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I pressed my hand firmly against my father's Spirit Beast Tattoo and, without hesitation, channeled my mana into it through the power of [Evolution]. The energy surged rapidly, awakening and greatly enhancing the tattoo's innate spiritual powers.
FLASH!
"Woah! T-This is amazing!" my father gasped as powerful energies coursed through his body. "The tattoo is growing so quickly! It usually takes years of living, fighting, and gathering rare materials for Spirit Beast Tattoos to develop this much…! But you can do it so fast…!"
"Take it easy, Dad. I'm not finished yet!" I said with focus. "Almost… there!"
RUMBLE!
My father's muscles suddenly swelled and expanded as the mighty power of the ox flooded through his entire body at an astonishing pace. The tattoo grew dramatically larger, spreading across most of his torso and revealing the image of a ferocious plain ox with majestic golden horns and a blazing mane.
Suddenly, a pair of long golden ox horns emerged from his head, while red-fiery fur manifested around his powerful arms and legs.
"What the…?! T-This is incredible! No way! This is Beast Spirit Manifestation!" my father exclaimed in awe. "You usually only reach this stage after Tier 4!"
Dad was only at Tier 3 so far, the highest in our family alongside my brother. They were the members with the strongest affinity for Beast Spirit Tattoos. My brother was also a genius among us. His unique Beast Spirit Tattoo could incorporate any beast he tamed or befriended. Though most bonds were temporary, the combined power of those beasts could surpass anyone else.
Ding!
[You have successfully used your Trait: [Evolution] to evolve your father Ragnar's Beast Spirit Tattoo: [Ferocious Crimson Ox Tattoo – Tier 3: Rank 5] into [Golden-Horned Infernal Ox King Tattoo – Tier 5: Rank 1!]]
[All of his Stats have increased drastically!]
[Your father Ragnar has awakened the Spirit Beast Tattoo Manifestation Abilities.]
"Tier 5?!" My father gasped as he received the same notification I did. One of Freyja's features allowed my family to see my system messages when I permitted it.
My entire family gathered around us, staring in complete awe and disbelief at the incredible transformation my father had achieved.
"T-This is amazing…" my mother muttered, her voice trembling with emotion. "Ugh, I feel so guilty asking, but please do me next!"
"Don't feel guilty about it, Mom. We're family," I reassured her warmly.
"Then me next!" my sister insisted eagerly.
"No, me!" my brother called out.
"Are we next after your family, Brunhild?" Ulf asked hopefully.
"Hey Ulf, don't be shameless!" Kara scolded, though she quickly added, "But… I wouldn't mind either."
"Don't worry, it's fine. Let's do this," I nodded with a smile. "Okay, Mom next, then big sis, then big brother, then my friends…"
I moved from one person to the next, awakening my family's tattoos and bloodlines right away. While tattoos responded quickly and exploded with power, bloodlines proved more complex and took longer to fully develop.
Ding!
[You have evolved your father Ragnar's Bloodline, which has successfully awakened from [Dormant] to [Red Scale Barbarian Bloodline – Tier 1!]]
[Your father Ragnar has awakened greater Physical Strength, Durability, and the power to Manifest Red Scales.]
"Red scales, huh?! Awesome!" my father celebrated excitedly. A few tough red scales appeared around his hands, and his nails sharpened into slightly longer black claws.
Ding!
[You have successfully used your Trait: [Evolution] to evolve your mother Frigga's Beast Spirit Tattoo: [Ferocious Crimson Wolf Tattoo – Tier 2: Rank 3] into [Demonic Crimson Wolf Tattoo – Tier 4: Rank 1!]]
[All of her Stats have increased drastically!]
[Your mother Frigga has awakened the Spirit Beast Tattoo Manifestation Abilities.]
"Demonic Crimson Wolf?!" my mother gasped in shock. "Eh?! I can grow wolf claws and fur! And ears… my senses have become so much sharper!"
[You have evolved your mother Frigga's Bloodline, which has successfully awakened from [Dormant] to [Burning Forest Fae Bloodline – Tier 1!]]
[Your mother Frigga has awakened greater Nature and Fire Magic Affinity.]
"A-Amazing! I even got a bloodline?!" My mother was utterly stunned. "I thought I had no talent at all! It awakened so easily! Burning Forest Fae too?! I expected something scaled, but fae? Me?!"
"I always knew you were a beautiful fae deep down, sweetie," my father said warmly, laughing with joy.
"Oh, you!" My mother blushed and chuckled. "What is this, flirting with me out of nowhere?"
Ding!
[You have successfully used your Trait: [Evolution] to evolve your sister Astrid's Beast Spirit Tattoo: [Sky Soaring Hawk Tattoo – Tier 2: Rank 6] into [Tempestuous Sky Wind Hawk Tattoo – Tier 4: Rank 1!]]
[All of her Stats have increased drastically!]
[Your sister Astrid has awakened the Spirit Beast Tattoo Manifestation Abilities.]
