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Ding!
<Your Mana Core Rank has increased from [Mana Core Rank 3: Initial Stage] to [Mana Core Rank 3: Middle Stage]!>
<Your Mana Core Rank has increased from [Mana Core Rank 3: Middle Stage] to [Mana Core Rank 3: Upper Stage]!>
<All your stats have increased!>
<The Levels of some Skills have increased!>
<You can now evolve>
<Due to Ranking Up Twice, special, and stronger evolutions can be chosen>
<You learned the following Skills>
[High Ogre Bloodline: Ogre Giant]
[High Ogre Bloodline: Ogre Warrior]
[High Ogre Bloodline: Hobgoblin]
[Giant Bone of the Ogre Giant]
[Super Muscles of the Ogre Giant]
[Greater Resiliency of the Ogre Giant]
[Ogre Giant's Intimidating Roar]
[Ogre Warrior Rallying Cry]
[Ogre Warrior Tenacity]
[Ogre Warrior Super Muscle Enhancement]
[Enhanced Ogre Senses]
[Hobgoblin's Cunning Evil]
[Hobgoblin Job Master]
[Dexterous Fighter]
[Ruthlessness]
[Dark Crow Bloodline: Shadow Crow]
[Shadow Manipulation]
[Shadow Wings Growth]
[Black Feather Coating of Magic Resistance]
[Shadow Sneak]
[Shadow Projectile Feather]
[Intimidating Cry of the Shadow Crow]
[Lesser River Dragon Bloodline: Catfish King/Queen]
[Lesser Lightning Dragon Bloodline: Giant Lightning Eel]
[King of the Lake]
[Proficient Swimmer]
[Great Water Adaptability]
[Heavy Body Slam]
[Resilient Fat-Accumulating Body of the Catfish King]
[Water Vortex]
[Electricity-Producing Organ]
[Deadly Fanged Jaws]
[Enhanced Flexible Body of the Giant Lightning Eel]
[Thunder Wave]
[Electricity Perception]
…
So many new Skills! This is incredible. I have already felt the difference, several of these skills were passive and added up into the power of my bones, flesh, and more. And I got a lot of Bloodline Skills, which I don't know how they work completely, but they seem to boost my growth potential and perhaps my evolution options.
Aside from all these awesome new Skills, I got the power of two Stage Ups, now I am Upper Stage Rank 3, meaning that there's only Peak Stage left and then I get to be Rank 4! So easy! I just have to eat Mana Cores, and now that I own the Dungeon, I am pretty much Rank 4 already, just you wait a bit.
Now that I am done eating here, I decided to continue with the lunch with Benladann. Flair and Noirenn accompanied us by sitting over our laps.
"I can evolve now, it seems," I said.
"Ooh! Evolve again? Will you go out after lunch?" asked Benladann.
"Yes, hopefully, it won't take so long…" I sighed.
"Yeah, the last time you evolved it took a while, but then you evolved while sleeping thanks to Fafnir!" said Benladann.
"Yeah, I recall that, and I believe I can evolve faster this time around, I hope…"
Pshh, System, can you tell me how long will it take to evolve?
<Depending on the evolution options there might be an increase or decrease of hours from 5 to 10. The most you will take is around 20 hours, while the least will be 10.>
That's a lot… but I guess it is manageable. I just have to leave my clones watching over me while connecting their consciousness with me and it should be fine, right?
<You never know, many things might happen in a single day…>
Now you're just scaring me…
<I apologize, I was trying to lighten your mood.>
Alright, thanks for the effort. You're a nice little sister now.
<L-Little sister? Wasn't I big sister?>
So you liked to be a big sister instead?
<N-No… It goes against my protocol. I am but the A.I. of the System, a tool…>
Alright, alright.
<…But if there was the case where you would continue to not accept me as a tool, I would prefer to be called big sister.>
Oho? Do you like to be my big sis?
<…>
Okay, enough teasing for today.
After this, we decided to move on with evolution. I told everyone about it, so they understood I might not be present here for some time.
However, my slime clones will remain around, they will be connected with my consciousness too, so they can talk with it as if it were a phone of sorts.
"Drake papa, will you get big?" asked Flair.
"Big, big?" asked Noirenn.
"Well, you've seen his dragon form other times, right? He's actually super big! He usually shrinks." Said Benladann.
"Ooooh!" said Flair.
"Can we see a big body?" asked Noirenn.
"Fine…"
I shapeshifted back into my true form, as a gigantic dragon emerged before them… I was going all out with my size too, getting up to 20 meters, barely fitting in this big hall.
"Wooooww!"
"Ah… Big papa!"
The two girls began to crawl over my body, and so did most of the kids present…
Sigh… I am weak to kids.
"Alright, wanna go on a ride?" I asked.
"Yaaay!"
I began moving around the large castle as I took them on a ride. Benladann also jumped there. I remember getting angry when they mounted me, but now I enjoy bringing them around. I guess it doesn't necessarily mean becoming a mount by itself, but more like… It feels as if I were protecting them.
This big and scary form is my true form too, and I like it as well. It is who I am now, while the ice giant form, I take is the form of my human mind, and the most fitting to show love to Benladann too.
I guess I've made a good balance between the two, like yin and yang, I suppose. This big form is what protects them, it is what I also use to protect myself because my interior is… rather soft, but only Benladann and the kids can truly reach it…
Ugh, am I being too soft now? Don't worry, I am still the ruthless dragon that will slaughter anyone that dares to get in my way or tries anything funny… But embracing my internal self and my emotional side is also nice. And it has honestly brought me a lot of happiness.
If I had not embraced it, and if I had not been gentle and empathetic, I would have never ended with such a big group of people at my side, so hard working and nice with me… and even more, I would have not ended with Benladann, the love of my life, nor without our child that will one day come to us shortly…
After giving them all a little trip, I decided to go evolve at long last.
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