《Draconic System Ascension》 Prolouge What a pain, I just got off work and now they''re calling me over for my parents debt. Can''t they tell that I''m trying my hardest here? I barely have time to sleep at night from the stress thinking that I might be living on the streets the next day while they''re sipping their expensive champagne! It''s utter blasphemy! Sighing as I pull up to the building I take my old coat and head inside. Walking up the usual spiral staircase past the innumerable corporate offices I arrive at the 6th floor. After finding the designated room I take a deep breath before pushing open the door. The inside of the room was plain and simple only having a simple wooden table and 2 chairs on either side with a bulb hanging on the ceiling that''d give off the occasional flicker of light to the otherwise still room. "Greetings Mr.Okuyama. Glad to see you could make space in your very busy schedule to come and see us today" Ah yes, debt collector Kozoe. A heartless son of a bitch who''s notorious for his steel heart. A man who has put many people on the streets and rumored to have put even more six feet under. Countless banks seek him out and not a single case under him has not gone successfully. Even some millionaires have fallen under his watch. On top of that he''s built his entire reputation while only being 28! So while innumerable people have suffered under him you can''t stop but admire his skills. "Cut the crap, I don''t want to hear it." Don''t be fooled by his fake smile he repeats the same line countless time to all his clients. He only acts polite in the beginning but the facade doesn''t last long. "In a bad mood aren''t we mister." replied Kuzoe with the smile wiped clean from his face with a tinge of annoyance and arrogance in its place. "Stop beating around the bush. We both know that you''re only gonna waste my time with your shit." I have no respect for people like him. They can go dig their mothers grave with their own hands and bury themselves alive within it for all I care.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Sir, I''d like to stress that if you do not pay back your debt the bank will have to confiscate the house and all of the assets you possess to make up for the money." "F*** off. Like I''d even let you touch the shit in my toilet spouting out non-sense like taking my house! I''ve been living here for 32 years and if you touch a damn thing in my house then oh boy, not even your sugar daddy would be able to save you." "Mr.Okuyama threaten me all you want but I''m afraid that your parents have accumulated a lot of debt and if it''s not paid back by the end of the month the-" Slam! That Mr.Kozoe is insane if he thinks I''m just going to take his crap and let him touch my property with his filthy hands! I barely even spent time with my parents, why do I have to pay off their ridiculous debt! They didn''t even fucking care about me, why should I give a damn about them! To hell with them and their debt! "You can leave the office Mr.Okuyama but remember that no matter where you go you can''t escape." Mr.Kozoe''s arrogant voice reverberated through the door in his usual smug manner Ignoring Kozoes comments I rushed back down the spiral staircase to the parking lot, and went back to my rundown car. Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk! Smashing my head into the steering wheel I couldn''t help but mutter "Stupid! Why do I have to take all this shit from all these people? Huh? I didn''t choose to have negligent parents and a mountain of debt! My life is s shit! I don''t have anyone to come back to at night! If I disappeared right now nobody would even notice. Screw this shit! I can''t deal with it any longer! Screeeeeech! I put my old truck into drive and speed through traffic. The noise of of everyday life dulls around me and a soft ring takes its place. The world around nothing more than a haze. I see a red light? I keep going. I see a car? I go around. I see a sign? I don''t give two shits and keep going. "If I''m going to be living on the street fighting for scraps and a place to take shelter then what''s the point? A sudden plop on my windshield brings me back to reality, my eyes dart up only to be greeted with dark clouds followed by ear piercing thunder. Taking a sharp turn over the curb I fail to notice a small girl playing in the rain, noticing to late I try to slam the brakes to stop but the wet roads refuse to let me. "This world may be corrupt but I''m not going to bring a child down!" Unfortunately the truck wouldn''t stop and it was to late for the girl to get out of the way, it appeared that a little girl was about to meet her end along with him. But suddenly a young Japanese man only around 24 years of age pushed the girl aside and took the blow. That day, both Okuyama Itoh and a random Japanese guy left this world. Ch1 Dragon Evolution System ------------------------------------ [Uploading Dragon Evolution System] [10%] [50%] [80%] [100%] [System successfully uploaded] --------------------------------- Where am I? This isn''t my bed, it feels heavy. As if I''m being submerged in slime. There''s some sort of gelatinous goo encasing my body. I can feel it sliding between my fingers whenever I move them. But it doesn''t hurt it feels cozy in a way. Like being given a warm hug, but this hug is all encasing. My hand also feels off. But no matter how many times I slowly slide my arm around the mysterious goo I can''t quite tell what''s different. *Tap* I felt something hard while I was moving my hand. No matter how much I tried to push nothing happened. This is probably the container for all this goo then. Pushing against the container also gave me a better chance to feel out my hand. I only had 3 fingers. But they weren''t human hands. I didn''t feel warm flesh pressing against whatever material the container was made of, no, there was only the feeling of my scales rubbing against the edge. Yes, scales. Whatever happened to me, it''s clear that I''m no longer human. Then that''d mean the thing attached to my back would be a tail. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but It was also able to move, I swung it left and right as fast as I could in this goo. Slowly swinging left to right I finally felt some form of control was coming back to my hands. Despite not ever having a tail as a human, it felt normal. As if I always had one. It''s a hard feeling to explain. Shouldn''t I be panicking in this situation? I don''t feel an urge to start flailing my arms around trying to break free. Well not like I could even if I wanted to. Ever since I regained conscience my bodies been in a weakened state. Now that I think about it, I haven''t been breathing this whole time. Taking in a deep breath, nothing happens. Well not like any oxygen can even get in here. It''s just needless worrying if I can''t breathe then so be it. As long as I''m alive I guess that''s all that counts. But staying in this cramped little space is starting to get uncomfortable. I can only be hugged so much before it starts getting claustrophobic in here. Shifting my weight to the side I slowly started to tilt to the left. But it''s to slow.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Stretching both my han-claws in front of me, similar to the stance you''d make when you''re carrying something big. Then I swung my arms up as fast as I could through the sludge, pretending I was chucking something big behind me. Slowly building up a momentum that tilted my body left. Repeating the action I eventually managed to float with my stomach facing the ground, and my back to the air. And just as I thought, the container was a cylinder. Hm, now that I can touch the edges there''s a definite curve. Feels like an oval. Odd. But that''s not important, first and foremost my priority is to escape this enclosure. Afterwards, I can try and escape whatever place I''m locked up in. Maybe I can find a job as a mascot. I couldn''t help but try to relieve the tension, as I slowly got my footing on the side of the container. Pushing off with my hands, I used the momentum to quickly curl my knees before shooting forward in a desperate attempt to shatter my encasing. The container I was locked up in wasn''t that big, I could comfortably touch the end of the container while laying down, but I couldn''t afford a mistake. I had to go all out. But instead of the container, I was in shattering leading to my escape. I was met with a hard thump followed by a rough cracking sound. No, but that was not the worst part. I started to spin. My body was slowly spinning forward. Whatever was holding me was now no longer stable and was starting to roll over. And it was gaining momentum. I tried stopping it by rolling the other way, but it was all in vain. My feeble attempts at stopping only served to tire me out even more then I was. I knew that crashing into anything would lead to a game over. The person who locked me up in this freak lab will know that I''m awake. And if that happened then I can only imagine my fate. But striking the hard case had it''s consequences. My already tired mind became dizzy, and with the constant spinning I was barely holding on. The originally peaceful goo was now a whirlpool, and I was caught in the middle of it. Crack was slowly forming as the container started to go at what I could only assume to be highway speeds. It started to hit bumps, which only served to worsen my condition. It was apparent that I was somewhere outside, and near some sort of steep incline. Eventually, a ray of light crept inside. If this was back when I was stationary I would''ve been waving my tail in joy, but all I felt right now was dread. That small opening soon closed as the only thing keeping me safe from the constant battering was starting to spill out, the goo. It was evident that I wouldn''t live long. Even if I miraculously escaped this death trap I wouldn''t have the energy to escape someplace safe. Or even find a place considering my current appearance. As more holes started appearing the entire container started to break off in chunks, letting out buckets of protective goo. My desperate hold on the hard case being the only thing saving me from a slow and painful death. My arms started to burn but I held on. Whatever I did, didn''t let go, because the second I did all my struggle would have been for nothing. Eventually, it became impossible. The goo had all but been spilled somewhere along the way, and the entire top part of the container had been completely shaven off. My muscles began to spasm and my finger twitch. The only thing that kept me from falling to my death was sheer will power, but I only have so much. Unlike before, this time when I hit a bump and was thrown into the air I didn''t resist the pull of gravity and my grip began to slip. [Killed Titan Bear 2890 EXP earned] [Lv:1/10 -> Lv:10/10] Salvation. I didn''t know what was happening or if I''d make it but I just prayed that someone could help me. [The request "Help" has been accepted" [Commencing Evolution to: Basic Baby Dragon] Ch2 Base Shortly after the notification, a warm white light started to envelop my body. The small containe- egg I was in started to break apart in small glittering pieces of light. Which floated in the air before dissipating. Giving me a chance to see the over sized bear that broke my fall in the process. Yes, I was in an egg the whole time. Thinking back it was quite obvious. The oval-like exterior, a goo inside, and my non-human body. But with all the sudden changes my mind just wasn''t able to register everything. There was also that voice near the end. After all that, I refuse to believe I''m still locked up somewhere on earth. While I was trying to connect the dots as best as I could the rest of the egg disappeared in a glittering explosion of light. The white light was also beginning to recede, revealing a small, almost plush like body of a small dragon. It was no more than two feet long with a slightly round belly and a noticeable chubbiness. With two small stubs on both sides of his head where most animals would have grown horns. The three fingers were also tipped with curved claws the size of a ping pong