My sister's hawk tattoo evolved beautifully, granting her the ability to manifest a majestic pair of wings, sharp talons, and swirling winds around her body.
"T-This is awesome! I can fly now! I can— Agh!"
She would still need more practice before she could fully master short-distance flight.
[You have evolved your sister Astrid's Bloodline, which has successfully awakened from [Dormant] to [Black Scaled Fae Bloodline – Tier 1!]]
[Your sister Astrid has awakened greater Darkness Magic Affinity and the power to grow hard black scales.]
"Pretty unique! Darkness magic is an incredibly rare element in our clan…" my sister said, clearly impressed.
Her bloodline was something new and strange once again, a fascinating mix of scale growth and dark fae heritage. It might be connected to Sylph, or perhaps it came from the other side of the family.
Ding!
[You have successfully used your Trait: [Evolution] to evolve your brother Magnus's Beast Spirit Tattoo: [Beast Tamer Tattoo – Tier 3: Rank 7] into [Divine Beast Master Tattoo – Tier 5: Rank 1!]]
[All of his Stats have increased drastically!]
[Your brother Magnus has awakened the Spirit Beast Tattoo Manifestation Abilities.]
"Wow, what is this power? D-Divine?! Brunhild, did you gift me some of your divine power?!" my brother exclaimed in shock.
"I didn't expect that, but your tattoo was already very special, brother. I think it was always meant to evolve this way," I replied with a proud smile. "I just accelerated the process by a couple of decades! Do you feel any different?"
"I feel a much deeper connection to the beasts," he said in wonder. "I think I can communicate with Scaly from all the way over here and even do this!"
FLUOSH!
My brother shifted his tattoo from a circle of roots into a ferocious wyvern design, channeling Scaly's power through his body and achieving an even greater transformation than before.
"Awesome…!"
[You have evolved your brother Magnus's Bloodline, which has successfully awakened from [Dormant] to [Horned Salamander Bloodline – Tier 1!]]
[Your brother Magnus has awakened greater Fire Magic Affinity and the power to create sticky, flammable oil.]
My brother ended up gaining a bloodline similar to mine, though focused on the salamander aspect and deeply connected with fire spirits. He could even produce flammable oil.
"This is weird," he muttered, staring at the liquid secreting from his hands. "How do I make it stop?!"
"Hahaha, I'll teach you how to control your bloodline later," I said. "For now, why don't you fill some bottles with it, bro?"
I handed him twenty empty bottles I had brought along, and he began filling them after nodding. If it was truly flammable oil, we could create some powerful bombs with it.
"Us next!"
"Once we grow strong, we'll protect your back, Brunhild!"
"Yeah, we'll repay this favor!"
"Alright, I'm counting on you then!" I nodded confidently.
I quickly evolved both Ulf's and Kara's tattoos and bloodlines. To my surprise, they ended up identical, which made sense since they were twins and deeply connected.
Their Tier 1 tattoos surged all the way to Tier 3, evolving from Blazing Wolf Tattoos into Infernal Wolf Tattoos. Their dormant bloodlines both awakened as Blazing Spirit Fairy Bloodlines at a shocking Tier 2. They gained pointed ears, longer flowing hair, and tiny butterfly wings sprouted from their backs. Because they were still young, the wings were too small to allow flight yet.
"This is awesome! Thank you, bestie!!!" Kara cried happily, pulling me into a tight hug.
"We got wings?! No way!" Ulf laughed in delight. "I had no idea we had this kind of potential!"
"You both would have likely awakened this bloodline later if you had consumed enough spiritual beast meat," I explained. "I simply accelerated the process. Your wings are still too small for now, so keep them hidden and don't try to fly with them yet."
"Now, Sigrid!" I said. "You ready?"
"I guess…!" she nodded nervously. "I'll repay this favor tenfold later…"
"Don't feel guilty. Let's do it," I reassured her with a nod.
After drinking another Mana Elixir, I awakened Sigrid's Tattoo and Bloodline. Her power surged dramatically as her existing Catfish bloodline fused with a previously dormant one. Her appearance transformed with beautiful red and blue scales covering her body. Blue flames danced from her hands while her long white hair turned into blazing flames of pure power.
"W-What Bloodline is this?!" everyone gasped in shock as they witnessed her awakening a rare dual fused bloodline.
It came with red and blue crystal horns, a long powerful tail, and far more magical energy than Sigrid could initially handle. She suddenly grew weak and nearly passed out on the spot.
Meanwhile, her beast tattoos had evolved from Snow Mountain Lion and Snow Wolf into much stronger versions, Frost Blaze Lioness and Winter Wolf King, boosting her strength even further.
Among everyone present, Sigrid was likely the most talented of all.
"B-Brunhild?! What is this power?" she asked in disbelief. "D-Did I really get stronger?"
"Yeah, probably by a lot…" I nodded with a warm smile.
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