novelraw Chapter 241: Star Weaver - Draconic Rebirth
Chapter 241: Star Weaver - Draconic Rebirth
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Thanks to the Mask of Morpheus, Louis was able to experience the Dreamscape of hundreds of people, but those belonging to his friends granted the most "Essence." The energy fueled his Three Cores of Heart, Spirit, and Will, which in turn resonated with his Spiral of Fate. Both Madness and Hope absorbed these energies, growing toward Purgatory and toward Heaven.
The rainbow staircase and the reversed spiral surged higher into the skies, while the abyssal spiral descended deeper at the same time. Louis experienced both sorrow and hope through countless lives within these Dreamscapes. The visions expanded his understanding of his own abilities and the others he had inherited from so many more.
When he finished, a week had passed within the Immortal Realm. He had experienced everyone's Dreamscape Clouds, from the weakest disciple to the revived aliens themselves. He had lived their lives and learned about existence far in the reaches of space.
All of this knowledge became rich enlightenment that fueled his Heavenly Being Cultivation.
His Psyche resonated with it, connecting with his Three Cores of Heart, Spirit, and Will, and his Spiral of Fate. Now all of them remained permanently linked. Whenever one grew, the others developed at the same pace. The connection dramatically increased the pace of his growth to completely ridiculous levels.
What's more, the Psyche connected to his Heavenly Being Realm also resided within his Esper Brain. After awakening several Psionic Abilities, the brain grew on its own as well. The more he advanced his cultivation, the more his Esper Abilities developed and evolved.
After so many efforts and struggles, Louis had found a way to rapidly combine everything he had built into an effective method. He could now grow much quicker than he had ever imagined.
From what he had learned from all the Cultivators and the Ancient Scripts of the Emperor, ascending as a Heavenly Being required one to consolidate Willpower and the Desire to become an Immortal with the Manipulation of Fate and the Determination to grow beyond former limits.
It was also a compromise to leave behind what needed to be discarded and ascend even further. He had to forge four seasons, each representing an aspect of his own self. The Method he chose to progress his Heavenly Being Realm combined all the ones he had forged, compressed, and infused with the Heart, Spirit, and Will Method inherited from his grandfather.
Alongside that, the Dual Spirals helped him further comprehend the intricacies of Fate and revealed a new path ahead.
His Psyche developed Winter, Autumn, Spring, and Summer in almost two months. The process consolidated his abilities, his experiences, and the countless experiences he had seen through everyone's Dreamscapes.
The Mask of Morpheus was an incredible Ability. Combined with his Nightmare of Despair and Dream of Hope, he could continuously relive the dreams he had seen. The repetition forged his willpower and consciousness, expanding them through those powerful emotions and memories.
Eventually, through sheer effort and despair, Louis had gone from a talentless man to an unparalleled genius. This was a talent built through effort rather than birth.
FLAAASH!
In that moment, the Immortal Mountains witnessed, for the first time, a single man ascend beyond Heavenly Being and reach the summit of the gods themselves.
Yet many questioned what came after Heavenly Being. Many believed this was the peak of what Cultivators could achieve, but they could not have been more wrong. Something even greater waited beyond.
And its name was…
FLUOSH!
"Star Weaver…"
Louis' eyes shone like stars. His Heavenly Being body and soul ascended, gleaming like stars in the cosmos.
Star Weavers formed a long-forgotten Realm of Qi Cultivation. These powerful cultivators had become "limitless" and roamed outer space, gathering Space Dust and absorbing the Souls of Forgotten Stars while weaving Starlit Circles within their Star Weaving Dantian.
With this new power came yet another advancement. Louis had already fulfilled the requirements once more to ascend and descend his Spiral of Fate through both paths at the same time.
His Spiral of Madness descended into Tier 5, Wyrm's Husk.
His Spiral of Hope ascended into Tier 5, Wyrm's Soul.
An empty, decaying husk and a radiant, living soul complemented each other beautifully.
No new Incarnation appeared, but new abilities did.
The first felt initially like a mockery of Louis' pursuit to become a dragon.
The Spiral of Madness' Tier 5 Ability "False Draconic Form" let him transform into a decaying, undead dragon.
