Six hard months since Mark came back to life in the body of Issei, he had spent his time training under Ddraig. With Ddraig as his guide and teacher, he drilled his body into something he could only dream of when he was an assassin.
Plus, he had well over 50 years of experience honing himself into a Killer which came in handy. Yet, the unnatural growth rate he experienced while using the Boosted Gear and especially Mana caused his progress to skyrocket.
Both began to break his human limits apart allowing him to reach levels he could only dream of. According to Ddraig, he was human at his core, but as the host to the Red Dragon Emperor, he was gaining draconic traits.
His very DNA was being reworked under the connection to Ddraig's Soul, Mana, and the Dragon Aura created by Boosting his Power with the Sacred Gear. All that allowed his body to grow and evolve rapidly.
This was something all users of the Boosted Gear experienced, but only a few actually managed to make use of it. As for Mark, in the 6 months since his transmigration, he had drawn on his Magic affinities with the increased perception offered by the Boosted Gear.
With Ddraig as his guide, he had gained use over Dragon Fire. He had no actual spells, but with his will alone he could cause the same effects as a dragon. That by itself was great, but his true talent came in the use of Space and Time powers.
He had only scratched the surface with them, but just that had allowed him to develop some terrifying techniques. Yet progressing further in them would be hard with his lack of experience in true magic. They were not the hardest type of magic to use for nothing, but he was not pressed for time.
In those 6 months, quite a few key events had taken place in that time. One was that he left the original forest he was training in. Hundreds of miles away from Kuoh to a bigger more isolated forest. He often wondered what Issei's parents were doing to look for their son. But as he was not their son, so it did not matter to him.
Sitting in front of a campfire, he ate a deer's leg. This was all that was left as he had already eaten the rest of the animal hungry for protein. Once he chewed and swallowed the meat and even the Bone Marrow inside the bone he looked at his left hand.
"Ddraig. What more can we do to make me stronger? Dragon Fire is a great skill to have, but what more can I do with Space and Time magic? So far I have only used some minor skills with them, but are there more powers I can use?"
Ddraig thought about it before he answered honestly.
[Since I awoke, you have proven to be very talented. Your body is many times stronger than when you first took over. Honestly, your progression is faster than a human should be. Now, to better use magic, your race often has to use complicated Calculations to understand what you want and why it happened.]
"I am not doing math for magic. There has to be something else."
[I was getting to that. You are the host to one of the Heavenly Dragons. Who says you can't use magic like us? We dragons force our will onto magic which you have already started to do. We will magic to do something and it does it. Much better than a human right?]
"Now that sounds better than making calculations."
[I know. Now, the biggest thing you need to think about is the Sacred Gear's most powerful ability. The Balance Breaker. When your emotions become so overwhelming that the Sacred Gear reacts. I can feel it, you are not far off from being able to use it.
You need a strong enough mental click. And let me tell you something, the Boosted Gear has two sealed abilities that you just need to discover. They were the original abilities that I once made use of. If you can unlock them, and the Balance Breaker, you will be a force to be reckoned with.]
Hearing that made Mark clench his left hand in excitement.
"That sounds like just the thing I need. What were your original abilities?"
[You will have to find that out. But I also have one more risky method of getting stronger. Getting someone to teach you.]
"Let's ignore the second option shall we? They could be stronger than I am and try to enslave me. But the Balance Breaker is something I must work on. So, I have a strong enough body for it, but not the mental trigger.]
[Correct.]
Mark thought back to his old memories. The death of his brothers, his father, and his mother. It stung, but it was not at the same level as it had once been. He had accepted their deaths long ago and Ddraig even told him straight up.
[Your emotions to their deaths are good, but not strong enough. You have long since accepted their deaths. And your mental conditioning to keep control is holding you back. Your mental trigger will appear soon, I can feel it, partner.]
Once he got done eating he laid down.
"Keep an eye out. I am taking a nap."
[Got it.]
He did not sleep for very long, only 5 hours before he woke up. Once he was up, he sat up and meditated for an hour. Without the Boosted Gear, he drew in mana in droves and circulated it through his body.
Already he had a massive mana pool which he made flow through his body. It caused his body to heat up and sweat. He was expelling all of the weakness and impurity from his body.
Once his meditation finished he opened his black eyes and exhaled pure steam. He stretched out his body which was no longer scrawny. His body had filled with dense muscles. Even his bones had gotten tougher while his height had just exploded. Even his height had increased to a decent 5'10. He had grown 6 inches in just 6 months with his training.
