by Necoco
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 12 Experience Points.
Oof!
Gained 12 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 12 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Pest Killer” Lv 1 has become Lv 2.
I wasn’t sure of my kill count, but before I knew it, there wasn’t a single darkwyrm left standing. Their lifeless bodies lay strewn about, blood oozing sluggishly. So many laid out in a row was a rather grotesque sight, and I felt a little guilty.
Listen, darkwyrms. You guys were heroes, trying to rescue your friend who was in trouble. I’ll never forget your bravery, okay?
Baby Dragon Lv 24 has become Lv 25.
Baby Dragon has achieved MAX Lv.
Evolution Requirements have been fulfilled.
I was glad I’d maxed out my level, but…hell, there was just a bad taste in my mouth. My plan had been efficient, but I didn’t want to use this tactic ever again.
Gained Title Skill “Wrongdoer” Lv 1.
Now you’re just being mean. Whatever. Putting aside your terrible sense of humor, it’s time to talk evolution.
If I evolved, I could take on enemies more easily, and it would lower the risk of a human killing me by mistake. It would give me time to convince them I wasn’t a threat. Plus…I felt the most intense urge to get more powerful. Was it some kind of dragon instinct? Or was it because of the Divine Voice? It urged me to get stronger over and over again.
Divine Voice, show me my evolution options!
Display Evolution Patterns?
Yes, that’s literally what I just asked you.
Future:Mini Angel Dragon Rank CMini Dragon Rank C-Young Plague Dragon Rank D+Kid Marble Dragon Rank D+Kid Dragon Rank D
Present:Baby Dragon Rank D-
History:Dragon Egg Rank F
Wow. Looks like I’ve got a lot more options this time! Five instead of just two.
What was that weird one in the middle, Young Plague Dragon? I was a little overwhelmed with choice; I needed to listen to the explanations and weigh my options.
So there’s “little,” “kid,” “baby,” and “mini,” but what’s the difference between all of those? And “young,” too. Do I just go off their rank? So it would be Baby > Kid > Young > Mini?
The adjectives refer to certain monsters’ evolution patterns.
Is that really your answer? You’re being vague again.
“Little” does not refer to evolution rank, but indicates maximum size of growth. Little types can raise their stats quickly; however, their number of possible evolutions and abilities are inferior to “Baby” types.
Okay. So let’s leave the Little ones out of consideration. Although being able to advance quickly was probably a good advantage to have out here in the wild. Maybe that was actually what I wanted? I’d only made it this far thanks to the View Status skill and Myria’s help. So far I’d been able to escape from strong enemies, making up for how slowly I’d progressed.
“Kid” types are superior to “Baby” types.
“Mini” types do not have many evolution options. However, the options they do have are guaranteed to be reliable.
Hmm, okay.
Divine Voice went quiet before explaining the Young type. Well, it was probably a lot like the Kid type, anyway. I wasn’t sure how much the Divine Voice could actually tell me. Maybe if I kept aggressively asking questions, it would level up.
Sometimes it went off the rails and started spamming text in my head. The sensation of something messing around in my brain was creepy, though it had been helpful in the past.
Regardless, I wanted to hear more about the Mini Angel Dragon, the Kid Marble Dragon, and the Young Plague Dragon.
Mini Angel Dragon: Rank C. Awakened by the skill Protective Spirit. A dragon which has sworn to dedicate its life to others. Can use a variety of White Magic, but its attack power is not very high.
Wait, so the Title Skills actually influenced my evolution options? Mini meant it was small, and I didn’t love the idea of low attack power. But the White Magic…that meant recovery magic, right? Maybe that would help me make friends with the humans.
Kid Marble Dragon: Rank D+. A mutated dragon with a marbled pattern on its skin. Has higher MP than the average dragon.
Maybe that would be good in the long term? A mutated form made it sound like it was rare or valuable. That sweet, irresistible pull of a limited-edition item.