It was shocking. Louis had finally gotten what he wanted, yet it was still "fake" and still "false."
Nonetheless, it was something.
The Spiral of Hope's Tier 5 Ability was instead "True Draconic Soul." To Louis' awe and happiness, it turned his soul into the shape of a developing dragon.
Although not exactly as he had imagined. His Soul turned first into a Dragon Egg. It seemed he would have to study this ability first and learn how to develop it.
And that answer came quickly too.
The combined forms of both False Draconic Form and True Draconic Soul…
The True Ability of the Spiral of Fate.
What could it be?
Louis nervously activated their combination. A wave of emotions absorbed him as he sat silently in his palace room, cultivating alone.
FLASH!
His body and soul resonated together. He felt something within him transforming.
His body broke apart, and something hard, a shell, covered him completely.
"Huh?!"
When he opened his eyes, he was inside something.
He extended his consciousness outside of this "something" and discovered he…
He…
"I have become a giant Dragon Egg?!"
To his disbelief, the Spiral of Fate Tier 5 Ability was… "Draconic Rebirth."
It allowed him to be reborn as a dragon, but from the very beginning.
"I-I have finally achieved it?! Is this it?! But it feels weird…! Why am I an egg?! Damn it…!"
Louis felt frustrated. He wanted to access his true dragon form already and devastate everything as a giant dragon, yet he only had access to false forms at best.
Could this Draconic Rebirth Ability truly lead him to the correct path?
From zero though?
"Like… grandfather."
Just like the Dragon King who had started as an egg and evolved through many stages to reach where he was.
But unlike his grandfather at that time, Louis was already powerful.
He quickly deactivated the ability. His original appearance returned as if nothing had happened. White mist released from his body as he did.
"Haaa… what a strange ability. What is this exactly?"
Louis checked the ability description and information. It turned out to be much deeper than he had imagined.
[Draconic Rebirth – Tier 5 (1%)]
Allows you to finally achieve your goal of becoming a Dragon, but at a cost.
You must begin from the very beginning and crawl your way where your ideal form awaits.
This is a Special Spiral Ability, a Second "Core Spiral Ability".
This Special Core Spiral Ability has the following effects and functions once activated:
When in your Dragon Form, your Stats are decreased dramatically.
By slaying foes and eating them, you can gain EXP and Dragon Stats and Level Up.
By Leveling up and reaching a certain Level Cap, you will be able to evolve.
Evolution leads to larger, more mature forms.
As you evolve, you can unlock new Dragon Skills.
Louis looked at his unique Dragon Status, a second panel separate from his original status. The translucent blue window hovered in his inner vision. The second status panel had manifested alongside his primary one the moment Draconic Rebirth activated. It looked stark and almost primitive compared to the intricate, layered readouts of his original status, yet it carried an undeniable weight of potential.
[Dragon Hatchling – Level 1/10]
[Current Form]: [Draconic Egg – Rank 0: Initial Stage]
[Skills]:
[Fragile Shell: Level 1]: Your Eggshell is very fragile and may easily shatter. Increases Movement Speed by 5% in exchange for Defense.
[Ice Dragon/Heaven Dragon Bloodline: Level 1]: You possess a double dragon bloodline, capable of having a wide array of learnable skills and evolution paths.
[Grandson of the Dragon King: Level 1]: You're the Dragon King's grandson, finally awakening your dragon self. You receive his natural blessing. Increases EXP earned by 100% and Skill Level Proficiency earned by 200%.
Louis let out a long, slow sigh as his eyebrows twitched.
"So this is what grandfather meant when he said every dragon starts small."
He remembered fragments of the inherited memories: a tiny, trembling egg buried beneath frozen tundra, cracking open under the first rays of alien dawn, a hatchling no larger than a cat scrabbling against ice and hunger.
That hatchling had become the Dragon King.
And now Louis, already a Heavenly Being on the cusp of Star Weaver, had chosen the same humiliating, vulnerable path.
But not quite the same.
Because this was not mere reincarnation.
This was more like a "layered existence," in a way.
He could deactivate Draconic Rebirth at any moment and snap back to his current form. That meant he could still continue progressing as usual.
