The timer started ticking down second by second. At the same time, the control of his body slowly returned, even if he couldn't move anything other than his fingers. Not that it mattered. Soon, he would be free once more.

Yet before that could happen, another notification appeared in the darkness.

Releasing the temporary blockade on experience. Calculating new level...

Congratulations! You have reached level 38. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.

Oh...

To be honest, Leo didn't expect to get more than a single level after his evolution. But here he was, with level thirty-eight welcoming him with open hands. The wave of power flowed down his body, revitalizing it even further.

No more points for me to assign freely, he thought. Thanks to so many attributes granted with each level, it wasn't that big of a problem. However, it was always nice to be able to put a few points into a stat that really needed the boost.

Oh well. No turning back now. I made my choice. I have a pretty balanced attribute distribution anyway. Definitely gotta check my status when I get out.

The timer dropped to the last ten seconds. Unlike the last time, he felt no pain, no unnatural hunger. Only a bit of exhaustion seeped into his mind and body, but considering what he had fought today, that wasn't a surprise.

And three, two, one. Now!

At once, the tar-like substance of the cocoon slipped off his form, releasing him into the world again. He stumbled but quickly caught his footing and stabilized himself. Without paying much attention to his surroundings or to the nuances of his new body, he tried to stretch, only for his head to hit the ceiling.

Fuck!

Leo flinched and, for the first time since awakening, took a look around the old living room. Everything seemed smaller, but it quickly became obvious that wasn't the case. Instead, he had grown taller, tall enough that he now had to lower his head to avoid putting a hole in the roof.

All right. That's new.

Aside from adding at least another meter to his height, his entire body gained some mass, filling out in all places. While it still seemed to be built more for speed, its raw power now couldn't be denied as his muscles looked easily as strong—if not stronger—as those on a Collector.

Then there was his skin, which, while still remaining a deep shade of grey, now was filled with draconic scales. They weren't much different from the ones on the Myrdrak, only his looked a bit slimmer and more interconnected. He couldn't find a single gap between them, which was why they still resembled normal skin.

I guess power wasn't the only thing I got from the Nightmare. Could have expected that with the name of my new race, Leo mused as his gaze drifted down to his legs.

While still keeping a somewhat humanoid form, they also adapted all the changes from the rest of his body. As for his feet? The talons were still there, only larger and sharper—three at the front and one in the back. They now worked together to provide him with the best possible grip.

This feels weird, he said in his head while flexing the talons and testing their range of movement. Yeah, it's much different than before...

Leo shook his head a bit—an action that also felt strange—and moved his gaze toward his hands. Thankfully, he still had claws, all ten of them. They appeared a bit thicker and glowed with a faint violet light, but aside from that, nothing changed there.

The same couldn't be said about his extendable forearm blades.

They were still there, looking stronger than ever, yet now, their edges were serrated and painted in dark crimson. Within this sea of red floated tiny specks of black that moved like they had a mind of their own. Each time they touched the blade's edge, the serrated parts absorbed them before glowing briefly.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Leo frowned and focused on the drifting specks. They answered right away and stopped. He ordered them to float to the bottom of the blade, and they did, waiting and slowly growing, claiming more and more of the crimson surface.

A poison? He quirked an eyebrow before commanding the entire load to float toward the edge. The blade absorbed it all, the black glow now becoming visible to the eye.

With a shrug, he lightly placed it against the couch next to him. The effect was instantaneous as the glow left the edge and spread across the ruined furniture before disappearing from sight.

Leo blinked, waiting for anything to happen, yet nothing did. He touched the couch again, only to get the same result. He frowned.

Okay? So what's the point? He asked internally, watching the dark spots appear again in the empty sea of red. Whatever, gonna figure it out later.

A single spark of Essence dived into his blades, extending them. Aside from now being slightly curved and sharing the same serrated edge, they still worked like before.

Good.

His gaze then drifted lower, toward the tail lying on the floor. While its two companions disappeared, the singular limb became thicker and a bit longer. He would bet it could now easily crush the average Voidling with a single hit.

Aside from its new length and power, the tail's upper half remained empty—aside from the scales. Now, the lower half was a completely different story.

Spike after spike decorated the limb, each growing longer and sharper the closer it got to the end of the tail. Like the blades, they were painted in dark red, but this time, no black spots were flowing around.

At first, Leo thought the tail would be uncomfortable to use, but with a bit of flexing, all of the spikes hugged the limb, forming a single long blade. He could separate them at any moment and then snap them back together again.

Might be useful I guess. Still gonna miss my other two tails.

With a sigh, he craned his longer-than-average neck and looked at his back, spotting the row of short spikes running along his spine. Yet, this wasn't the only change that caught his eye.

Just a bit below shoulder blades, a few grey, thick tendrils escaped out of his back, three on each side. They didn’t have any scales or other unique features. They were just there, lying flat against his back, extending for not even a meter.

The hell are those? And just like that, a word appeared in his mind. Floaters. This was followed by a notification that came out of nowhere.

Trait Venax Wings obtained. Your trait True Affinity: Shadow is now connected to Venax Wings.

Venax Wings (Unique)

What's better than flight? Than the freedom of spreading your wings and going whenever you want? Nothing. Soon, you will learn this truth.

Effects:

As Prime Indomitus Venax, you have developed limbs called Floaters. At first, they can't do much, but with time, they will help you claim the sky for yourself. Current status: Fledgling, developing currents.

Leo blinked. This really came out of nowhere. Add to that the line about his affinity working together with the new trait and he had no idea what to think of this. The System definitely didn't mind leaving him in the dark.

Another thing to work out on my own. Added to the list…

For now, he could only move the floaters a bit, and even that was a struggle. It had been a while since any part of him felt this weak.

It was uncomfortable, to put it lightly.

Okay, that should be it. Only my face remains, and I can't do much about that without a mirror. With a shrug, he opened his link to Nyx and called out. I'm awake! You two can come in.

The feline instantly answered. 'On it! Give us a moment.'

Leo nodded, closed the link, and looked around. A grimace spread across his face as he realized that getting out of his old house might not be easy. He would probably have to brute force it and destroy a few walls on the way out.

Oh well. Nothing I can do about that now. Maybe I can get-

"Holy shit!" His sister's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You are a fucking dragon!"

He turned, facing Lily. "A what? I don't even have wings!" And there was another surprise. His voice, which had sounded outright demonic before, had become even deeper now. He didn't think it was even possible.

"Fuck the wings! Did you see your bloody face?" The woman shouted, pointing right at his head.

Nyx, who sat down next to his sister, nodded. 'She has a point… well, somewhat. See for yourself.'

At once, the vision in one of his eyes changed, and Leo found himself looking at his own body from the feline perspective. True to her words, his head became similar to that of a traditional Western dragon, only more streamlined, smaller, smoother, and without any horns.

I’m blind. He sighed. How the hell did I miss the long snout right in front of my eyes.

Nyx just laughed.