Pick Me Up!

I opened my eyes.

A dull, metallic wall came into view.

Various training tools were scattered haphazardly around the room. I was sitting slumped in a steel chair propped up in a corner.

‘Is it over?’

I remembered Halkion reaching out to me, and the crimson flames engulfing me. But after that, my memory was a complete blank, as if the film had cut out.

“Coo, coo…”

A pigeon was leisurely pecking at food beneath my feet.

I blinked and opened my eyes again. Nothing much seemed to have changed.

The only notable difference was a system message hovering in my field of vision. Slowly, I began reading the words in the hologram.

This… it was the log from the time of a breakthrough.

I’d seen it just once before, back on the 35th floor.

The messages continued to appear without stopping.

[Ding!]

[Master, ‘Han (★★★★★)’s body is undergoing drastic changes!]

[Is this a sign of transformation?!]

[Tips/ In very rare cases, a hero may experience an awakening event.]

[Imprint Evolution!]

[The imprint of Hero ‘Han (★★★★★)’, ‘True Black Dragon’s Blood (S)’, has evolved to a higher grade.]

[New traits and abilities have been added. Check the hero’s status!]

[Skill Awakening!]

[‘True Black Dragon’s Blood’ has begun resonating with Hero ‘Han (★★★★★)’s skills!]

[The ‘Ascend’ and ‘Invincible’ skills of Hero ‘Han (★★★★★)’ have merged into a new skill…]

[The ‘Soulblade Spirit’ of Hero ‘Han (★★★★★)’…]

The windows announcing skill awakenings continued endlessly.

Too many changes to easily track. As the grade of the Black Dragon’s Blood increased, most of my skills either merged or evolved. I had experienced minor changes while mastering the Black Dragon’s Blood before, but never anything like this—a complete overhaul.

‘Anytng would be shocked.’

She wasn’t online at the moment.

Just thinking of how to keep this hidden from her was starting to give me a headache.

Well, it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

She might just let it slide.

Let’s see.

I stood up from the chair.

Though the log showed tremendous changes, I hadn’t fully felt them yet.

‘Status window.’

I mumbled lightly, and the hologram popped up.

[Han Istrat (★★★★★) Lv. 55 (Exp 031/550)]

[Class: Dragon Slayer (Dragonian)]

[Strength: 125/125]

[Intelligence: 10/10]

[Health: 118/118]

[Agility: 113/113]

[Skills: Intermediate Swordsmanship (Lv.10), Insight (Lv.10), Fire Resistance (Lv.3), Dragon Slayer (Lv.5)]

‘…’

A lot had changed.

I never chose the Dragon Slayer class.

I had been forcibly promoted without even noticing.

And my skill window, which should have been filled to the brim, was now completely clean.

[Imprint Slots: 2/2]

[1, 2: Demon Dragon Spirit (SS-, Lv.1)]

[The spirit of a demon that once trampled and ruled over a world in ancient times. Its power can alter the very essence of existence.]

[Unique Skill 1: Demonization]

[Unique Skill 2: Black Dominator Sword]

[Note – Bound by the ‘Black Dragon’s Contract’. The imprint cannot be removed by any means, and if the hero’s territory is changed, the hero will permanently vanish.]

I furrowed my brow.

It trampled and ruled over a world, and can change the essence of existence.

Just reading the description was chilling.

‘The Black Dragon’s Contract…’

It must be the price Halkion spoke of for this power.

From now on, I could no longer switch to a different waiting room than Townia. If I did, I’d be punished for breaking the contract and die instantly. The path behind me had vanished.

Overall, the skill and imprint windows had been simplified.

Ascend and Soulblade Fusion, which had been my companions until now, seemed to have been consolidated into the new unique skills of Demon Dragon Spirit: Demonization and Black Dominator Sword.

‘It doesn’t really feel different yet.’

My species had definitely changed.

But at the moment, I couldn’t tell the difference from when I was still human.

The pigeon, Goo Goo Con, who had been pecking at food nonstop, looked up at me.

I scratched my head.

“Not really.”

It seemed I needed to conduct a trial run.

I drew the Bifrost from the sheath hanging at my waist.

The familiar weight settled into my hands.

‘So Ascend has merged with the Black Dragon Scales, huh.’

Along with Invincibility.

It was a skill I had honed to withstand the recoil of Ascend.

Now, the three skills had merged into a higher skill: Demonization.

Soulblade Fusion, Dragon Slayer, and other various skills combined to form the Black Dominator Sword.

I gripped the hilt tightly and flipped the switch in my mind.

It was the sensation of activating Ascend.

Crack.

I heard the sound of bones and joints dislocating in my ears.

The familiar ritual that came with every use of Ascend.

But this time, there was no pain.

Nor did I feel the usual crushing pressure, as if my body was being burned alive.

Instead, only a cold sensation spread through one side of my chest.

‘…?’

I turned my gaze.

At that moment, my reflection appeared on the drawn blade of Bifrost.

The first thing I noticed was the vertical, slit-shaped black pupils in my eyes.

[‘Han (★★★★★)’ has entered a state of Demonization!]

Sssshhh.

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