Young Plague Dragon. The first step towards becoming a wicked dragon that brings disaster wherever it goes. However, at this low level it has only strayed slightly from a virtuous path and can still turn back. Very intelligent. Can use its skill “Human Transformation” to visit human villages, but generally cannot do anything right.
Huh? Human Transformation?!
If I had that, I could turn myself into a human and visit the village. The whole thing sounded sinister, but the Divine Voice did say I could always turn back to the virtuous path. I could just learn that “Human Transformation” skill and then get back on the straight and narrow. I was sure that was the best option.
I did have reservations, though. For starters, the name freaked me out. I honestly had a bad feeling about the whole situation. But the promise of human transformation was just too tempting. I wanted it. I really wanted it. I needed to find out what happened to Myria after I left her.
This was the only way I’d be able to go to the village again. That settled it. I was going to evolve into the Young Plague Dragon.
The instant I made the decision, heat spread all through me. My small, chubby body began to elongate and thin out. The wings on my back grew larger.
My skin started to darken. I was hot, and my eyes were really hot. God, did I make a mistake? I suddenly saw the world from much higher up. Before, my body was around 120 centimeters long, but now I had to be two meters tall.
“Baby Dragon” has evolved into “Young Plague Dragon.”
Gained Special Skill “Fly” Lv 1.
Gained Special Skill “Dragon Scale Powder” Lv 1.
Gained Special Skill “Dark Type” Lv 1.
Special Skill “Dragon Scale” Lv 1 has become Lv 2.
Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 2 has become Lv 3.
Gained Resistance Skill “Dark Resistance” Lv 1.
Due to Title Skill “Dragon King’s Son” Lv —, all Resistance Skills less than Lv 5 have increased.
Okay, what was Dragon Scale Powder? I didn’t love that. It made it sound like I was just going to spread poison around everywhere.
Gained Normal Skill “Disease Breath” Lv 1.
Normal Skill “Lovebite” Lv 1 has become “Venom Fangs” Lv 1.
Gained Normal Skill “Paralyzing Venom Claws” Lv 1.
No, no! I don’t want that! I definitely don’t need a skill like that! This isn’t just straying off the virtuous path, it’s diving off head first!!
Normal Skill “View Status” Lv 2 has become Lv 3.
Skills can now be researched in detail.
Okay, well, that one sounds pretty handy. Especially since I just gained a bunch of weird skills all at once.
Title Skill “Wrongdoer” Lv 1 has become Lv 2.
Gained Title Skill “Calamity” Lv 1.
Could I really come back from this? I needed to learn Human Transformation, but I had a feeling I was headed way down a terrible path. Well, whatever. I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
………
………………
What, that’s all? I’m not going to learn “Human Transformation”? Um, Divine Voice, did you trick me…
Species: Young Plague Dragon
Status: Normal
Lv: 1/40
HP: 37/50
MP: 0/55
Attack: 47
Defense: 37
Magic: 44
Agility: 40
Rank: D+
Special Skills:
Dragon Scale: Lv 2
Divine Voice: Lv 3
Grecian Language: Lv 1
Fly: Lv 1
Dragon Scale Powder: Lv 1
Dark Type: Lv —
Resistance Skills:
Physical Resistance: Lv 3
Fall Resistance: Lv 4
Hunger Resistance: Lv 3
Poison Resistance: Lv 3
Loneliness Resistance: Lv 4
Magic Resistance: Lv 2
Dark Resistance: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Roll: Lv 2
View Status: Lv 3
Baby’s Breath: Lv 2
Whistle: Lv 1
Dragon Punch: Lv 2
Disease Breath: Lv 1
Venom Fangs: Lv 1
Paralyzing Venom Claws: Lv 1
Title Skills:
Dragon King’s Son: Lv —
Walking Egg: Lv —
Klutz: Lv 4
Just an Idiot: Lv 1
Infighter: Lv 3
Pest Killer: Lv 2
Safety First: Lv 1
Liar: Lv 1
King of Evasion: Lv 1
Protective Spirit: Lv 4
Itty-bitty Hero: Lv 1
Wrongdoer: Lv 2
Calamity: Lv1
It’s not there! I’ve checked over and over again but it’s not there! You told me I could use “Human Transformation” but the skill isn’t there! Hey, what’s going on? Why the heck else would I evolve into a flying disaster unless I could use that skill? Are you listening to me?
