A Dragon Idol’s Reincarnation Tale

“Lightning Bolt!” I shouted out, quickly materializing a purple magic circle, shooting out a single stream of lightning at the robed man standing before me as my opponent.

“Raptor’s Agility! Slithering Serpent!” two blue magic circles appeared around the mage’s body, applying two buffing spells on him, enabling him to deftly avoid my spell as it crashed against the earthen wall of the arena we were dueling in.

“Not fast enough, Bedrock Blades!” conjuring up several blades of rock, I controlled them to force him into the defensive. “Now, Lightning Bo-!”

“Xohulotel’s Scaled Barrier. You’re not fast enough, Hestia, Kraken’s Destruction,” he called out as a water serpent protected him from my attack.

Without looking around, I dodged to my left as a massive watery tentacle smacked the spot where I stood, cracking the ground under its mighty power. [Foresight] was a skill that allowed me to see a few seconds into the future if I spent Mana on it, otherwise it would function exactly like [Prediction], its previous form.

Foresight

An improved version of [Prediction]. By consuming Mana, the System calculates the possibility of future events by a certain amount of time, informing the owner about all possibilities and the percentage of it happening. Any possibility altering skills may affect this skill. Its base function warns the owner of any attacks aimed at the them

Maybe it was a bit of an exaggeration, as my options are never 100% so the idea of “looking into the future” is a bit false. The System allows me to see simulated situations of what could happen a few seconds into the future, which I have to examine and act on. Using it every single second would drain my Mana like crazy, so most of the time I would leave it with its base function.

Another demerit the skill had is a need of focus. [Concentration] could be trained this way, but I do admit it is quite hard to cast spells and use this skill. Of course, my parallel minds can take care of the analyzing part for me.

Unfortunately for me, I told all my parallel minds not to participate.

“Woah!” I cried out as another kraken’s tentacle slammed in the direction that I was dodging towards, knocking me a bit back from the bone-shaking shockwave.

“You rely too much on that [Foresight], Hestia. Your instincts are good so stop relying on the System, instead, trust your body and decision-making!” the saurian mage scolded me while he started the cast of three additional spells.

Scheiße!

“Wind Blast,” not knowing which spells he was about to cast, I cast a wind spell to push my body into the air, using [Air Walk] to hold myself up.

Using [Foresight], the System began overflowing my brain with information about two different futures, one showing me being caught as I waited for his spells to cast while I was able to avoid in the second by preemptively casting wind spells to maneuver myself in the air.

Using the information from this skill activation, I was able to learn that two of his spells were [Depth’s Call] to catch me with water tentacles and one was [Sapphire Membrane] to defend himself.

Damn, now I know how Saori and Tasianna felt when I had my parallel minds cast spells too. A mage with [Multi-Cast] is really tricky to fight against!

“Tornado Bullet,” I cast my only [Storm Magic] spell, shooting out an incredibly powerful, spiraling wind bullet at my opponent, sending me flying backwards due to the recoil, which felt like being blown back by a storm’s gale.

As I was flying backwards, I saw two blue magic circles appearing in the air before disappearing without getting cast, as the saurian mage evoked [Sapphire Membrane] to protect himself from my spell. Piercing through the water shield, the spell hit my opponent, shaving a few scales as he crashed onto the ground.

Using a few [Wind Blast]s to prevent me from flying out of the arena, I used another [Tornado Bullet] to propel myself forward like a rocket. Materializing a red-brown magic circle, I was ready to unleash it once I was above him.

“Watch out, Mister Kushlek’zar! Lava Ball,” I called out, shooting out a huge ball of lava down.

After losing all my fire and inferno spells, I lost many of my extremely powerful spells. To fill in that void in my combat arsenal, I had to see if an element could emulate the amount of damage I once was able to do with inferno spells. From tests, I’ve found two elements that could do it, and [Lava Magic] is one of them.

I personally never was a fan of lava spells as they require unbearably slow casting times compared to fire, despite having the same fire power. Now that I had no other choice, I needed to learn when to use them.

