[ Strength +3, Agility +2, Vitality +5 ]
After hunting 5 more deer in the surrounding area, Ryu finally reached Level 5.
[ Name: Ryzen De Manus ]
[ Bloodlines: Variant Frost Dragon (Hybrid) ]
[ Lifespan: 45 Years ]
[ Skills: Hydra Human (E), Night Berserker (E), Phantom Claw (E), Windleap Dash (E), Shell Sense (F), Frost Breath (F), Water Resistance (F) ]
With each increase in strength, his physical might surged. Agility made his body lighter, more responsive, faster on both ground and air. Defense thickened his skin and reinforced his muscles, granting him durability that edged closer to a true draconic beast.
And with each level his size was increasing. It would be long before he soared into the air like true majestic Dragon.
It was a slow rise, but steady and promising. At this pace, it would not be long before even stronger prey would fall beneath his claws.
The sun filtered gently through the canopy above, its golden rays casting speckled patterns along the forest floor. Ryu moved through the undergrowth with light steps, careful not to stir unnecessary noise. His instincts had sharpened, his senses more alert than ever.
It did not take long before he heard the faint rustle of grass to his left. He paused, watching in battle ready posture.
From the dense foliage emerged a creature unlike the deer from before. Its fur was thick and dark, eyes glowing with a pale blue shimmer. Long ears twitched, and claws scratched the earth as it stepped forward.
[ Hollowfang Hare – Level 6 ]
[ Extraction Available ]
[ Warning: Agile and Aggressive. Known to attack in swarms. ]
Ryu narrowed his eyes. He could already hear soft thuds in the distance. More were approaching. He had to strike fast.
With a swift chant under his breath, his legs surged with power.
He vanished from the hare’s view, reappearing beside it in an instant.
Before it could react, he raised his hand.
The ghostly strike landed clean across its neck. The hare let out a gurgling cry before it collapsed in a heap.
Two more burst out from the thicket. One leapt at him, baring its fangs. Ryu twisted mid-air, narrowly dodging the bite, and landed behind it smoothly.
His tail, thick with dragon muscle in his partial form, lashed forward and flung the second hare into a tree with a dull thud.
The third creature halted for a moment, as if it understood its fate, but Ryu did not give it a chance to retreat.
With an elegant arc of his arm, his shadowy claws slashed through the creature’s soft side. A second strike followed immediately, and the forest fell silent once more.
He stood in the middle of the small clearing, breathing steadily. His claws faded, and his heartbeat slowed.
[ Extraction Initiated ]
[ Extracted Bloodline: Hollowfang Hare (F) x3 ]
[ Extracted Skill: Burrow Sprint (F) x2 ]
> Increases the user’s speed by twenty percent while active.
After completing the extraction and storing the corpses, Ryu moved to a shaded spot beneath an old tree, its thick roots tangled like serpents gripping the earth. He sat down at a safe distance to catch his breath and rest.
The fatigue from battle had begun to settle into his bones. Though his stamina had improved, the toll of consecutive fights, transformations, and constant vigilance was undeniable.
He reached into the pouch Maki had given him before his departure and pulled out a pack of emergency rations. There was no meat, not even dried jerky, only some nutrient-packed flatbread and a bitter-tasting energy bar that stuck to the roof of his mouth.
"It still tastes so bad" he muttered to himself, chewing with a blank stare toward the canopy.
As he ate, his thoughts drifted to his gear.
The sword he had used earlier had proven useful, but with his dragon form, wielding it became impossible. Thankfully, the system had offered a solution.
The built-in inventory function was limited for now, able to store only a few small items, but it was enough. He willed the blade to vanish, and in a faint shimmer of light, it disappeared from his side and entered the storage space within the system.
"A dragon with a sword on its back would look ridiculous," he mused aloud with a smirk. "But if I had something like a half-dragonification form, then it would be cool."
He leaned back against the rough bark of the tree, eyes half-lidded, allowing the sounds of the forest to wash over him. Birds chirped in the distance, and the wind rustled the high leaves.
Danger was always near, but for a brief moment, he allowed himself to enjoy the peace.
Still, even in this calm, he did not forget to fuse the skills inside the Fusion Lab. For that, he didn’t necessarily need to be present in there. He could command it with his mind just fine.
But self-fusion required his presence. It was kind of annoying. But he would have to make do with it now.
Bloodlines: Water Toad (F), Sky Dragonfly (F), Nightmare Moth (F), Bluefang Hyena (F), Crystal Horned Deer (F), Hollowfang Hare (F)
Skills: Horn Reinforcement (F) -x7, Burrow Sprint (F) ×3
[ Initiating Skill Fusion: Horn Reinforcement (F) + Burrow Sprint (F)]
[ Fusion Is Successful. Skills evolved into Tunnel Gore Strike (E)
Type: Physical / Mobility Hybrid Skill
The user reinforces their horns with condensed kinetic force, then burrows beneath the ground at sprinting speed. Upon surfacing, they launch a devastating upward or forward gore strike, breaking terrain and impaling enemies from blind angles.
Next were the bloodlines.
[ Initiating Bloodlines Fusion... ]
[ Fusion Is Successful. ]
[ Fusion Is Successful ]
This time he had Fused three bloodlines om at a time. With his increased experience, it was nothing impossible. He was learning and growing.
The end result of fusing Six Bloodlines was: