บท 15: A New Look

Archer was still wrapped in the cocoon, his body changing while mana in the atmosphere started to pour into him. His body was sucking all the mana from miles around. It helped with his evolution. It started forming a rare and mysterious mana heart in his chest.

A massive explosion tore the tree apart, sending the cocoon flying north and crashing miles away from the tree. It landed on the outskirts of a swamp and rested there. The crash's explosion scared all the beasts in the area, causing them to flee.

Hours later, the cocoon started to crack, until a loud sound was heard as it crumbled away. While he was unconscious, he dreamed of the previous Archer's life after he lost the fight to the beast.

After that, Archer's half-brothers and sisters started being horrible to him. There was his half-sister and blood sister, Dara and Hyara, who came into his room to bully him regularly before he fell into a coma.

What made his situation even worse was that Hyara was his blood sister born to the same mother. She had none of the same features as him and looked more like their father, with brown hair like her father and blue eyes like their mother.

Dara was the daughter of the first wife, Ksara, an evil girl with blonde hair and green eyes. They abused him until the day he fell into a coma. Archer could never figure out why they treated him like that.

However, he stopped thinking about all that and wanted to move on with his new life. A strong breeze hit his face and woke him up. His eyes slowly opened, and the bright blue sky blinded him.

The morning sun was beaming down on him as he lay there. Wondering how long he was unconscious and thought to himself. 'It must have been a few days at least.'

Sitting up, he looked around, realizing he wasn't in the tree he climbed into but lying in a muddy crater. He noticed something that shocked him but also made him happy. Glittering white scales ran down his arms and stopped at the knuckles.

Archer removed his muddy shirt to see the same white scales on his shoulders, ribs, and chest. The same beautiful white scales ran down his body and legs. Half of his body was covered in them, but it felt no different than before, except that he felt much stronger.

Scratching his head with a puzzled expression, he felt something firm above his ears, wondering what it could be. Looking around for something to use to see his reflection, he spotted water.

So he made his way over to it and started staring into the water. He finally saw his reflection. There was a pair of dragon horns that appeared above his ears curving at the base and then pointing straight up.

They were as white as the winter snows. His violet-colored eyes had turned into dragon eyes and were brighter than before. Archer's hair was scruffy until he tied it up into a ponytail with some string. He took in his new look and loved it.

Archer spent time admiring himself, his senses warned him to dodge. So he quickly jumped back in panic and was surprised at how far he jumped. A crocodile-looking beast lunged out of the swampy water snapping its jaws at him.

That's when he truly realized how much he had changed after his evolution. He wanted a place to relax for a second, to go over everything he had gained before fighting the crocodiles.

Spotting a branch about twenty feet off the ground. He climbed the tree like a spider monkey before getting comfortable on the branch, he noticed his senses had improved. His eyesight, smell, and hearing were much better than before, even when he unlocked the Sense skill.

He checked his status while sitting above the angry crocodile that was lashing out at the base of the tree.

[1st Stage Evolution Complete]

[Race Unlocked: White Dragon]

[Magic Unlocked]

[Dragon Sense Unlocked]

[Dragon Bloodline Unlocked]

[HP:440>700]

[Mana: 1600>2600]

[Strength: 175>300]

[Constitution: 140>300]

[Stamina: 160>300]

[Charisma: 340>400]

[Intelligence: 160>300]

[SP: 35]

He got excited when he saw his new status and noticed that he got a massive boost in every stat thanks to the successful evolution. Archer noticed his new race was unlocked as he started speaking to himself. ''What's a white dragon?''

Selecting the race option in his mind, a notification popped up.

[White dragons are archaic, one hasn't been born in millennia, and they are the closest living beings to mana. They are the living embodiment of mana on Thrylos, and were once revered as the monarchs of the dragon race]

Archer's eyes went wide as he finished reading the description. ''It now makes sense why I can learn spells quicker than others.'' He muttered.