Scales still wet with water, my opponent, Mister Kushlek’zar, raised his head up to eye me, “I appreciate the warning, young scale, but never do that in a real battle! Ocean’s Blast, Sapphire Blade.”

His water crashed against my lava, quickly cooling it down to solid rocks that were broken apart as a blade of water pierced right through them. Although I could prevent a direct hit by swaying my body around with wind spells, I couldn’t avoid the hit completely. The water blades penetrated my [Draconic Barrier], slicing my thighs as blood leaked from them, before disappearing as white flames automatically appeared to heal them.

[Sapphire’s Debilitation(Minor)] inflicted on [Young Spark Inferno Dragon, Hestia Atsuko]

Sapphire’s Debilitation

A negative status effect that is caused by being hit by [Sapphire Blade]. Reduces Strength and Intelligence by 10%/25%/50% depending on the severity of the hit

Ahhh, fuck. The damage is nothing compared to how annoying this effect is. Debuffs suck!

Luckily, Mister Kushlek’zar didn’t come out of it unscarred either, not having enough time to block the hail of rocks completely with one of his defensive spells.

“Ocean’s Healing,” he cast as he stroked his plumage. “Continue!”

With that said, our magician’s duel continued. I kept flying through the arena as if I was flying despite not having wings while Mister Kushlek’zar held his ground like a boulder, focusing on counterattacks and protection as I kept my offensive.

Wind for movement and fast counters, earth for defense and disruptions, lightning for extremely fast attacks, and magma for slow but powerful spells. This was my current usage of spells now that fire was gone. This was one of the reasons for why I was doing these battles with Mister Kushlek’zar.

The other reason was for me to acquire [Multi-Cast] and train up [Concentration]. Mister Kushlek’zar suggested we do these whenever I would have time, acting as training as this was the best way for me to achieve this goal. To make sure it was effective, he forced me to order my parallel minds not to interfere during the duel, as using my parallel minds didn’t count towards the acquisition requirements it seems.

Of course, I could cheat but that couldn’t happen with both Tasianna and Saori keeping an eye on my status board. And even then, why should I cheat in the first place when this is supposed to be training for me. Mister Kushlek’zar didn’t have to do this, after all.

Still, I do admit that fighting without [Parallel Thoughts] was initially hard to get into. As my teacher has [Multi-Cast], he was able to overwhelm me with multiple spells at once with ease. The only reason why I was keeping up was my flexibility with a wide range of spells.

The last reason was to quell [Battle Frenzy]. No use living among other people when I can’t control my temper, right? These battles can get quite heated.

As our battle was reaching an equilibrium, my eyes suddenly eyed small glints in the air, swarming around in a trail leading to the back of Mister Kushlek’zar.

Scale-dusts successfully placed!

Flying around the arena with [Air Walk] and my wind spells wasn’t just ‘cause I needed the movement advantage, but it was also for me to spread my scale-dusts. Normally, the correct way to do this would be to use my wings to spread the dust throughout the area but I couldn’t as I had no wings in my current form.

Honestly, I was having major problems using it to its fullest potential during combat. Before my body morphed due to gaining the skills [Hellblade Dragon] and [Dreadflame Dragon], I could only spread my scale-dust with [Spark Flame Veil]. It felt like my body finally unlocked its fullest potential, you know.

Now, I just have to use it correctly. There has to be some use for it that I can’t figure out yet. My magic was just better in general, but I don’t want to forget it. It would feel like a waste.

Maybe I was forcing its usage a bit but experimenting during spars like these was exactly what I should be doing.

After I snapped my fingers, a spark appeared around my claws before a river of small explosions erupted into action, streaming without rest until it reached behind Mister Kushlek'zar. Conjuring up a wall of water, he blocked the fire from catching him but that left him vulnerable to my next attack.

“Banishment Beam!” I roared as a ray of holy light descended down onto Mister Kushlek’zar’s barriers.

