[Passive effect of Skill: Last Stand has been activated.]
[The host has been revived.]
[One-time special effect of Last Stand has been activated.]
[Special Effect: "Revived One" is active for 2 hours.]
[Effect of "Revived One": 30x boost in every category.]
Kaelen staggered upright, his chest still burning from the hole that had been blasted through it. But as his lungs refilled with air, a grim smile tugged at his lips.
"A 30x boost, huh? … That's insane." He clenched his fists, magic surging through every vein. "activate - Limit Breake. activate - Overdrive!"
The moment both skills overlapped, his body roared with strength. A bare minimum of 600x amplification now coursed through him, not counting Limit Breaker's passive amplification. Dragon Form v1 activated, his frame swelling with draconic traits, and then—Godspeed. His form blurred, a comet tearing through the frozen battlefield.
Velzard's replica, sensing his resurgence, whipped her head around. Frost gathered at her lips, a Freezing Breath swelling. But before the attack could fire, Kaelen slipped beneath her, daggers drawn, star magic pulsing along their edges. He slashed upward in a blinding arc—her body twisted, avoiding a fatal strike, but her wings fell in tatters to the ground.
Relentless, Kaelen hurled flares of Devouring Flame. They latched onto her aura, erupting into a conflagration. In the heavens above, he summoned golden-white meteors—
"Star Magic: Starfall Nova!"
Dozens of burning stars descended, detonating in thunderous succession. The floor became a maelstrom of collapsing ice and roaring flame. Velzard's copy lost her other wing, limbs mangled under the divine bombardment.
But she healed—instantaneously, her flesh knitting back together as her True Dragon Haki flooded the chamber, pressing Kaelen down like a mountain of ice.
His mind flickered. Small fragments of something foreign began surfacing—spell data, incomplete and scattered. A name crystallized first: Dragon Nova.
His pulse quickened. Milim's spell… ?
"Founder!" he barked. "How long until the fragments complete?"
Founder's voice resonated in his soul." Approximately one hour, Master."
Kaelen's eyes hardened. "Then I just need to hold out."
Chains of light, shadow, and ice coiled around Velzard as he unleashed every restraint technique he possessed, binding her briefly. Another Starfall Nova rained destruction, and Kaelen lunged. His hand pressed against her frost-encrusted body, Primordial Ingestion flaring.
The effect was immediate—her regeneration slowed, still frightening but no longer instantaneous.
Velzard shrieked, blasting a glacial storm across the battlefield. Kaelen was hurled away, forced to disengage.
[Cold Resistance acquired.]
Panting, his eyes darted. I need more. He flooded his palms with lightning magicules, electricity sparking like twin suns. Crackling bolts danced in his hands like Sasuke's chidori—only doubled.
He sprinted, so fast even Velzard's sharp senses faltered. She relied on prediction, launching a Freezing Breath at where she thought he would be.
But Kaelen's Eyes of the Eternal Dragon pierced her intent. In an instant, he warped to the ceiling, hands grinding together like defibrillator plates.
He dropped.
A thunderbolt incarnate, slamming into her back. The first jolt stunned. The second—a delayed discharge—exploded tenfold, rattling her body as if her very core had been shocked.
The dragoness collapsed downward. Kaelen leapt again, condensing Phoenix Flame into a sphere and hurling it like a sun. The inferno bypassed her resistances, searing her scales as ice melted in torrents around them.
"—Eclipse Dragon Breath!"
A vortex of fire, light, and darkness erupted from his lungs, engulfing her body in annihilation.
Founder's voice broke through the chaos. "Master, all fragments of Dragon Nova have been assembled."
Knowledge crashed into Kaelen's mind—spell formulae, control flows. His hands trembled as he raised them.
"Dragon Nova."
Black and blue stardust condensed between his palms, compressing until the air shrieked. Then it exploded outward in a cataclysmic beam, a lance of annihilation that pierced Velzard's form and carved through multiple floors below.
The chamber shook. Ice shattered. Silence followed.
[Host has defeated Weakened Velzard.]
[Host has exceeded expectations.]
[Due to the host far exceeding expectations and defeating Velzard, as a bonus the host is allowed to pick 3 rewards.]
Kaelen's knees buckled. "…Three rewards, huh? Then these better be worth it."
Windows materialized, listing options.
[Rewards Available:
• True Dragon's Scales (Complete Set): Dragon scales from Velzard, Velgrynd, Veldora, and Veldanava.
• Unique Skill – Deadly Sin series (Choose one: Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Lust).
• Crystal of Aether Genesis – A crystallized fragment of Creation Energy.
• Mirror of Transcendence – A divine mirror shard.
• Mythril-Blooded Weapon Core – An adaptive weapon core that fuses with mana and blood.
• Stellar Vein Crystal – A mineral infused with pure star energy.]
Kaelen exhaled slowly. "Looks like the system already knows which ones I want."
"True Dragon's Scales, Deadly Sin series, and Crystal of Aether Genesis."
[True Dragon's Scales (Complete Set) and Crystal of Aether Genesis have been transferred to Dimensional Storage.]
[Choose one from the following Deadly Sin series:
• Greed
• Sloth
• Wrath
• Lust]
Kaelen thought briefly, then chose. "Greed."
[Unique Skill: Greed has been acquired.]
Greed grants the power to manipulate and dominate human desire itself. The user can perceive what others long for and bend that desire toward their will—either subtly, by aligning goals, or forcibly, by injecting overwhelming hunger. It can turn enemies into allies, puppets, or corpses, depending on the method.
Sub-Skills:
[Desire] – perceive and stimulate;
[Greed Flare] – convert soul energy into devastating force.
Kaelen skimmed the window, but he didn't need the explanation. He already understood its danger.
Another set of options flared.
[Select one Class:
Starforged Dragonkin – Blends star attribute with dragon blood, granting cosmic magic + true dragon durability.
Mythos Harbinger – A unique class that represents a "chosen one" destined to bring new myths into existence. Boosts Unique Skill awakening speed and grants Fate manipulation resistance.
Transcended – A rare class signifying one who has surpassed mortal limits, breaking the boundaries of growth and power. Grants limitless stat progression, natural skill evolution, and minor authority over reality itself.]
Kaelen's lips curved into a grin. "…The name's too perfect. Transcended—it's mine."
[Confirming selection… Class: Transcended has been selected.]
[Class Evolution Achieved: You have surpassed mortal bounds.]
[New Class: Transcend.]
[Warning: Transcendence is not an end—it is only the first step toward divinity.]
[Perks of Class: Transcend]
• Limitless Growth – No cap. Stats and skills scale infinitely, unrestricted by world ceilings.
• Reality Override (Minor) – Temporarily bend one law of reality (gravity, time, elemental resistance, etc.) in your area.
• Soul Anchor – Death cannot erase your existence unless the soul itself is destroyed. Resurrection and rebirth are easier to trigger.
• Authority Aura – Presence manifests like a True Dragon/Demon Lord, forcing lower beings into submission or awe.
[Transporting host to the Cardinal World.]
Magic circles bloomed beneath Kaelen's feet, glowing brighter and brighter until his body vanished into radiant light.
When his eyes opened again—he was lying on his bed. The familiar ceiling of his room stretched above him.
"…I'm… back?"
The system timer told him the truth. He had spent ten days in the Tower. Only one hour had passed in the real world.
Kaelen sank into his sheets, staring upward. His body was heavy, his mind still ringing with Velzard's image, with the weight of Transcendence itself.
And for the first time, he smiled—not in arrogance, but in anticipation.