Now that he was a Tier 5 Spiralwalker, his stats had once more increased. Now that he had forged his new path as a Star Weaver, they had increased even more.
"Hmm… now what do I do? This Dragon Egg form, can it really kill anything? And how does it even consume something?" Louis wondered, rubbing his chin.
In the end, he was too embarrassed to tell anybody, so he sneaked out of the palace and ran into the wilderness.
Once far away from every sign of civilization and deep in a mist-covered mountain forest, Louis sat down and activated the ability again.
POOF!
In a second, he turned into the same pale blue colored egg the size of his original body. He first got accustomed to this form and learned how to move.
Rolling!
By rolling over his own eggshell body, Louis learned that this was the most effective method of movement for a literal egg.
Afterward, he tried out something new again.
It was a dense, powerful, and aggressive energy. It seemed it could be his main method of attack.
Why?
Because his stats were so low in this form, he could hardly use any of his Fantasium. Still, 1% of what he had remained quite vast.
He knew he could probably pull out some Ice Spells or even Holy Light Spells if he was desperate, but he wanted to believe he could pull it off with just Draconic Energy attacks.
Now the question was…
"Can I even kill any wild beast in this place in my egg form at all?"
The stats were simply far too low!
Could he?
Maybe if he asked a spirit, but once he turned, his energy would go down so fast it would be kind of useless. The spirit would have no power and would return to his soul.
Asking a friend was out of the question for now.
And he also felt it within him.
"Draconic Energy…"
It was connected fundamentally with the Heart, Spirit, and Will Method of his grandfather.
The more he channeled Draconic Energy, the more his Three Cores resonated within him.
And the more his Aura as an egg surged.
He also had another power that was not ruled by stats and might be of use: his Esper Abilities.
"Hmm… maybe this'll work."
Though he could not overuse them either or his Esper Brain would be too worn down in his current form. His brain still required those stats to resist the pressure…
He began rolling, seeking life.
Spreading his Aura, he quickly found something amidst the forest.
He rolled there slowly, hiding behind a tree.
It was a Young Qilin eating grass.
"Bingo."
Without hesitation, Louis went for it!
He attacked with a Barrage of Miniature Icicle Spears, which the Young Qilin avoided by galloping out of the way.
However.
"I got you!"
His Telekinesis activated, forming an invisible hand and pushing the Qilin toward his magic.
"Gryaaarrr!"
The beast let out an agonizing cry after her back was pierced by the icicle attacks. She fell to the ground and rolled over it.
Louis rolled toward the Qilin to finish it off.
However.
"Grooohhh!"
The Qilin let out a furious roar and unleashed a thunderous thunderbolt toward him!
BOOOM!
"Nnngh!"
Louis resisted the electrifying attack with his Psionic Barrier and then pushed forward, crushing the Qilin with all his determination.
"Die already!"
CRASH!
The young Qilin was crushed under the weight of his Psychic Powers. Louis dropped onto the floor, sighing in relief.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have slain a [Young Qilin: Level 1 Anomaly]!]
[You earned EXP. Your EXP has increased by 100%.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Your [Dragon Hatchling – Level 1/10] has increased to Level 10/10!]
[An available corpse is in front of you.]
[Do you wish to devour the Young Qilin Corpse?]
[Yes] [No]
"So I cannot evolve yet, but I hit max level. That's incredible," Louis said. "Well… fine, consume it."
As he accepted, the entire corpse began to crack apart and turn into particles of light that fused into his eggshell.
He felt a wave of refreshing warmth and the sensation of "delicious food" despite never eating anything himself!
[You have consumed the Young Qilin Corpse.]
Evolution Threshold (0%): 0% -> 100%
[You can now Evolve! Do you wish to see available options?]
"I can evolve…!" Louis was shocked by this revelation. "Show them to me."
[Evolution Options – Dragon Hatchling (Level 10/10)]
[Frostcale Hatchling – Rank 0: Peak Stage]:
Evolution Paths: Large.
