[ Congratulations, Host! You have developed a new Skill: Half Dragonification (E) ]
> Half Dragonification (E):
Using this skill allows the host to channel your Dragon traits into your human body, enabling raw strength up to 90% of your original draconic power.
Deep into the night, beneath a moon that burned bright in the sky, a shadowy humanoid figure leapt across the land, sprinting straight toward the terrifying dens of the Hollows.
The figure's fingers elongated, morphing into razor-sharp, unbreakable dragon claws. His movements blurred like a phantom, leaving behind fading afterimages.
When the moonlight finally caught his face, the truth was revealed—it was Ryu.
In the stillness of midnight, he had embarked on a ruthless killing spree… all for one purpose: to grow stronger.
Tonight he would use his part Dragonification skill form he recently learned after observing Venus.
Under the pale glow of the moon, Ryu's body shimmered, scales bursting forth like molten glass forging over his skin. His veins pulsed with raw draconic energy, veins glowing faintly white beneath the newly formed golden scales that crept along his arms and shoulders.
With a guttural roar, he unleashed the power of his Dragonification. His eyes flared gold, slitted like a dragon's, and two long, curved horn erupted from his forehead, sharp as obsidian.
The first Hollow, a towering brute with cracked crimson skin and jagged fangs, lunged at him. Ryu reacted in a blur, his dragon claws slicing through the air, catching the beast's claw mid-swipe. The echoing clash rang through the den like thunder. Using his draconic strength, Ryu twisted, then slammed his elbow into the Hollow's chest, cracking ribs beneath the thick flesh. The Hollow staggered back, blood leaking from its mouth.
Without pause, Ryu's body surged forward. His feet barely touched the ground as he propelled himself with newfound power, landing a spinning slash. His claws gouged deep into the Hollow's torso, shredding muscle and bone with sickening wetness. The creature howled, eyes wide with terror, before collapsing lifelessly.
From the shadows, a swarm of smaller Hollowfiends with glistening red eyes surged forward, teeth gnashing. Ryu's wings, hidden until now, unfurled in golden radiance from his back, with veins glowing faintly white.
With a mighty flap, he launched into the air, then dove like a draconic comet.
His claws struck multiple foes in a deadly arc, each swipe leaving a trail of golden fire that burned their flesh and sizzled through their corrupted veins. The scent of charred hollow meat filled the air.
Landing deftly, Ryu let out a guttural growl as his tail, now thick and armored, whipped through a group of charging foes, knocking them sprawling like bowling pins. His breath hissed—smoke curling from nostrils—as he summoned a torrent of blazing draconic flame, engulfing a pack of Hollow fiends, reducing their bodies to smoldering ash.
But one cunning Hollow, quicker than the rest, lunged from the side, its claws aiming for Ryu's exposed neck.
But Ryu twisted mid-air, his body reacting with lightning speed. He grabbed the attacker by the throat, eyes glowing fiercely as he squeezed, draining the creature's dark energy into himself through the growing dragon scales on his hands.
The Hollow gasped, struggling futilely before crumpling into dust.
Ryu's breath came heavy, heart pounding with the rush of battle and the surge of draconic power flooding his veins. Each kill strengthened him, the Dragonification deepening—his scales becoming harder, his claws sharper, his senses more acute.
His draconic claws continued to tore mercilessly through slumbering beasts, rending the dark-skinned, crimson-eyed Hollowfied creatures apart one after another.
Ryu fought like a Dragon Warrior incarnate.
To be exact, he was no longer just a human—he was a half dragon.
His levels increased steadily, each kill fueling his ascent. Dozens, then hundreds of Hollowfiends fell beneath his claws, their blood and bodies vanishing as if cleansed by an unseen force. The dens seemed to cleanse themselves of all evidence of carnage.
But in truth, Ryu was transferring them into his Fusion Lab. Nothing was wasted. Every shattered bone, every corrupted essence was stored, cataloged, and repurposed to use them later.
His mind churned with frustration. If he only had way to purify his body, then he would have fused with all of them. In this way. He could have grown stronger more fast. But unfortunately that's not possible right now.
Even his body wouldn't be able to handle the corrupted Mana.
Just then, a deep hiss pierced in his chest.
From the darkness, a massive, corrupted python coiled and lunged, its scales blackened with rot, eyes glowing an eerie green.
With a swift motion, he activated Abyssal Grasp.
Shadowy tendrils erupted from his palm, snaking through the air to seize the python mid-attack. The creature's body convulsed as Ryu's palm formed a spiraling dark vortex and swallowed it whole.
Ryu shivered for moment as soon as rich coveraged energy surged into Ryu's core, instantly restoring his stamina, replenishing the fires within.
, he pressed forward relentlessly, like a whirlwind of fury and power. Hollow dens fell one after another, shattered by his mad slaughter.
His claws gleamed with otherworldly light. His breath was fire and shadow intertwined. The dragon within raged free—and nothing in those cursed tunnels could stand against him.
He was a predator of the night, moving with the grace of a phantom and the savagery of a beast born for war. Every strike was lethal, every movement precise, every breath steeped in draconic dominance.
But somewhere in the shadows, a pair of eyes tracked his every motion—wide, unblinking, and heavy with quiet shock.
Those eyes reflected disbelief tangled with a thread of fear.
"Ryuzen… what kind of power is he using?" Luthor's whisper barely left his lips, but it trembled. "Those golden wings… those claws… they look like one of those evil dragon breeds. I knew there's something definitely not right with him."
A few hours earlier, Luthor had been deep in sleep. The silence of the night was broken only by the rustle of fabric as he stirred, awoken by a pressing need to relieve himself. But when he turned toward the makeshift tent's far corner, he realized Ryuzen's spot was empty.
The absence nagged at him. Curiosity mixed with a seed of suspicion, pulling him from the tent into the pale moonlight.
It didn't take long before the air was pierced by distant howls and monstrous shrieks. The cries carried an otherworldly echo, twisting the night into something far more menacing. Drawn toward the sounds, Luthor kept to the cover of boulders and trees, each step bringing him closer.
Ryuzen, mid-battle, was a whirlwind of destruction. Hollows fell like wheat before a scythe, their monstrous bodies shredded and burned by a form that was both human and not. Scaled arms, gleaming claws, wings that drank the moonlight—his half-dragon form was alive with terrifying power.
Luthor froze, his breath caught in his throat. The raw violence of the scene was overwhelming, but what unsettled him most was how natural Ryuzen looked in that monstrous guise, as if he belonged in it.
Now, crouched in the darkness, Luthor's heartbeat drummed in his ears. His mind swirled with questions he could no longer ignore.
He needed answers—and soon.