A part of Ethan wanted to rush off and test his new body immediately, but he decided to check himself first.
His new body came with some significant changes, which he needed to get a grip on before he did anything potentially risky.
“So,” his voice would take some getting used to, and it would take some effort to ensure it was understandable and not just a rumble. “My body is quadrupedal—four legs with huge claws. I’m covered in scales, but the skin beneath appears smooth and pliable. Hmm. Oh, horns. Several horns rest like a crown behind my head. They’re quite twisty and angular.”
He struck an imposing figure with his purple scales over black skin. His eyes glowed a sinister purple, and his head had sharp features. The horns twisted above and behind his head, possessing jagged, sharp edges. He had a long neck and body, leading to a long, winding tail. Sharp spikes lined his spine, and his tail ended in a sharp blade-like extension. Two wings spread from his back; the membrane was black and thin.
He flapped his wings a few times but failed to lift his body.
“Hm,” Ethan frowned. “I don’t think I can fly yet. I might need a skill for it or learn how to channel Qi to provide enough lift.”
His long neck allowed him to twist and turn to look at his body.
“Alright,” Ethan smirked. “Not bad, honestly. Let’s check my skills before I check the core and stuff.”
Skills
Spatial Sense
Eldritch Breath
Eldritch Eye
Void Scales
Roar
Shapechange
“I still have Spatial Sense, but I lost Void Step,” Ethan grumbled. “That sucks. At least, I’ve got several other skills in return. Eldritch Breath and Eye seem like powerful skills. Debilitating and devastating. Void Scales could be both a strong defence and offence. Erasing anything that touches it sounds insane. Roar looks like a standard dragon skill. Every dragon should be able to roar. Shapechange, though. That’s a game-changer. If I can take a humanoid form, I might be able to lead a relatively normal life here. Hmm. Oh, crap. They’re all exceptionally expensive. If I use Shapechange, I’ll be out of Qi entirely, and the Breath and Eye… I could only afford two of them. Void Scales is dependent on the amount I erase. So, defending against a fly would be inconsequential, but defending against something huge and strong could prove very costly. Roar doesn’t take much, but it’s also the least potent skill. Shit. This complicates things. I’ll have to rely on my body’s strength much more than I had hoped.”
Ethan sighed and lay down, grumbling. He closed his eyes and dove into his internal space. His core was a small crystalline orb that rested against his spine below his heart and lungs. It was a deep purple colour, with swirls of black flowing through it. It pulsed with potent Qi.
“So,” Ethan thought. “Hmm. This is different than I’d expected. I don’t think I can cultivate normally anymore. How do I grow stronger? Hmm. I suppose there’s a difference in cultivating between humanoids and monsters. Uhm. My instincts tell me to hunt, fight, and show my dominance. I think my cultivation will take a more game-like progression now. Fight and win, gain levels, and that will improve my core? No, that doesn’t sound right.”
Ethan returned to inspecting his core and the surrounding area and found something strange. There was a separate space, a sack of something, connected to the core.
“What’s this?” Ethan frowned, but he couldn’t make sense of it. “It has to have something to do with cultivation. Do I have to eat my enemies to grow stronger, or is it something else? Maybe I drain something from them, which fills the separate space and then fuels the core’s improvements? I don’t think I’ll figure it out by lying here, thinking. I need to test it out.”
Ethan opened his eyes and rose. His claws dug furrows in the floor as he stretched and walked up the stairs. He was slightly bigger than his human body, but not by much. He was a few inches taller but significantly broader and longer.
“Hm,” Ethan frowned. “I guess a level one dragon isn’t that big. I wonder how big I’m going to get.”
He shook his head as he squeezed up the staircase and exited into the clear air of the mountaintop. His vision had improved drastically, and he could make out details that had eluded him before. He could even see details on the ground, thousands of meters below him. His vision snapped to a part of the foliage where he noticed movement and his instincts took over. He dashed forward, jumped and spread his wings. He glided through the air before dipping down. He dove.
The ground rushed toward him, and his vision narrowed as he spotted a large primate. A monkey of some sort had made the tree crowns its home, and Ethan was on a collision course with it.
The monkey looked up, noticed him and screeched before trying to jump away, but Ethan Roared.
The sound was deafening, even to Ethan. It came out of his chest as a deep, rattling sound that made his bones shake. He could see the Qi vibrating through the air, and the monkey froze mid-leap and plummeted to the ground.
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Ethan spread his wings again to slow his fall. Still, he overshot and had to retrace his path. His body moved sinuously between the trees, and he leapt at the prone primate. With a single crunch, the creature was dead.
[You have slain Monkey - lvl 5.]
Ethan remained a passenger in his own mind as he chewed and swallowed the creature. He only reclaimed control once it was consumed entirely.
“What the fuck was that?” he reeled, retching. “What the actual fuck?!”