Now that I had [Venerated Saintess], my holy spells finally received the power boost that they desperately needed to become a good offensive element for me. Still, losing [Holy Amp] was annoying but it was just my luck that [Venerated Saintess] could grow in power, increasing the damage I can do the more I level it up.

The force of my spell was showing as Mister Kushlek’zar had to reinforce his barrier with even more spells, neglecting offensive ones to support his defense.

He’s casting more protective spells! This is my chance. Come on, I should use [Blazing Twister] or maybe [Spiral Hellfire]. I know he can survive them so…wait, I don’t have those spells anymore…

“Wonderful! Ever since that bandit Quest, our duels have always been intense enough for me to be forced to take out my catalyst! You have shown this old scale your power, young scale, but it’s about time for me to end this,” he announced as he took out a rosary from his robes. “Feel the might of the oceans, Hestia!”

From this point onwards, the battle only lasted for a few more seconds. His rosary was a magician’s catalyst that not only improved his power but also his casting efficiency. He kept casting two spells to support his defense while conjuring two [Plesia’s Grasp] around me, forcing me to stop my spell cast and dodge.

Although I was getting used to this after consecutive losses against him, my inability to learn [Multi-Cast] to cast multiple spells at once meant that my momentum quickly faded into obscurity, before I was quickly apprehended by his spells.

I was knocked onto the ground before having my tail and legs pulled up by water tentacles.

Multiple acquisition requirements fulfilled. [Long-Range Spell Enhancement Lv. 1][Mid-Air Maneuvering Lv. 1] acquired

Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Sacred Magic Lv. 6] [Terra Magic Lv. 3] [Concentration Lv. 4] [Danger Perception Lv. 4] [Air Walk Lv. 3] gained

Magic gained: [Omnictus] [Rumbling Might]

“Eeeek!” I shrieked as I was held upside-down, holding onto my skirt to prevent it from falling down.

“Phew,” he let out, calming down his breath as he gave a prayer to Plesia. “Another victory for me, Hestia. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to defeat you without my catalyst, especially with how much you still have to grow. Ha, getting [Chant Revocation Lv. 10] during training wasn’t enough it seems.” He wrote down today’s duel’s results on a wooden tablet before throwing it towards Akast as a part of their luggage.

“M-Mister Kushlek’zar, w-what are you thinking!?” I shouted out as my face became redder and redder. “PUT ME DOWN!”

He stroked his chin for a moment, looking genuinely confused why I would raise my voice, until Tasianna explained it to him, “Huh? This is usually never a concern for saurian females, thus I thought nothing of it. Regardless, if I have offended, I apologize sincerely as my tail is my witness.” Tucking his tail between his legs, Mister Kushlek’zar gave a short bow as he released me from his spells’ grip.

Landing on the ground like a cat, I stroked my tail as I responded back with a pout, “Jeeeeeez…Don’t worry about it, elder scale…”

“Gaha ha ha!” ignoring my blushing face, Krim-Slak, the muscular blue carnosilian approached us with a hearty laugh. “The fights are always so even before Kush becomes serious. So, any luck with [Multi-Cast]? This has been your sixth duel with him with the same restrictions.”

I looked through my status board, half-doubtful that I had it, half-hopeful that I missed the System notification during the battle, until I could confirm which one was correct, “…Nah.”

“…Is that so? Unfortunate,” Grazlahta the red saurian commented with a frown. “Your efforts aren’t wasted though, young scale. A warrior pursues strength no matter how often one fails. Be proud that you’re able to fight Kush on even grounds, despite how more experience he is within the rules of a magician’s duel.”

“Well, Lady Hestia did use her scale-dusts during that one attack…which isn’t really a spell,” Tasianna suddenly dropped, freezing me up as I realized this.

“Well, that is debatable as her scale-dusts are part of her body, although it is considered an ability to the System. Punches and kicks are not disallowed, after all,” Saori came to my rescue, before letting out a defeated sigh. “Although I am pretty sure you mentioned that you would only use your spells to defeat him. Using your scale-dusts will not give you [Multi-Cast].”

