Chapter 50: Distributing The Rewards
-----
“Huh, this isn’t bad at all!” I exclaimed. “A complete set of armor—and it’s ice-proof! Who wants it?”
“Wait, seriously?!” My father’s eyes widened in shock. “Awesome! You don’t want it? Then I call dibs!”
“Wait, what about me, old man?!” Astrid protested, clenching her teeth as she punched his shoulder.
“Hahaha!” My father didn’t even flinch. “I’m always at the front, so I deserve the best protection. Just stay behind me, baby girl.”
“I’m not a baby anymore…” she growled.
“We could share the pieces among everyone?” I suggested. “But a full set probably has a combined effect, so it’s better if one person takes the whole thing. Okay, Astrid, stop complaining. Here, take this ring instead.”
“Oh?!” Astrid gasped, cradling the ring in her hands. “What is this? What does it do?!”
“No idea. We’ll have to test it,” I replied. “For now… let me evolve everything again.”
“?!”
“Evolve.”
FLASH!
With a single command, every item instantly evolved once more.
[You have used your Trait: [Evolution (???)] to evolve the following items:]
[Mana Crystals (C Grade)] x50 → [High-Grade Mana Crystals (B+ Grade)] x50
[Spirit Crystals (C Grade)] x50 → [High-Grade Spirit Crystals (B+ Grade)] x50
[Bloodline Elixir – Frozen Catfish Tyrant (B Grade)] x1 → [Bloodline Elixir – Frozen Catfish Emperor (A Grade)] x1
[Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Tyrant Chest Armor (B Grade)] x1 → [Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Emperor Chest Armor (A Grade)] x1
[Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Tyrant Helmet (B Grade)] x1 → [Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Emperor Helmet (A Grade)] x1
[Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Tyrant Greaves (B Grade)] x1 → [Ice-Proof Frozen Catfish Emperor Greaves (A Grade)] x1
[Spring Spirit Ring (B+ Grade)] x1 → [Divine Spring Spirit Ring (A+ Grade)] x1
[Class-Only Skill Selection Scroll (B Grade)] x1 → [Divine Class-Only Random Skill Scroll (A Grade)] x1
A lot had changed, but everything had evolved perfectly. I dropped to the floor, exhausted, but quickly drank a few Mana Elixirs I had evolved earlier and forced myself back to my feet.
“Alright, Dad. The armor’s yours,” I said.
“S-Sure… wow…” My father stared at the gleaming set, eyes full of awe. The new armor now shimmered with threads of gold. “Don’t I look too regal in this? Feels kinda wrong for a barbarian to wear something so fancy…”
“You wanted it so badly, it’s yours!” my mother laughed. “No take-backs. Now put it on and let everyone see how knightly you look, mister.”
“F-Fine!” My father hurriedly donned the armor. It made him look even more imposing than before.
“This ring is incredible,” Astrid said, her voice filled with wonder. “Just equipping it made me stronger. I feel so much more connected to Water and Ice than ever before… I think I could even conjure magic from them now. It also has self-recovery and several new spells!”
“That’s great!” I said.
“You can finally be useful, sis,” my brother teased.
“I’ve always been useful!” she hissed, nearly swiping at his face.
“And what’s that bottle?” my mother asked.
“A bloodline elixir… but it’s from that damn catfish,” I sighed. “Not exactly recommendable unless you want gills and whiskers…”
“Eh, I’ll pass,” my mother said, shaking her head.
“Though if someone drinks it, they should gain the catfish’s powers and become almost immune to the dungeon’s ice element,” I added.
“I want it!” Sigrid stepped forward. “Nobody else wants it, right? I’ll take it.”
“R-Really?” I asked, surprised.
“Sigrid, don’t!” my mother protested. “Your parents entrusted us with your care. I’m not sending their daughter back as a half-fish!”
“But bloodline transformations aren’t permanent, right?” Sigrid asked hopefully. “Brunhild can control hers and return to normal.”
“Yeah, but…” I hesitated. “Hmm… you really want this?”
“I want a bloodline too, so I can become stronger,” Sigrid said earnestly. “I think it would match my affinity perfectly. And… it might complement yours?”
I rubbed my chin. “Fine. I’ll take responsibility. If your parents get angry, I’ll face the consequences.”
“Are you serious?” my sister asked. “She’s going to turn into a big fat catfish!”
“That’s not how bloodlines work,” I sighed, facepalming. “Here.”