ball that emitted a very faint black luster if looked at closely. A small tail also grew near the rear making up a third of the total body length. The small legs only worked out to be 20cm high which combined with the body added up to be 30cm or 1 foot high. The actual head resembled that of a Crocodiles but with a more compressed snout and a cuter appeal. [Host has evolved] [Status screen has been updated] ----------------------------- Dragon Evolution System Race: Basic Baby Dragon Status: Healthy Lv:1/25 Cultivation: Body Refining Stage 1 Cultivation Technique: 9 Stage Refinement Technique (Mortal) Rank: E- (System Provided) Abilities: [Status] [Analyze] [Dragon Breath: Lv1] [Scratch: Lv1] [Roll: Lv1] Titles: [System Wielder: ---] ----------------------------- So I''m not on earth any longer. But it''s odd, no matter how much I try to convince myself of the gravity of the situation I feel nothing. It''s not exactly an empty feeling more like a dull or numb feeling. Putting the system to the back of my mind I start to traverse the area I ended up in. Watching the grass being blown by the wind is quite calming. But while I was exploring the area I ended up on I ended up seeing a group of 4 people in front of me. 3 guys and 1 girl in the back. They''re all dressed up in common medieval-style amour and are wielding swords. Except for the girl in the back who appears to be holding some sort of stave. Then an epiphany stroke me. This is just like those isekai novels. A new life with memories, systems, and this medieval setting! How did I not see this beforehand? Wait, this is a world with monsters. So wouldn''t these humans be trying to kill m- Suddenly the warrior with his sword unsheathed leaped towards me and released a slash with his sword creating a crackling sound through the air and my body as if on instinct slashed outwards using [Scratch: Lv1] intercepting the sword. [Scratch: Lv1 -> Lv2] The recoil from the slash shattered my developing claws and made the warrior stagger a few feet back. He wasn''t expecting any sort of counter-attack at the last moment to force him back. Looking back at his companions smiling behind him, the man, I presume to be the leader, was filled with rage and humiliation. Through his rage, he didn''t notice the dragon in front of him opening its mouth and the surrounding temperature to rise at a steady rate. "Drag Fara! Rine!" One of the men in the back shouted. He was the one closest to me, and after deflecting the sword attack he was put on guard. Being so close he was able to see what I was trying to pull off.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Snapping back to his senses the words shot through his head, and he quickly tried to flee. But it was too little too late. Opening my mouth I used [Dragon Breath: Lv1] letting out a brilliant orange flame encompassing the warrior in front of me. "AH! GU FA! LIKIT BO! AGH!" Blood-curdling cries left the warrior''s mouth as he slowly felt his body burn alive, every single second he remained conscience, his scream would cut through the meadow. [Dragon Breath: Lv1 -> Lv2] As time slowly passed the fire went out, throat incinerated and body burnt the man silently fell to the ground. The surroundings once again achieved there calm, as if the incident was nothing more then an illusion, with only a burnt corpse as proof that the incident had even occurred. [Killed Human Warrior 700 exp earned.] [Lv1/25 -> Lv5/25] [Title: Little Bad Guy Lv1] [Little Bad Guy: Lv1 -> Lv3] The Girl in the back collapsed onto her knees. Her will power shattered. The other 2 men had their fighting spirits shattered and fled in the opposite direction of where I was positioned. Completely ignoring the girl and running past her as fast as they could. In their hurry they kept tripping over themselves but never stopped, I also saw them glance back on multiple occasions. Whether they felt guilty for their comrade or were checking to see if I was giving chase was hard to tell. One of them even managed to shoot an arrow off while running, which struck itself into my knee. Although I winced at the pain it wasn''t as painful as I would have thought. Honestly, it just felt like a small inconvenience. This life is going to take time to get used to. ''Although I had no choice seeing as it was either he died or I died, taking a life with your own hands should be a horrible thing..but I felt nothing doing it. No guilt, no remorse, and I didn''t even question it. Burning him alive also didn''t seem to affect me. The feeling is still very off-putting. Knowing the burden but not feeling it is a very odd thing. Sob~ The girls quiet sob brought me back to reality, looking over I saw that the girl had her hands cupped over her chest whilst she sat on her knees. Her eyes were focused on the body of the man I just killed. They probably had some sort of bond before this. ''Right this isn''t the time for an existential crisis about the system or my lack of emotions, I need to get out of here. There might be more humans coming over or even some beasts who were tempted by the sound of prey.'' Rolling over to a sitting position I start to push myself back to avoid injuring my knee as the arrow is still impaled in it. Slowly dragging myself towards the nearby forest under the hateful glare of the girl I finally managed to exit the small meadow. Grrr~ Ah...I just realized I haven''t eaten since coming to this world and it''s already pretty dark outside. Looking for a place to cultivate so I can recover would probably be the best choice, then I''ll go and try to find food. As the sun started to rise I finally managed to find a secluded cave deep inside the forest covered by moss and old trees. ''This would be a good place to build my base, it''s hidden, fairly spacious and protected from the elements.'' I couldn''t help but be proud of myself. Dragging myself to a wall I firmly gripped the arrow and used all my power to pull. ''Agh!'' A sharp pain quickly assaulted my knee as some bone was yanked out and blood furiously flooded out. ''That mother f***er barbed his shitty arrow! Ah, shit that hurts! I need to quickly start cultivating!'' Adopting a meditation pose I slowly used the system''s cultivation technique. A refreshing blue stream entered my body numbing the pain and strengthening my body. The wound started to close at a visible rate although it would still take some time. o--------o ----------------------------- Dragon Evolution System Race: Baby Dragon Status: Healthy Lv:1/25 -> 5/25 Cultivation: Body Refining Stage 1 -> 2 Cultivation Technique: 9 Stage Refinement Technique (Mortal) Rank: E- Abilities: [Roll: Lv2] [Status] [Analyze] [Dragon Breath: Lv2] [Scratch: Lv2] Titles: [System Wielder: ----] [Survivor: Lv1] [Little Bad Guy: Lv3] ----------------------------- As evening rolled around I finally managed to not only recover perfectly I also increased my cultivation to stage 2. My skin felt tougher and my senses felt more sharp. Grrrrr~ ''I used so much energy and I still haven''t eaten, even if my cultivation rises I still need to eat. I''ve been thinking about it a lot but what do I eat? I''m a dragon so it''s probably just raw meat, because of my lack of emotions I wouldn''t mind eating meat, I might even enjoy it. Although I''m not disgusted it still feels weird having to eat something raw.'' With a quick walk around the forest, I managed to find some stray rabbits with my heightened senses and quickly ate them. ''Mmm...that was pretty good'' I quietly muttered while licking the remaining blood of my lips. ''Hm? What''s that?'' Looking over there was a small stone statue no more than 10 cm tall with beautiful gem embroiled eyes. ''I haven''t used [Analyze] before, this would be a good place to test it out.'' ''[Analyze]'' [A stone statue with expensive crystal eyes.] ''It doesn''t seem too outrageous, just a simple description of the object. It does look quite nice and would help liven up my base'' Deciding to bring it back to my base to add a little life to the otherwise bland cave I picked it up with my snout and brought it back home. ''You can stay right here right beside me.'' With everything was done I finally rested my eyes and slept for the first time in this world...as a soft sound rang through the desolate cave. Click~ Ch3 Statue As the few rays of sunlight trickled into the cave I gently pushed myself up and decided to look at the new decoration I obtained yesterday. Giving a scan over it now with the rays of light reflecting off the smooth stone surface the true craftsmanship of the sculpture started to show, especially the exquisite eyes which looked like 2 stars in the light. Although it was mostly stone that didn''t take away from the aesthetic appeal. ''I really made a good choice picking it up. Hm? Was there always some mud on its feet? It was dark when I found it so maybe the dirt it was laying on was just muddy and I didn''t notice.'' Rubbing off the mud with my paws I put the matter to the back of my mind and left the cave. ''Ah, fresh air.'' I unconsciously exclaimed taking in a big whiff. The reason I was heading out Into the forest today was because I planned to try and find some materials to renovate the base. It''ll be a good idea If I''m going to be living in it for the long term to have it as efficient as possible. Walking deeper through the forest I managed to find a large tree in the distance well distinguished from its shorter brethren. ''That looks promising'' Travelling the good distance to the tree its massive size was put into perspective. Everything from the sturdy trunk to the leaves growing on the branches at their tallest was bigger than me. ''[Analyze]'' [A variant Qilfu fruit tree. Identifiable from the big leaves located 30 meters from the base. Used in construction of important buildings.] [Qilfu Fruit: A uncommon fruit that boosts cultivation speed of the body refining stage by 200%.] ''This should be more then enough for the base. I''ll use the leaves as padding on the floor and the wood to fortify around. The Qilfu fruit would also be beneficial to my personal growth but wether or not I can get one is up to fate. The only problem would be how to get the materials from the tree.''This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Pondering a way to get the materials countless ideas formed with some impossible while others hardly being practical. As day passed into noon I couldn''t help but sigh as I stretched. ''Guess I have no choice but to be a bit wasteful.'' Heading over to the base of the tree the surrounding temperature started to rise making the nearby wildlife flee in fear. Opening my mouth the brilliant fire of [Flame Breath: Lv2] engulfed the trunk slowly burning away the hard exterior to nothing more then ash. As the fire barely burnt off the last piece of bark the sun had already started to set on the horizon. Forcing myself from collapsing I managed to limp over to the tree releasing a barrage of scratches on the exposed wood, chipping away at the trees foundation. Once the sun had disappeared below the horizon a thunderous boom shook the air as a Qi shockwave rippled across the forest. ''F*** that''s loud!'' THUD! Large amounts of shrapnel was blown up covering the sky in debris as shattered branches were crushed. Seeing the tree on the ground it was clear it had been in the process of ripening the fruit a large amount of Qi had been stored up, so once the tree was cut down all that Qi was released into the air. Staggering to my feet I cursed my inability to slowly and properly gather the materials in this monster infested forest. ''I knew it''d be tiring but this is just a f***ing joke. Let alone bringing back the leaves and branches I can barely bring myself back.'' [Host Status: Normal -> Hurt] ''Huh?!'' Looking behind there were 2 silver squishy creatures about 1 feet long that were attached to me with their body compressing and decompressing as if transporting a large amount of liquid. [Vampire Leeches: A class E monster that is infamous for its extreme appetite and stealth. Able to suck the blood of beasts 10x their size dry. Burn in the slightest bit of light. Strong against blunt force attacks.] ''These little shits!'' Grabbing a small branch with a leaf hanging off the end I pushed back to the base. As more and more blood was sucked out from my body the more I ran simply on will power alone. By the time the base was in sight my face had already become sunken and my muscles were ripped open with the weight on my back more grueling than ever. ''I finally...made....it..'' Limping inside the cave the stone statue and both it''s reflective eyes were nowhere to be seen with the spot it had been resting barren. ''N-No way...this has to be a f***ing joke...I''m not actually g-going to die here, right?'' As my surroundings became fuzzy and my will power shattered I collapsed onto the floor. With the world around me fading away a small figure stepped into view, it''s eyes glistening in almost pity as the last of my strength was used up. Ch4 Cultivation Boost By the time I regained conscience the night sky was on full display with the stars glittering and the moon fully exposed. As I layed there for a few moments the memories of before I passed out flooded back in. ''Shit the leeches!'' Gritting my teeth I got up on all 4''s and forced my eyes awake. Looking around I was flabbergasted. The leeches were gone, In fact the plain cave was nowhere to be seen, no, the entire forest was nowhere to be seen! Instead it was replaced by peaks spanning miles upon miles into the distance, with mounds of snow and a occasional batch of trees. ''H-How the f*** did I end up here?!'' ''Status!'