A few hours later:
POV The Wyrm:
‘It works! The enlightenment I learned from his highness was what I really needed.’
The wyrm almost exploded into maniacal laughter. The images of the poor human immortal defenselessly incapacitated by its powers were still vivid before its eyes as if it happened just a few seconds ago.
Venenumius observed the dragon from a distance any time it could. It watched its habits and how it acted. It saw how each dragon’s action was filled with profound wisdom.
‘I used just two insights, and they already boosted my power through the roof. I have beaten only a human, but the environment and the rules were stacked against me. I didn’t even need to take it seriously.’
Wyrms were never supposed to engage their enemies from the ground and at such a short distance.
They were supposed to fully utilize their wings and magic to keep their distance and bombard their enemies with an unending onslaught of elemental attacks.
‘The spell is petty and weak in human hands, but in my mighty claws, it gained power far beyond what it was supposed to have!’ Venenumies took one of the simplest utility spells used by mortal mages to manipulate metallic objects.
In human hands, it was nothing but a utility spell too weak to be used in a battle. However, when powered by the draconic mana and its metal affinity, its power immediately increased by multiple grades, turning it into a mighty weapon.
It was a simple spell, not even comparable to the complex space magic that the wyrm witnessed, ‘How long till I reach such a level?’
Venenumius stared into nothingness while thinking about how it combined what it learned to destroy the human in the most humiliating way it could imagine.
‘And when combined with the power of my horns to control elements inherited from the blood of his highness, it became perfect.’
It was the second thing it saw the dragon do regularly, ‘They are not using only one power. They combined them all in perfect equilibrium, making them all more powerful than when used separately.’
It felt pride and joy as it remembered the player frozen in place by the magnetic spell, the winds controlled by its horns, and finally, its horns taking over the metal of the player’s armor.
‘All of these methods have drawbacks, but together they are perfect!’
POV Vesuvius:
The dragon watched from high, looking into a small distant valley. There were no signs of any intelligent life as far as he could, except for his loyal minion.
Puddles of red blood were spilled all over the bottom of the valley, filled with boulders that had pilled up over the centuries. The smell of blood was strong, perpetrating through the whole small valley.
The elven girl just stood there, staring into the thick cloud of smoke before her. The smoke was so dark and thick that no light managed to pass through it. Quiet breathing came out of it, with occasional grinding and scrapping sounds.
His trustworthy minion had a beaming smile on her bloodied face, her hands, dress, and even her curled glowing horns, all covered in blood, making her look like a demon or a lunatic that just escaped from the deepest corner of an asylum.
She reeked of death, blood, and excitement.
‘Was she always like this, or was it my blood that made her like this?’ Even the dragon found it extremely contrasting. Her youthful, girly looks hide a mad scientist who has no qualms about experiments on living subjects.
‘Let’s see what the result is.’ Vesuvius had big plans, but he needed a powerful army that would enact them. He needed to change his kingdom into a world power that not even the heavens would dare to challenge in open war.
The dragon’s voice echoed through the valley, and the black smoke stirred.
“Raise my new minion and soldier!”
Lights flared up in the smoke, revealing a silhouette of something tall and bulky hiding within it.
It was at least big enough to cover two and a half villas with its wingspan. A powerful wave of pressure exploded out, and the stone and everything around it blazed in the heat, the stone glowing yellow from the heat.
“Y-e-s. m-a-s-t-e-r-” A bone-chilling voice came out. It spoke slowly and with difficulty, needing time to think about every single letter.
Vesuvius was surprised at the words. It was something that was far out of his expectations.
He felt through the connection of his blood that it was no longer an animal-like beast, even though it was still stupid by human standards, ‘Maybe it will become smarter with age. Well, it might not be as intelligent as a human, but it can maybe rival goblins, and that is enough to be a good soldier. Smart enough to fulfill orders but not smart enough to question them.’
Ding!
//
You have created a new draconic race: War Draconid!
//
The name was perfectly fitting the dragon’s vision of his latest creation. It was the name that perfectly reflected its purpose and nature. They were beasts created to be soldiers to fight in wars.
He didn’t know why, but something deep within his soul nudged him to declare it loudly and baptize the whole new race, “From now on, you and your kin will be known as war draconids!”𝑶𝑣𝗅xt.𝒸𝔬𝐦
“Grrrh!” A loud roar of acknowledgment shook the whole valley, the stone and everything vibrating, Alesia’s hair and dress moving under its raw power.