A sound broke him from his turmoil as his head snapped to the side. Ethan saw a deer-like figure dash away after stumbling to its feet. Once again, Ethan’s vision narrowed, and he hyperfocused on the moving animal. He burst into motion and quickly caught up to the creature.
His claw lashed out, digging deep furrows in the beast’s hide and bringing it low. With another snap of his powerful jaws, he began another meal.
[You have slain Deer Doe - lvl 3.]
“Fuck!” Ethan lamented. “Another low levelled beast. Another loss of control. Is this how it’s going to be? I lose my head every time I see something living?”
Ethan stood still after he’d finished the meal, processing and contemplating. With a significant effort, he ignored the following sounds he heard. Something scuttled off along the ground while he heard flapping above him.
“These instincts are strong,” Ethan thought. “The urge to hunt, feast, and kill is almost overwhelming. How am I supposed to function with these urges? Haah, I need to get a grip on this.”
He stood there for several minutes, fighting the urge to rush after whatever sounds he heard.
“My body is strong,” he thought. “Far stronger than I was before. Is it due to a stronger base? My stats didn’t change, so it must be. Would it help if I increased my mental stats? Or would that make it worse? Is it my willpower that is too weak, or my instincts that are too strong? I’m leaning toward the former. Best case scenario, it’s temporary. My body has just transformed, and there’s an imbalance or something. Yeah, let’s go with that. I just need to keep myself together for a while, and it’ll get better.”
A growl snapped him out of his contemplation. He looked over and saw a large wolf snarling at him. Ethan frowned and snorted.
He roared at the wolf, and its hackles rose as it froze. Ethan dashed forward, clamped his jaw around the wolf’s neck and twisted. A resounding snap heralded the wolf’s demise.
[You have slain Dire Wolf - lvl 8.]
“What the hell? Why would it approach me and threaten me?” Ethan wondered as he began feasting. “At least I was in control that time. As long as I don’t fight the instinct, I can somewhat guide it. Anyway, let’s activate Spatial Sense and check the area.”
He soon found the reason why the wolf acted the way it did. A few meters from his location, Ethan saw a few young cubs. They’d been affected by his Roar and lay insensible on the ground.
“Oh,” Ethan froze. “Oh no. It was just trying to protect its young. If I had just… It wouldn’t have done anything if I’d just walked away. Fuck!”
Bile formed in his mouth as he looked down at the half-eaten carcass. A few moments passed before he shook his head and resumed his meal.
“No use crying over spilt milk,” Ethan justified himself. “It’s the way of life, the cruelty of the natural order. Hmm. I wonder if I can do something for the wolf cubs. Bah, fuck no. I’ll let them live, and if they prove strong enough, they’ll find a way to survive and thrive. No way am I getting bogged down with responsibility again. I’m on my own and only answer to myself.”
With a crunch, Ethan swallowed the last bits of the wolf and began walking back toward the mountain.
He hadn’t walked far when movement in his Spatial Sense drew his attention. Soon after, he heard the sounds of running as one person ran ahead of a group of three. The three held swords, while the single runner held something larger in their hands.
Ethan narrowed his eyes as he drew air through his nostrils.
“Something is burning,” Ethan realised. “Fire-Qi? Let’s see how my visage affects humans, shall we?”
Ethan smirked as he ran toward the four people. He arrived just as the front runner stumbled, and the three who followed slowed down. When he arrived, they approached the solitary one with slow, careful steps and froze. Ethan did, too, since he recognised them all.
Laila was the one who ran ahead, and she was clutching a vibrant red egg with golden streaks. The three others were among those who confronted Ethan when he lost his group.
“What the fuck!” one of the three exclaimed and turned toward Ethan, hands trembling as he clutched the sword. “That’s a dragon!”
Ethan saw red, and a deep growl emanated from his throat, causing the other two to turn on him. He didn’t give them much opportunity to act as he Roared and rushed forward. He swiped a claw at the hand of the first guy, and the sword was sent flying from their grip. Ethan followed it up with a lunge, encapsulated his head in his mouth, and snapped his jaw shut.
His tail snapped around and slammed into one of the other guys, sending him flying into a tree with a loud crack.
The third man snapped out of the fear effect and swung his sword, but it glanced off Ethan’s scales. Ethan’s mouth split into a menacing grin as he slammed into the man.
[You have slain Human - lvl 13.]
[You have slain Human - lvl 11.]
[You have slain Human - lvl 17.]
“Still, no levels,” Ethan grumbled as he absentmindedly chewed on the head in his mouth. “I wonder if it’s connected to my cultivation. Is my level as a monster directly bound to my cultivation and core?”
He kept eating, leaning down to take a bite of the three guys and chewing.
He kept doing that until he was snapped out of his rumination by a soft squeal. His eyes narrowed and focused on Laila, who was coming to her senses after the fear effect faded. She was backing away from him.
“Hmph,” Ethan snorted. “We meet again, Laila.”