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Dragon Evolution System Race: Baby Dragon Status: Normal Lv: 5/25 Cultivation: Body Refining Stage 2 Cultivation Technique: 9 Stage Refinement Technique(Mortal) Rank: E- Abilities: [Roll: Lv2] [System] [Status] [Analyze] [Dragon Breath: Lv2] [Scratch: Lv2] Titles: [System Weilder: ¡ª¡ª] [Survivor: Lv2] [Little Bad Guy: Lv3] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Phew, my status is fine but survivor went up a level since last time, so It probably got pretty dire after I passed out. On that note how did I even survive after I was knocked out cold? Hopefully, I''m not too far awa-'' A cold tap on my shoulder brought me out of my stupor and on instinct, I jumped back with [Dragon Breath: Lv2] ready for a moment''s notice. ''Eh?!'' Standing behind me was not some fearsome beast going in for an attack, but it was a small statue no bigger than 10cm with a damaged stone body and a missing gem eye. Although broken and beat there was no doubt in my mind...this was decoration! But how was it moving?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. [Cursed Statue: -A rank F+ ghost that resides inside a statue. They appear as basic statues in the day but at night are known for their sinister behavior. Battle power depends on statue.] Even with my emotions suppressed I stepped back on instinct due to all the horror movies back on earth. ''Shit I''ve slept with this thing next to me! So you wanted to do me in outside cause you thought I died? Motherf***er!'' My face contorted in anger as I prepared to use [Flame Breath: Lv2] to scorch the statue. As the surrounding temperature started to rise "Decoration" wobbled backwards and fell on its butt, it''s eyes sulking like a child despite its inanimate body. ''This thing is meant to be a monster?'' Seeing the pitiful state of the statue it looked no different than a child crying after knowing it''s about to be punished. My anger was swapped out for hesitation, then confusion as the surrounding heat died down. Decoration seeing it was spared did an adorable run to my body and attempted to pat my head but failed to reach it. ''Short are we?'' I mocked Knowing my intentions it angrily picked up a branch and whacked me in the head with the goal of revenge but instead toppled over from the recoil. ''No matter how weak I am I''m still a stage 2 cultivation monster, you''ll only waste your time. But from the looks of it you were the one who fought those leeches and even if you brought me out here for no reason I still won''t kill you for exp, consider it paying back the debt. Well I''ll be off now'' Reading my intentions panic flickered across its face and it quickly leaped onto my tail wrapping it''s tiny arms tightly around. Irritated I slammed my tail into the ground flinging Decoration off. Not knowing what to do it shakily kowtowed over destroying any face it had left. ''Do you have any shame? Fine, I''ll temporarily bring you along but if you think I''ll let you freeload then you better f*** off while you can. There''s no free lunch in this world.'' Reading my mood it quickly shook its head in agreement before leaping onto my back victoriously. Finding a safe location under a tree I placed Decoration beside me and started to cultivate. o¡ª¡ª-o ''I broke through!'' As the sun rose over the horizon my cultivation rose in to the 3rd Stage. This cultivation speed would be monstrous on any standard, a normal human would take 1-2 months to reach the third stage of the Body Refinement Stage. ''The Qi in the air was so dense when I cultivated but it felt..how do I say it? Different? As if it was made by an external force, wait could it be..?'' Focusing on the remaining eye I used analyze. [Reincarnation Eyes: National treasures that are formed when the cycle of rebirth is disrupted. Usually proof of the ancient Phoenix''s nirvana rebirth or the residue of an attack from one of the Gehenna watchmen. Can''t be picked up or touched. Extremely fragile. Boosts cultivation speed of all realms before the divine realm by 1000%] ''What the hell is with that boost, and legendary monsters like Phoenix''s?! Ignoring that just the residue of an attack can make something that requires a Phoenix to rebirth from flames. F*** I''m never gonna be able to rest in this world will I? Compared to the other creatures I''m nothing more then a particle of dust in this universe.'' The systems analysis shot my ego back down to a new low. Sighing I looked back up towards the distance. ''Smoke?'' Ahead of me a large amount of smoke was blowing into the air from a structure near the bottom of the peak. On closer inspection, you could also see humans both armed, and unarmed fighting. A raid. Seeing the sight a small glint passed my eyes. ''I may be weak for now but I''ll reach the top and be able to create miracles with a mere thought. I''ve already killed so it''s too late for redemption at this point, and more of that pure exp is being wasted the longer I wait.'' Hiding the now inanimate Decoration under some branches I rushed towards the villiage. Unaware to the rest of the world a new legendary figure was born, and a new feeling to. Blood lust. Ch5 Village Raid With the surrounding commotion It was quiet easy to enter the village safely. Looking around, the place was in chaos. Men of all ages were fighting as blood and flesh littered the ground, children being brutally slaughtered in front of their mothers. Some of the more beautiful women were even violated in the open as there families died before them. Of course the money and wealth wasn''t spared either. The scene in front of me wasn''t one of those Hollywood movies where proud men held the line as the good guys won against the odds, no, this was just a one sided massacre. ''F***ing hell. I thought I was the monster but these people are just sick.'' Despite not feeling any real pity or disgust at the actions of the raiders I was still revolted on a sub conscious level. "Lo Garh! Sti fo miny!" One of the bigger bandits near me dropped "his" women and called 2 of his underlings over as he walked towards me, his face twisted from greed. ''This little shit thinks he can take me?'' This wasn''t going to be like last time, I''ve changed, I''m no longer the uncultivated rookie I was during the last incident. I''m now stronger both mentally and physically. The second he entered my attack range I was ready and leapt forth with the extreme speed of a Body Refining Stage 3 beast. Cleanly decapitating his body with my claws. [Killed Human Bandit 400 exp earned.] [Lv5/25 -> Lv6/25] Thud~ Stopping in their tracks the 2 underlings were petrified as the head of their leader was chopped clean off without them even seeing how he died. ''Only 400 exp, and it only brought me up 1 level? Sigh. Guess it''ll be more difficult then I thought to level up.'' I inwardly sighed. Looking back up at the shaking bandits it ended up being the straw that broke the camels back [1] as a warm liquid streamed down their legs. ''That''s just filthy!'' Thud~ Thud~ Without a second glance I cut both of their heads off. [Killed Human Bandit 400 exp earned] [Killed Human Bandit 400 exp earned] [Lv6/25 -> Lv7/25] All this transpired within seconds but this didn''t go un-noticed by the nearby bandits. More and more bandits dropped what they were doing, be it looting, fighting or having some fun. The chance to obtain a rare baby dragon being irresistible to all the people present.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It first started with 2 people. Then 4 people. 6 people. 8. 10. 14. 18. 24. A whole 24 bandits were rushing over, pushing, shoving and even the occasional fight breaking out just to obtain a lone baby dragon. This of course caused a sudden drop in bandits on the front line which didn''t go un-noticed by the villagers. Confused and skeptical they still hurriedly rallied up, steadily beating back the few remaining bandits. Unfazed by the number of armed men rushing towards me I simply charged up [Flame Breath: Lv2]. Due to the surrounding commotion nobody noticed the rise in temperature around them. As the first of the bandits lashed out with their sword a brilliant flame rumbled the air as a 5 meter ring of death took shape. "Ah!" "Hip mi!" "Graah!" Screams of agony and sorrow echoes across the village as pleas of mercy rang out. One by one bodies fell as if they were trees that had been cut down. [Killed Human Bandit 400 exp earned] [Killed Human Bandit 400 exp earned] [lv7/25 -> lv8/25] [Killed Human Bandit 400 exp earned] ... [Lv9/25 -> Lv10/25] [Killed Human Bandit 200 exp earned] [Killed Human Bandit 200 exp earned] ... [Killed Human Bandit 200 exp earned] [Lv13/25 -> Lv14\25] Once the final bandit stopped his screams there was a eerie silence as everybody looked at the scene dumbstruck. ''Aw, I get less exp every 5 levels. Atleast I got to level 14. But that attack took a lot out of me. Why''s everybody looking at me like that? Disgusting perverts the lot of you!'' Unaware to my inner thoughts the village regained it''s chaos as a village soldier struck down a raider. "HU RAHH!" Battle cry''s rang out on both sides as they resumed their battle as if the sudden scene never happened, but this time things were flipped around. The rallied village forces steadily pushed back the weakened raider force. Gaining ground step by step. ''Think I bit off more then I can chew with this one, it''d be best if I head bac-'' Before I could retreat back to Decoration one of the villagers snuck up beside me and quickly grabbed me. ''F***ing humans! I saved your pathetic village and this is how I get compensated?! If I wasn''t exhausted from my [Flame Breath: Lv2] attack I would''ve long made you a Dullahan [2]. Fortunately a stray arrow shot itself into the villagers right leg, penetrating it all the way through. "Ah!" Using the opportunity I forcefully broke free and fled inside one of the local houses, of course I made sure to pay back my ''escort'' in full. [Killed Village Soldier 200 exp earned.] The familiar ding of the system rang out as I entered the house, slamming the door behind me. ''I''ll wait till they weaken each other out their before I swoop in and get all the benefits.'' Walking around the house I found women hiding under a bed, her eyes lifeless. Clearly she knew the current situation was helpless. [Killed Human Women 50 exp earned] ''To others it may seem cruel and I don''t like killing innocents as it''s not worth the effort, but I can''t have any witnesses. She also would''ve suffered trauma if she survived knowing her whole village had been burned down after I leave. Personally I consider it mercy.'' Getting a better look there was a small light where the women was