Maybe I could only learn the skill if I leveled up more. That had to be it. Right? Can I really trust you, Divine Voice? Answer me! You’re making me nervous. You know, trust is a really crucial foundation to a relationship. You haven’t been lying to me, have you?
Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 3 is unable to provide that explanation.
Agh! You’re avoiding the question! I’ll be able to learn “Human Transformation” really soon, right? I just have to meet some kind of requirements…right?
PART 3
AT ANY RATE, I just needed to calm down. According to Divine Voice, I could now research my skills in more detail. I should start with the suspicious ones I gained when I evolved.
Special Skills:
Dragon Scale: Lv 2
Divine Voice: Lv 3
Grecian Language: Lv 1
Fly: Lv 1
Dragon Scale Powder: Lv 1
Dark Type: Lv —
Resistance Skills:
Physical Resistance: Lv 3
Fall Resistance: Lv 4
Hunger Resistance: Lv 3
Poison Resistance: Lv 3
Loneliness Resistance: Lv 4
Magic Resistance: Lv 2
Dark Resistance: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Roll: Lv 2
View Status: Lv 3
Baby’s Breath: Lv 2
Whistle: Lv 1
Dragon Punch: Lv 2
Disease Breath: Lv 1
Venom Fangs: Lv 1
Paralyzing Venom Claws: Lv 1
Title Skills:
Dragon King’s Son: Lv —
Walking Egg: Lv —
Klutz: Lv 4
Just an Idiot: Lv 1
Infighter: Lv 3
Pest Killer: Lv 2
Safety First: Lv 1
Liar: Lv 1
King of Evasion: Lv 1
Protective Spirit: Lv 4
Itty-bitty Hero: Lv 1
Wrongdoer: Lv 2
Calamity: Lv1
Hm. Nope, Human Transformation still wasn’t there. Surely once I leveled up it would appear. Probably. Hopefully. I decided to ask about Dragon Scale first.
Special Skill “Dragon Scale.” Repels attack using tough dragon scales. Reduces all forms of damage.
Okay, so I’ll use that when I want extra defense. Next is the Dragon Scale Powder.
Special Skill “Dragon Scale Powder.” Flapping wings spreads a noxious cloud which weakens all creatures besides Dragons. At Max Lv, powerful enough to travel through the atmosphere and wipe out entire countries.
Oh my god! Hang on a second, isn’t this too overpowered? Why didn’t you tell me about this before I evolved? I’m basically a biological weapon! How can I make friends with humans if I’m like this? If I were a human, I’d avoid me like the plague!
Well, if I didn’t use it, it wouldn’t level up. Would the noxious cloud be triggered automatically if I spread my wings? That meant I couldn’t fly at all. Anyway—next. I was most curious about Divine Voice. Everything about it was suspicious. How was it forcing its way into my head?
Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 3 is unable to provide that explanation.
Unsurprising. Divine Voice was useful, but sketchy. I didn’t even want to level it up anymore, honestly.
The Resistance Skills seemed self-explanatory. Lv 1 was barely noticeable, but Lv MAX seemed close to immunity. And my Resistance Skills were leveling up across the board. Once they all got to MAX, I’d be close to invincible, no?
I could guess what the Normal Skills did, too…but there was one I was curious about. I doubted I’d ever use it, but I might as well ask for details.
Normal Skill “Disease Breath.” Breath attack that emits a noxious cloud of disease, infecting victims with severe abnormal status effects. The Evil Dragon Jabberwock used this skill 2,000 years ago to destroy Carroll, the happiest country in all recorded history.
Divine Voice, is this fun for you?! I’m on track to becoming the enemy of humanity, here! And you claimed this wasn’t too far off the path of good! How am I supposed to turn back now? It’s absolutely impossible!
