When Violet left, I went down to the basement, where a box was waiting.
With a click, I opened the lid and was immediately welcomed by the smell of blood. But that wasn't the important part; the content was. The last skarridi heart I needed.
During the time I couldn't see, I had arranged for Erik to send me the hearts of the skarridi, so that I could keep growing. Of course, he had no idea I would use them in this way, as I had told him I needed them to make the plan more realistic.
I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the heart, activating Predation.
[Predation activated]
[Core: Dracoline Heart (99.8 → 100%)]
[The core has been fully saturated, initiating the evolution phase.]
The core in my chest answered with a tremor, and then the pain came.
This time, I was mentally prepared, so when I felt my body reconstructing itself, I clenched my teeth and let the evolution take its course.
Feeling your own muscles and bones break and rebuild at an inhuman pace was unbearable. But compared to what I felt when I absorbed that adult skarridi, this was almost tolerable.
That didn't mean what I was going through wasn't painful. The process dragged on for so long that my breath got stuck in my throat, but even then, I did my best to keep a clear mind.
Then, like last time, a message appeared that I still didn't understand.
[The new will refuses to obey.]
The world collapsed around me, dissolving into a bright glow, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself once more in that boundless place, empty of anything except an endless white.
Can I see again?
To my surprise, I no longer had problems with my eyes, so I looked down. Dozens of black tentacles slithered all over my body. Last time I hadn't had the chance to observe them closely, but the sight was… rather disgusting.
The more time passed, the less I understood what that ritual had done to me. The initial goal was to create a draconic heart and grow like the other draconians, but everything happening to me had nothing to do with them.
Besides, I still didn't know where I was or why my body had this shape.
I wanted to explore that place, but like last time, tiny particles of light began appearing not far away, slowly shaping themselves into a creature.
It was at least three meters long and as tall as me, its body covered in glowing scales. The air around it was scorching, and with every movement, sparks fell to the ground before vanishing. Its yellow vertical eyes stayed fixed on me, studying me.
This is beyond a joke.
A fire salamander, an intermediate Grade 2 monster.
One might think that since I could deal with early Grade 2 monsters, intermediate ones would be manageable. But that was far from the truth.
With each advanced stage, the gap in strength grew. In fact, the difference between an early Grade 2 and an intermediate Grade 2 was almost the same as the gap between Grade 1 and Grade 2.
I grew much more serious. Running wasn't an option, and in this place, I couldn't use any of my abilities, only this strange body.
The salamander let out a deep growl, and right after, it hurled a stream of flames in my direction.
The heat was devastating. I reacted instinctively, moving the tentacles to form an improvised barrier. The flames hit them, roasting them and dripping pieces of charred flesh, but the protection lasted just long enough for me to roll to the side.
It feels like I have more control over this body this time.
That vague thought crossed my mind as the tentacles regenerated themselves.
The salamander charged, running with surprising speed, leaving a trail of fire behind.
I raised four tentacles and hurled them forward, trying to wrap around the monster's snout. The creature twisted, releasing unbearable heat, and my limbs began to smoke, but I managed to hold it for a moment.
That was when the salamander opened its mouth.
Sensing the danger, I forced its head aside, barely avoiding being charred alive, though I couldn't say the same for my tentacles, which turned to ashes.
The monster gave me no respite. It lunged again, firing a barrage of small fireballs that exploded all around me. I dodged as best as I could, but one hit my shoulder, tearing away part of my body.
How much I hate these types of creatures!
I had to retreat again, giving my body time to regenerate.
It was frustrating. If I attacked, the tentacles burned from the monster's heat. If I kept my distance, it bombarded me. And through it all, I still hadn't managed to land a single wound.
The monster charged again, but this time I didn't try to block it. As I rolled to the side, I twisted my body, managing to whip the monster's side, but aside from a faint mark, it didn't seem to do much.
The salamander roared, its scales glowing like molten metal, releasing a wave of heat that pushed me away.
How the hell do I beat something like this?!
If I had access to my water affinity or my other abilities, I could have done something. But like this… no. Maybe that was the problem.
I was trying to fight like a human, when clearly my body wasn't.
Seeing the monster charging again, I focused on my body. I started moving tentacle after tentacle, weaving them together. I could feel my mass decreasing, but now the new tentacle looked much more threatening.
Before the monster got too close, I spun my body like a screw, then let go.
My body rotated rapidly, the reinforced tentacle cutting through the air as I spun faster. The monster entered the range and was struck brutally.
Its body was hurled away, bouncing again and again. When it stood up, part of its face was flattened, but it still managed to remain on its feet.
Wanting to try something else, I bent my legs like a spring and released them. My body shot forward, reaching the monster in no time, which looked just as surprised as I was.
I swung the reinforced tentacle down like a hammer, slamming the monster to the ground. But it still managed to counterattack with a fireball.
I dodged at the last second, but one of my legs was caught, and the regeneration was much slower, maybe because of the damage I'd already taken, or because of the "skills" I was using.
Seeing the monster preparing another heat wave, I stretched the tentacle to strangle it. It seemed to work, but the glowing scales were consuming the tentacle.
Realizing I wouldn't last, I used all my strength to lift the monster and smash it against the ground. I did it over and over, but the beast refused to give in.
Feeling some of the woven tentacles snap, I swung it one last time, hurling it into the air.
The monster spun a couple of times before beginning its inevitable fall, which left it heavily damaged.
You have no idea how satisfying that was.
I approached the monster, its body partly broken.
It tried to shoot flames, but they were weaker, allowing me to dodge easily and get right in front of it. Without hesitation, I drove the tentacle into its eye, then pierced its brain.
As soon as the monster died, it dissolved into particles of light that flew toward me, being absorbed into my body. Then came darkness.
****
I slowly opened my eyes, feeling uncomfortable, and looking around with a strong headache. Even though I was still dizzy, it seemed I was back in my body, in the basement of my house.
"Can I see here too?"
To my great surprise, my eyes were perfectly normal again… finally, I didn't have to use that horrible monocle.
Checking the hourglass I had set, it looked like only half an hour had passed, even though for me it felt much longer.
Once again, I hadn't gotten much information about the place I ended up in, but if something similar happened next time, I would make sure to investigate properly. For now, though, it was the moment I had been waiting for.
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Name: Adel
Age: 16
Race: ?Human?
Grade: 1 → 2
Core: Salamander Heart (0%)
Physique: 2.9 → 3.5 (+0.2 agility) (+0.5 strength)
Mind: ???
Mana: 1.86 → 3.0
Vitality: 2.4 → 2.9
Skills: Shadow Veil (Lv. 3), Predation, Scale Armor (Lv. 1 → 2), Poison Resistance (Lv. 1), Quick Step (5 max), Razor Claws, Water Affinity (Lv. 1), Minor Strength, Fire Affinity (Lv. 1) [new], Eyes Of Predation [new].
Artifacts (capacity: 1/1 → 1/2):
– silver ring (Grade 0): agility +0.1
– silver ring (Grade 0): agility +0.1
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[Fire Affinity:]
[Increases affinity with the fire element, also boosting resistance. The skill can be improved.]
[Eyes Of Predation:]
[Inflicts a state of fear on weaker enemies, while those with higher Mind stats will resist more easily. The skill can be strengthened through the use of bloodlust.]