As far as Su'ong was concerned, the main benefit was that the Dungeon no longer had any control over her mind, or any of her actions. She was once again free of all outside influences. Except, she realized, that wasn't completely true either. Her Base Stats had been determined by Alan's Base Stats after all. If that wasn't considered to be an outside influence, then she couldn't think of anything that would be.
A gentle breeze bent the tips of the countless blades of grass around her. As they rustled and swayed, the unmistakable scent of wildlife assaulted her nose. Reminding her that she had another serious issue left to ponder.
“Where am I?“ Su'ong whispered hoarsely. All she could see was a wall of rippling grasses, but there had to be more out there. She could smell an entire healthy ecosystem. And, if she wasn't mistaken, she even could sense a large body of water. Her innate Attunement to the Water Element was telling her it was somewhere very close. If she concentrated, the sound of gentle waves could just barely be heard over the sound of the wind.
In her mind, it should've been a welcome change of scenery. Especially when she heard the unmistakable sound of birds chirping. For so long she had wandered the bleak, and deathly-silent passageways of the Sandstone Palace. There wasn't much she wouldn't've given for a lively little bird to brighten up her spirits. Though the gnawing hunger was so bad for a while there, that I probably would've just ended up eating the poor thing…
Every time she'd slept, her dreams were almost always of the outdoors. That, or of her grandmother's spacious cavern. Yet now that she was actually here, Su'ong was finding that perhaps it was all too much, too soon. The colors felt harsh on her eyes, and the light was near-blinding.
She lifted her arms up to shade her face, and what she saw froze her in place. Appearance-wise, nothing much had changed. Her arms were still layered in the same smooth, aquamarine scales. What bothered her was that they seemed to be too small. It was as if her arms had somehow been reverted backwards in time. Returned to what she guessed would be somewhere close to the size they had been on her eighteenth life day.
Confused, and suddenly feeling extremely nervous, Su'ong took a deep breath, and studied her body from head to…
“Manasa save me! Are those paws?!“ Su'ong squealed in a conflicting mixture of horror and excitement.
Everything she'd gained in her years of being trapped was taken from her in one fell swoop. And in return, she had been bound to a stupid, if thoughtful, Human. And, it would seem that somewhere along the way, she had acquired ten tiny little clawless pads. Looking down at her misshapen feet and mistaking them for paws, Su'ong wiggled her brand-new toes for the first time, and began to giggle like a little girl.
“This.. This is utterly ridiculous!“ Su'ong choked out between bouts of confused laughter. As she lay there, flapping her legs around like a windmill, her worries took a backseat to the realization that although it was wholly different, her lower body had been reformed. “I can't wait to see the look on Alan's face!“ She cried out.
Her grandmother was able to assume a humanoid form, so she wasn't all that upset. Although when thinking upon that fact, she was reminded that the only reason grandmother could shape shift like that was because of her Bloodline. Hopefully awakening, and then further purification of my Bloodline will give me a similar transformational ability… I must admit, while these legs are fun to play with, I already miss my tail.
It was going to take time to get used to the changes, of that she was certain. Su'ong pried her eyes away from her new legs, and opened up her PSA to the Statistics tab.
Name: Su'ong Zhú
Race: Beast Folk (F) LVL 1
Exp to next Level: 0/100
Racial Traits: [Metabolic Shift]
Class:
Beast Core: (Low-Copper) *Water Attuned*
Titles: Blessed Child of the Water, Citizen of the Multiverse, Tutorial Warden,
***STATISTICS***
Hp: 4500/4500
Mp: 4500/4500
Stamina: 4500/4500
Hp Regeneration: 187.5 per hour
Mp Regeneration: 187.5 per hour
Stamina Regeneration: 187.5 per hour
Strength: 150
Constitution: 150
Vitality: 150
Endurance: 150
Perception: 150
Agility: 150
Dexterity: 150
Intelligence: 150
Wisdom: 150
Resistance: 150
Willpower: 150
Luck: 150
Unallocated Status Points: 0
*** SKILLS***
(B)[Examine] Lvl 1
(C)[Multiversal Language Comprehension] Lvl 1
*** SPELLS ***
***TECHNIQUES***
***RACIAL SKILLS***
[Right eye of Hygieia] Lvl 1- (Regen), (Cleanse)
She wasn't sure whether to be furious, ecstatic, or just plain sad. “Its all… Gone. All of my Skills… Years of hard work, wiped clean in a single day's time.“ It took her by surprise to see that the notifications had simply glossed over the fact that her Beast Core had also been reset to the (Low-Copper) grade. While it was painful to see that her Core was as weak as the day she was born, she couldn't get help but take pride in her Base Stats. They were absolutely monstrous.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“No wonder the light and colors are so harsh!“ Su'ong said, relief evident in her voice. Never before had her Perception Stat been so high, so her body was still adjusting. Even with Buffs, and fully geared out, she'd never even managed to hit half her current total. It was like seeing, and hearing the world through an entirely new body. Which, once she thought about it, was mostly accurate.