So, the unknown skill he learned before was Dragon Sense. The first stage of evolution gave him horns, scales, senses, and eyes. This caused him to grow excited as he thought, 'I wonder what the second stage will bring.'

Hearing shuffling below him, Archer remembered he had company to deal with before returning to his quest. Jumping off the branch while casting Plasma Shot directly at the Crocodile's head.

The spell pierced the beast's skull with ease. Landing on the ground with a thud, Archer started to look around when he saw a large shadow flying toward him from the corner of his eye.

He tried casting a Cosmic Shield but couldn't do it in time and was hit hard. ''Ahhh.''

Archer was sent flying. The only damage he received from the attack was when he smashed into the ground.

''Fuck! Lucky that I have scales now. Otherwise, It would have been worse.'' He mumbled as he slowly stood up, and his body ached.

He stretched his arms and heard some bones cracking. After doing that, he jumped out of the crater. His senses kicked in as his feet hit the floor, causing him to quickly jump to the right in a panic as another crocodile slammed into the spot where he was standing.

Archer started laughing as the madness took over, and he wanted to eat the beast's heart even more after smacking him, ''Hahahahaha.''

Just as the beast was about to turn around and lunge at him again, he quickly raised his hand, firing an Eldritch Blast. The spell's explosion caused a massive dust cloud, and after a few minutes, the dust settled.

He saw the beast was lying a few meters away due to the force of the explosion flinging it away. Archer wiped the sweat from his forehead after he saw the beast was dead. He looked at the pair of beasts who ambushed him twice.

They were ten-foot-long crocodile-looking beasts with razor-sharp teeth lining their long snout. The monsters had bony protrusions growing down their backs and were a dark green color to blend into the swamp waters.

Taking his knife out, he went to work, cut out the beast's hearts, and stored them in his Item Box. After eating the hearts, he stored the bodies, cast cleanse on himself to feel fresh, and got rid of the blood that managed to get on his clothes.

Thinking of clothes, he decided to buy some more when he returned to Vassia after completing the quest. The town wasn't far away, so he started making his way there as he checked his status.

He decided to upgrade his stats, so he put the points into HP and mana, four into strength, and three on the rest of the stats apart from intelligence, which got two points.

[Experience: 1100/2000]

[HP: 700/800]

[Mana: 2600>2900]

[Strength: 300>340]

[Constitution: 300>330]

Stamina: 300>330]

[Charisma: 400>430]

[Intelligence: 300>320]

[SP: 35>0]

Archer's body felt fresh, and the little aches he had here and there vanished. He started smiling, but as he approached the town, he saw a long queue to enter. Under the morning sun's radiant glow and the gentle caress of a breeze, he stood patiently in line.

All around him, curious gazes fixated on his distinctive features, the ivory horns crowning his head, and the mesmerizing cat-like violet eyes that seemed to hold secrets. After enduring a two-hour wait, he finally approached the town entrance.

He explained his purpose as he spoke with the town guards. There was supposed to be a guild in this town, but the mayor refused to share the revenue from hunting, so he prevented them from setting up.

Roaming through the town, Archer sought out a stall owner who might possess information about the wolves. His gaze fell upon a stall selling chunks of meat expertly wrapped in fragrant herbs.

Archer acquired three portions for a single silver coin, storing two for later. He began relishing the remaining piece, savoring the flavors that danced on his palate. Satisfied, he decided to make a more substantial purchase.

Thirty chunks of meat were secured for ten silver coins, all promptly stored in his Item Box. As he polished off the last bites of his initial purchase, Archer turned his attention to the stall owner.

''Old man,'' he inquired between bites, ''Do you happen to know where the wolves roam around here?''

The man, peering at the young boy before him, couldn't help but wonder, 'Is this Demi-human boy mad?'

He coughed, then replied. ''Head to the eastern gate and turn north when you exit. Walk for two hours, and you will arrive at the Moaning Depths. You won't be able to miss it. You will find them there.''

Archer thanked the man and started to walk off to clear the wolves and loot more hearts.