laying. Curious of what it could be I headed to the light where there was a small wooden trapdoor with a rusted iron lock on the handle. Clang~ With a swift slash of my claws the broken lock fell to the ground with a noticeable clang. Opening the trapdoor up to the bed frame I managed to barely squeeze in. ''A staircase? Judging from the glowing moss this place hasn''t been in use for a while, it might house some rare treasures. It wouldn''t hurt to take a peek, would it?'' Cautiously walking down the stairs I entered a small room with a wooden desk and a simple chair. Besides the little amount of light coming from the glowing moss it would be near impossible to see anything without my stage 3 cultivation. Exploring the room for a few minutes it didn''t seem to house any secret compartments or anything of the like. ''This is pretty lame, I was expecting a stash of gold or some treasure but it''s just a dirty study room.'' Just as I was about to leave a piece of paper hanging off the table caught my eye. It was withered by time and dust so it blended in with the surroundings. If I didn''t pay close attention I would missed it. Snatching the paper off the table 2 big words were plastered on the top with a map. The writing was extremely foreign and ancient but I could still somehow understand it. "Cursed Inheritance" Ch6 The Rest Pondering the words on the map I steadily headed back up. With all the xiania novels I read when I was still on earth my blood boiled at the thought of exploration. Although the prospect of adventure got my blood going I didn''t act rash. Why would somebody leave a map to an Inheritance on a table for years and lock up the only hidden entrance? It was the first word you saw when you pick it, Cursed. Whoever found the map probably locked it up here in fear of others trying follow through with it despite the clear wording. I honestly praise the selfless person who left it here instead of selling it for a profit, unfortunately for the poor lad I stumbled upon his room with a plethora of xiania novels to my name. Leaving the dungeon like stairs I was greeted by my earlier kill. Knowing she was innocent I couldn''t help but think where I changed. At the start I felt eerily human despite my dragon body. There was even a split second after I killed the warrior where I felt guilt from my actions. My emotions only really got suppressed after I received the [Little Bad Guy: Lv3] title. The system didn''t mention anything about it so I thought it was merely that, a title. But it turns out it simply thought it wasn''t worth the effort to mention reduced emotion. Looking back I''d like to lie and say that I regret my actions, but I really don''t. I won''t say I enjoy killing, just that I don''t mind killing if It''ll benefit me. Guess I''m really no different than the corporations who harmed me for their own benefit. Chuckling at the irony of it all I headed towards the nearest window overseeing the village, peeking my head just enough to see outside so as not to be spotted.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ''Perfect timing. Their both heavily injured and seem to only be focused on the other party, completely ignoring the outside world.'' Stealthily making my way back I gently placed down the map while also checking to see if Decoration was okay. The sun was still up so I found Decoration resting in the same spot I left him. Sneaking up on a small wooden house a fair distance from the fighting, I let out a small flame just enough to start a fire. Repeating the same action on 3 other houses I effectively sealed the inhabitants from the North,East,South and West sides using fire, which further went on to block all the sides as the wind spread the fire to the other houses. By the time somebody alerted the group it was to late to do anything. Watching from the distance you could see the different emotions flickering across the faces on both sides with fear, resolve, sadness, confusion and anger being the more prominent ones. [Killed Human Child 5 exp earned.] [Killed Human Child 5 exp earned.] [Killed Human Women 25 exp earned] ... The first round of exp streamed in from the hiding villagers who hid in outer regions. Even with the halved exp I''ll still manage to gain a level or two from everybody here. [Little Bad Guy: Lv3 -> Lv4] It just keeps on going up doesn''t it? Well nothing I can do about it. Even if it rises I still need to get exp and monsters are to impractical to get strong fast. But It''s not like I plan to commit a genocide and burn every village I see. [Killed Human Bandit 100 exp earned] [Killed Village Soldier 100 exp earned] .... [Lv14/25 -> Lv15/25] If somebody glanced at the village now they would probably think it was attacked by a large beast who was having a bad day, not a fragile little baby dragon. Ch7 The Start of a Journey Placing the map on my back so as not to damage it I picked up Decoration in my mouth and started walking in the general direction of the first place on the map. The Forbidden Forest. The name is a bit over the top if I do say so myself. While walking the cool dirt under my feet as I walked had a..how do I put it? Soothing feeling to it? Yea, a soothing feeling. As a human, I wouldn''t have understood that something so simple could be so calming, the local wildlife and the such only really added to the beauty. Now that I have all this time I should probably start catching up on a few things while I can, can''t afford to start procrastinating in the wild. That''s on my big "No no" list. Yes, I made it up on the spot, but the time it was made is irrelevant to the over-arching point. Let''s see, naming Decoration should be at the top of the list. Calling him/her Decoration is just going to be inconvenient in the long term. Referring to Decor as ''it" is also going to get annoying quiet fast as well. Hm. That''s going to be tricky. I wasn''t good at names as a human either. How about I keep it simple. Decor-ite. Decorite. Perfect. As for gender, I''ll keep it male. I don''t feel comfortable having a girl in my mouth for an extended period, or for any amount of time. Even if Decorite ends up being a girl she can''t talk, you know being stone and all so I''ll never know. A foolproof plan if I do say so myself. Well, that''s all I actually needed to do. Cultivating, and evolving can all be done along the way. It''s going to turn dark soon so I''ll just stop here. It''ll also give me time to tell Decorite about his new name and gender. Hopefully, it won''t take to long to reach the forest, I''ll just finish up the rabbits I caught along the way before cultivating. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Human Frontier Town of Catilca - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Be careful Rose, the horned rabbits have been breeding like crazy recently. Also, don''t forget to tell the people in the village I said hi!"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "I will!" I hope she''d heard my response. Without the kind old lady giving out food at a discounted price every time I visit, the village might not have had enough for everybody to get a reasonable amount of food. This year''s harvest definitely wasn''t the best, and with the bandits getting cockier they''ve started extorting more and more food from us. I just hope nothing gets too out of hand. If we could just start saving up more cash we could start hiring adventurers to keep watch. Rick can''t always keep the village in check, and I feel bad for him. He just wanted to retire in a small village but with the bandits threatening the peace, he''s been forced into the position of a sort of guard. I just hope this is enough for everybody to last the week if we live frugally enough. Heading out the front gate I make sure the slightly nod my head at the guards as I pass by. They both return the nod not wanting to be rude. They risk their lives on a daily bases so the people in the town can live peacefully. Although some of the guards might take bribes and turn a blind eye to illegal merchants theirs nothing to be done. Every field has it''s fair share of corrupted officials or greedy workers. We can only hope that they get weeded out before they cause much harm. Handing over a silver coin to the driver I managed to cram into a carriage that passes by the village, its only a 5-minute walk afterwards. Putting the basket on my lap I looked at the people I''ll be with for the next hour and a half. Most of the people crammed inside are people who live in the more remote areas of the kingdom or those running from the authorities. I sometimes play a game where I try to find out who''s an innocent getting by and who''s the criminal. Though it''s quite easy as all you have to do is see who''s covering their face the most. As the carriage starts picking up speed I relax, but still making sure to keep watch of the hands around me. Stealing vegetables isn''t a rare occurrence considering the type of people around me. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Random Forest - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thinking back, I wonder if anybody was out of the village when I attacked it. The bandits did surround it but a few people escaping is to be expected right? Hopefully, nothing bad comes of it, they''ll probably just chalk it up to the bandits anyways. I''m probably just being paranoid. Ch8 The Forbidden Forest Above the horizon, I could see the faint silhouette of my first destination. The Forbidden Forest. The actual journey here had taken me about a week. The walk here also was surprisingly peaceful. I was expecting to have to avoid giant monsters and dangerous terrain but besides finding a few human settlements nothing much really happened. When I first saw a settlement I was hoping to get some free exp killing the wild stock. but unlike the original village, this one was a full-on town. The perimeter of the city was surrounded by stone walls with 8-10 guards perched on top. I also saw small groups of people wielding different types of gear patrolling the area. They reminded me of the first group I met when I came to this world. Who still give me bad memories. So I just swiftly crawled by, out of sight of course. There were also a few groups heading out the way I came. Did they know that the village was attacked? I don''t think news could spread so fast unless this world had a system equivalent to a magic SOS call. Even if they did I doubt a small village would be able to obtain such technology, considering there small size and proximity to a monster-infested forest. I''m no king myself but personally, I don''t think putting something important near the edge of my kingdom would be a smart thing to do. Just the time it took to reach was about 2 hours, although telling time without a watch is noticeably more difficult and less reliable. The actual town itself was surprisingly well fortified, and even some sort of ballista was being constructed on the walls. My guess is as good as yours why they''d need such a large ballista on their walls.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Besides the town, the other settlements were just small villages no-bigger then the first one. I managed to kill a few of there wild stock while passing by, which garnered me some Exp. As for Decorite, he didn''t take the news of his new gender so well. But after a small "conversation" he ended up agreeing, as he couldn''t talk he never really had a say anyways. Decorite''s ability to boost my cultivation speed was also incredibly useful as I managed to break through to the fourth level. Giving me the ability to give me claws a small glow to them. I managed to test them on some of the wild stock, and they get my approval. It was an interesting feeling, as my claws didn''t really touch anything. I only had to swipe and the white light would essentially evaporate whatever it touched. It still makes me feel giddy knowing that I can finally use cool abilities. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Dragon Evolution System Race: Baby Dragon Status: Normal Lv: 15/25 Cultivation: Body Refining Stage 4 Cultivation Technique: 9 Stage Refinement Technique(Mortal) Rank: E- Abilities: [System] [Status] [Analyze] [Roll: Lv2] [Dragon Breath: Lv3] [Scratch: Lv3] Titles: [System Weilder: ¡ª¡ª] [Survivor: Lv2] [Little Bad Guy: Lv4] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Currently, my status doesn''t seem to bad. I''m feeling pretty confident going into the forest. Worst comes to worst I should be able to run from whatever lives inside of there. I only need to find a small orb in the middle of the forest. That shouldn''t be too hard. Probably. Entering the forest itself felt like I just entered the void. The trees somehow manage to stop any light from shining down. It creates a funny scene where you can clearly see a line of where the light suddenly stops, and the forest begins. It reminded me of one of those before and after pictures you''d sometime see. Of course with my cultivation, I''m still able to see what''s ahead of me, but without any light, it creates a foreboding atmosphere. It feels like I could be jump scared at any moment, and with the thick foliage, I really hope nothing dangerous actually lives in this godforsaken place. Immediately after stepping forwards I could tell that the ground is very soft. Not like I''ll melt into the ground soft, but more like a very wet and almost..whats a word? Mushy? Yea, mushy floor. Even if I don''t meet any dangerous animal in here it''s still not going to be a pleasant trip. Ch9 Forest Disaster Wandering the vast forest expanse reminded me of my simpler life as a child back on earth. Of course, back then I didn''t have to you know, deal with the baggage of being a monster. But just the simple stuff is very nice and carefree, like not meeting a single monster this entire time. Funny considering you''d think a place with such a foreboding name would at least have creepy crawlies lurking behind a bush for its nest pray, but truthfully I don''t think I''ve even seen a single insect in here. Or even the slightest sound, of course excluding the sound of the dead leaves I''ve been stomping on for the past hour. Hence why it feels so carefree. I just feel like a little kid going for a small walk around the local forest. Though I didn''t really have a forest did I? No, wait I did, right? Ah, what''s up with my mind today? I should probably practice some memory games while I''m walking. Of course, I''m not naive enough to believe I''m totally alone in here. You don''t name something it''s not, that''s just common sense. Though the map is old, so whatever lived here probably died of starvation long before I came here, if not leaving from the boredom, but optimism aside my goal isn''t to meet that thing if it does exist, I just want my little treasure in the center of this forest before heading to the next place on the map. Hopefully, it doesn''t turn out to be a classic game mechanic where I have to fight the boss of this area to obtain it. Spooky. Just think happy thoughts. Exp, Exp Exp, Exp. Oh, it''s already helping, wonderful. Conveniently there''s no wind in here, which means that I don''t have to constantly worry about the map that is just casually resting on my back. All it really takes is a small gentle, innocent-looking gust to ruin my possible future on this planet. No pressure. Just my future and life on the line. Calm down. Remember, happy thoughts. Exp, Exp, Exp, Exp. Perfect. I should''ve tried this back on earth, I might have not been as miserable as I was back then. At least I have Decorite to keep me company. It''s not like I''m lonely or anything it''s just nice to share your struggles with somebody else at times, like if I''m ever struggling to beat a mob I can always just chuck Decorite at it as a distraction, before escaping. Though I''d like to avoid that as long as possible seeing as my cultivation will probably slow to crawl afterwards. And so far my cultivation has been the main way for me to beat creatures of similar levels and class., so losing my edge would truly be tragic.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Hopefully, there''s a stream on my way out, then I could finally wash off all this mud off my foot. It''s ruining my intimidation factor. The other monsters would probably just take me for a pushover. Granted I don''t know how regular monsters think or do they even think at all? Such deep questions indeed, I even shocked my self with them. Damn, I should''ve been born a philosopher. This world truly is unfortunate to have lost a potential scholar. What a shame. As my ears perk up as a natural reflex, the sound of running water enters my ear. Finally, about time I found a stream. Sprinting as fast as I can I estimate that it''ll take about 10 minutes tops, at least from what I can hear. I don''t really need to remove the mud off my feet, and it''ll only serve to waste my time as I''ll just be forced back on the mud anyway, as I still need to get the treasure. But If I can reach the stream then it''ll serve as a guide and path for me to follow. It''ll also serve as a direct line of escape if things turn sour. Besides, just doing something that''s not just random wandering is good enough. Hm, is it just me or is the ground getting softer? Wait I''m the only one here. Decorite is still sleeping in my mouth. Useless thing. Probably just my head playing tricks on me. I can hear the stream more vividly, and if I had to guess then I have 5 minutes left. No, it''s definitely getting softer. Way too soft. The consistency is slowly turning into an almost goopy mixture, and it''s really taking a toll on my speed. At least I reached the stream, as long as I jump inside I could just swim away to solid ground. The water in the stream was surprisingly hot. Like boiling. No, like my scales are being cooked. Well not like I have a choice, the ground has only gotten worse. Its current consistency is similar to that of quicksand, and it''s only worsening. Even the tall ash trees that blocked off the sky started to destabilize. The bushes already long gone, absorbed by the ground. Waying my options I really have no choice but to suck up to the pain and find the treasure, before leaving this godforsaken forest. No wonder nobody lives in this hell hole. I''ve been stepping on them this whole time. The end rewards better be the best thing I''ve seen or I''m going to surrender myself to the ground. I just hope nobody else has found that damn orb otherwise I''m just mindlessly chasing something that''s not there. I''ll have no dignity left if that''s true. Arg, so much pressure. Deep Breaths. Just look for the treasure and think happy thoughts. Ch10 Discovery Floating downstream wasn''t too bad, you know, ignoring the burning scales and all. I''m surprised that the few thin scales I have are actually lasting me this long, even taking into account my cultivation it''s still impressive. Granted it''s only been 5 minutes since I jumped in because of the collapsing ground. But I''ll take that as a win. The stream isn''t even that wide, only about 4 feet. So it''s quite scary as I''m not far away from the ground. Well, I don''t think I can even call it that now. The consistency is now that of a very creamy paste. It''s a very interesting thing to see. But it ends there. I''m still very scared of it. All the trees have already long since sunk into the ground. But despite the lack of trees I still can''t see very far, It''s like a very faint black fog is covering me. Pretty spooky if I do say so myself. Of course, it''s not like I can really feel fear. But I can still logically feel it, does that make sence? Ah, whatever. As long as I keep the top half of my body above the water then I should be fine. I just can''t risk losing Decorite or the map at this stage. Only if I have no choice would I risk loosing either of them, as they''re my only real source of security for the future. I just need to keep following this stream. Well, it''s not that I really have a choice but that''s beside the point. Only one of two things can happen. Either I manage to find the orb on my way and escape, or I just float out of this forest. The only real worry I have is that this lake goes in a loop, in which case I''ll be stuck burning alive for eternity. But I still haven''t seen the river curve so the chances of it being a loop are unlikely at best.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I feel movement in my mouth. It seems that Decorite finally decided to wake up. Ah, I wonder how he''s going to react to the scenery. He''s still a bit drowsy but not Completely unaware. Oh, he''s fully woken up now. Crap, he''s trying to break free. You little dipshit you''ll fall into the acidic water! Ah, I don''t want to break him but I can''t afford to loosen my grip on him. But he''s not slowing. I''ll just put a bit more force. Now he''s only fighting back even harder. It''s not like it hurts or anything, but I can''t afford to have divided attention while the map is on my back, and there''s acid all around me. The little bugger is really getting on my nerves. I can just drop him right now if I wanted to. It''ll also free up my mouth. Just yawn and all my problems would be gone. How simple. Oh, thinking about yawning is making me tired. Would you look at that, my grip is loosening. Ah, now he starts to hold on. Well, I''m not stopping my yawn just for you. So you better have a strong grip or it''s not going to be pretty. *Yawn* The little guy''s shaking. I can''t afford to lose my property just like that. That''d just be a waste. But I really wonder how long this lake is. I''ve been floating for a while now but I still can''t see the end. At least I have my ma- wheres my map! I can''t feel my map anymore. It probably fell in the struggle with Decorite. I really want to burn that thing so bad. But I have to resist. I''ve already lost the fucking map. And I can''t even kill the fucking thing that made me drop it. What luck. There''s no point even trying to stay here, but It''s not like I can just leave. I have to follow the damn stream and not even gain anything out of it by the end, instead, I lost my prized possession. I wanted to go into a cursing fit so bad, just to relieve the stress. But from the corner of my mind, a small piece of paper came floating by. Completely unharmed. It was the map. Oh thank god, I didn''t lose the map. But it''s completely unharmed, odd. Does this water only harm biological creatures? My eyes couldn''t help drift towards the small shit that almost gave me a heart attack. Ch11 Purge As much as I''d like to throw Decorite into the water, it''s unfortunately not very practical. Sigh A true tragedy indeed. Of course, I could always try lowering Decorite into the water, but such a peaceful scenario would simply be a pipe dream. Worst comes to worst, I get some of that horrid substance into my system. Personally not a huge fan of having my insides burn. But to each their own I guess. Well at least I know the map can float, and it doesn''t seem to be wet. It''s surprisingly dry. Too dry. Now that I think about it, I don''t feel wet. I couldn''t tell because of the initial shock at being boiled alive, but now that I''m consciously thinking about it, I can tell that it''s not wet. But can a liquid even be wet? How would that work? What even is the definition of wet? Or is being wet just... Ah, focus! Stop getting distracted. But that''s really odd. It''s definitely a liquid, there''s no doubt about that. But in a world of monsters and magic, my common sense probably doesn''t apply. Hm, is it just me or is the water getting darker? Of course, it''s only me, I''m the only one who can probably even see it changing colours. As for Decorite? He probably uses some form of echolocation, or something at least equivalent to it. I refuse to believe Decorite is able to see through his gems. At best the stuff he is able to see would be incredibly blurry, and unfocused. So my point stands. As the most well versed in the subject of seeing changes, I can indeed, confirm the water is darkening. Oh boy, it''s really getting dark. The waters transformed from it''s you know, water colour, to an almost ethereal black. No light''s reflecting off the water at this point, it''s the same as being in a pitch-black room, except the contrast between the pitch-black water and the still relatively bright surroundings is quite fascinating. Although the sight is quiet peculiar, I have more pressing matters, such as the reason for the in explicit change in the water''s colour. I don''t feel any additional effects aside from an acute sense of nausea, which is most likely from the constant swimming, at least that''s what I hope. ------ Unfortunately, I still haven''t managed to find the treasure, to add to my problems the stream is still pitch black, and the nausea from before that had only been in the background has come full swing, making it difficult to keep my body from swaying. I''ve even had to move Decorite onto my back, along with the map, as in my current state I''m afraid I might just drop Decorite if I continued to hold him in my mouth. To my surprise he didn''t fight back, which was a nice silver-lining to the situation if I might add.