If I were a human, there was no way I’d let a dangerous monster like me just roam about freely! This was a “band the whole world together to take down a threat” situation!
I absolutely made the wrong choice here. I take it back! Let me have a do-over!
I had a feeling I should’ve gone with the Mini Angel Dragon, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it now. My actions seemed to influence how I grew, so I could just start racking up good deeds and everything should work out fine. I should check out the Title Skills, too. They were all pretty mysterious.
Title Skill “Dragon King’s Son.” Proof of belonging to the Dragon King’s bloodline. Reduces number of Experience Points needed to advance. Certain basic Resistance Skills are easier to obtain. Increases levels of Resistance Skills below Lv 5 upon Evolution. Greatly influences Evolution options.
Okay, that totally sounded like cheating. Also, if I was the son of the Dragon King, why the heck was I just abandoned in the middle of the woods?! Where was my deadbeat dad? Why didn’t he raise me in a castle like all the other Dragon King’s sons? I’d never seen a Dragon King in the forest, that was for sure. This was child neglect!
Title Skill “Walking Egg.” Proof of conscious thought prior to hatching. Wise, with a sharp memory. Receives bonus Experience Points after a battle.
So this egg skill wasn’t going anywhere. My rapid advance made sense now, though. The Walking Egg/Dragon King Title Skill combo gave me a big experience boost. And here I’d been complaining about not leveling up fast enough. I’m sure people without those skills would be pretty annoyed to hear that! I was still annoyed myself, actually. I decided to check the Just an Idiot skill.
Title Skill “Just an Idiot.” Not very clever. More susceptible to mental status effects. Affects evolution options.
Wait, I thought you said I’m wise and have a sharp memory?! Hey! Are you sure you’re not enjoying jerking me around? Just come right out and call me stupid! Why even bother with these title skills! They’re just pissing me off!
And Just an Idiot also affected my evolution options? I didn’t love that. I wondered if I’d get an option to turn into a Useless Dragon, or something. I bet kids would throw rocks at me.
Title Skill: “Itty-bitty Hero.” Modest bravery. The kindness of a hero. Slightly increases damage dealt depending on the weapon use
d.
I couldn’t remember exactly when I got this skill. I just…had it at some point. Did I even do anything heroic? Maybe if I leveled up this skill I could avoid becoming an Evil Dragon.
All right, next one. I already don’t feel great about it.
Title Skill: “Wrongdoer.” An inhumane outlaw who laughs at the piles of corpses at his feet. Deals more damage with Dark Type attacks, but reduced resistance to Light Type attacks.
I wasn’t expecting much, but wow—this was an absolutely worthless skill. I tried so hard to learn Rest, but now there didn’t seem much chance of getting that skill recognized.
You tricked me into signing up for this! First I’m a hero, then you give me this nonsense?! Give me back my pure self! Jeez, this…well, fine. There’s nothing I can do about it now. I’ll just level up and change course next time. I’m gonna become the King of Heroes! Then no one will be able to call me an outlaw. Stop giving me this garbage. I don’t want it to affect my evolution options!
PART 4
I DECIDED TO REST for the day and then walk the forest to level up. I didn’t want to stray far. My first goal was to learn the Human Transformation skill and return to the village. It was back to hunting low-level graywolves, I guess. I could probably get up to at least Lv 40 doing that.
I wondered if there were any other weak monsters that gave lots of experience points. I knew that I had to pick opponents around the same level and rank as me if I didn’t want progressing to take forever, but I couldn’t keep risking my life fighting to the point of death like I had been or I’d end up dead for good.
If I only had about a fifty percent chance of victory against monsters of the same rank as me, then the odds that I would keep winning long enough to grow into a magnificent dragon were pretty slim.
In most games like these, you’d have high defense and still get crazy amounts of EXP, even with low attack power. Plus, there’d be bonus monsters that would shoot out money everywhere. That sounded great!
Since I just evolved I was back at Lv 1, so it would be safest to start out hunting small fry. I could start worrying about maximizing my efficiency after I leveled up a bit more.
Okay…all of a sudden I can’t move.