I Received System to Become Dragonborn

The two beasts continued their battle. They didn’t show any intention of retreating.

Their movements had become slower than before but their attacks were still brutal and powerful.

The armored beast was covered in deep wounds where its plates were cracked or torn apart. Dark blood ran down its limbs and soaked the fur along its body, one of its legs began to drag slightly behind the others.

The serpent and lizard-like beast had suffered just as badly. Several of its scales had been ripped away and long gashes stretched across its massive body.

Blood seeped between its scales and dripped onto the ground beneath it.

The clearing had become almost unrecognizable now. Trees shattered or uprooted, the ground torn apart by claws and bodies, enormous chunks of soil and stone were scattered across the battlefield.

Every breath from the two beasts came out as a deep and strained growl. Their bodies rose and fell heavily as they struggled to maintain their strength.

But neither of them looked like they were about to win. They continued attacking because none of them seemed willing to accept defeat.

The armored beast lunged forward with what remained of its strength while the serpent twisted its body and countered with its jaws.

Their attacks became increasingly desperate. Some struck their targets but others missed far as their exhausted bodies struggled to respond.

Sylven watched in silence. At this point, he still could not determine which of them would emerge victorious.

The longer the battle continued, the more likely it became that neither would win.

They were approaching the point where their wounds and exhaustion would kill them before either creature managed to defeat the other.

If the battle continued at this pace then it was entirely possible that both beasts would collapse in the same clearing and die together.

But that was not what bothered Sylven the most. He still had no idea what he was supposed to do!

He had come here because he believed the battle was connected to the Trial. He expected to discover some hidden purpose behind the disturbance or perhaps find something that would reveal the next step.

Instead, he had spent his time watching two enormous creatures tear each other apart.

Sylven’s expression darkened. "What am I supposed to do here?"

The question continued to bother him.

Then he stopped focusing on the beasts and slowly shifted his attention toward the surrounding forest instead.

The trees stood around the clearing in complete silence. Their enormous trunks were still, their branches moved beneath the wind and shockwave.

At first, there seemed to be nothing unusual about them. They looked like the same trees he had seen throughout the forest.

But Sylven continued listening. He concentrated on the sounds around him and allowed his Magic to spread through his surroundings.

That was when he heard a faint whisper, that was so quiet that he almost mistook it for the rustling of leaves.

Sylven’s eyes narrowed. He remained completely still and focused even more deeply.

He heard more whispers followed. They were coming from the trees.

Sylven could hear countless tiny voices buried beneath the natural sounds of the forest. They were so faint that an ordinary person would never have noticed them. Even someone with considerable Magic ability might have mistaken them for the wind moving through the branches.

But Sylven was a Dragonborn. His connection to Magic was far beyond anything, allowing him to perceive things that others could not.

Once he concentrated enough, the faint voices became clearer.

And then he realized something that made his expression change.

The voices were not speaking to him. They were speaking to the two beasts.

"Fight."

"Do not stop."

"Kill each other."

"Keep fighting."

"Die."

The whispers spread through the trees like an invisible current. They did not sound angry or desperate. They sounded calm, with a commanding manner.

That made them far more disturbing. The trees were encouraging the beasts to continue their battle even though both creatures were already close to death.

Every whisper pushed them toward the same outcome. They wanted the beasts to keep fighting until none of them had enough strength left to survive.

Sylven’s eyes slowly moved across the surrounding trees. Nothing about the forest’s appearance had changed. But Sylven could hear what was hidden beneath that peaceful surface.

The forest was not afraid of the beasts. They were watching them and encouraging them to kill each other. But what was that signified?

Sylven’s expression became increasingly serious as he listened to those faint voices, knowing that the plants were manipulating the beasts.

—

Meanwhile, the situation had taken a dangerous turn for Erend.

He now found himself surrounded by about a hundred enemies. They had a humanoid appearance but definitely not ordinary humans.

Their bodies looked like grotesque fusions of zombies and strong warriors. Their flesh was twisted and decayed in places, but their movements were still fast and coordinated.

Despite their monstrous appearance they have the strength and speed of trained warriors, allowing them to attack with terrifying force to seriously threaten Erend if he lets his guard down.

They attacked from every direction. Some rushed toward him from the front while others circled around his sides and attempted to strike him from behind.

Their movements created constant pressure as Erend was forced to keep turning and defending himself against wave after wave of attacks.

There was barely any time for him to breathe before another enemy was already closing in.

What made the situation worse was that Erend could not use his full power as he normally did.

His connection to his abilities had been severely weakened. He could still use his Fire Magic and Lightning Magic, and Water Magic.

His scales were also still capable of protecting his body from attacks. However, the overall power behind every ability had fallen drastically.

Erend could still fight. But he was no longer fighting at his usual level.

His attacks demanded more effort than it should have. His movement felt heavier while the enemies continued surrounding him without giving him a chance to recover.

With nearly a hundred monsters pressing in from every direction, Erend realized that simply overpowering them would not be possible this time.

He had to fight carefully. If he made even one serious mistake, the sheer number of enemies surrounding him could overwhelm him completely.

—