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. But this nausea is really gonna make me slip up even if no monsters show up, but the river only seems to continue going, atleast from what I''m able to see. Turning to land in its current state will also only prove more dangerous then this river. So my hands are tied about what I can do at the moment. Through it''s looking bleak. The throbbing in the back of my head has only seemed to amplify the nausea, which in turn amplify''ed the throbbing. What is this god forsaken luck? Ah, my vision is fading. My eyes won''t stay open, it''s as if somebody''s pulling them shut. Oh, this is- A sudden jolt knocked me out before I could finish my sentence. ----- [Failed "The Trial of the Mind"] [Punishment: Purging Participant''s soul...] [Error: Soul overload {2}...fixing..] [Success: Soul Purged] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Dragon Evolution System Race: ?Baby Dragon? Status: Weak Lv: 15/25 - > 23/25 {Purged}Cultivation: Body Refining Stage 4 {Purged}Cultivation Technique: 9 Stage Refinement Technique(Mortal) Rank: E- Abilities: [System] [Status] [Analyze] [Roll: Lv2] [Dragon Breath: Lv3] [Scratch: Lv3] Titles: [System Wielder: ¡ª¡ª] [Survivor: Lv2 -> 5] [Little Bad Guy: Lv4] [Strong Mind: Lv3] [%^#(] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [Strong Mind - Increases resistance to mental attacks. Boosts hosts mental capacity.] [$^@) - %(&%(& Q%#&(W#% )$)$ Q%*)] [Success! You have passed the "The Trial of the Mind"''] [Obtained: Corrupted Orb] [Corrupted Orb - Originally a cultivation orb, this piece of gemstone has been corrupted by "Baby Dragon" and has been converted to a basic nest. Summons one goblin every hour. Maximum of 10 goblins.] In a small forest I slowly opened my eyes. Shaking off the fatigue, I scanned over my new notifications, and I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t at least mildly shocked. The river I had been floating on was the apparent key to the treasure it''d seem, but the more pressing issue would the apparent purging of my soul. It looks like I had 2 souls in me..? Though I don''t believe I''m being possessed by any ghost, and it clearly stated the purging go my soul. If I had to take a crack at it, then it''s likely I had 2 souls, one for this world, and one for earth. That would explain why some of the my features are no longer accessible to me, as it looks like they were connected to the purged soul, which in turned purged the skills. But looking at it again, my levels spiked even though I didn''t kill anything. So I either got exp from the trial, or my levels were being restricted by my other soul..? Then wouldn''t that mean I am no longer bound? If so, then that''d really simplify things a lot. For one, I can level up faster, and two, I like leveling up faster. So in my opinion it''s a win win scenario as some might call it. Finishing looking over the notifications I closed the messages, and grabbed my reward, the Corrupted Orb, and carried on. As interesting the orb might be, I have to think long term. The map is my priority, and seeing as it''s still night, I can keep Decorite up with the map on my back, freeing up my jaw for the orb. It''s bit of a tight fit, and it sort of hurts my teeth, but the jewel fits. Which is all that really counts. Now I just need to move on to my next destination, but before that, I have to get stronger. I''m not naive enough to believe I can luck my way out the second trail, and I only have one soul left, so I can only try it by the rules. But until then, I''ll have to find some creatures to kill. But first, I''m going to need a little break after what happened in the Forbidden Forest. I still get the shivers thinking about it, as it happened recently. Ch12 Sniff After "The Trial of the Mind" incident, I woke up in a forest. I honestly expected to be lazily thrown aside by the river, but even after a thorough investigation around the area, there was no sign of the Forbidden Forest. Though, I would be lying if I said I was disappointed. If anything it''s a relief I was sent far away. But there was one major issue. I was lost. My original plan to use the first trial as a landmark was thrown out the window. Even after my search, there was no such thing even similar to a landmark nearby, just some trees and rocks. Well it''s better then being in that river at least, and it''ll also give me some time to gather my strength, especially now that I don''t have to rely on my cultivation to evolve. But I do kind of miss it, on one hand it was stopping me from evolving as fast, but on the other hand it was also boosting my capabilities. But weighing the pro''s and cons, I''d say I got the better end of the stick. So that would just leave finding something to kill, whether human or monster. Though preferably the latter, as I still don''t enjoy killing something that I use to be. But if it comes to it, I wont hesitate. Though the humane part is one thing, but the other reason would be the human kingdoms. If I go on a murder frenzy, even if the kingdoms wouldn''t want to, I''m sure they''ll eventually capitulate to the populace. Plus, me being a baby dragon is probably just the stick on the carrot. Which is another reason to evolve. Oh a scent! I should start sniffing more often, I would have missed it if I breathed a second late. At first it was very faint, but the more I put my mind to it the more vivid it became. My constant sniffing also attracted other smells, some more appealing then others, and some that even provoked my hunger. It was quiet simply put a sea of smells in my nose. Which wasn''t exactly the most comfortable thing, but I would get use to it overtime. Doing a quick double check to ensure the map and Decorite were still on my back I followed the first scent I had smelt. The smell it was producing was quiet pleasant, at least compared to the other scents nearby, but what really interested me was the faint smell of something metallic.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Blood. In front of me was a small cave littered with small bones, mostly just hares, and baby deer, but I also saw one set of bones that looked similar to the wolves back on earth. Making sure my body was completely hidden behind the tree, I started sniffing the air around me. Hm, seems like there''s four - no five creatures inside. One scent is also stronger then the rest, which I assume means it''s the strongest of the bunch. It''s also in the center of the other four monsters, which is why it was harder to detect it''s scent. Unfortunately, the entrance to the den was quiet narrow at the start, but it expanded the farther in it went, giving the enemy inside an advantage against lone targets such as myself. It was also impossible to see very far inside, as some of my night vision was weakened after the purge, though it was quiet minor. After sniffing once more in case I missed anything, I put the orb that had been in my mouth beside the tree. I also put Decorite, who was still sleeping considering night hadn''t failed yet, front of the orb along with the map. I was going to wait till night before I follow through with my plan. ----- Just as I was getting fidgety from being forced to stay in one place, night finally rolled around. And with it, Decorite also stirred before waking up from his slumber. I was already getting impatient, so I quickly pulled Decorite beside me and quickly started to hand him wood. He was confused in the beginning and tried giving back to me, assuming I dropped it, but after repeatedly being hit in the head by wood, he finally got the hang of it and actually held on to the wood. Of course, Decorite wasn''t that big, even compared to me. So he could only hold so much small pieces of wood before he started swaying, trying to not drop any. Perfect. I quickly waved Decorite over with my tail, and pointed to the cave entrance, before adopting a running position. He was a bit confused at first, but as if a light switch had clicked in his head, he suddenly stood up and started fast walking inside the cave. After approximately 10 seconds I heard the sound of grunts and murmurs from inside. Though those murmurs soon turned into sounds of surprise as Decorite had dropped all the wood with a thud. Immediately after dropping the wood, he rushed back out with one stick in his hand, I quickly used a weak dragon breath on the stick. Taking the hint, Decorite quickly rushed back in and threw the burning stick into the pile he had dropped earlier. Whether from confusion or shock at what had transpired, it took the creatures inside the den a couple of seconds to regain themselves before I heard footsteps in rapid succession. There was no way I would have won in a fight inside the cave, but all the meant was I had to smoke them out. As if on queue, four creatures came rushing out in a coughing fit. Their skin was a dark green and their body was horribly malformed. They wore dirtied clocks that had more holes then cloth. In their haste to leave, one of the creature''s hood was blown off, giving me a good look at their face. It was the by far the more malformed part of the creature. Just looking at the number of warts growing on the miss shaped face made me flinch. Ch13 Shamans
?????????????????? ????Goblin Shaman
Rank D+ Goblins who practice a crude version of magic. They excel at casting curses on their foes, and buffs to their allies. These monsters are usually found leading bands of goblins, or multiple can serve a Goblin cheiftan. Because of their ability to use magic and lead their inferior brethern, they are usually hunted down by the Adventurer Guild.
I quickly jumped off the tree I was using as cover and landed on the nearest goblin. Taken aback by the unexpected ambush, and still disoreintated from the smoke, the shaman wasn''t able to react in time. Taking advantage of the small window of opportunity where the shaman couldn''t react, I unleashed an onslaught of attacks uisng my Qi infused claws. Even after the purging of one of my souls, and the loss of my ability to cultivate, I oddly still had the power to use Qi. Though that''s more of a thought for another time. My Qi claws managed to easily penetrate the weak flesh of the shaman, reaching the heart in a matter of seconds. Using the momentum of my claws I quickly tore out the heart and used the shaman''s body to propel myself to the treeline. As if waiting for me to finish, the other three shamans snapped out of their torpor and quickly regrouped infront of the cave. They watched me intently as they started to grunt in synchronization. From the treeline, I could see a small U take shape in the air infront of the three, growing in tune with their grunts. It started off very faint, almost etheral, but as the grunts started to rise in intensity, so did the clarity of the U. Not wanting to give the three Shamans the chance to finish their spell, I lunged towards the closest shaman. Just as I was about to kill the shaman with my Qi claws, a transparent wall suddenly formed infront of me. The sudden barrier infront of me gave me little time to react, I only managed to turn my body to avoid the brunt of the collision. The barrier rippled where my body had collided, only breifly shaking before quickly stabilizing. Unfortunately I was not as lucky.
