The last thirty minutes had been a rollercoaster of emotions for Zyrus.

He looked at Aurora who was hugging him like a koala with a complex look. She was one of his earliest friend and companion, but he didn't know what to say at this moment.

"You remember me?"

"Umm," Aurora nodded her head without looking up.

Zyrus patted her head and stood there motionlessly.

"You have a lot of questions to ask right?" Aurora spoke as she looked at his red eyes.

"Since when?"

"I knew it even before you regressed, Zy."

"How?" Zyrus stared at Aurora with widened eyes.

"I have a lot to tell you, but now's not the time."

Zyrus didn't need any more explanation as he had a guess already.

"Were they observing you? What about now?" He asked with a cold glint in his eyes.

"They were, but they can't for the time being."

"I see." Zyrus gestured her to continue. He was glad for their reunion, but he had to deal with pressing matters first.

"Do you believe me?"

"Of course."

"Okay then, do as I say." Aurora flapped her wings with a sweet smile and gave him a cyan scale.

Zyrus knew what he had to do with it. With the scale in his hand, his chance of success was 100%.

"How long do I have?"

"No rush. You have something else to do instead of dealing with the monster here."

"Go on." Zyrus gave her a surprised look and walked towards the goblet of fire.

"The cor- Ahm Cube's mission. The one helping us wants you to finish that first."

"You know about this?" Zyrus asked as he took out the cube.

Aurora nodded while staring at the core with a melancholic expression.

Zyrus didn’t pry into further details after looking at her drooping wings.

“You know, I don’t want you to become a monster, but it-it’s my duty to do so.” Aurora whimpered with teary eyes.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I know you have your own troubles and I trust you, Okay?”

*Sniff*

“Thanks.”

“Back to the matter at hand, will I have to go the Carmine Mire after the process? How will you handle things here?” Zyrus asked as he took out the materials. He wanted to comfort her but they both knew that now wasn't the time.

“I’ll teleport you there. If you pass his test, he’ll give you a new class.”

“And let me guess, you're going to lock that class before they notice anything.” Zyrus continued after looking at Aurora’s confident smile.

“That’s reassuring, I was worried about your stupidity after watching the fight.”

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Do you even believe it yourself?”

*Cough*Cough*

With an awkward look on his face, Zyrus held the vials of blood essence in each hand.

‘Here goes nothing,’

After gulping down the blood, he took out the poisonous core as well.

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“Instead of eating that, put it in your stomach.” Aurora suggested with a gloating expression. She was completely different from the cute girl who hugged him earlier.

“And here I thought you’d changed.” Zyrus took out his spear with a nonchalant expression. Pain was the last thing he was afraid of.

*Puk*

He stabbed his stomach without hesitation and placed the core inside.

“Fuck,”

As one might expect, putting a poisonous core inside your stomach wasn't a pleasant experience. Nonetheless, it was nothing compared to the agony that lay ahead of him.

“You ready? To change the very essence of oneself isn’t a child’s play,” Aurora spoke with a provocative tone.

“Watch and learn, pipsqueak.” Zyrus smiled at her with a disdainful expression and placed the cyan scale on the wound.

He knew that she was trying to distract him from the pain, and to be honest, it worked.

Zyrus picked up Shadowbloom with his bloody hand and placed it above the flames.

“All done.”

“Indeed...See you soon,” Aurora waved at him while flapping her colorful wings.

Zyrus didn’t even have the time to respond before the agony struck him.

“AAAARRRAH-!”

He let out a pained scream and started twisting on the ground. The goblet of fire had another function as well, by offering unique items one can gain the corresponding blessings.

Aurora watched the entire process with teary eyes.

Zyrus’s body was undergoing a myriad of transformations. His skin itched and burned as if he was being pricked by a million needles while lying on a heap of salt.

The seven headed serpent’s core eroded his bones and muscles while the blood essence of the goblin and kobold healed his decaying body. The cyan scale was also multiplying itself, covering Zyrus in an egg-like cocoon.

