Chapter 160: World Dragon Affinity & A Bad Dream
[World Dragon Affinity - This affinity allows interaction with the underlying aspects of the physical world]
[You have gained the Aspect of Charge]
[The Aspect of Charge Lv.1 - Grants the ability to generate static electricity and produce electrical discharge within a limited range]
[The other aspects of this affinity can only be attained with further growth as a dragon]
[A dragon’s affinity grows alongside the dragon itself. As your draconic physiology advances through each stage, new aspects will unlock and existing aspects will strengthen]
"Hm... okay," Ethan said as he read through the screens.
Then a sudden idea came to his mind, and a grin spread across his face.
According to Nina, when dragons awakened their affinity, they could release it from their mouths in a concentrated blast. She had referred to this technique as Dragon’s Breath.
Ethan took a wide stance in the courtyard, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He rolled his shoulders back and focused on channeling the electrical energy he could feel building inside his body.
Streaks of lightning began flickering in his eyes, crackling faintly as the reddish-amber glow intensified.
His body started generating small charges of static electricity here and there. Tiny arcs of blue-white current danced across his forearms and shoulders, making his hair stand slightly on end.
Then he took a deep breath, feeling the charge build in his chest, and exhaled forcefully, aiming to release a devastating stream of lightning from his mouth.
What came out instead were a few pathetic sparks that fizzled out almost immediately, followed by a thin wisp of smoke.
His throat immediately went hoarse, and he coughed roughly, doubling over slightly as he clutched at his neck.
"Gah... what the hell..." he rasped, his voice scratchy.
Then he started laughing at himself. His voice sounded at first because of his irritated throat, but it quickly turned into genuine amusement at how ridiculous that attempt had been.
A system notification appeared.
[You are a late-bloomer Skyreaver. Dragon’s Breath and other advanced draconic abilities will develop naturally as your physiology matures through this stage]
Ethan was still laughing when he read it, shaking his head. "It’s all good," he said between chuckles, "We’ll get there."
Then he cleared his throat a few more times.
For the final item on his list tonight, he decided he wanted to raise the upper limits of his class talents.
"System," Ethan said aloud. "Raise my talent levels."
[Talent Level Increased: Caster SS → SSS]
[15,000 XP Deducted]
[Talent Level Increased: Saber S → SS]
[6,500 XP Deducted]
[Talent Level Increased: Magi-Engineer S → SS]
[6,500 XP Deducted]
[Talent Level Increased: Ranger S → SS]
[6,500 XP Deducted]
[Talent Level Increased: Warrior S → SS]
[6,500 XP Deducted]
[Talent Level Increased: Guardian S → SS]
[6,500 XP Deducted]
[Total XP Deducted: 47,500]
Ethan stared at the caster upgrade for a moment. "That’s a leap," he muttered. Then he nodded to himself. "But with this, I’m not falling behind on comprehending higher-tiered spell logic. Tier 8 spells are within reach now."
[Experience Points Balance: 252,500]
Another notification appeared immediately after.
[Recalibrating Battle Aura Output...]
Ethan sort of understood why without needing an explanation. His Saber-class talent had just increased from S-tier to SS-tier, which meant his maximum potential for channeling Battle Aura had also increased proportionally.
Previously, at S-tier talent, he was been able to channel up to 70% of his Battle Aura. But that percentage had been calculated based on his old talent ceiling.
Now that the ceiling had been raised, the system was adjusting the metrics.
[Recalibration Complete]
[New Battle Aura Output: 55% of maximum SS-talent potential]
Ethan nodded, then turned his attention back to the main objective.
"System, allocate experience points to level up my Summoner class."
[Summoner Level 10 → Level 11]
[30,000 XP Required]
[Level 11 Achieved]
[You have gained a commander class summon]
[Summoner Level 11 → Level 12]
[35,000 XP Required]
[Level 12 Achieved]
[You have gained a commander class summon]
[Summoner Level 12 → Level 13]
[40,000 XP Required]
[Level 13 Achieved]
[You have gained a commander class summon]
[Summoner Level 13 → Level 14]
[45,000 XP Required]
[Level 14 Achieved]
[You have gained a commander class summon]
[Summoner Level 14 → Level 15]
[50,000 XP Required]
[Level 15 Achieved]
[You have gained a King-class summon]
"Stop," Ethan commanded.
The leveling process halted.
[Total XP Spent on Summoner Leveling: 200,000]
[Experience Points Balance: 52,500]
Ethan stared at the remaining balance and let out a long breath. "Damn, that’s such a drain," he muttered.
But then his gaze drifted back toward the Saber-class section. There was still one more thing he wanted to do.
"System, raise Saber talent level again."
[Talent Level Increased: Saber SS → SSS]
[15,000 XP Deducted]
[Recalibrating Battle Aura Output...]
[Recalibration Complete]
[New Battle Aura Output: 42% of maximum SSS-tier potential]
[Experience Points Balance: 37,000]
Ethan stared at the final balance and let out a satisfied sigh.
He had made significant progress tonight, and with that settled, he turned and walked back toward the manor entrance.
——
About the same time, in a far end part of town...
Bettie suddenly sat up in her bed, her breathing was rapid and her eyes wide with terror. Her heart rate went up so fast as remnants of the nightmare clung to her mind.
Beside her, a small figure stirred.
Her little brother, Mylo, roughly six years old, rubbed his eyes and turned toward her with a sleepy expression. "Is it another bad dream, big sister?"
Bettie’s breathing slowed slightly as she looked down at him. She reached out and gently stroked his messy brown hair, then leaned down to kiss the side of his head.
"It’s okay, Mylo," she whispered. "Go back to sleep."
He nodded, still half-asleep, and curled back up under the blanket. Within moments, his breathing had evened out again.
Bettie sat there for a moment, her hand still resting on his head. Then she carefully slid out of bed, making sure not to disturb him.
As she stood, flashes of the dream replayed in her mind.
A massive, monstrous entity made entirely of darkness. Red glowing eyes that stared directly at her. A presence so overwhelming it had felt like it was crushing her from the inside out.