Host Status: Normal -> Hurt
The collision broke one of my ribs, and fractured my left femur. Although it''s nothing life threatning, it''d certainly make things more difficult, and with the U still rapidly taking form, it makes me hard pressed for time. My chance of escape is also slim. If I fled at the start then it would have been fine, but with my fractured femur It''s unlikely I''ll make it far enough away to escape the U. I''ll just have to find a way to bypass the sheild and kill the three shamans before they finish chanting, or I could take cover behind one of the tree and hope whatever curse their conjuring is affeted by the physical realm. Though out of the two options, I''ll stick with the first. But if I''m not able to kill the three in time then option two would be a good backup. I took my time and tried to find any gap or weakness I could exploit, unfortunately I had no such luck. The barrier extended in a sphere around the three, and the U was inside. So I couldn''t simply walk around the wall. I could try digging, but my dignity forbids such a silly thing.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Ah, how could I not think of that! So far I had been able to get a description of whatever I used analyze on, so the logic should apply to the barrier as well, no? [Analyze]
????????????????????????Mana Sheild
A simple mana barrier commonly used by magic weilding monsters. It has the power of a peak 9th stage body refining human, or approximantly the defence of a D+ rank monster. Though it is strong for a basic shield, it can be dispelled by using high quality mana, or purified Qi.
Reading the analysis was suprisingly useful in more then one ways. One, that humans and inteligent monster seem to use different types of energy, but oddly I could both. Ah I''ll just deal with that in the future. More importantly, it can be shattered by using high quality mana. Although I can''t conjure spells, my dragon breath is most likely this "high quality mana" that monster use. It would actually explain a lot, like why I dont burn my insides, and why I can release so much fire despite my size. I certanly don''t use Qi, that''s for sure. Looking back, was that how I managed to overpower all my victims? By overpowering them with my mana? Although I can''t confirm it uses high quality mana, I refuse to beleive my noble breath is inferior to the junk these shamans use. Huh, thats odd, since when did I start acting like that? Ah, I''ll just add it to the list of things for the future. As I came to my abrupt answer, so came the final grunts of the shamans. The U had grown from the size of a tennisball to that of a basketball, and it had fully taken form, no longer was there any transparency. Unfortunately, they still kept up their sheild, as they seem to be applying some sort of tracking mechanism, to ensure they dont miss after all their grunting. Sigh. I hope this work. [Dragon Breath] Following my command a crisp crackling sound escaped my mouth, followed by small embers. The phenomenon gave me an odd sense of pride, and a feeling of magesty in my step. Which was something I hadn''t experienced before. As the embers came to an abrupt stop, a brilliant flame left my mouth. It arched towards the three shamans, who in their panic unleashed their spell.
???????????????????Curse of Eternal Slumber
A powerful C - rank curse unique to the goblin shamans. By sharing the mana between 3 or more goblin shamans, the curse is strenghted. It is rumored that if enough Elder Goblin Shamans used the spell, it could reach the power of a A+ rank curse, hence it''s name.
The U propelled itself towards my flame. Just the shockwave of the two spells could be felt from the treeline, but the results had already been decided. Overtime the U started glowing a crimson red as the fire continued to pound the spell. Eventually, the U lost all of it''s power, shattering in a display of light. Taking a peek at the shamans, I could see it was over. They had turned pale and were using the rest of their power to reinforce the sheild. But it was all for naught. As my flames hit the barrier, powerful ripples spread across the barrier before it shatered. Once the shamans last line of defence was destroyed, the flames continued too ignite the goblins. I watched on with morbid curiosity as the shamans plead for mercy, atleast that''s what I assume all the grunts to mean. Of course they didn''t last long. They were soon turned to ash by my flames, there pleads for mercy forever unaswered. These inferior creatures are D+ rank? It''s honestly laughable.
????????????????4 Goblin Shamans Killed.. 2000 Exp Obtained
??????????????????????Evolution Available
Ch14 Second Evolution After killing the four shamans I managed to obtain 2000 exp, which was enough to let me evolve. Thankfully I managed to only get away with a fractured femur and a broken rib after the fight, not that it really matters much. Since the evolution should heal my injuries anyways. Though it is a bit nerve racking, the whole evolution thing, as it''s something that I never had to do as a human. This is really only my first time being able to look over all my options before picking, since the last time I evolved I left it up to the system. But I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t exited, I could finally be a true dragon! But before I could evolve I had to find a safe place away from prying eyes. Luckily there was a convinent cave behind the shamans. The smoke had already been cleared during the fight, and the presence I detected earlier had already turned faint, most likely dying from the smoke. Not being able to hold back my exitment I impatiently made my way over the ashes of the 3 shamans, and entered the cave. The interior was quite plain, as it was only a cave. Just some uneven stone and small pathways leading to different areas. I picked the left most pathway. Using my fire breath as a torch, I quickly went searching for a good place to rest, before eventually finding a nice open space with plenty of room for my evolution. Just to ensure there was nothing nearby I sniffed the area around me, finding nothing of note. Having confirmed that nothing else was nearby all that was left was evolving!
?????????????????? ???Evolution Available
??????????????????????Greater Dragon
A B- tier monster that is the evolved form of the baby dragon. This monster is sparsely found throughout the continent, and is known to have the power to burn down small towns. It''s scales are able to reflect most damage, and it''s breath is able to through burn steel. The dragon is also able to cut Ninth Stage Qi Cultivators with it''s reinforced claws. The monster''s rarity and valuable parts make it highly saught after by the adventurer''s guild.
?????????????????????4 Horned Toxic Dragon
A B tier monster that is the rare evolved form of the bay dragon. This monster is rarely found through out the continent. It''s notoierty comes from the acidic flames the dragon breaths. It is said that if you walked on land that had been touched by the dragon''s flame, your feet would melt in a minute and your body in an hour. The horned dragon is also able to channel it''s acid into it''s claws, and release a weaker gas variant of it''s acid from it''s pours. Most Adventurer Guilds quickly kill these dragons for the harm they can cause, and for it''s value in alchemy.
????????????????????? Dual Willed Dragon
A B+ teir monster never seen on the continent. Due to it''s unique circumstances, the dragon is able to combine mana and Qi into it''s own unique energy. The dragon is highly resistant to mentals attacks, and posses mild regeneration. The dragon grows stronger from the souls of other creatures, which eneables it to enslave or consume the souls of others. Nothing else is known about this unique creature
Consumes: Earth Soul {Trapped in Orb} and Dragon Soul. Converts: Greater Dragon soul.
Just the variety of different skills each dragon possesed was incredible. Anyone of these dragons would no doubt be an apex predator in their area. The baby dragon had definately been the correct choice.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But there''s only really one option I could choose.
??????????????????Selected: Dual Willed Dragon
As I confirmed my pick, the familiar sensation of warmth invaded me. But this time a black mist left the orb that I had left with Decorite and flew towards me. Once the mist had come near me, it diverged from it''s intial course and instead went around me, forming a small circle. The mist from the orb continued to come, which slowly turned the circle that had been rotating around me into a small dome. Once the last of the mist had left the orb, my body began to shift. I felt an odd stretching sensation as my body rapidly expanded. The previously soft scales that adorned my body had hardened, darkening to an ethereal black. My face also quickly gained mass as it''s form shifted to that of V. Small horns started growing down my back, and the small horns that had rested on my head grew to a more menacing size. Throughout the change, the mist was consistently being absorbed into my body, hardening my bones and frame, but more important, it was altering something much deeper. In my core a small vacuum had taken hold once the dome had formed. The vacuum started to pull the mist into itself, only serving to strenghten the vaccum. Like that, time began to pass. ---- Once the last of the mist had been used up, I started to inspect my new body. Using my previous size as reference, I was probally 2.5 meters tall, and with a wingspan of 5 meters. I had finally gotten wings, giving me the ability to fly around, which would save plenty of time in the future. My new evolution almost made me intoxicated by the shear surplus of power I now had.
????????????????Dragon breath -> Ethereal Dragon Breath Lv1
A breath unique to the Dual Willed Dragon, it has the ability to pass the physical realm and directly assault the soul.
??????????????????New Skill Obtained: Soul Bound
Allows the host to bind the soul of a weaker creature, or if the creature volunteers to give up their soul. Unique to the Dual Willed Dragon.
?????????????????New Skill Obtained: Mild Regneration
The ability to heals passively repair wounds, and heal the body.
???????????????????New Skill Obtained: Soul Harvest
Using the unique power of Soul Force the host can rob the souls of those who have recently died. The souls harvested can be used to refine the body, or used in combat.
????????????????????Qi + Mana -> Soul Force
A unique form of energy that has combined the energy of the monsters and the humans, becoming the gateway to the soul.
Ch15 Bound I gave a quick glance over the new skills I obtained from the evolution, and it was a definite power up. Though, the new ethereal dragon breath doesn''t appear to have the ability to burn through anything in the physical realm. Which might serve to be an obstacle in the future. Of course, it''s not like I want to raze a village to the ground. Well, at least not another one. Although I will admit that the plentiful amount of levels from the attack was intoxicating, but the number of armed humans around the towns has also spiked. At least in comparison to the village. If I consider the time I left the village to when I noticed the sudden spike, it hadn''t been long, maybe two days at most? Which brings me back to the thought that had been nagging me for a while now. Did anybody manage to escape my attack, and more importantly, did they see me? Though my worries are ill founded now, considering my new evolution. Even if the evolution isn''t going to help much, at least diplomatically speaking, if worse does come to pass, I could simply fly away. Otherwise I should be able to handle myself in a fight. My claws alone would cut down most foes. With that issue finally addressed, it''s now time to leave the cave; my new size makes me scrape against the edges of the cave with my tail, which is a bit claustrophobic considering what I was used to. Surprisingly I managed to squeeze my way out of the cave system with minimal effort on my part. On my way out I made sure to take a big whiff of the fresh air, marveling at the beauty of nature. Granted I hadn''t been in the cave long, but it definitely felt like it had been a while, which was a bit odd. I hadn''t had issues with either caves, or tight spaces before my evolution, though now it almost felt wrong being in one. Ah, thoughts for another time. I quickly headed over to Decorite and placed him in my little soul pocket, which acted like an inventory. It was one of the benefits of unlocking soul force, and reaching the first stage. The system currently listed the three different stages of soul proficiency as such:
(Current) First Stage: The most basic of soul manipulation, able to control users own soul to bend to its will and move anywhere in the body. This stage also gives the soul a storage ability.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Second Stage: Intermediate soul manipulation, able to use the soul to actively attack outside of the body. This stage gives the ability to manifest the users soul outside of the body.