He rose to his feet and stretched a bit before he summoned the Boosted Gear.
[Ready Partner?]
"Born ready."
From morning to late afternoon, Mark trained in using the energy of the Boosted Gear. He Boosted as often as he could while he trained his Martial Arts.
[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]
After Boosting his power 64 times what it was, he felt the energy become too great, so he took control of the Mana in his body. Dragon Fire and Space magic fused together as he punched upward. The red flames with traces of purple shot high into the sky with force to cleave a city in half.
Mark wiped his forehead as Ddraig spoke in his head.
[Good work. You can endure much more now, but I suggest we move. You have been training at this forest for the better part of a month. Staying in one place is never a good idea for people like you.]
"I had the same idea."
As for the car he stole, it was no better than a piece of junk as it was out of fuel. He lept into a tree and like some forest man kept through them till he returned to the car he hid. It was out of fuel and had become just a place he kept some stuff in.
When he looked at it, he had an idea.
"Wait, maybe I don't need fuel."
Ddraig did not get what he meant.
[Is this not a human machine that needs fule?]
Mark nodded as he walked toward the front of the war. He popped the hood open as he looked at the battery of the car.
"Yes, but maybe I can jump-start it with something."
[Boost!]
[Transfer!]
He touched the car's battery and the power of the Boosted Gear surged through the car causing it to roar to life. Mark laughed as he closed the hood and got into the driver's seat of the car.
[I have no idea how that worked.]
"Me neither. Let's book it."
Mark hit the ignition and drove off toward the road which he left the car not far from. He normally trained deep in the forest, but the car he kept near the road. Once he was on the road he hit the pedal and despite this being a terrible car, the engine sounded better than ever.
[Where to?]
Mark thought about it as he had no great destination in mind. He planned on leaving the country very soon as he did not like Japan. He would get a fake passport made and to do that he had some plans.
For now, he had an idea of how to gather supplies easily. It was a cruel method, but it was the safest one. He would be going back to Kuoh, as the town was small and isolated.
He looked down at himself and noticed the only piece of clothing he had was the pants he came in and even those were torn in most places.
He squinted his eyes before he turned the steering wheel and began to backtrack.
"Back to Kuoh for a few hours."
[Are you going to go back to Issei's parents, Mark.]
"No. To rob them Ddraig? Any advice on how to wipe minds?"
[Nope. We dragons never really tried to wipe people's minds. Not much point when we just kill everything in our way.]
"Forget I asked. On the way there, let's talk about the Balance Breaker."
[In my case, the normal Balance Breaker is the Scale Mail. It covers the user in a Boosted Gear-like armor that lets the user Boost their power nearly endlessly. Of course, that is if you can endure, but you are a unique human.
Your limits are not human which makes me question how you took over Issei's body.]
"Even I would like to know this. One moment I am at death's door and then I found myself in this kid's body. Meeting you was a coincidence, but a welcomed one."
[I guess we will just have to find that out. But for the Scale Mail, it is the normal variant. But there is another variant. The Sub Species will be unique and based on the user. Your first goal is to unlock the Balance Breaker and then Evolve it into a Subspecies that reflects you. Now, this is important. Do you wish to be the Dragon of Domination?]
Mark grinned as he liked the sound of that.
"I did say I would surpass you one-day Ddraig. If I have to make use of the Principle of Domination I will. I will make use of it, but I will not let myself be taken over by it. I will make it my power."
Ddraig once more felt he had just gotten the perfect host. This was a dragon among men.
[Then, let's reach that level together and surpass my old peak. Just as soon as we defeat the White one.]
Mark wondered who the White Dragon Emperor was. He focused back on the road as whoever they were, they would fall to him and Ddraig. No matter who they were, they would be his stepping stone. Just like any that got in his way. His black eyes began to glow a dark green and even his pupils squinted into dragon-like slits.
A big grin spread to his face, but once he blinked the effects on his eyes vanished. The car sped down the road as he began to drive back to Kuoh. He would not stay very long, only long enough to gather some money and some important things.
Once he did that he would leave Japan and travel the world. He would make a name for himself and fight powerful opponents. From Devils, Angels, Demigods, Gods, and Yokai, he did not care. They would all fall.
They would all be his stepping stones to Domination. He, heir of the Heavenly Dragon of Domination would just have to show the supernatural races that he would surpass them all.