Possible Skills: [Frostbite Aura] [Glacial Breath] [Crystal Scales]
Description: The most basic Dragon Hatchling of the Ice Family, what the Ice Dragon King once was as a child. Perfectly balanced between offense and speed. Evolves relatively fast and his abilities are useful all-around, with no apparent weakness.
[Little Holy Dragon – Rank 1: Initial Stage]
Evolution Paths: Limited.
Possible Skills: [Healing Light] [Holy Breath] [Mirror Scales]
Description: A powerful little dragon, already matured beyond a hatchling. It is ready to go into the world and fight well. It possesses great healing abilities, a strong beam-like breath of light, and scales that can deflect magic. However, its evolution options are very limited due to maturing ahead of time. A form similar (although not the exact same) to what the Dragon King's eldest daughter, Benlaadra, took after being born.
[Ashen Ember Hatchling – Rank 0: Upper Stage]
Evolution Paths: Unlimited.
Possible Skills: [Cinderheart Pulse] [Nightmarish Roar] [Fragile Illusion]
Description: A strange mutation that can only happen once in a blue moon in a hybrid dragon. A weak and fragile dragon that only scurries around but once cornered can unleash a terrifying roar that causes foes to experience nightmares. Extremely good at surviving life-or-death situations, even though it was made to die. A bizarre evolution with no records, rather weak but… unique.
"Hm, these options…" Louis mused. "One is like my grandfather… the other like my mother, and lastly… I suppose that's the worst option, a different path, a third one… a path where I can continue being weak, but at least I can evolve into many more forms…"
Louis thought about it for some time, fantasizing about becoming a Holy Dragon right away… but then he shook his head.
"No… I have to choose the one with the best potential," Louis nodded.
In the end he chose Option 3.
[You have chosen the [Ashen Ember Hatchling – Rank 0: Upper Stage] Evolution Option.]
[Are you sure? Once chosen, the choice is permanent and you cannot go back.]
[Yes] [No]
Louis pressed [Yes] without hesitation.
FLASH!
In that moment, he saw a bright light encompass his large eggshell, accompanied by a burning warmth that filled his body inside the eggshell.
Before, he had still felt somewhat humanoid, as if he were trapped inside this egg or something.
But now it was all different.
His body twisted in strange ways. His muscles and bones cracked and reformed themselves…
And he experienced… a lot of pain.
"Nnngh?! Aaagghh!"
As he screamed in pain, Louis passed out.
…
Crack…
Crack, crack…
CRASH!
The moment he finally woke up, instinct drove him to break through his shell completely, shattering it into smithereens.
"Ah…! Fresh air, finally— Huh?!"
However, to Louis' disbelief, he had… awakened as something else.
No, rather, he had chosen this, and yet it still shocked him.
He was no longer a human, a person.
He was on all fours. His body was elongated and completely covered in ashen gray colored scales. He had a long, thick tail, and his gray scales formed armor resembling bones.
He walked toward a nearby pond of water close to a lake and saw his appearance.
"I-I am really a dragon, and an ugly one at that."
His face was small and reptilian. Though he still lacked wings, his face looked like the skull of a dragon rather than a real dragon.
Though he could feel he had flesh and muscles, it was just his white, ashen gray scales that were shaped like bone armor around his face and body.
This was the appearance of the evolution he had chosen.
The Ashen Ember Hatchling.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have successfully evolved into the [Ashen Ember Hatchling – Rank 0: Upper Stage]!]
[Your Draconic Essence has increased by +150.]
[Your Vitality has increased by +60.]
[Your Strength has increased by +15.]
[Your Dexterity has increased by +15.]
[Your Magic has increased by +30.]
[The Skill: [Fragile Shell: Level 1] has Leveled up to Level 4!]
[The Skill: [Ice Dragon/Heaven Dragon Bloodline: Level 1] has Leveled up to Level 2!]
[The Skill: [Grandson of the Dragon King: Level 1] has Leveled up to Level 2!]
[You learned the Skill: [Fragile Illusion: Level 1]: When your health drops to zero, your body can shatter into ash and reform once per day, leaving behind a decoy illusion.]
"Huh… the skills leveled, my stats increased… and I got something new. So far, so good…"
Louis took another look at his current Status as a Dragon Hatchling.