“Why are you two throwing me under the ‘bus’!” I shouted at my two friends, feeling betrayed by their backstabbing.

“Hmph, a ‘normal’ magician’s duel is a bore where the first hit would determine the winner. This was a magician’s fight,” Mister Kushlek’zar stated. “With our daily battle done, let us get into the lectures, shall we.”

“Yeah, let’s go. Air Shield!” I invoked a huge barrier of air, blocking all sounds from exiting this bubble.

Aaaaaand another part of our daily routines begins.

After leaving the village to enter the woods where we first met the saurians, we chatted with them about [Venerate Saintess]. At this point, our group pretty much trusted Mister Kushlek’zar and his party enough that we practically divulged everything besides [Otherworldly Reincarnator] and the SP System.

I mean, Tasianna trusted him enough due to his faith to Plesia and Saori and I were just grateful he left me alive after my rampage, even willing to still be our magic tutor. As a sign of trust, we revealed nearly everything. And besides, they practically knew or guessed everything at this point so we saw no harm in revealing it.

You should have imagined Mister Kushlek’zar’s darkish face when he confirmed Saori was a cadejo. It couldn’t be helped in the end that he desperately wanted to see our true forms, but the two carnosilians quickly interjected.

Frankly, the saurians were still curious why our profile still had “Information Blocked”. “It is something extremely personal, and we are only willing to tell you if join our party,” I said shamelessly in an attempt to recruit them. I’ve grown quite attached to them, and it wouldn’t hurt to have more muscles in our party, right?

Of course, sadly, they had to reject it as their duties conflicted with our goals. It was an ordeal to explain to them what “Idols” were and I had a bit of a hope that they would accept after seeing their reactions. Well, I guess the path of an entertainer wasn’t theirs. “Justice never rests.”

Even now, they couldn’t stay too long. They had to escort the non-carine villagers back to their own village, while my party wished to stay here for winter and depart in spring. So whenever we could train with the saurians, we trained with the mentality it could be our last.

One of the topics we absolutely had to take care of was custom spell creations. After “Shiterno’s” little interference, I practically lost all my fire and inferno spells aside from [Symphonie des Feuergottes]. I tried to look through the skill shop to reacquire them but to no avail. Annoyingly enough, the moment I lost those two skills, I also lost my ability to create pure fire and inferno custom spells.

Honestly, considering he’s an Origin God, he’s pretty stupid as fuck. Why would you steal away this ability of mine, you shitty fire god? Even [Divine Inferno] doesn’t grant any benefits to my retainers.

Anyway, due to this fact, I had to substitute my other spells now that my jack-of-all-trade fire element was gone. Two of our experiments included [White Flames] and [Corrosive Fire].

[Overheated (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Spark Inferno Dragon, Hestia Atusko]

“Huuuuuuuh…huuuuuuuh,” I moaned as purple sweat began dropping from my forehead into a wooden bowl. “Huuuuuuh…compared to [Toxic Secretion], this is far too inconvenient. That bastard, honestly, doesn’t understand anything of how I was using my skill set.” I scowled at the mere thought of the creator of this skill.

“Oi, young scale, we’re followers of Plesia but cursing an Origin God brings down bad luck,” Krim-Slak commented as he took out his amulet, shaking it in front of me as if he was trying to dispel a ghost. “You were chosen as God Danterno’s champion, so you should be grateful.”

“Yeah, I could, buuuuut, fuck no,” I answered with spite. “Don’t forget that Aurena also blessed me. I have no idea what the gods are planning to do with me, but I’m currently leaning towards supporting the Goddess of Light. I even helped her reinforce the faith of Carine village.”

“Well, your little Idol ‘performance’ did make the men pretty excited. I guess that is what you meant with ‘reinforce’?” Saori said with a teasing smile, forcing me to cover my blushing face with my coat’s hood. “Oh, it is about to overflow. Tasianna, you may cool her down now.”

“Yes, Miss Saori. Please excuse me, Lady Hestia,” Tasianna uttered with a pleasant tone as she started cooling the air with a cyan magic circle, placing it behind my back to lower my body’s temperature.