Not only was Su'ong going to have to regain as many Skills as she could, as quickly as possible, but she was now going to have to relearn how to use her body. Which was a ridiculous thought. How could her own body feel so new and strange? Though it was too late to turn back, it was hard not to wonder what she had gotten herself into.
The whole situation was wrong. All of a sudden, she was going to be depending on Alan far more than she had ever believed could be possible. Until she was able to acclimate to her new reality, she feared Alan was going to have to handle the majority of the fighting.
Thinking about fighting brought about another realization. According to the System prompts, her Stats were measured by averaging out Alan's Stats. “He might not be the best fighter, but with his Stats as ludicrously high as they are, he should be able to handle some light sparring. Worse comes to worse, he'll make for one hell of a sturdy punching bag." She said quietly, a sharp grin slowly spreading from ear to ear.
Although she understood that she was up against a sharp learning curve, Suong took solace knowing that at least all of her Stats were balanced out. She was going to be forced to start over from scratch, yet thanks to her connection to Alan, she was starting off with a solid, and level foundation upon which to build herself into something formidable. Though it was hard to plan in advance for a Class that she didn't possess.
Chances were, her grandmother had several Class Scrolls lying about, but at present, they may as well have not existed. Su'ong was going to have to find a better solution. Preferably one that was within the Dungeon. Luckily she had a pretty good idea of where to start her search.
Upon entering into the System-enforced Contract with the Dungeon, Su'ong had been promised a Class Scroll. The [Spear Maiden] Class Scroll to be exact. It was to be delivered to her once the contract was completed. If that shady Wraith didn't deliver it soon, Su'ong was prepared to go looking for retribution. Good luck stopping me now that you can't spy on my thoughts! Su'ong thought gleefully.
Although she had lost way more than she'd bargained for in terms of Skills and Core strength, binding her soul to an outlier such as Alan had come with some overwhelming, and downright shocking benefits. Never before had she felt so empowered. It was a strange trade, but somehow, Su'ong had simultaneously lost everything that she worked her entire life for, and in return, she had become far stronger than ever before.
It was going to take a lot of effort to get her Skills, technical and otherwise, back to where they already were. Yet being able to start off with Base Stats far beyond the norm for a Level 1 (F-Stage) being almost made it worth paying such a heavy cost.
The effort that would be required was only compounded when adding in the total loss of her Beast Core's development. And with it, her Core Skill.
When a beast, or in her case, Beast-Folk, Awakened a Beast Core, it almost always happened when reaching level 10. Once Awakened, the newly-formed Beast Core would then need to be filled with Mana of a single Attunement. Normally, so long as one had access to a suitable energy source to draw from, this was a process that would take place naturally over the course of several days, or perhaps a week.
Slowly new pathways would be formed leading to, and from the Core. Once a stable connection was established between body and Core, energy would begin to trickle in, and would continue to do so until it was full. It was at this point that a full Attunement would manifest.
In rare cases like Su'ong's, a being could also be born with an innate Element, and with it, an active Core. Their first attunement was already decided at the moment of birth. Being born with an awakened Core was also the only way that she knew of to gain a Core Skill.
Before being reset, Su'ong's Core Skill was one she had always been proud of. Called [Hydrokinetic Body], it gave her the ability to transform portions of her flesh and bone into water, and to manipulate their shape and form seemingly at will. At a high enough mastery, it could've potentially allowed her to shift entirely into a water-like form. In reality, she'd only ever been able to get her arms to transform. And that was before the Dungeon sealed away her Water Attunement, rendering her Core Skill useless.
Now Su'ong didn't know what to expect. Until her Beast Core was energized, and came online, there was no way to tell. Her hope was that it would be the same, but now that so much had changed, especially her Race, for all she knew, her Core Skill would be something new and strange as well. Worst of all, there was always a chance that like much of everything else, her Core Skill was gone.
While these innate Core Skills were unique to the individual, they were also limited to the Attunement they were built upon.
