I left the academy’s halls and went to the home mom got for us in the city. It’s only a few minutes walk from the gate, so I made it back in no time.
It was a small home with a front lawn and a tall, steel fence, which was located in the heart of the nobles’ section of the city. I set down the maiden in the grass, then I jumped off and took the many bags of clothing the others helped me buy with me in one trip as I entered through the door.
“Mom, I am home!” I yelled and set down the bags before I closed the door behind me.
“Welcome home, sweety!” mom said as she emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron.
She hugged me and kissed my forehead.
“Now go to the dining room; I am almost done cooking. We’ll talk about your misadventures after dinner. Also, put your clothes in your room! I didn’t buy you a closet as a decoration!” she said, going back into the kitchen.
I shrugged and did as she asked. The only thing I didn’t put in the closet was my new and improved armor, which we picked up from the adventurer’s guild. It was covered in the eagle’s white feathers, granting it powerful frost and magic resistance.
Soon enough, mom called me back, and I went to sit down and eat.
***
“…Phew, I am full. Thanks for the food, mom. It was delicious!” I said with a smile.
“Thanks, sweety, but you’re still not getting out of a scolding.” She said as she wiped my mouth with a napkin.
“Boo…” I deflated, and she raised her eyebrows.
“You knew this was coming, Kiara. While I am proud of you for standing by your friends in a time of crisis, you’ve still behaved incredibly recklessly. I’ve told you again and again to stop being so reckless, and yet you continue to do your best to give me a heart attack.” She sighed.
“But mom! I told the others I was putting my own life first, and nothing in the cave could stop me from running away!”
“No buts, young lady. I admit that the risks you’re taking are more calculated, but they’re still far too dangerous for my liking. As punishment, you’re grounded for a month, where I’ll be teaching you magic properly. I made your lessons light and easy because you were attending the academy, but we’re intensifying your studies several times over now that you’ve got nothing else to do.”
***
Nearly half an hour of pleading and begging later, mom refused to budge. The whole house was enchanted with privacy spells, so mom switched the topic to my evolution and advancement. I reluctantly put away the arguing for later as I pulled up my new options.
Do you wish to trigger your evolution now?
Yes.
Select an evolution:
[High Dragon Shifter]
Rank B creature. Sapient race. The High Dragon Shifter is the natural evolution of the Dragon Shifter species. High Dragon Shifters can shift into any sapient creature of the same rank they encounter, with a considerable boost to the power of the attributes and racial traits inherited.
[Hero Seed – Dragon]
Secret Evolution Requirement:
* Is a dragon.
* Is a Rank C creature.
* Fought against a demon lord seed.
* Acknowledged as a hero by at least one human nation.
* Possess at least one divine shard.
Rank B creature. Sapient race. Heroes are the extraordinary individuals who take up the fight against the vile transgressions of the evil gods and their followers. A hero is the natural counterpart of the demon lord, and a dragon that takes up that mantle in defense of all that is good is no exception.
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[Juvenile Gravity Dragon]
Secret Evolution Requirement:
* Is a dragon.
* Is a Rank C creature.
* Possesses maximum affinity for the Arcane and Atypical – Force attributes.
* Killed at least 5,000 creatures with gravity magic.
Rank B creature. Sapient race. The Juvenile Gravity Dragon, as its name implies, is a young dragon that has evolved to specialize in gravity magic. It can infuse its breath attack with gravitational force, and all gravity magic it wields is greatly enhanced.
[Archmage Dragon]
Secret Evolution Requirement:
* Is a dragon.
* Is a Rank C creature.
* Possess at minimum of high affinity for all attributes.
* Possess at least five divine shards.
Rank B creature. Sapient race. The Archmage Dragon holds dominion over all attributes of magic. With powerful, universal magic bonuses, there are no limits on how far the archmage dragon may go in any field of magic. At least, none beyond the time and effort they invest in mastering the ocean of possibilities before them.
[True Dragon Shifter]
Secret Evolution Requirement:
* Is a dragon shifter.
* Is a Rank C creature.
* Collected at least 50 forms.
* Transformed into another creature’s species and killed it with its own racial traits.
* Killed a vastly superior foe.
* Possess at least five divine shards.
Rank B creature. Sapient race. True Dragon Shifters are among the most powerful of all shifter species. They can transform into any creature and retain their sapience, and even take the form of a higher ranked being – at a significant penalty due to the rank disparity. When combined with their cunning and their resourcefulness, they make for nightmarish opponents to any foe.
I frowned at the options.
“What did you get this time? Are your options not to your liking?” mom asked.
“Well, the options seem to be a redo of the previous evolution, but with a bump in rarity and much less restrictions. Again, my only real choices are two mythic evolutions. Unfortunately, I didn’t get anything past mythic rarity like I’d hoped.”
Mom raised an eyebrow at me as she poured the both of us a cup of tea.
“You are aware that such a rarity only exists in speculation and rumor, right? I’d suggest you temper your expectations, or else you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment. In any case, do read out your evolutions, their requirements, and their description for me so that I can tell what we’re dealing with.”
***
“Hmm… I see what you mean when you said it’s just like the last evolution.” mom furrowed her brow.
In her hand was her third cup of tea.
“Right? It’s just as much of a pain to figure out which would be better.”
“Well, let’s take a step back to think again. How useful was your ability to transform into other races?”
“Honestly, it was kind of situational at best. My base humanoid form let me use weapons and tools with better attributes and traits than anything I could transform into, and my base dragonoid form offered much more powerful attributes than even that. But it did help me get through some situations where I needed to disguise myself.”
“It sounds like the anthromorphization spell could fill that role for you. Perhaps the Archmage Dragon suits your fancy?”
“Not really; I can already use all the base attributes; getting spread out bonuses for them all isn’t the kind of boost I am looking for. I already have far more flexibility and utility than damage dealing abilities, which is a problem I found myself facing over and over again. Archmage dragon isn’t going to help me fix that.”
“I see; fair enough. In that case, maybe we should look at your class options before making a decision on your evolution?”
“That’s probably a good idea. Also, while we’re at it, can you tell me what divine shards are? I’ve been getting a bunch of them seemingly randomly, and I’ve got six of them now.” I mentioned off-handedly.
Mom put down her empty cup as she sighed contentedly.
“Divine Shards are a prerequisite for triggering apotheosis and becoming a god, with all the power that entails.”
“Wait, then are you saying that I can become a god?!” I asked incredulously.
“Well, of course. All rank S dragons, which is essentially every dragon except for you and Durreg at the moment, are gods.”
My mind went blank, all my previous assumptions about what dragons and the gods were shattering like glass. Seeing my bafflement, mom continued.
“Gods are a little different from what humans are told, so it isn’t surprising that the narrative they’ve been fed is loaded with faulty assumptions. Without getting into too much detail about the history between ‘the gods’ and the dragons, all you need to know is that becoming a God revolves around a few facts. Each God adopts a particular value or ideal, the God in question gains authority over the concept of said value and ideal, and the God in question can grant blessings in the theme of their value. Of course, the power of the blessings and incantations they may grant depends on how many people worship them and their ideal, so some gods simply choose to remain obscure while others seek to proselytize. Does that answer your question for now?”
There was a lot to unpack here, but I had a feeling I’d be getting a lecture, so I decided to save it for whenever mom is holding her lessons for me.
“For now, yes. Let me check my class advancement options before we go back to discussing my evolutions.” I said, and mom nodded.