As my body slowly cooled down, Saori took the bowl filled with purple in her hand, identified it, and then handed it to me, “It is diluted but it is the real deal. [Corrosive Fire] has the same recreation feature of [Toxic Secretion].”

Identify.

Mixed venom concoction

A concoction created through [Corrosive Fire]’s feature, diluted with sweat. Depending on the resistance of the target, this venom may cause [Poisoned (Minor)] upon injection

One of our tests was to see if I could continue supplying Saori with venom and poisons, as that was one of her strongest tools in battle. Unfortunately, after losing [Toxic Secretion] I couldn’t just make new vials of venom upon request, as [Corrosive Fire] could only create fire with venom effects.

I could recreate my old venoms for Saori, however, the only way to get it is to have myself sweat. The only way for me to sweat was to overheat myself using these purple flames, infusing the impurities into my sweat as bowls began filling with a purple liquid.

Unfortunately, mass production was difficult with this method. I sweat very little due to my race and overheating myself too much is just unreasonable. Another problem were the flames requiring nutrients from my body, ravaging my Stamina and calories whenever I used them.

That was actually the case for both flames. The perfect comparison to them would be my scale-dusts. The flames have literally become a part of me now, being emitted after spending Mana and Stamina to create them.

Considering my dragon abilities consumed massive amounts of Stamina already, I honestly should consider leveling both my Stamina skills up to max to attain the superior merged version of them.

If you think about it, these flames sounded like a bit of a nerf compared to the previous me, right? My fire spells had so much flexibility and firepower that I could punch through most threats with them, but now I had to use up Stamina, an average stat for me, in addition to Mana.

However, interestingly enough, I could create custom spells with these flames. [White Flames] would create white magic circles like holy spells, while [Corrosive Fire] would create brown magic circles like earth spells. Although none of the test spells actually worked, it was good enough for me to know those skills allowed me to create some new spells myself.

After losing [Holy Magic], I also lost [Cure], the only way for me to remove status afflictions like poison and paralyzation. It wasn’t an offensive spell, but I absolutely needed it. If I could create my own venom, then I should know how to neutralize them.

“Hmm, how about ‘Holy Fire, rid their body of impurities. Purify them’, and how about this letter? Oh, maybe write these runes like this and this?” I suggested, drawing and writing everything down on wooden tablets.

As I was experimenting with words to create a spell which could “remove physical status ailments”, Mister Kushlek’zar, Saori, and Tasianna were documenting all my progress on wooden tablets with coal pencils. Funnily enough, it reminded me of a scene of scientists congregating in a single room to create the next scientific milestone.

Well, I guess it was fascinating for them as I presumed myself to be the only person with [White Flames] and [Corrosive Fire]. At least, if we could believe that they really were “unique”. I hope they will show their worth like my two racial skills, [Dreadflame Dragon] and [Hellblade Dragon].

“Oh yeah, Mister Kushlek’zar,” I asked my saurian “Teach”, now taking a break from our lectures. “I was just thinking about my unique racial skills, which reminded me that I thought it was good time to evolve.”

“Hmm!” at the mere mention of “evolve”, Teach perked his body upwards, stroking his plumage as his eyes’ focus intensified. “Are you finally willing to evolve, Hestia? Oh, you bless this old scale. God Istari, I thank you for granting me this chance to learn, and Goddess Aurena for granting me the honor to meet your champion.”

“Well, we have been in the village for a week, and besides a few wolves or goblins, everything has been peaceful,” I answered. “I know you wanted to see Saori’s and my monster forms…too bad there are far too many ‘birds’ around.”

It seems the appearance of small monsters like [Wind Raccoon], [Loopabit], and [Blight Rat] aren’t a rare sight around villages far away from towns. Their lord was supposed to protect them with soldiers during these times, even hiring hunters if a swarm appeared.

