บท 41: Draconic Form

The storm raged above the spot, and he jumped into the portal. After gathering all the mana it could, it shot down and disappeared into thin air. But only Archer's Dragon's Domain let it in.

Mana poured into his body, forming more of the mana heart that the first evolution stage started. Pure white mana radiated around him, kick-starting the second stage of his evolution. As he began to evolve, his body started to contort in unnatural ways.

Archer's hands grew larger as his fingernails sharpened into curved, razor-sharp talons. His palms started to itch, and he could feel something stirring beneath his skin. Suddenly, the skin on his hands split, and a pair of long, scaly claws burst out.

His shoulder blades protruded as he arched his back, transforming into formidable white dragon wings. The wingspan was incredible, stretching far past his small frame. He flapped them experimentally, feeling the breeze rustle through his hair.

It was an exhilarating feeling, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He could feel something foreign growing out of his tailbone. There was a beautiful glistening white tail covered in white scales that reflected the sun.

It was long and thin, curved, and ended with a razor-sharp point. At first, it felt strange and unwieldy, as if it had a mind. But as he concentrated on moving it, he discovered he had some control over it.

Archer started by flexing the muscles at the tail's base, making it sway back and forth gently. Then, he experimented with more complex movements, such as coiling it around his body or snapping it out like a whip.

As he moved his tail, he could feel its power and strength. He could use it as a weapon to strike at his enemies or to balance himself when flying. With each movement, he became more and more comfortable with his new appendage, and he did the same with his wings.

The possibilities seemed endless, and Archer felt a sense of excitement and wonder at the prospect of mastering this new part of himself. Archer used some mana to create a massive mirror on one of the walls to examine himself, and what he saw shocked him.

Four horns sat above his ears. His white scales looked like they'd been upgraded, and they were even whiter than before. He looked at his hands and flexed his new dragon claws. He could feel the strength and power coursing through his fingertips.

They were beautiful white. Each claw was long, sharp, and deadly, capable of tearing through even the most robust materials. He slowly moved his hands, testing the claw's full range of motion, watching as they glinted in the light with an otherworldly gleam.

Feeling a sharp poking feeling in his mouth so he parted his lips, feeling the new pointy teeth inside his mouth. Archer licked his incisors, quickly realizing they were now elongated and razor-sharp, more suited for rending meat than chewing.

He tried to speak, but his voice sounded different now, guttural and growling. The sensation thrilled him, and he flexed his claws and bared his teeth, feeling more ferocious and free with each passing moment.

Archer could already imagine the uses of his upgrades, ranging from tearing through obstacles to defending himself from adversaries. Staring at himself through the mirror, he saw that he looked even more savage now, with his sharp claws, teeth, solid wings, and tail.

Archer loved the new look but thought the claws and teeth would get annoying and wished he could un-summon and summon them at will. As he stared, his body started to shift back into human form, and he noticed that everything except his horns, eyes, and scales had vanished.

[Draconic Form Unlocked]

[Draconic Breath Unlocked]

He got curious, so he selected both of them.

[Draconic Breath: A torrent of searing mana burns anything in its path; each element has its attack]

[Draconic Form: Allows the user to summon/un-summon his Draconic features at will, activate by saying Draconis]

Archer smiled as he activated his Draconic Form again. ''Draconis.''

He imagined the cottage having a balcony high up. Archer made his way to the new balcony, and once he arrived, he started to flex his dragon wings, feeling the muscles ripple beneath his skin.

Taking a deep breath, he jumped from the balcony, feeling the wind rush past him. To his surprise, his wings caught the air, and he soared upwards like a bird. It was an incredible feeling.

Archer was no longer tethered to the ground, free to explore the world from a new perspective. He closed his eyes momentarily, savoring the rush of freedom that washed over him.

As he opened his eyes, the boy realized he was flying much higher than he thought. He could see his Domain spreading out beneath him as far as the eye could see. Archer could see the trees, hills, and rivers below him like a map.

He felt his wings effortlessly carrying him higher and higher, like a dragon. With a sense of joy and exhilaration, he swept his wings wide and soared off. Soaring through the Domain and feeling the wind hitting his face as he sped up.

An hour after he started flying, he decided to land to check his status. He created a comfortable bench before sitting down. Archer found it annoying to sit down at first due to his wings.