[Dragon Hatchling – Level 10/30]
[Current Form]: [Ashen Ember Hatchling – Rank 0: Upper Stage]
[Skills]:
[Fragile Shell: Level 4]: Your Eggshell is very fragile and may easily shatter. Increases Movement Speed by 5% in exchange for Defense.
[Ice Dragon/Heaven Dragon Bloodline: Level 2]: You possess a double dragon bloodline, capable of having a wide array of learnable skills and evolution paths.
[Grandson of the Dragon King: Level 2]: You're the Dragon King's grandson, finally awakening your dragon self. You receive his natural blessing. Increases EXP earned by 100% and Skill Level Proficiency earned by 200%.
[Fragile Illusion: Level 1]: When your health drops to zero, your body can shatter into ash and reform once per day, leaving behind a decoy illusion.
"I need to hunt more…" he looked around. "Let's explore this area some more."
Louis had mostly overlooked all of this wilderness before, without really caring at all about any of it. But now that he was a Dragon hatchling traveling these mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and vistas, he was fascinated by the nature around him and truly felt immersed in another world.
Alone and in his most primordial state, Louis slowly started to feel… different, more than just in appearance. As he drank water from the rivers, as he jumped over trees, as he scratched the back of his head with his hind legs and licked his scales to clean himself…
It was something, a "feeling" he had long forgotten.
Primal.
Instinct.
Natural.
"Haaa…"
As he admired the blue sky and the white clouds passing, without even hurrying or anything, just resting over the grass and enjoying the cold breeze, he felt… relieved.
It felt almost as if all his concerns disappeared for some strange reason. He couldn't really explain why, but in this primal state he felt like he was right where he should be.
"I cannot believe I missed this feeling, this sensation…" Louis smiled calmly, resting his head over the grass and smelling nearby flowers. A bumblebee flew past him buzzing loudly, and then he sneezed, sending flower petals flying away. "Hahah…"
In this form, he wasn't Louis Drakeheart anymore. He wasn't a prince from a kingdom. He was just himself without any of those things.
A young dragon, living his little life.
"Is this how my grandfather felt?" he wondered, scratching his chin. "Hm…"
Slowly, Louis closed his eyes and dozed off in the middle of this peaceful tranquility.
…
RUMBLE!
"Ah?!"
Louis' eyes opened wide as he heard a tremor from a distance.
He realized he had slept for a few hours; the sky was already dark and stars shone brightly above.
At night the forest was incredibly dark and silent, but the tremors kept approaching.
Louis felt fear. He quickly scurried away and hid inside a hollow tree.
And there, he saw it.
A giant creature emerged, breaking through the trees and sitting in front of the river, groaning.
It was a massive six-meter-big bear.
Its fur was black and red, and it had long, sharp claws.
Maybe he could easily take this thing down if he returned to his original form.
But this would not let him progress as a dragon.
To progress as a dragon, he had to forbid all he had built and only keep a few powers, spells, or his psychic abilities, and weakened.
This was a challenge, a trial, a test…
If he simply decided to use his original form to deal a fatal blow and finish off the monster…
Then what would even be the point at all of training as a dragon, to become a dragon?
He had to experience what his grandfather experienced: the struggle, the survival, the fear, the thrill…
And above all, what it meant to be a wild beast too.
A Level 1.5 Anomaly, Black Flame Bear.
Or, in terms of Yggdrasil Ranks, this beast would be a Rank 2 monster.
Compared to him, who wasn't even Rank 1… this was too much of a risk.
But Louis did not care.
He slowly prepared, keeping his Draconic Energy inside of his body and compressing it.
Mana flared from his interior, and then he prepared to shoot.
Slowly.
A long icicle spear formed as he used his 1% Stats inherited from his true form to create small, low-level spells.
But by putting everything into it, he could make one moderately big, strong spell.
"Icicle Spear!"
FLASH!
The spear flew toward the bear in mere seconds. The bear's eyes widened, flaring with flames as it stood up. The spear pierced its left shoulder. However, the creature had attempted to slash the projectile mid-air, but it was too weak for that.
"GRUUAAAAHH!"