Third Stage: Master soul manipulation, able to control the souls of others with but a thought. This stage gives the ability to create a new soul, and the unique skill [Soul Legion]
When I first saw the stages it was a bit depressing to see the lack of any offensive moves for the first stage. But the ability to store stuff in my own soul is invaluable. Of course, I''m not naive enough to put a living person inside of my own soul. Even Decorite is pushing it, but I''ll just have to put my trust in him. Or I would have. I quickly snuffed out the sleeping Decorite from my soul, and into the bushes outside. Looking over my ability list, I found what I was looking for. [Soul Bound] Following my command, a faint wisp appeared above Decorite, which I assumed was the soul. Shortly after the appearance of Decorite''s soul, two crimson chains latched onto the soul in an X pattern. The soul tried to break free from it''s binds to little gain. Not long after it''s resistance fell apart, and it surrendered itself to its new fate.
New Soul Enslaved: "Decorite"
Although it''s called "Bound" it''s actually more akin to slavery. Of course I''m not complaining. Though I honestly didn''t expect Decorite to have a soul, it was more of a test than anything. But now that Decorite''s soul is bound, it makes things much easier. I will confess that enslaving the soul did feel a bit extreme, I almost felt a very faint guilt. Not that my will can be broken so easily. Else I wouldn''t have survived long. I quickly put the map, and the orb, which had lost it''s "corrupted" title, but still retained the same ability, into my soul. Making sure I hadn''t forgotten anything, I spread my wings and flew into the air, which kicked up a small wind. While in the air I tried to harvest the shaman souls, but much to my disappointment, they seemed to have dissipated, or monsters just didn''t possess souls, which would be quite odd considering Decorite had one. Another thing for the future. Putting aside my disappointment I took off into the air. The feeling was a thrilling, if unique, experience. To be able to fly, and quite fast as well, was mesmerizing. Looking down at the forest I had just left, I couldn''t help but think of myself ruling over the inferior creatures as I expand my territory Ch16 A New Technique I slowly pulled the map out of my soul, being extra careful not to drop it in the forest below. Raising my other hand I carefully tracked a line from the Forbidden Forest to my approximate location. From there I tried to find a rough route to the next area I wanted to visit. My current destination was the Sky Palace, which is the trial that supposedly comes after the forest I''m in. Although I''ve already obtained soul force by combining Qi and mana, that only serves as proof that different energies can be combined to form a new, and arguably superior form of energy. Therefore, I still plan on completing the inheritance, as there''s a chance I might be able to learn a new type of energy from it, and then combine it with my soul force to create a super energy. Of course, it''s all just speculation at the moment, and even if I don¡¯t obtain what I¡¯m looking for by the end of it, then just the treasures I obtain from each trial should be plenty. But it''ll take a while, if I go off of my current location in comparison to the shaman''s den I should be able to roughly figure out the time it''d take to reach the Sky Palace. Running some calculations in my head I''d say it''d take approximately a week at my current pace. Not including the breaks between flights. ----- After another six hours of flying the strain on my wings was starting to hurt. So I began to search for an opening to safely land, and rest up. Luckily the trees had started to thin after about five hours of flight so finding an open space wasn''t incredibly difficult. I eventually settled for a clearing between two rows of trees. There was a nice river that flowed in the center and the space on either side of it was enough for me to stretch comfortably. A small herd of deer had also decided to cross the river just as I appeared. Which also solved the food problem. Locking onto the herd I stretched my wings and went in for a swan dive. As I came streaking past the river, I quickly grabbed a deer with my free hand, and another deer with my mouth. Once the two deers were in my grasp, I flew back up over the herd. If somebody from earth was watching me, they might even mistake my actions for that of a vulture. As the herd caught up to what had transpired they quickly rushed back to land, pushing the other deer out of the way in their panic. The sight was quite adorable. I swallowed the deers from my earlier dive before once again swooping back down for more. By the end I totaled seven deers in my stomach before the herd managed to escape into the forest. Which was more than enough to satiate my hunger. After the last of the deers ran into the forest I collapsed onto the dirt to help the food digest. My level had also gone up nine times, which was surprising. Turns out they were some mutated deer that could peirce iron with their horns or something. Of course it¡¯s nothing noteworthy in comparison to me, but interesting nonetheless.
7 Low Tier Souls Harvested
Oh? I actually forgot about my ability to harvest souls. It seems the skill passively harvests the souls from monsters, and I assume humans as well, that I kill. Which is more than welcome. Can''t go screaming harvest everytime I kill something now, can I? Now I wonder what I can do with the harvested souls? Would enslaving the souls be possible without a body, although doing so would be a waste. Even if it did work, if it somehow brought the deers back to life, then I¡¯ll have more than a stomach ache to deal with. So that¡¯s currently off the table. I pondered over my current options, before eventually settling on cultivating the souls. Whether or not I''m able to cultivate the souls, I should at the very least give it a shot. Pushing my body off the ground I made my way to a small burrow not far from where I killed the deer, it should be just enough to hide my body from any opportunist that may pass by. Once I got cozy in my little dug out, I immediately started cultivating. My view shifted as my vision, or will, entered my soul. Once I opened my eyes I noticed that the area around me was empty, no colours, no shape. It was nothing, but I still knew that there was something. The area was not a pleasant place to be, that much could be confirmed.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. After I examined my surroundings, I focused my attention straight ahead. Seven small wisps were floating not far from me, which I assume are the seven deer souls. Pushing my will towards the souls I tried to absorb them, only to be repelled. I tried multiple times but the result didn''t change, the souls didn''t want to be absorbed. This will be troublesome, for Qi I only had to pull it from the air before circulating it in my body. Though now I''ll have to find a way to make the soul to listen to me. Moving my will closer to the wisps, I tried to pull it out of my soul, not the smartest move, but it also failed. I tried multiple different methods but each seemed to fail faster than the last, and like that, time quickly passed. ---- After hours of effort, I finally made a breakthrough. Unlike with Qi, which required me to circulate it within my body, soulforce is done within my soul. Which also means I''m not limited by a body, and with my ability to manipulate my soul, I could actually take a form inside of my own soul. Of course It''s nothing detailed, but I can manage a basic set of arms at least. With the new pair of arms I grabbed onto one of the wisps, it tried to repel me, but this time my arms kept it in place. After it''s first attempt failed, the soul started to visibly shake in my grasp. How cute. By tightening my grip over the soul I was able to easily subdue it, and once I had it under my control, I forcibly absorbed it into my will. Following which, my will started to thicken, and ever so slightly gain a tangible form. Haha! I finally managed to cultivate a soul!
Dragon Evolution System
Race: Baby Dragon
Status: Healthy
Level: 9/100
{New} Cultivation: Soulforce [Stage 1] 1%
{New} Cultivation Technique: Soul Absorption
{New} Rank: B+ [New Body: Stage 1]
Abilities:
[System] [Status] [Analyze] [Roll: Lv2] [Scratch] {New} [Ethereal Dragon Breath: Lv1] [Soul Bound] [Mild Regeneration] [Soul Harvest]
Titles:
[System Wielder] [Survivor: Lv5] [Little Bad Guy: Lv4] [Strong Mind: Lv4] [%^#(]
The soul seemed to have made me one percent closer to the next stage of soulforce, which will be incredibly useful! There also appears to be what seems like the Qi equivalent to my current rank, New Body stage one. Focusing on the rank, I tried to learn more about the ranks by using analyze.
Rank: B- New Body: Stage 1
Rank: B New Body: Stage 5
Rank: B+ New Body: Stage 9
Luckily it worked, and along with my current rank, the three different B ranks were also shown. From the system chart I noticed a sudden surge in power for every monster rank, while the humans, or Qi users, had a more gradual progression in ranks. I wonder if that''s just from the characteristics of mana, or if it''s the monsters themselves that cause the sudden rise in power between ranks. Alas, questions for the future. Going back to the six wisps that were left, I picked up the two wisps that were closest to me, and quickly subdued them. After I had them under control, I began the next test. Raising both of my arms, I pushed the two spirits together. Once they made contact, the two souls immediately combusted in a dazzling display of light; destroying the two souls. Although I wasn''t expecting much from the experiement, why do I feel so aggitated? But I did just waste two damn souls! They just had to explode on contact, I could have used them to boost my cultivation! I knew it was childish to be mad at such a thing but I can''t help it! In my anger I stopped cultivating, and left my soul. My body was intact, and nothing was out of the ordinary. But the sun had started to fall below the horizon, so I probably had been cultivating for a while. My wings had also rested the whole time I''ve been inside of my soul, so I can finally continue my journey. But what''s with my emotions recently? My anger on the souls was so sudden that I barely registered it. It might just be my new life, but I feel as though I¡¯m getting easier to anger. Granted it doesn''t seem to be affecting me too badly, so I shouldn''t worry about it too deeply. Putting the thought to the back of my mind, I walked to the edge of the opening, and adopted a crouching position. I spread my wings wide, and sprinted parallel to the river to gain momentum. Just as I was about to reach the end of the opening, I quickly flapped my wings, kicking up a small gust as I flew right over the trees. Of course, it wasn''t actually necessary to build up momentum in order for me to fly, but it''s always a more thrilling experience with a running start.