Feral grimgarians like goblins and kobolds were also a common sight, showing little intelligence compared to the ones I met in Belzac forest. They honestly acted like idiotic, cantankerous beasts that have to be exterminated before they cause problems for my life…too bad they were G ranks.

Monsters were either born naturally like other animals or they could just appear from thin air through the high mana concentration in the area. I’ve already mentioned this, but the area had far less mana in the ground compared to the Belzac forest, meaning weak monsters like these could be spawned.

G and F rank monsters were weaker than humans, stat-wise, but that doesn’t mean they were any less of a threat. According to Mister Kushlek’zar, goblins and kobolds have insane reproduction rates, meaning subjugation Quests for them were near limitless.

“The ‘birds’, huh? Yeah, damn pest,” Krim-Salk complained as he washed his tail with a damp cloth. “Anyway, Kush wants to stay around a bit for your evolution and our wards aren’t ready just yet, so you don’t have to fear anything during your evolution, young scale. We’ll keep watch with your companions.”

“So, do you mind sharing to us your evolution choices? Saori already gave us a rundown of how monsters evolve,” Grazlahta answered in his usual stoic tone, taking a sun bath on a moist grass bed.

“Sure.”

Evolution

[Young Black-Wrath Dragon]

[Young Angel Dragon]

[Young Infernal Demon Dragon]

[Young Ragnarok Dragon]

[Young Lava Dragon]

[Young Magma Dragon]

[Young Volcano Dragon]

[Young Thunder Dragon]

[Young Arcane Corrupter Dragon]

[Young Dreadflame Dragon]

[Young Hellblade Dragon]

[Young Obsidian Blaze Dragon]

[Young Sunfang Dragon]

Young Infernal Demon Dragon

A unique dragon type that possesses the aura of divinity. A dragon that possess scales of pure heat, purging the sinners and criminals as the embodiment of the God of Fire’s will. Specializes in fire elemental attacks, while possessing scales that nullify all spells related to the fire element. A dragon created by the God of Fire, Danterno. Rank B

Young Ragnarok Dragon

An immature unique dragon type that symbolizes the will of rebellion. A walking profane dragon who has decided to defy the gods, possessing flames that would bring down even the mightiest of creatures. Rank B

Young Obsidian Blaze Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon or terra dragon created through the usurped power of a God of Dragons and God of Fire. With a body of jet-black scales, this dragon possesses the power to solidify its flames into a unique obsidian, hard and sharp enough to pierce through dragon-skin. Vulnerable in their immature state as their dragon flames have not reached its maximum potential. Rank B

Young Sunfang Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon or sacred dragon created through the usurped power of a God of Light and God of Fire. Burning like a miniature sun, these red scaled dragons possess power bodies and searing hot flames, able to both purify and destroy. A calm dragon that wishes to flaunt its imposing presence to dominate prey, instead of wasting its flames on them. Vulnerable in their immature state as they require obscene amounts of food to fuel their growing bodies. Rank B

Young Black-Wrath Dragon

A rare dragon-type that possess scales of pure darkness. A dragon with a short temper, who’s rampage would send an entire city in ruins. Can shoot out a strong beam of concentrated black mana that eradicates anything in its path. Called a "Spawn of Kargryxmor". Rank B

Young Angel Dragon

A unique dragon type that possesses the aura of divinity. A dragon that possess serene feathers that makes this dragon look like an angel. Specializes in supportive magic and skills, while possessing scales that nullify all spells related to the holy element. A dragon created by the Goddess of Light, Aurena. Rank B

Young Lava Dragon

A young dragon that can only be found in the vicinity of extreme temperatures. It can feast on both flesh and minerals. Compared to a Magma Dragon, these dragons lack the ability to deftly traverse through pools of molten rock. Rank B

Young Magma Dragon

An immature lava dragon that possesses a body equipped to traverse the searing hot sea of a volcano. Compared to their cousins, these dragons are magquatic, perfectly able to maneuver through molten rock. Rank B