And just like any other Beast Core, a second Attunement wouldn't manifest until reaching level 25. At which point the Core Skill would evolve to fit the changes. Further Attunements could be gained, but not by accruing Levels. They were difficult, and usually costly to acquire. Bloodline refinement, Natural treasures, Blessings, and System-enforced Contracts with bi-polar, murderous Dungeons were the only ways Su'ong could list off of the top of her head, but she was sure there were more avenues available for those who were determined.
Already, Su'ong could feel a faint warmth building up in her abdomen. The process had begun, but she needed to speed it up if her Beast Core was going to be of any use in helping her escape the Dungeon. Luckily she had a solution for that as well. Alan. He was walking around with enough Mana Crystals in that Storage Ring of his to energize her Core hundreds of times over.
All in all, while she couldn't help but feel conflicted, Su'ong was determined to make the best out of what she was given. Nevermind becoming a full-fledged Warden. If I can get my Skills back to where they were, I would likely be overqualified for a Beast General position…
The feeling of being watched from a distance was quickly becoming irksome. It was obvious that Alan was out there, so why hadn't he said anything? There was no mistaking that he had undergone some sort of changes, but there was no point in hiding in the grass like a peeping Tom.
“Alan you pervert! Quit staring at me and come out already!“ Su'ong shouted in the direction she knew he was located. It was thoughtful of him to give her space to think, but enough was enough. There was a lot she needed to be filled in on, and playing hide and seek wasn't going to accomplish anything.
******
The Banded Roc didn't understand the sudden flash of light, nor the ominous presence it unveiled. All at once, every instinct screamed that it was time to flee. A sidelong glance at the scaly creature it was perched on showed it wasn't tensed up or nervous. Why wasn't it running?! . Although curious about the being that had so recently saved it from a watery grave, the Roc had no intentions of throwing its life away on a whim.
With thoughts of self-preservation forefront on its mind, the Roc abandoned the curious creature that fished it from the lake, and took wing to the sky. Something unbelievably powerful was hatching out of that egg. Chances were, it was going to awaken with an appetite to match.
******
When the light finally faded, Alan couldn't believe what he was seeing. The figure that emerged from the leathery cocoon was Su'ong, yet at the same time, it wasn't. She was facing in the opposite direction, but it was impossible not to notice that she had become smaller, and from what he was able to ascertain from a few brief glimpses, her features had softened considerably. But those were far from the most noticable changes.
From what he could tell, no longer was the majority of her body hidden away under a layer of scales. The exposed flesh of Su'ong's back and sides was now so pale, that it almost seemed translucent.
When Su'ong rolled back and began to laugh, kicking her legs around in the air in an apparent loss of self control, for just a moment, Alan couldn't figure out what she was doing. Nor why it felt so wrong. What the fuck! She grew legs! Once he recognized the changes, it was no longer a surprise as to why Su'ong had seemed so small. Nearly ten feet of her body was gone.
The aquamarine scales covering her arms and legs seemed to be all that remained to show that Su'ong was once a Naga.
Yet somehow, even with the loss of most of her body mass, Su'ong's presence felt enormous. With her straight forward attitude, and total disregard for personal space, she had always been a bit intimidating. This was a different type of intimidation, one that even the Earth Wyrm had failed to instill. All his eyes saw was a gorgeous young woman, trying to come to terms with the sudden changes she'd just undergone.
His instincts however, were screaming that this was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Underneath that appealing exterior slept a true monster. It was a feeling she had never instilled in him before. All it took was a glance to realize that her physical changes were only scratching the surface of all that had transpired.
Looking down at his beastly form, Alan understood that he wasn't the only one that had been forced to endure heavy alterations. Although he was intensely curious as to why she suddenly felt so powerful, and wanted nothing more than to talk to her, the thought of being seen in his current state was almost too much to handle.
Although he had more or less acclimated to his new reality, he simply didn't know what to expect. Between his reptilian features, and altered soul, he wasn't even sure Su'ong would recognize him. And that idea bothered him a lot more than he'd expected. Alan knew he would have no choice but to reveal himself sooner or later, yet he needed time to build up his confidence.
So he waited, and watched. Alas, Su'ong had plans of her own, and wasn't feeling patient.
“Alan you pervert! Quit staring at me and come out already!“
When she looked in his direction and yelled out, Alan knew it was time to suck it up and reveal himself.
“Here goes nothing,” Alan groaned, wishing he had just a little more time to prepare.