The monster let out an agonizing roar. The ice spear shattered quickly, but the remaining wound spread ice through the monster's shoulder and left it clearly wounded.
It was now or never.
"…?!"
In that moment, the bear felt something crawling onto its back.
It was Louis!
"GRAR!"
Letting out a small roar, Louis opened his jaws and bit into the bear's neck.
However.
"Nngh?!"
His teeth could not pierce through the bear's thick muscle armor.
"Heh…"
The bear smiled, grabbed him, and slammed him onto the floor.
CRASH!
"Kuaaagh?!"
Louis vomited blood, crashing into the floor and then rolling into a tree.
"GRAAHHH!"
The bear roared and gave chase as its claws gleamed with black flames.
"I see you finally consider me an opponent… good."
Louis' eyes gleamed. Telekinesis manifested around him as he shaped it into a single large hand and pushed the bear away.
BAAAM!
However.
"GROOOOHHHH!"
RUMBLE!
The bear unleashed its Qi Aura at once. Louis quickly remembered this was a Martial beast from the Immortal Mountains after all!
With its Qi Aura, the bear suddenly became twice as strong and charged at Louis.
"Shit!"
Louis infused Draconic Energy into his legs and scurried away a second before the bear smashed the tree he had landed on into smithereens. It then smashed several more as it gave chase.
"It's setting the entire forest ablaze?!"
Louis' eyes widened, seeing the bear's claws tearing through the trees and burning them one by one, spreading flames.
"Wait, that's…!"
But then he realized the monster's true ambition. He had run away too much. Every tree surrounding him was burning, creating a circle of flames.
He had been trapped!
"Geheh…"
The bear smiled while showing its sharp fangs and walked toward Louis, knowing that the little dragon had no escape.
"Do I return to my form and just finish it off?"
Louis clenched his teeth, thinking about the coward's way.
But then he shook his head.
"No, that's how weaklings think."
He smiled back at the bear. His Draconic Energy surged.
"I'll kill you."
Louis' eyes gleamed with gold-red energy as he charged toward the bear directly, no fear, no hesitation.
"RAAAAHHH!"
The bear felt offended that this little critter thought it stood a chance. It roared furiously and swung its two claws.
CRASH!
And the small dragon, Louis, was impaled by its two claws!
"Heheheh…! GAAAH!"
The bear laughed as it lifted the dragon hatchling's corpse.
However.
POOF!
"GUAAH?!"
The bear coughed as Louis' "corpse" turned into a pile of ashes that covered its entire face and eyes, blinding it temporarily.
"COUGH… GACK!"
While coughing out the ashes that had entered its jaws, Louis was elsewhere, behind the beast!
"Fragile Illusion, so that's how it works! It's incredibly convenient!
And…
I can use those ashes too!"
FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!
The ashes covering the bear's body suddenly gleamed. A dozen Ashen Runes activated as Louis spent his remaining Draconic Energy conjuring…
"Ash Trap Magic – Ashen Explosions!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Twelve small explosions engulfed the bear's entire face and shoulders, blowing away chunks of flesh, skin, muscle, and burning its eyes and mouth.
"GRUUAAAAHHH!"
The bear let out an agonizing cry and collapsed to the ground.
It was dead.
"Is it done?"
Louis slowly walked toward the corpse.
But then.
"…! Wait, where's the EXP?!"
In that moment, he saw the bear's claws swing against him.
The beast had played dead!
Louis swiftly leaped away from danger, using his Telekinesis to barely lift himself away from a sure death.
"Damn bastard, why don't you die already?!"
Louis used the last bit of his telekinetic abilities, bleeding from his nose and eyes as he overexerted his brain. He rushed into the bear's exposed wound on the back of its head.
Using his sharp yet small claws, he imbued them with the power of Draconic Energy and pierced as deep as he could.
"DIE!"
CRAAASH!
"GRYYAAAAAGGGG!"
The bear let out one last agonizing scream before dying as its spine was crushed by Louis' burning claws. The small hatchling collapsed over the monster's corpse, sighing in relief.
"Haaa… I-I did it…! I did it!"
He celebrated. He had never felt this way before, even when he fought against powerful foes and finally stopped them.