Young Volcano Dragon

An immature lord of molten flames and the leader of both lava and magma dragons, that has not even touched its immense potential yet. This superior dragon swaggers through its obsidian realm in the depths of the earth, ruling over their molten domain with ruthless aggression. Either on land or magma, this behemoth of a creature will chase off any intruders with its titanic body and piercing lava beams, while being invulnerable to most weaponry with its harder-than-metal scales. Rank B

Young Thunder Dragon

Soaring through the sky like a thunderbolt, these immature dogmatic fighters of the sky will shoot any wannabe challenger down in a heartbeat. Whether with talons or arcane thunder, these dragons are masters of blitzing down others just like their wind elemental cousins. Rank B

Young Arcane Corrupter Dragon

A young, mutant Mana Dragon that spreads corrupted mana in its surroundings. Its whole body is composed of mana, instead of flesh and blood, so it can only die if its mana expires. Instead of pure mana, its body is composed of arcane corrupted mana, thick enough to materialize into anything it wants. Cannot use spells. Rank B

Young Dreadflame Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon who rules the sky with powerful wings, shimmering with an intense crimson red. Soaring through the skies while turning the ground under it into ash and ruins, these wrathful predators will descend on anything to reap its offering from the land. They are most vulnerable in their immature state, not having the strength to carry their fearsome body to the skies. Rank B

Young Hellblade Dragon

An immature, mutated inferno dragon with a hell blaze core protected by an armor of scales and razor-sharp blades. Wielding its blade-like tail like a massive greatsword, these ferocious brutes can turn any defense into little more than crumbled remains as they relish in their impending victory. Any challenger should also be wary of the mineral dust that these dragons can send into the air using their special claws and tails, as even a little spark will cause a hellfire of devastation. Vulnerable in their immature state due to their weaker scales. Rank B

“Two choices, [Young Mana Dragon] and [Young Noxious Blight Dragon], were removed but I wasn’t considering them at this point anymore. The new options are pretty good, I think,” I responded with a small smile.

“Have you decided? I personally would recommend you take one of the God’s chosen dragons, despite your grievances with them,” Mister Kushlek’zar suggested with a frown. “I will not preach to you, I consider it more important that you choose your own path. I will, however, warn you that defying the gods isn’t a smart choice, Hestia. You should consider it an honor.”

“I understand what you are saying, Priest Kushlek’zar,” Tasianna suddenly responded with a firm gaze. “however, my mistress will follow down the path that she considers best. I will follow her and defend her choice, no matter what happened.”

“Don’t take it too seriously, Tasianna,” Grazlahta interjected himself into the discussion. “You lasses aren’t defying Goddess Plesia or Xohulotel, so we have no right to speak up. However, gaining the ire of a god is irrational. Considering what happened to you at the bandit camp, Hestia, you should be aware that divine punishment can happen whenever.”

I looked at them with exasperation as I responded, “Guys, it’s not like I’m actually doing this ‘usurping’ stuff on purpose. Maybe I did actively defy Danterno’s control, but I never did it to Aurena’s or Kargryxmor’s. Nevertheless, Tasianna is right. If I am to evolve, then I will be seeking the best option.”

After looking through the SP shop, I’ve accepted that finding a unique or special skill that could influence my evolution options was hard. There was also the case that my SP was low now, and I didn’t have enough to do anything substantial.

“Chill, though, I only thought today was a good chance to evolve, not that I will evolve now. We have a ‘birdy’ problem, after all,” I uttered before looking at my wolfkin friend. “Saori.”

She nodded before disappearing into her shadows with a, “Sure”. We waited at the spot for a moment, enjoying our tea and lunch as we awaited Saori’s swift return. Eventually, Saori walked back into sight, dragging along four tied up men with her mana strings.

After I dispelled my [Air Shield], she threw them before us, speaking with red mist emitting from her blood-red eyes, “Four spies like always. They have been observing you saurians for a week now, but they have not gotten better with concealing their presences. Should I also bring the ones from the village, Hestia?”

“Nah, don’t bother,” I replied with a dismissing hand wave, before forming a smile as I greeted the captured men. “Now, how may I help Lord Helvas, gentlemen?”