Orez
7:05 p.m. 17 th Zelyr 1092.
“Kashi-dono, please can you give me a heads-up before you do something like this?”
“Hehe, gambling like this is always fun.” Standing in the skies above Yggdrasil’s branches, Kashi laughed as he patted the exasperated Drixali’s flank. However, despite his apparent humor, the daeben closely examined the world-ending scene before him.
The Primordial Flame lacked intelligence, but it possessed a certain instinct that made it unwilling to serve anyone. Back then, Razznik expended a tremendous amount of energy and effort to subdue the flame.
Kashi lacked Razznik’s strength, but fortunately, he did not need it. Orez and Yggdrasil desperately wanted the Primordial Flame to replace Kashi’s dragon as a true fire source. So, Orez combined its strength with Yggdrasil to forcefully subdue the flame.
The scene was even crazier than when Drixali fought the Blight as oceans lightning, wind and wood energy combined to combat the sea of black flames in the sky. Normally, this much chaos should have put Orez in danger, but Yggdrasil and Kashi learned from previous experiences. They erected a wooden barrier to contain the chaos so it did not affect the denizens, as well as limit the damage.
As the lightning factor and a god of Orez, Drixali sweated as he poured all of his energy into assisting Yggdrasil. Despite his new status, he could tell that he was no match for the Primordial Flame as it was an entity on Yggdrasil’s level. Fortunately, Razznik already greatly weakened it, and then further siphoned its energy over a thousand years to maintain the Hell Floor.
Yggdrasil was thus finally able to subdue the Primordial Flame after a hearty effort. Kashi did not need to worry about the Primordial Flame’s depleted nature either. It would definitely regain its power after nourishment from Yggdrasil and its own recovery ability.
Kashi sighed as the wooden barriers crumbled, revealing a small, docile black clump. He carefully approached the flame, and was surprised to find that it no longer felt hot. The daeben softly smiled as he extended his palm and cradled the little flame. “That’s strange. It feels like a sleeping child.”
“Ancient entities are capable of gaining sentience after countless years,” Drixali explained as he carefully eyed the Primordial Flame. “My guess is it was on the verge of sentience before its previous master captured and drained its energy. It should soon awaken after being nourished by Yggdrasil for a few decades.” Drixali paused and then glanced below the clouds to the massive dragon that lay beneath Yggdrasil’s branches. “Kashi-dono, could it be you wish to—"
“Ah, that’s right. It’s about time don’t you think?” Kashi’s eyes shone with a dangerous glint as he raised the clump. “Hey, Orez, I want to swap out the planet’s fire factor?”
[ New Candidate for Fire Element Detected: Primordial Flame Nucleus
Candidate Suitability: Spectacular! It is highly advised that you switch to this element!
Do you want to confirm the switch? ]
“Yes!” Pandemonium broke out immediately Kashi confirmed the switch. First, the clump of flames disappeared as it melded into Orez’s core. Thousands of miles away, volcanoes suddenly erupted over the ocean. The molten lavas spread for hundreds and thousands of miles, and then rapidly cooled over in the span of a few seconds, creating five gigantic continents that put Yggdrasil’s little island to shame.
Predictably, the massive water displacement created gigantic tsunamis that washed over Orez. Fortunately, Kashi acted fast, utilizing Yggdrasil’s earth authority to erect gigantic earthen walls to protect the island. The tsunamis spanned hundreds of meters high, but they harmlessly crashed into the island’s walls.
The island trembled from the impact, inducing panic among the residents. However, the chaos did not last too long as Orez’s water factors, the hydras, forced the turbulent seas to settle. Soon, the world returned to normal, but the surprises were yet to end.
ROAR! Kashi trembled as a terrifying dragon’s roar pierced through the world. The daeben’s eyes went wide with shock as the usually sleeping dragon rose to its feet. He dragon, four stocky feet dug into the ground as it spread its wings. Then, before the world’s stunned eyes, it flapped its majestic wings and then charged into the sky.