This exhilaration, this thrill, this adrenaline!
This was unlike anything he had ever lived before.
And it also taught him many valuable lessons about survival and life-or-death combat too.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have slain a [Black Flame Bear – Rank 2: Middle Stage Martial Beast]!]
[You earned EXP. Your EXP has increased by 110%.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Your [Dragon Hatchling – Level 10/30] has increased to Level 21/30!]
[An available corpse is in front of you.]
[Do you wish to devour the Black Flame Bear Corpse?]
[Yes] [No]
"I could eat it as it is but… it'll take me too long with my current body, and I am exhausted too… also scavengers could come, so let's do this instead."
Louis pressed [Yes] with his snout, and the entire corpse quickly turned into light and was absorbed by his body.
FLASH!
He felt the deliciousness and tenderness of the smoky flavored meat of the bear. Even the hard bones were delicious. Once it finished, he felt completely full.
"Phew… That was a good meal…"
He never thought he would ever say such a thing out loud, but it seemed that being a little dragon was changing him in different ways.
[You have consumed the Black Flame Bear Corpse.]
Evolution Threshold (0%): 0% -> 40%
[You learned the Skill: [Dragon Claw: Level 1]: The most basic attack skill that any dragon, small or big, learns at some point. Deals damage based on Strength stat and can allow the claws to grow longer and sharper when activated alongside Draconic Energy.]
[The Skill: [Fragile Illusion: Level 1] has Leveled up to Level 2!]
"Not bad…"
Louis quickly moved himself inside the hollow tree. After moving a big rock using telekinesis to block the entrance, he fell asleep.
The next morning came. As he moved the stone outside, he decided what to do.
For that, he quickly returned to his original appearance and sent a message to everyone present.
"I will be training deep in the woods to develop a special ability. Please do not disturb me. I may take another month."
Those were all his words. Some of his friends were confused, others shrugged, some accepted it. Mirai was confused and worried and wanted to be with Louis.
Although everyone obeyed what he said, Mirai started looking for him in the woods.
"Now that that's out of the way, I should set my plans for now."
He had many things to do, such as completing the Dungeon, reaching the end, confronting whoever had trapped them there, and more.
But this was also another unique opportunity for growth. With the time dilation, Louis decided to prioritize his growth as a dragon.
"The strongest monsters here… should be as strong as Rank 6s. So far, I am in one of the weaker areas of the Immortal Mountains, the outskirts leading to the beach," he wondered, looking afar. "The deeper I go, the stronger the monsters become. I should aim to evolve as much as possible until the monsters stop giving me sizable EXP, then I move on."
With that said and done, Louis quickly checked the map he had procured about the entire region beforehand.
Right now he stood in the Misty Forest, and he had two possible routes: to keep moving north and reach the Yang Forest, or move toward the Yin Swamps.
Both had stronger monsters at Rank 2 or even 3.
He still needed to grind some more, so he was going to defeat monsters until his level increased high enough to evolve again.
But how could he find monsters effectively?
Wandering around would be a waste of time, so…
He employed his own senses.
Smell.
"Sniff, sniff."
He closed his eyes, focusing Draconic Energy into his nose and amplifying his senses a hundredfold.
In mere seconds, he was able to detect dozens of different scents.
"Not so far from here, there's something I can hunt."
With a nod, Louis set off.
He traveled plains, grasslands, and the forest, crossing the mist and braving strong rivers.
Eventually, as he experienced nature for what it was and everything else, he found his next prey.
"An insect?"
It was a large green colored praying mantis eating a recently caught prey. It resembled a big rat the size of a person.
This praying mantis was as tall as six meters, almost as big as the bear he fought last night.
When he checked its information with his System, he found…
[Martial Mantis – Rank 2: Initial Stage]
Stronger than him, but not as strong as the bear… again, he would have to struggle.
But he started to find that… very fun.
The cooldown of his Fragile Illusion was finally over, so he could try.
The creature was distracted and eating, and it lacked the same sharp senses that the bear had.
For example, it didn't even detect Louis approaching from the back.
Let alone the giant icicle spear manifesting behind it.