“Thanks!” Sigrid smiled brightly. She opened the bottle and drank it without hesitation. “Guh… Augh? Aaaah!”
The effects hit her immediately. She finished the elixir in one go, and it began merging with her body.
“Sigrid!”
Everyone panicked, but I quickly calmed them and stayed by her side, monitoring her pulse and aura as she absorbed the bloodline’s power.
Sigrid’s aura surged wildly. Azure spiritual water swirled and froze around her as her already strong Ice affinity intensified dramatically.
Blue ice scales began to form along her arms and body—not too many, just enough to look striking. Her hair shifted to a vivid blue, and a pair of delicate gills appeared on her neck. Her ears grew pointed with fin-like membranes, and elegant catfish whiskers sprouted on her cheeks, giving her an unexpectedly adorable look.
Finally, a sleek, slightly plump catfish tail emerged, shimmering with blue ice scales.
“Wow…”
As her aura settled, everyone stared in stunned silence. Some had feared she would become a giant catfish, but the result was far more beautiful than anyone expected.
“H-How do I look?” Sigrid asked shyly, clearly self-conscious.
Her body had grown taller and more developed—similar to what had happened to me—making her look one or two years older. In this form, she was noticeably stronger and more physically mature.
“Y-You look gorgeous, bestie!” Kara exclaimed in awe. “Right?!”
“Yeah…” Ulf swallowed hard. “Wow… it’s like you’re a spirit or something.”
“Spirit?!” Sigrid glanced back at me, blushing as she brushed her hair over her ears. “Um… Brun? What do you think?”
“I think you look pretty strong!” I said. “We should spar later to test your new power…”
“S-Spar?!” She looked disappointed. “I meant… physically. Am I not pretty?”
“Duh, of course you are,” I shrugged. “You’ve always been cute.”
“E-Ehehe… really?” she murmured, clearly pleased.
“Anyway, can you control the form?” I asked.
“Yeah, I was about to ask that!” my mother added.
“You need to control it properly,” my father warned. “Or we’re all getting an earful from your parents…”
“I think I can,” Sigrid said confidently.
In the next moment, her transformation faded. She returned mostly to normal, though she remained slightly taller and more toned than before, with noticeably better muscle definition.
“Yeah!” she nodded. “Though… why are you all so small now?”
She now stood taller than the twins, even though they used to be the same height or slightly taller than her.
“No way…” Kara muttered.
“Sigrid! You’re too tall now!” Ulf cried dramatically. “I’m the boy here—why am I so scrawny?! Not fair!”
“Hahaha, I guess this is permanent…” Sigrid giggled shyly.
“It’s fine,” I shrugged. “You’ll get used to it. More importantly, it worked!”
Sigrid nodded and shifted back into her bloodline form. “My magic has been amplified at least tenfold! And I feel so much stronger… and faster!”
She dashed around the room in a blur, releasing bursts of icy dust and vanishing and reappearing at will. The display was breathtaking.
“Well done. We’ll test your limits properly later,” I said with a nod.
While she practiced her new magic, I turned my attention to the final item—the Divine Class-Only Random Skill Scroll. This one was mine.
It had to be something good, right?
I held the shimmering scroll in my hands. The paper felt warm, almost alive, pulsing with divine energy that stirred my Dragon Soul. Golden runes danced across its surface like living flames. Freyja hovered beside me, eyes wide with curiosity.
I took a deep breath and unfurled it.
Ding!
[You have activated the Divine Class-Only Random Skill Scroll (A Grade)!]
[Generating compatible skill based on your Classes: [Diviner – Tier 2], [Gladiator – Tier 2], [Hunter – Tier 2], [Saintess – Tier 2], [Ninja – Tier 2]]
The scroll burst into radiant golden-red flames that didn’t burn me. They swirled around my body before sinking into my chest like liquid gold. I felt the divinity within me awaken and surge, all the power from my classes condensing into one strange yet overwhelming new skill.
As the skill took shape, a tall spiritual figure suddenly manifested from my aura—the same way the other two spirits had been born.
She was different from them: tall, slender, yet powerfully built. She wore a black veil made of pure night, covering her eyes in shadow. In her hands she held both a bow and an axe. Her body glowed bright red, her veils were black as darkness, and her long white hair blazed with holy fire.
“Whoa…”
Ding!
[You have awakened the Divine Class Skill: [War Saintess of the Umbral Hunt – Tier 3: Level 1/10]!]
-----