All the while, a black and white stream of energy was seething out from the goblet. It merged with his body and made the other forces stabilize.

The only thing keeping his sanity against this excruciating transformation were the memories of his past life.

Zyrus saw the scenes of his past life passing by. One day after another, It was as if he was watching his life in a biography.

He wept when the woman he loved more than his life died in his arms, he grieved for his friends and allies, and at long last, he was left alone when he reached the divine throne.

Zyrus didn’t want to watch his pathetic end once again.

‘It’ll be different this time.’

Without his knowledge, the pain had already stopped. He wasn’t able to feel his body, but instead, he sensed something different.

He saw white threads of mana that stretched out from the core of his being. What was the core? It was the amalgamation of his soul and mental energy. It wasn’t Zyrus’s first time seeing it, but he realized that something was different from before.

He saw the faint outline of a path that had formed beneath his soul. The path had neither a beginning nor an end, it was an endless road where he was the only traveler.

Zyrus wasn’t able to observe it for long as the scene disappeared like a mirage, but he was sure of one thing.

“That’s my path to the origin, The origin of Void.”

…

Zyrus had no idea that an hour had passed since he had lost consciousness.

“Did he succeed?” Aurora was anxious as she looked at the cocoon in front of her. Even with her powers, she could see nothing but a black-and-white membrane.

“Of course he did.” Aurora felt a shiver down her spine after hearing the unexpected reply.

She looked at the sky above, and there she saw him. A gigantic dragon was floating in the sky above the monster camp.

“Humph, What a showoff.”

“You should respect your elders” The dragon spoke in a gruffly voice. Its blood red scales glittered under the clear sky, giving it a majestic bearing.

“Whatever. Are you going to fight in that form?” Aurora asked as she looked at its golden eyes.

“Why? Is there something wrong with it?”

“Let me guess, you don’t know shit about the dungeon in the Carmine Mire, do you?”

“Tch.. Why should I concern myself with some lowly place in the first ring?” The dragon replied with a gaze filled with disdain.

“You’re such an embarrassment for the dragonkind. You think your ugly ass would fit there?” Aurora retorted while pointing at the dragon's wings.

“Damn it! You’re just being feisty because I scared you! It’s your job to handle minor stuff like that.”

“Will you scram already?”

“Humph!” The dragon, Nidraxis, flew away with a flap of its wings.

“Bastard, being all cocky just because a part of his true body is released,” Aurora cursed the dragon's nine generations while wiping the dust from her clothes.

Finally, after half an hour she sensed the aura of life from the cocoon.

*Creack*

‘He did it’! Aurora smiled and waved her hand, and the cocoon disappeared with a flash.

…

On the western side of the tutorial area, there was a desolate bog. Neither men nor beasts dared to venture into these forbidden grounds.

Contrary to the periphery of this region known as the Carmine Mire, the central area was quite lively.

Not many were able to survive in this toxic area. One would have their innards turned to liquid just by breathing the air around here.

There was an ominous legend about this area in the sanctuary. it was said that this bog was created by the flesh and blood of a million strong beast army.

No one was able to prove those rumors, but looking at the bloody liquid that spread across the entire region, the legend wasn't far off from the truth.

Due to the extreme environment, the ones who were able to adapt thrived in prosperity. There was an abundance of food and plenty of area.

Various species of toads and salamanders survived in this area. The snakes who were notorious for their poison didn't dare to set their tail in this region.

Were they unable to survive? Of course not. The reason they didn’t dare to approach a dozen miles near the Carmine Mire was the dungeon in the center of it.

Neither they nor any living being had seen the dungeon, but some were able to feel its aura.

Today, in front of the entrance of this dungeon, a visitor appeared for the first time.

*BAM*

“Ouch!” Zyrus winced in pain as he fell to the ground.

The last thing he recalled was seeing his mana core and boom, in the next second he was falling from a spatial crack.

Zyrus looked at the source of his pain and it left him speechless. It was a tail, his tail, to be specific.

‘What the heck have I become?’ Zyrus gasped as he looked at his body which was beyond recognition.