"Icicle Spear!"
CLASH!
The spear swiftly pierced the mantis' thin torso. Blood and guts splattered everywhere.
"Gryyaaaggh!"
The creature let out an agonizing groan. It was still alive as it dropped its prey and glared at Louis with fury.
It had a giant, freezing hole in its chest and yet it still moved like nothing!
Indeed, Rank 2 Martial beasts were tough.
"Here it comes…!"
Louis clenched his teeth, infusing Draconic Energy into his entire body as he darted away from danger. Giant scythes chased him.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
The sharp scythes cut through the floor and the ground, unleashing slicing waves that split apart entire trees. Louis realized it was somehow using Sword Qi.
"Of course, a Martial Mantis! I should've guessed…"
Unlike Magic Beasts that relied on magic and elemental spells to fight, Martial beasts were the opposite. They were born with innate "martial arts" or "spirit arts" within them.
This mantis' sharp scythes could naturally produce Sword Qi!
Louis did his best to avoid danger, using his high speed to climb trees, jump away, and run in circles.
He was awaiting the ice to spread and the wound to kill the mantis but…
"It's not dying, huh?"
It probably had more vitality than he thought. That was a Martial beast after all. They had larger vitality, more regenerative abilities, and stronger stamina than the usual monsters.
But he did not let that bother him.
"Okay, come at me."
He decided to use the same strategy as before, charging toward the Mantis directly.
The beast roared angrily, swinging its scythes at him and unleashing cutting waves… until it couldn't.
"Ran out of Sword Qi already?"
Louis swiftly leaped forward. The beast hissed, using its mandibles to catch him and bite his body apart.
POOF!
However, a bunch of dust was the only thing it found, splattering all over the beast's body.
"GRYYAAAH!"
As the creature hissed in pain and annoyance as the ashes were hot enough to burn it, Louis smiled, appearing behind it.
Thus…
"Ash Trap Magic – Ashen Explosions!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Ten small explosions engulfed the mantis' entire head and torso, blowing it all up into pieces.
The monster collapsed. Without a head and a torso, it was just an abdomen with legs and the scythes beneath.
"It's— no, it's not!"
This time Louis did not lower his guard right away. He barely avoided a cutting attack coming after him, using his telekinesis to lift himself up.
"Good thing I saved my telekinesis for now."
He charged it around his body alongside draconic energy and then charged down.
He aimed at the monster's abdomen, crushing it with his claws and slashing it apart.
SLAAASH!
"…!"
The mantis finally stopped moving. With its organs everywhere, its headless body stopped struggling.
Louis sighed in relief. He remembered reading somewhere that praying mantises had a secondary brain in their lower abdomens. It seemed to be true even with these monsters.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have slain a [Martial Mantis – Rank 2: Initial Stage Martial Beast]!]
[You earned EXP. Your EXP has increased by 110%.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Your [Dragon Hatchling – Level 21/30] has increased to Level 27/30!]
[An available corpse is in front of you.]
[Do you wish to devour the Martial Mantis Corpse?]
[Yes] [No]
As Louis was about to press "yes," suddenly he heard some hustle coming from the forest nearby.
"What?"
He looked into the distance and found a large silhouette appearing.
It stared at Louis with gleaming red eyes, revealing itself to be…
"Another Mantis?"
It was similar to the one he had slain, but thirty percent taller, with sharp red and black spines and crests around its head and torso, and even longer, sharper scythes.
"Wait…"
It was looking at him… and then at the corpse of the mantis with anger.
"Oh…"
[Martial Mantis (Male) – Rank 2: Peak Stage Martial Beast]
Louis wasn't stupid enough to not realize this was a male looking for a female to mate. Just when it finally found her… she was dead.
"SHYAAAAAEEEEGH!"
With a furious roar that made the forest tremble and every bird fly away from the trees, the mantis rushed toward Louis, swinging its gigantic scythes at him!
SLAAASH!
SLAAASH!
Two sharp, crimson-colored Sword Qi attacks rushed at him! Louis lacked the speed to avoid them in time. Both strikes struck his body at full force.
"Nnngh?! Aaagh!"
BOOOM!
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