He dismissed the teeth and claws but flattened the wings against his back as his tail moved out of the way. ''Status.''

[Rank: Expert]

[Exp: 8600/9000]

[Level: 76]

[HP: 1510>2000]

[Mana: 5320 >7000]

[Magic: Fire-Water-Earth-Wind-Lightning-Space-Darkness-Light.]

[Strength: 1200]

[Constitution: 1300]

[Stamina: 820>1200]

[Charisma: 910>1800]

[Intelligence: 720>1000]

[Draconic Form Unlocked]

[Draconic breath Unlocked]

Spells: Void Blast(4)Cosmic Shield(3)Cosmic Sword(4)Cosmic Enhancement(-)Blink(4)Cleanse(-)Eldritch Blast(4)Plasma Shot(3)Fire Missiles(4)Thunder Wave(3)Call Lightning(2)Fireball(2)Element Bolts(0)Draconic Breath(0)

Skills: Spell Creation(-)Mana Regeneration(-)Regeneration(5)Dragon Senses(-)Short Sword Mastery(4)Aura-Detector(3)Dragon's Domain(1)Draconic Form(-)

Looking at his status, he was pleased, deciding to chill out before leaving the Domain. He pulled out some meat wraps and started eating them while he checked what food and drink he had left.

Archr's provisions included a hearty selection of food: thirty-one Meat Wraps, seventeen savory Orcish bacon slices, eleven delectable Elven cakes, ten pieces of hearty Dwarven flatbread, an indulgent stash of 100 pastries, 183 tempting Chocolate cubes, 200 intriguing Slime Cubes, and 170 delightful Fruit cubes.

Furthermore, he had a sumptuous assortment of 100 Chocolate pastries and 200 Fruit pastries to satisfy his cravings.

As for beverages, Archer took inventory of his remaining stock in the Item Box: 11 bottles of Fizzle Fig, four flasks of Moon Juice, fourteen vials of Dragon's Tears, twelve servings of Rune Shine, and three bottles of the sweet Honey Brew.

''Damn, I need to restock, but I do have those orc bodies as a last resort.'' Shaking his head as he continued with the wraps, he pulled out some chocolate once Archer was finished.

He was thinking about what he needed to do. ''I need to head north, but first, I got to find some normal people to get directions.''

Archer finished eating. As he left the Domain, he pulled out a bottle of Moon Juice. As he passed through the portal, he suddenly was attacked by a group of cannibals. Before he threw the half-full moon juice at the closest cannibal, hitting him in the head.

They started to shoot some poison darts at him. But he used his wings to block the attacks quickly; while he did that, his ears picked up footsteps running towards him.

''He's back.''

''Get him.''

''Meat.''

Summoning his claws as he moved his wings out of his way, he pounced forward, slashing and tearing the cannibals apart. Looking around at the carnage he caused, he raised his claws, seeing them painted in blood.

He dismissed his draconic form, and his dragon features vanished. ''Why don't they fuck off already? This shit's getting annoying.''

Calming down, he checked his mana.

[Mana: 5500/7000]

Deciding to test out his Draconic Form, he activated it, and instantly, all his dragon features appeared; he quickly dismissed it as he rechecked his mana.

[Mana: 4000/7000]

Nodding his head while taking out his knife, he cut out the cannibal's hearts before leaving the area. Archer headed north. He came across a cliff and stood at the edge, looking down. ''Definitely like green hell. All I can see is trees and random birds flying around.''

He turned and continued his walk until he heard a roar. It caused Archer to jump out of his skin when he heard it. ''What the hell is it now? Have the gods forsaken me!''

Turning around, he saw a massive, enraged bear with jagged teeth and fire in its eyes. The beast roared, pawed the ground, and prepared to charge. Archer stood his ground, gritting his teeth and preparing for battle.

With a deep breath, he called upon the dragon's power within him, and a fierce energy surged through his body. He felt the air humming in his lungs. As the bear charged him, he bellowed a mighty roar, unleashing a torrent of searing violet flame from his mouth toward the bear.

The blast engulfed the monster, catching it off guard and setting its fur ablaze. It howled in agony, thrashing around in pain and confusion. Archer didn't let up and continued to unleash his breath.