Episode 215
Zeke examined the newly transformed screen.
To his surprise, the screen displayed a detailed replica of the room he was in, as if it had been transported there. Every detail was laid out, from the room’s layout and furniture arrangement to the texture of the walls.
“So this is what they meant by setting up a defense zone.”
The designated defense area allowed for a much more detailed view than a regular map. Zeke stood up and moved some objects around. The screen immediately reflected these changes.
“If I could use this in a siege, it would be a huge advantage.”
If a fortress like Agamemnon Castle could be integrated with this defense mode, it would allow for quick tracking of both enemy and ally movements, making battles much easier to manage.
Zeke recalled the wars he had fought in his past life. Being trapped in a fortress, fighting against the imperial army, had been a desperate situation.
‘If I had this ability back then, maybe everyone would have survived.’
It was a bitter memory. But with his return, much had changed. If a similar situation arose, he wouldn’t be caught off guard like before. His return had altered the future, potentially preventing the Third Continental War from happening.
Zeke was determined to thwart Abel’s ambitions and prevent the horrific wars he remembered. ‘If I can stop Abel and his minions, the worst might be avoided. Ideally, I’d take Abel out first, but a hasty move could backfire. For now, I’ll let Sister Kali keep him in check while I focus on getting stronger.’
With renewed determination, Zeke opened the settings menu again, this time to allocate his karma points.
“Let’s see. I’ve got 6,834 karma points. Not bad.”
Zeke decided to expand his inventory, which had increased with his promotion to a senior administrator. The limit for a mid-level administrator was 500 slots, but as a senior, it doubled to 1,000. By spending 125 points, he could add 500 more slots.
“Great, that should be plenty. Now I’ve got 6,334 points left.”
After some thought, Zeke nodded to himself. “Let’s unlock the Dragon Skills Level 4.”
Unlocking the Dragon Skills Level 4 required 3,000 points. However, having acquired the title of Ancient Dragon, the required points were reduced by 20%.
“2,400 points for the unlock. Let’s do it.”
Zeke unlocked the Dragon Skills Level 4.
[Unlocking Dragon Skills Level 4.]
[Title ‘Dragon’ detected.]
[Title ‘Dragon’ changes to ‘Dragon Physique.’]
[Active skill ‘Hydra’s Venom’ is absorbed into ‘Dragon Physique.’]
[With the full release of ‘Dragon Physique,’ parts of your body can transform into dragon form.]
[Partial unsealing of Bahamut’s Heart. Current compression seal level: 47.5%.]
[Dragon’s Breath skill evolves.]
[Dragon Soldier skill transforms into Dragon Warrior skill.]
“The ability to transform parts of my body into a dragon.”
With the Dragon Physique, Zeke instinctively knew how to use this power. He raised his hand and focused his energy.
Crack!
Amazingly, Zeke’s hand transformed into something resembling a dragon’s claw. His nails lengthened, and scales appeared on his forearm. He swung his transformed hand lightly, leaving claw marks on the wall.
“Dragon scales and claws combined.”
With Hydra’s Venom now integrated into his physical abilities, he could freely produce and use venom.
“The transformation has merged abilities with my physical form.”
When he focused energy into his eyes, both of them transformed into dragon eyes, unlike before. The range and amount of information he could perceive with his dragon eyes had increased, and he could now naturally use the dragon’s sense to read the past.
The abilities were much more immediate than when they were just skills, making them highly useful in battle.
Next, Zeke checked the newly transformed Dragon Skills.
Dragon Skills (Level 4 Unlocked): Devour (Expert) / Word Magic (Adept) / Dragon’s Breath (Adept) / Dragon Warrior (Novice+)
Thanks to the Dragon Physique, the proficiency of Dragon’s Breath had increased.
“I couldn’t use Dragon’s Breath properly before because it consumed too much mana at once. But with the increased proficiency, it should be more manageable now.”
The Dragon Soldier skill had transformed into Dragon Warrior, resetting its proficiency to novice.
“Dragon Warriors can summon up to 20 units…”
Zeke summoned a Dragon Warrior.
Swoosh!
The Dragon Warrior was larger and more heavily armored than the previous Dragon Soldiers. Unlike the archers, these warriors were equipped with spears and crossbows, suggesting they were meant for throwing.
Zeke could summon a total of 25 units, including the 20 Dragon Warriors and the 5 ghost soldiers he received from Hoshgar.
“Fewer in number, but much more versatile tactically.”
Satisfied, Zeke dismissed the Dragon Warriors and reviewed the list of Dragon Skills Level 4.
―Dragon Skills Level 4―
Dragon Wings (Locked) / Dragon Kin Summon (Locked)
Unlocking Level 5 skills requires 8,000 karma points.
Zeke read the descriptions of the Level 4 skills.
―Dragon Skills Overview―
Dragon Wings: Grants the ability to fly freely in the sky. (Unlock requires 2,000 points)
Dragon Kin Summon: Allows temporary summoning of dragon kin through a medium. (Unlock requires 2,500 points)
“The ability to fly and summon dragon kin?”
The required points were substantial, but the abilities were highly desirable. Especially the ability to fly, which could be a significant advantage in battle, allowing for surprise attacks from above.
“With a 20% reduction, that’s 1,600 plus 2,000 points. I need 3,600 points.”
After unlocking Level 4, Zeke had 3,934 points left. Though it felt like a lot of hard-earned points would be spent at once, Dragon Skills were always useful, so Zeke decided to invest 3,600 points.
“Alright. Let’s unlock both.”
Zeke boldly unlocked Dragon Wings and Dragon Kin Summon.
[Unlocking Dragon Skill ‘Dragon Wings.’]
[Unlocking Dragon Skill ‘Dragon Kin Summon.’]
Zeke opened the Dragon Skills menu again.
Dragon Skills (Level 4 Unlocked): Devour (Expert) / Word Magic (Adept) / Dragon’s Breath (Adept) / Dragon Warrior (Novice+) / Dragon Wings (Novice) / Dragon Kin Summon (Novice)
“Let’s give it a try.”
Without hesitation, Zeke activated the Dragon Wings skill. He felt his body lift off the ground, responding to his will.
“Wow.”
He could maneuver through the air as easily as moving his hands and feet. Testing how high he could fly, his maximum speed, and how long he could sustain it would require further experimentation.
After deactivating the skill, Zeke landed back on the ground, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Alright. That was worth the points.”
Zeke decided to test Dragon Kin Summon later, once he obtained the necessary components from Richmond. For now, he turned his attention to organizing the items he had acquired from the tower.
“Let’s see.”
Zeke sorted out the items that could be absorbed using Devour. He laid out Anexi’s Flute, which had the power of spiritual suppression, the Orc Tribe Medal, the Dark Elf Tribe Medal, the Shambhala Necklace, and the Royal Vampire Medal.
“These should be good for Devour.”
He decided to keep the legendary artifact, Solomon’s Ring, and the Horn imbued with the power of the ‘Judge of Endless Struggle’ for now.
Without hesitation, Zeke used Devour on the selected items.
Sssshhh—
His shadow rose and consumed the items, triggering a series of messages.
[Active skill ‘Dissonance’ merges with ‘Battle Cry’ to become ‘War Cry [B-grade (Novice)].’]
[Acquired active skill ‘Taming [B-grade (Novice)].’]
[Skills Spiritual Suppression, Blood Mist, and Eye of Truth merge into a new skill.]
[Acquired active skill ‘Blood Eye [S-grade (Novice)].’]
Zeke checked the details of his new skills.
―Skill Information―
War Cry: Instills fear in enemies within range and boosts the morale of allies. Can also heal allies’ status ailments.
―Skill Information―
Blood Eye: An ancient, powerful sorcery that can pierce and dominate souls. Using blood as a medium enhances its binding power.
Zeke was taken aback by the power of Blood Eye.
“An ancient sorcery? This is practically forbidden magic, the kind a dark sorcerer might use.”
The skill’s S-grade indicated immense power, but using it felt a bit daunting. Despite a slight unease, Zeke decided to test the Blood Eye skill.
Upon activation, a symbol appeared on his forehead, similar to when he used the Eye of Truth. However, this time, the symbol resembled an eye drawn in blood.
Woooooong!
The eye on his forehead began to glow crimson, opening a third eye. This allowed Zeke to see both the physical and spiritual realms simultaneously.
“Ugh.”
Even with Zeke’s formidable mental strength, viewing two dimensions at once was a significant strain.
The pain was so intense it felt like his brain was on fire, forcing Zeke to fiercely activate his healing factor.
Once his mind had recovered and he had adjusted to the heightened perception, Zeke could finally glimpse into the spiritual realm, a dimension previously invisible to him.
Unlike the physical world, the spiritual realm was a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors, appearing as an entirely different universe.
“So, this is how you can peer into the world of souls and subdue them,” he mused.
Zeke recalled the struggles he had faced when capturing a necromancer who manipulated ancient spirits. With this newfound ability, dealing with such entities would be much easier.
As he deactivated the skill, the blood-red sigil that had appeared on his forehead faded away.
Zeke took a deep breath, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
“Out of all my skills, this one takes the most out of me,” he admitted.
With great power came the need for caution.
Finally, Zeke retrieved a random box from his inventory. It was an extra-tier reward he had received after conquering the tower.
The last random box had yielded the legendary artifact, “Solomon’s Ring.” He was eager to see what this one would reveal.
“Another item with powers would be nice,” he murmured, slowly opening the box.
Just then, a message appeared before him.
[Fortune’s Favor has been activated.]
[The outcome of the random box has been altered by Fortune’s Favor.]
“Fortune’s Favor, huh?”
Just like before, a dazzling rainbow light burst from the box.
As the light dimmed, Zeke peered inside to see what it contained.
“A compass?”
He was taken aback to find a seemingly ordinary compass, despite Fortune’s Favor being in play.
Quickly, he checked the compass’s details.
―Compass Information―
Description: Points in the direction of what the user seeks.
Unique Ability: Absolute Search
Special Note: Detects holistic causality to guide the user to their desired target. However, once a target is chosen, it cannot be changed until found.
“It detects causality to point the way?”
Though it seemed like an ordinary compass, its unique ability made it anything but.
Suddenly, an idea struck Zeke.
“With this compass, maybe I can find the Fairy Lake…”
Just then, another message appeared before his eyes.