the humans?"

  Xen glanced over his shoulder and could see Randy curiously looking at him. He wasn't threatened by the humans right now. They were almost too weak to stand, let alone fight him. But that could change once they reached the surface and recovered. What if they betrayed him?

  They had seen him devour things before, so that was no longer a secret. He was also sure they were smart enough to put two and two together and figure out he was a Shapeshifter of some kind. However, that didn't mean he shouldn't be cautious and keep as many secrets as possible.

  I haven't changed into any other forms in front of them yet, so right now they might assume all I can do is puppet human corpses. That way, if they do betray me, I can change into an Elf and get away.

  Picking up Ghostwire, the mask, and the Underworld Orc head, Xen glanced around for a suitable location to do the deed. In the end, he decided to cross the bridge back toward the Underworld Orc's corpse, as he wanted the biomass from devouring such a massive monster corpse, and it was far enough away that he doubted Randy and the others would be able to see what he was doing.

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  Reaching the other shore, he found the Underworld Orc slumped over where he had left him beside the shattered Earth Mage Throne. Using the massive body and broken throne as cover, he set Ghostwire down alongside the head and the mask.

  "It's been a while since I've changed bodies," Xen said as he lay down on the floor beside Ghostwire's corpse. He then dissolved the face of his current body and slowly rolled out into the world in his true form as a Necroplague Slime. It felt oddly freeing, yet also terrifying to be outside of a fleshsuit. The sudden drop in stats was also very noticeable, making him nervously jiggle on the spot.

  He stayed there for a moment, tasting the humid cavern air with his actual body rather than through borrowed organs. He also enjoyed the rough stone beneath him as he rolled forward until he made contact with Ghostwire's badly damaged face and empty skull.

  [Do you wish to take on the Human form?]

  A system message overlaid Ghostwire's face, prompting him to take over the body. He could almost feel the hidden stress behind the system message, as if it feared he had broken containment. Or perhaps that was his own thinking.

  Either way, there was only one answer.

  "Yes."

  [Shapeshifting in process]

  His body lurched forward, splitting into many tendrils that weaseled their way into Ghostwire's head. Once inside, innumerable hair-thin strands infiltrated every nook and cranny of Ghostwire's corpse, flooding his mind with the sensation of cooling flesh, dormant organs, and pain—mainly from the face. There was also a lot of water filling the body's lungs.

  [Name: Xen]

  [Level: 44 (C)]

  [Race: Necroplague Slime (Rare Variant)]

  [Current Form: Human (Level 39)]

  [No current {Human} class or level selected]

  Glancing over the stats, Xen realized a significant problem. Ghostwire was level 46, but the maximum level he could imitate was level 39. That was a whole 7-level difference that he wouldn't be able to explain if someone cast Appraisal on him. He had already leveled up a few times from being credited with Ghostwire's kill, and the floor boss was dead. No more Orcs or Goblins were hiding around, not that they would give him the experience he needed to close such a vast level gap.

  "Ugh," Xen gurgled before hurling up lake water.

  [Use biomass to repair the body?]

  "Yes," Xen wheezed.

  [Biomass consumed]

  Ghostwire's body—which was now his—quickly began to be repaired. His nose regrew, as did his smashed cheekbones and jaw. A fresh layer of flesh covered everything, and soon enough, he was as good as new. Even the muscle fatigue that Ghostwire must have been suffering from was gone.

  "Everything seems in order—" he paused, this wasn't the voice he had gotten used to. It was Ghostwire's voice, only a little off. "I suppose I am using his vocal cords," he mused, tracing his neck. "It only makes sense I sound like him now. Let's just hope nobody knows him well enough to catch onto the slight change. I only intend to use this identity to reach the surface, and then I'll see what I can do about getting a new one."

  Xen wasn't dumb. For a Hunter as prominent as Ghostwire, there was no way his friends, family, or fellow Hunters wouldn't catch on. It was just a borrowed face to get him through the door.

  I could use Gerald's identity in the long term, as he gave me access to his apartment and credit card and told me to look after his cat.

  Either way, that was a bridge he would cross once he got to it.

  Right now, he was Ghostwire.

  "System, set my class to Phantom Scout and the highest level I can."

  [Human (Phantom Scout: Level 39)]

  "Good enough," Xen said, nodding to himself. "Now, can you show me the descriptions for my new skills? I think I recognize two of them, but I saw three skills."

  [Ghoststep (B)]

  At the cost of a lot of stamina, instantly blink several meters in any direction. Can be used up to three times in quick succession. Each use leaves behind a brief afterimage that may disorient attackers.

  [Windveil Agility (C)]

  Envelops the user in wind that passively increases movement speed and agility.

  [Threadwalk (C)]

  Allows the user to walk on any surface (walls, ceilings, etc.) as long as they maintain momentum. Also prevents triggering pressure-based traps while active.

  "Three movement skills, and powerful ones at that. Especially Ghoststep. I'm assuming that was his signature skill and why he called himself Ghostwire?" Xen glanced over the skills again. "They really are great. I can see why a scout is considered necessary by Hunting parties for traversing the deeper floors. But it's also true that none of these provide any combat ability."

  By themselves, they were impressive. But when combined with Xen's combat power?

  He grinned. This was a bigger boon than he had been expecting.

  However, he was not done feasting just yet. Picking up the Underworld Orc's head, he placed it in his lap.

  [Use Devour on Underworld Orc?]

  Xen was already going at it before the system could prompt him.

  [Devour in progress…]

  [Devour Complete]

  You absorbed 50% of the Underworld Orc's memories.

  You have unlocked the [Underworld Orc] form.

  The [Underworld Orc] form is considered a superior species to the already assimilated [Clay Orc] form. Do you wish to merge the two?

  Xen agreed, as merging had the potential to upgrade skills, and he didn't gain any more Free Skill Slots from acquiring more forms.

  The [Underworld Orc] and [Clay Orc] forms have been successfully merged.

  You acquired the following skills:

  [Grand Ritual: Reclaim the Fallen (S)]

  You and the target shared similar skills:

  [Claymancy Surge (B)] has fused with [Clay Smash (C)] to form [Cataclysm (A)]

  [Entombing Grasp (B)] has fused with [Gravehook (C)] to form [Chains of the Damned (A)]

  Transferring experience from the [Clay Orc] form:

  [Underworld Orc] has leveled up: 2 -> 3.

  Xen was stunned not only by the flood of even more memories, adding to the growing soup of twisted emotions and experiences in his mind, but also by the new skills he had just gained.

  "Did I just get my second-ever S-grade skill and two A grades?!"

  Until now, only Devour, the ability that made him so overpowered, was in the S grade.

  Now he had another one?

  to read ahead!