The massive dragon cut through the skies with blinding speed, and then arrived before the stunned Drixali and Kashi. Its obsidian scales glowed as it glared at Kashi.
The dragon might not have said a word, but somehow, Kashi understood it. No, ‘understand’ was not the right word. It felt more like he was looking at an extension of himself. It did not make sense to say he ‘understood’ himself.
The system’s timely prompt further emphasized that feeling.
[Congratulations on fully awakening your dragon soul!
Half of your dragon soul has been locked away, serving as the fire element factor for Orez. Finally, your dragon soul has been freed from this duty and it is yours to unleash]
[Trait Unlocked: Duo Souls
Two Souls, One Body! Through several fortuitous encounters, you have found a way to accommodate two souls in one body. However, due to the volatile nature of competing souls, you must pick one of three choices to maintain balance:
a) Merge your souls into one entity (recommended)
b) Appoint your daeben soul as the primary soul
c) Appoint your dragon soul as the primary soul.]
Kashi frowned as he looked at the three options. ‘Primary soul.’ Somehow he knew what that meant. The primary soul determined Kashi’s ‘existence.’ For example, if he had a dragon soul, then he would be a dragon no matter what body he inhabited. Likewise, if had a daeben soul, he would always be a daeben no matter how his body changed. This was partly why Kashi could not maintain his draconic form. It put too much stress on his body and soul, which was still a daeben’s.
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Dragon, Daeben, or both? Kashi would have liked more time to consider, but he could not put off this decision. Previously, the dragon soul did not clash with his daeben soul because it was suppressed as Orez’s fire-elemental factor. Now, however, it was free and would definitely clash with Kashi’s daeben soul.
Unfortunately, appointing one soul over another, would dampen the effects of the suppressed. For example, Kashi’s dragon soul was a fire-lightning hybrid, but Kashi only had access to the lightning portion until this moment. Furthermore, he could not freely use his draconic form.
On the flipside, daebens had unique stat bonuses when it came to rune crafting, painting and the finer arts. Kashi would definitely miss a lot of these bonuses if they were suppressed.
The recommended option was strangely, the most lose-lose of the entire situation. If Kashi merged his souls, he would neither be a daeben nor a dragon, but something in-between. Kashi was not ready to gamble on what traits he would retain from both souls. Best-case scenario, he would get the best of both worlds. But, the worst-case scenario also existed, where he only got the terrible penalties. Kashi would not gamble on this slim chance.
Kashi sighed as he looked at his dragon soul. In the end, there was only one option. From the moment he started Drakul’s Dream, there was only one conclusion. “I choose—”
“Wait.”
Kashi’s eyes widened as the most unexpected voice interrupted him. “Wait? Suzuki? Did you just say something, or am I hearing things?”
“Your problem is that the souls will clash. That happens because at least one soul is automated. What if you could control both?”
“What if I could control both?” Kashi’s brain worked at full speed to process the impractical solution. If he could control both, then theoretically, he could retain the full bonuses of both souls even after picking his primary soul. He would not need to suppress the other to mitigate the risks of conflict. Kashi chuckled as he caught a glimpse of Suzuki’s train of thought. “Oh? Do you have a solution?”
“A temporary one. Only until you fight Razznik.”
‘Temporary?” Kashi’s lips curled in a wide grin. Kashi had been wondering how to increase Suzuki’s ties to the world so the latter ceased his suicidal plans. He had been racking his brain for weeks, but Suzuki just handed him the solution on a plate.
Kashi suppressed his elation to prevent Suzuki from reading him. Instead, his gaze turned apprehensive as he muttered, “What about your iron-clad rule? No one interferes in the other’s world? This seems like a blatant violation of that, right?”
“You do not have to if you don’t want to. I’m only offering because Razznik is that much of a threat. I think you need to stack up as much as you can before the fight. This is not the time to suppress any part of you.”
Kashi inwardly smirked. “Have you noticed? You get really talkative whenever Razznik is involved. Admit it. You miss him.” Predictably, only Suzuki’s silence greeted that remark. Kashi, however, chuckled and said, “Alright. Let’s try it out. Temporary, right?” ‘Temporary, my ass. It’s checkmate once you’re out.’
