53 Book 3 Chapter 49

"Are you okay?" Carly asked Jason with tears in her eyes. Tank's death was devastating news. She heard what happened from Peter, but she still wanted to check up on her friend.

Jason gave Carly a side-hug. "I'm fine. I can revive Tank as soon as I level up my battle physique."

Roy sat across from Jason as he inquired hesitantly. "You can't level up your battle physique by absorbing energy from weapons anymore, right? Haven't you been stuck on level four for months?"

Olivia gave Roy a fierce glare to which he ignored with a cough. Jason didn't mind and shrugged helplessly, "The requirement to level up is just question marks. Unfortunately, I can't ask Aros questions anymore, so yeah, it's been a while."

"That dummy Aros!" Carly clenched her tiny hands and blurted. Her comment left everyone surprised because she was afraid of angering the gods in the past, but now she didn't seem to care. She was upset Aros broke the rules and ended up harming Jason. Only after a moment did Carly realize she spoke aloud. She quickly clasped her hands and muttered, "Aros is a nice grandpa!"

A monster suddenly howled near the haven, which scared Carly so much she shrieked and fainted in her chair. Her reaction left Roy bewildered, "Doesn't she fight all the time fearlessly? Why do the gods make her so afraid?"

A person who could fight monsters and demons without fear couldn't help but faint from an unintended remark. 'Doesn't it scare you? Doesn't it frighten you!?'. Jason recalled Cay's words when he heard Roy's comment. Aros and the other god's power was unimaginable. Were they spying on them? Could they read minds? Would a single thought make the gods kill them? Nobody knew. They existed in a much higher realm.

Aros took great care of Jason, so maybe it was because Jason had an amicable relationship with a god that he wasn't afraid of them. That was in the past. After talking with Cay and watching Carly's reaction, Jason's thoughts changed. How did humans on Earth treat creatures, knowing they couldn't defend themselves? Hunting for sport, enslaving them as companions, and breeding them for food.

What was this floor then? The floor of death? No. The pure demons treated this floor as a farm. Humans were the same. Gods were the same. Everyone was the same. If your power overwhelmed the opposing party, morals, ethics, and compassion went out the window. Only the strong could play with concepts like that. The weak could try, but they couldn't enforce it.

"I'm heading to bed. See you in the morning." Jason faked a yawn and stood. As soon as he turned around, his expression hardened. Was he strong in the grand scheme of things? No. He was weak. If pure demons came to Earth to farm humans like cattle, would he fight back? Would he struggle? Would he protect his friends and family?

Yes!

Until he drew his last breath, he would struggle!

He would fight!

He would kill!

Jason felt his blood boil. His Willpower stat rose with every passing second as energy – battle energy – exuded from his body. It shrouded him, yet it could not hide his silver eyes. Jason's body might appear to be flesh and blood, but he never honestly had the urge to slaughter ever since attaining a battle physique.

Why did Aros name it 'battle' energy and 'battle' physique? Because it existed for battle! For war! For slaughter!

When Jason disappeared from Olivia and Roy's field of view, he activated Domain and used it to leave the haven secretly. The miasma no longer impeded his vision, and with Domain, he intended to visit the canyon he found earlier.

Not much time passed before he encountered a group of monsters engaged in combat. Undaunted, a horizontal arc of battle energy shot out from Jason's sword as he used Cleave.

While Cleave was a skill from Aros and quite powerful in terms of offense, it still couldn't kill this group of tier four demons in one shot. However, when Jason's intent to kill and battle energy fused, a miraculous change occurred.

All five demons collapsed after Cleave wounded them. The cut wasn't deep and would typically enrage them, yet shockingly, they died on the spot. A notification appeared when they turned into essence.

Congratulations! Under the urging of the m-serum, you have prematurely unlocked a skill due to the fusing of your will and battle energy.

Battle Soul

Passively infuses your will into your battle skills to cause additional damage to the target's soul. Consumes Soul Force.

Remark 1: Damage depends on your Willpower compared to your opponents.

Remark 2: Affects all skills that consume battle energy.

Just as Jason finished reading, another notification popped up.

Congratulations! Due to the similarity in your skills 'Battle Soul' and 'Indomitable Spirit,' the two have combined.

Indomitable Battle Soul

All shall kneel under your will. Passively infuses your will into your battle skills to cause additional damage to the target's soul. Consumes Soul Force.

Remark 1: Damage depends on your Willpower compared to your opponents.

Remark 2: If the difference in Willpower is too great, obliterate the opponent's soul.

Remark 3: Affects all skills that consume battle energy.

Remark 4: Immunity to mental status effects.

The same thing happened again as soon as he finished.

Congratulations! Due to the similarity in your skills 'Indomitable Battle Soul' and 'Domain,' the two have combined.

Indomitable Battle Domain

Sense your surroundings with your soul. You can directly attack any soul within your Domain. Additionally, your battle skills are passively infused with your will, allowing them to damage both flesh and soul. Consumes Soul Force.

Remark 1: Damage depends on your Willpower compared to your opponents.

Remark 2: If the difference in Willpower is too great, obliterate the opponent's soul.

Remark 3: Distance reduces the effectiveness of your Willpower stat.

Remark 4: Affects all skills that consume battle energy.

Only then did the notifications end. Jason blinked in bewilderment. Who knew a simple change in perspective would unlock a new skill and cause it to combine twice, resulting in what could only be said to be the most powerful skill he'd ever seen? Of course, the skill was only powerful because Jason���s Willpower stat was absurdly high.

Unfortunately, the third effect – allowing his battle energy to attack both flesh and soul –was a bit redundant. Why would he use battle skills if he could just wipe out the enemies' souls? Only if the opponent's Willpower was equal to or higher than Jason's would the effect matter.

Everyone wanted to test out skills as soon as they acquired them, and Jason was the same. By pushing Domain past his sweet spot, he found thousands of monsters fighting to the death within a few miles. He focused on a tier three demon a mile away with a curious expression, then unleashed his intent.

It was like a thousand-meter-high tsunami wiping out a house. The monster's soul crumbled under the weight of Jason's will. Its body collapsed in the middle of its fight, leaving its opponent confused.

The Soul Force consumed from killing it was negligible. Jason was overwhelmed with joy at acquiring such a powerful skill, then shuddered when he realized how truly terrifying it was. It was so easy to obliterate the monster's soul that Jason felt a strange weight come over him. The burden of responsibility. Indeed, a simple thought could destroy a life. What if Jason got angry around his friends? Would he accidentally kill them?

Jason wondered why this skill manifested. Was this the reward for struggling mentally all these months, or more accurately, years? The decades of fighting resulted in a will far beyond his peers. Or maybe it was because he was a tank, someone who stood in harm's way to protect their friends and companions. To take all manner of attacks for years on end, what would that do to a person? Would it destroy them, cause a fundamental change in their very being, or something else?

Jason didn't have the knowledge required to understand the nature of his soul. The tower's creator knew Jason entered the Unyielding Path, yet Jason was woefully ignorant and could not grasp his true nature.