[ Initiating Self Fusion With "Sky Dragonfly (F)" ]
[ Estimated Time: 120 Seconds ]
The orb pierced straight into Yuki's chest like a beam of focused light.
"Arghhh!"
This pain was far worse than the previous fusions. It wasn't just his soul now—his very blood was boiling, as if every cell inside him was being shattered and rebuilt at once. The alien bloodline clashed violently with his natural dragon heritage.
It was a gamble. A dangerous one.
But Dracina's earlier words echoed in his mind—
[ If you can suppress the mutations, Host, your superior bloodline will only grow stronger.]
Puchi!
A wet tearing noise rang out as a new pair of delicate, semi-translucent wings tore through his back, right beside his existing dragon wings. They buzzed unnaturally, twitching with a strange rhythm.
Then... another sharp stab of pain on his forehead.
Two extra eyes began to form.
"No... no!"
He grit his teeth, jaw clenched so tight his fangs bled. His body writhed, but his will stood firm.
'I am a Dragon. I won't be reduced to an insect...'
He roared inwardly, focusing every ounce of mental power he had to suppress the invading traits.
The wings began to disappear, becoming more dragon than dragonfly. The eyes also flickered, then faded back, leaving only a subtle mark above his brows. A symbol of the fusion, not a mutation.
Ding!
[ Fusion Successful ]
[ Mutations Detected: Neutralized by Superior Bloodline ]
[ Your Physical Stats Have Been Upgraded ]
[ Strength +1, Agility +3, Defense +2 ]
Yuki collapsed on his knees, panting hard. His body steamed faintly as the fusion process finally over.
He had succeeded.
He looked over his stats again with trembling claws, half in pain, half in pride.
[ Name: Yuki Igarashi ]
[ Age: 5 Years ]
[ Lifespan: 35 Years ]
[ Species: Variant Frost Dragon ]
[ Level: 3 ]
[ Strength: 12 ]
[ Agility: 11 ]
[ Defense: 10 ]
[ Mana: 21 ]
[ Skills: Windleap Dash (E), Shell Sense (F), Frost Breath (F), Water Resistance (F) ]
——
His species had changed to Variant Frost Dragon.
Not just that, even his physical stats saw a noticeable jump. A modest increase, yes—but every boost meant survival in this world.
"A solid improvement..." he muttered, satisfied.
But what he witnessed next nearly blew his mind.
"Wh-What?"
For a moment, his mind refused to register it.
[ Archive ]
Bloodlines: Water Toad (F) -2x, Sky Dragonfly (F), Nightmare Moth (F)
Skills: Nocturnal Instinct (F)
"Dracina?" he called in a shaky voice. "Am I seeing this right?"
"...."
A short silence followed.
[ Aplogy, Host. Dracina has no explanation either. Perhaps... a system error? ]
"You don't know? A system error? That's your answer? That's the most half-assed reply I've ever heard," Yuki spat, finally getting the chance to mock the System.
Dracina: "....."
The silence said everything.
Yuki stared at the Archive again.
He had clearly fused with the Sky Dragonfly bloodline. And yet... it was still there. Untouched. As if he'd never used it at all.
But the Skills he fused before? Gone.
This wasn't just odd. This was a glitch. A major flaw in the system. Or...
....a loophole.
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"A system error, huh? Or maybe..." A wicked grin curled on his lips. "...a hidden blessing?"
Whether it was a bug or a feature, it was time to find out.
He tried commanding the same bloodline again.
And... a similar blue orb filled with bloodline essence appeared before him, completely intact.
Once again, he looked at the Archive and saw it was still there.
Next, he commanded the Water Toad's bloodline to emerge, and it did. Yet the quantity of the blood essence remained the same: 2x.
Yuki's breath caught in his throat as he repeated the process with another bloodline: Nightmare Moth. The same thing happened again.
Something was definitely wrong with the System.
An infinite bloodline glitch.
"Doesn't that mean I can fuse with infinite blood essences and eventually become the strongest?"
[ Host's mental state is fluctuating. Please calm down. The more you fuse with the same bloodline, the less effective it becomes over time. ]
Yuki snarled at Dracina, irritated that she had burst his balloon of excitement.
"I get it. But do you really have no explanation for this glitch?"
Dracina replied calmly:
[ It's likely a System Error caused while I was traveling through the space-time flow. I don't have any other explanation. ]
Yuki grinned. "So it won't be fixed? This is permanent, right?" he asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
[ Unfortunately, yes. I cannot fix this System Error, Host. ]
"Unfortunate? You should call this a great fortune instead. Can't you feel even a little happy for your Host?" he said, smiling as his lips curled with amusement.
[ Dracina is happy for you, Host. ]
"Forget it. I can't go through Fusion again, right?"
[ Yes. Host's body and soul are already in disarray. Crossing the limit could be fatal. ]
"Yeah, I guessed as much.
Now I should leave. That damn fox finally disappeared after waiting so long..."
Yuki gave the mental command to exit the Fusion Lab.
As he returned, he found that it was still night. And the Silverfeet Fox was nowhere to be seen.
He relaxed, walking calmly toward the house. Finally, some long-desired rest. He was still just a newborn, after all. A newborn dragon deserved to rest, especially after all he had gone through.
....
But just then, a sudden chill crawled down his spine. His hair stood on end.
"Squelch!"
Befor he couldnreact, a silvery foot struck his back, scraping off some of his scales.
"Argh, who is it now?"
He turned around and saw the Silverfeet Fox standing behind him, its sharp paws glowing with a razor-like radiance. His eyes glowed with hunger.
"Hell! It's you again? Do you really want to kill me that badly?" he tried to say, though it came out as a spattering gasp.
'Anyway, it's not your luck day, you evil fox!'
[ Windleap Dash ]
He launched himself into the air and dashed toward the house at once.
Surprisingly, the fox stopped at the edge of the house's territory, refusing to set foot near it. It seemed the strange little house wasn't something it dared to invade.