“Swap to the dragon soul first. It better suits the path you’ve chosen.”
“Heh, so you were paying attention.” Kashi scratched his nose as he thought of the sullen-faced youth who always looked like he did not give a damn. “Yeah, that was my idea from the start, anyway.” With those words, Kashi reached out and tapped ‘C.’
Instantly, Kashi felt a surge of power like nothing he’d ever experienced. His vision temporarily went dark, and he felt his ‘soul’ suddenly explode, growing increasingly larger and more potent.
In simple terms, a soul was like a container. That container determined the maximum limit an individual could attain. The soul also dictated certain traits that a person could attain during their entire lifetimes.
Most humes, regardless of race had similar soul sizes. However, it was possible to expand that container through some rigorous and pointed training. Still, there were existences, whose souls were simply on another plane of existence. The soul of a Divine Dragon, or ExalteASa d Devil for example, eclipsed a hume’s by infinte amounts.
That was not to say humes could not catch up to these monsters. However, they needed to break through their limits several times in order to reach these creatures. This was why level 200 was such a huge watershed. The average hume could not easily break past level 200 because it was the limit of a hume’s soul, whereas an Elder Dragon could easily reach level 500 before it even felt a hint of pressure.
Currently, Kashi felt like he had traded his painfully built up and reinforced bucket for a giant reservoir. An Elder Dragon’s potential was incredible! As a Summoned, Kashi did not need to fear the level 200 threshhold, but he would just as easily crossed if he were a Resident.
“Nggh. I feel weird.” Kashi groaned as he opened his eyes. Shockingly, he saw ‘himself’ standing next to Drixali. No, more accurately, he saw his daeben body standing next to Drixali. It took a moment, but Kashi soon realized he was in his dragon body.
“Oh. Wow. This feels different.” Kashi marveled as he felt the mana coursing through his veins. There was a reason people said dragons were loved by mana. Mana control suddenly felt as natural as breathing. It was like it moved along with his thoughts.
No, that was not quite it. Kashi raised his front paw and clawed at the sky. Thousands of arc-like electric snakes suddenly poured down and began circling around him. No, this was not mere control. This was domination! Kashi now had dominion over mana in a vicinity around him. What the hell kind of power was this!?
“Are you done playing around?”
Kashi looked at the daeben, who spoke with his own voice. However, compared to a few seconds earlier, the daeben’s red eyes were cold and dark, like a bottomless red sea. Kashi’s lips curled in a smile as he greeted, “Welcome to Orez, Suzu.”
Suzuki’s brows furrowed. “Don’t call me that. Also, you need to get back to your body. I can feel a flood of notifications flooding in. They’re just waiting for your body to synchronize with your new soul.”
“How do you know that?”
“You seem to have forgotten that Razznik has experience tampering with souls and bodies. The system always puts notifications on hold until the process is complete.”
“True.” Kashi lightly chuckled as he examined his dragon body. “Well, I better get going. That spider should have delivered me by now.” As his body began to disappear, Kashi displayed a sincere smile as he said to Suzuki, “Truly, it’s good to have you here, Suzuki. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Focus on your own shit.” Suzuki coldly watched Kashi disappear, and then promptly turned to the confused Drixali. “Drixali, your name is Drixali, right?”
The centaur god, Drixali, absentmindedly nodded. He could not understand how he suddenly had an additional master. This was not a simple case of his master splitting his mind in two places. The person in his master’s body felt completely different in every conceivable way!
“Drixali is too complicated. I’ll be calling you God Li.” Before giving the centaur a chance to object, Jingu Brush appeared in the daeben’s hand. “Do me a favor, God Li. I’m unfamiliar with this body.” As it rapidly grew into a long staff, Suzuki fixed Drixali with a terrible glare. “So, fight me!”
“What!?”
Moments later, thunder boomed over Orez as its gods engaged in an apocalyptic battle. Only a few onlookers noticed an odd sight. Why was ‘Kashi’ using a brush to battle?