The wave of heat exploded out in the direction of the roar, turning stones red from the heat.
He turned back at his crafty minion, “Minion, have your minions engrave its body with runes.”
She squealed, her eye shining in bright light, “Yes, master! I shall make it worthy of its name. I will turn it into a soldier that will tear through enemy lines and crush the petty angels!”
Vesuvius wasn’t even close to being done. He wanted to change the beast even more, not only biologically but also by other means.
‘Maybe I can use my mana crystals to boost its firepower or defense. Can I implant them into its body to give it access to more mana storage? Giving it forged metallic armor would be too expensive with its size, not worth it with its already high natural defenses, but maybe just a helmet and chest protectors to cover its weak spots?’
“M-e, g-o-o-d s-o-l-d-i-e-r, m-e, p-o-w-r-f-u-l s-o-l-d-i-e-r”
‘Well, maybe the helmet is not necessary as there is not much to damage…’
The beast hidden in the smoke shifted, its head fully covered in dark black metal, with white, almost bluish magma pulsing in a web-like pattern of cracks sticking out of the smoke.
Its head was crowned with two wide and bulky bull-like horns made of pitch black, obsidian-looking material, with magma pulsing in the thin lines spiraling around them.
The acidic, ash-filled black smoke was constantly emitted from the surface of its body, similar to human perspiration.
The lightning sparked between its horns as it looked straight at the girl before it.
“Don’t worry. I will make you stronger and prettier!” She beamed, absolutely unfazed by the pair of glowing, murderous eyes looking at her.
She stepped forward, and the beast flinched back into the smoke, its beastly instincts already expecting pain to come.
“Don’t worry! A little bit of pain will make you stronger!”
Ding!
//
You are now level 79.
All stats increased!
+5 stat points
+1 ability point
//
‘It looks like my minions are working hard. At this rate, it will not be too long before I evolve again.’
The dragon flapped his wings, leaving his two minions to finish the work themselves.
POV ???:
Erich nervously stood outside of a large dark wooden door, looking at his reflection in the glossy surface of the polished black stone in the flooring and walls.
“Next!” A rough voice came from the other side of the doors, and his heart skipped a beat.
‘Will I be tortured or intimidated?’ He was just a merchant, not ready for any rough treatment.
A metal clang sounded behind him as the guard in heavy armor moved towards him. He shook in fear, seeing the terrific monster in even more terrifying armor approaching him, holding a polearm in its hand while its second one in black, searingly hot-looking gauntlet ending in claws reached towards his shoulder.
“I am going!” He dashed towards the door, away from the monster.
The doors shut closed behind him, submerging him into darkness.
He entered a small, dark room. There was no light, only a pair of eyes dimly glowing on the opposite end.
A cold rasp echoed between the four walls, “Speak mortal! What is the purpose of your visit?”
“Ehh… I came here to sell silver trinkets.”
The monster didn’t wait and moved straight towards a second question, “What is your name?”
“Erich Goldenstein”
“Are you human?”
‘Huh, what is with this weird question?’
“Y-yes?” he answered in confusion.
“Are you the culprit behind the attack?!!” The monstrous voice shouted this time, making the poor merchant pale in horror and fear.
“No!”
“You are cleared. Have a pleasant stay.”
‘That’s it?’ When he was chosen for the first batch of people to be interrogated, he already expected torture or harsh and brutal interrogation, with maybe even some mind magic.
POV Tanya:
The young woman sat high in the tower, watching the two players engage in violent swordplay in the arena below her.
The swords were moving at inhuman speed, looking like a storm of colorful blurs of light. Loud bangs and clangs constantly resonated through the arena.
The entire city was under lockdown, and most visitors were kept under house arrest.
‘Interrogations are advancing, but these are still not even a trace after the attacker.’ A worry formed in the corner of her mind, a worry that constantly nudged her consciousness, ‘What if they can trick kobolds? Technically it isn’t impossible, their senses might be sharp enough to detect signs of lies, but they can still be tricked.’
She felt a headache just thinking about how hard the task would be if her suspicion was correct, ‘Do I really need to enact more drastic measures? If this will not work…’