Might as Well - Chapter 384 (Patreon)

Sam stood his ground as the mana swirled, whirled, roiled, and surged around them.

One would expect the world to hold its breath as the transformation progressed; instead, it let out a primordial roar that seemed to shake everything, from the smallest pebble beneath his feet to the gigantic glass dome towering above them.

Cracks and groans echoed overhead as the enchanted structure strained against the impossible concentration of mana, yet most of Sam’s attention remained fixed on the cocoon of rainbow light where Cynthia had disappeared.

His own mana was still being drained, but nowhere near as violently as before. Apparently, the Hollow Dagger had contained enough stored mana to fuel the bulk of the transformation.

Now the only question was whether he had done everything correctly or royally fucked something up.

The aria itself hadn’t actually been necessary. Most ritual circles functioned perfectly well without elaborate chanting, provided they were carved correctly and supplied with enough mana.

But he felt it added the appropriate gravitas.

And it sounded cool. Though he would never admit that to anyone.

His messenger had been buzzing almost nonstop for the past several seconds, but he ignored it for now.

His eyes followed the mana as it moved through the air, the cocoon absorbing every last drop and pulsating with a primordial mana that felt almost alive, carrying with it an undercurrent of barely restrained rage that seemed to regard him the same way a predator would regard a particularly delicious piece of prey.

He flexed his own mana slightly, allowing the void to seep into it, and almost immediately the attention that had been focused on him shifted away with clear disinterest, as if whatever ancient instinct had noticed him had decided that he was no longer worth investigating.

‘Alright… that’s something…’ he mused as he continued watching, his curiosity only growing as the ritual continued to progress.

The cocoon soon began to pulse, contracting and expanding every second or so according to some unseen rhythm, but as Sam continued observing it, he slowly realized that the movement was not random at all. It was following the beat of a heart, a slow and powerful rhythm that echoed through the mana itself, and before he even noticed it happening, he found his own heartbeat beginning to synchronize with it.

Excitement grew within him as the rhythm began to accelerate, the very air around them seemingly breathing in and out in time with the pulse, each beat causing the creaking and cracking sounds from the dome to grow louder as the structure bent under the immense pressure and continued changing from one moment to the next.

As the magical phenomenon continued to unfold, Sam became more and more certain that he had succeeded.

Succeeded at what?

He had no idea.

But it definitely looked promising.

Then, as the rhythm of the beat reached its crescendo, the air itself stilled, holding perfectly motionless as if unwilling to disturb the moment, creating a suffocating silence where Sam found himself holding his breath as well, refusing to let even the smallest distraction disrupt his concentration.

The cocoon began to pulse faster and faster, the previously oval shape slowly losing its form until it became something more amorphous and undefined. The light surrounding it seemed to darken, the rainbow radiance gradually shifting into a dark red and black color that reminded Sam of cooling lava, with the deep red glow still visible beneath the hardened black surface.

Soon, he found himself staring at a person-sized egg hovering in the air, its rough black surface covered by paper-thin red lines that crisscrossed across it like cracks in volcanic stone, while the entire thing slowly rotated around its own axis.

The mana that had been violently swirling throughout the area had finally calmed down, gradually returning to its normal behavior as the ritual reached its final stage.

Silence filled the dome.

CRACK

CRACK CRACK

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

Sam watched as the egg split down the middle, the sound of the cracking surface echoing across the empty training ground like a series of gunshots.

Then, as the split finished, the two halves of the egg began to disintegrate, one dissolving upward into the air while the other crumbled downward into a cloud of dark particles that vanished within seconds.

In the end, Sam was left with Cynthia slowly levitating down toward the ground, returning to the exact spot where she had started.

However, she was changed.

Her armor, clothing, and even her hair were the same, yet somehow everything about her was different.

She was still the same height, but her body had visibly gained a bit more definition, her muscles standing out slightly more than before. She hadn’t become overly muscular, but there was a new sense of tension and power to her frame, as if every part of her body had been refined and made ready for a fight.

Her skin, which had previously been fair, had also changed, with several areas now covered in dark red scales that blended naturally with her body. Even her hands had transformed, ending in sharp claws instead of ordinary fingers.

Her boots had changed as well, with small claws peeking out from the tips where they had broken through the material.

Her ears had changed as well, becoming sharp and triangular, while two pitch-black horns emerged from beneath her hair, curving backward, ending in razor-sharp points.

As she took a deep breath, Sam noticed that her teeth had changed as well, now appearing slightly metallic before she slowly opened her eyes. They were silver-colored and seemed to shine with a barely contained power.

She looked around in wonder, examining everything as if she were seeing the world for the very first time, before turning her attention to her own hands and repeatedly clenching them into fists before opening them again, seemingly fascinated by the simple act.

“Cynthia?” he asked hesitantly. “You good?”

Her eyes snapped toward him, and she grinned. That grin looked dangerous.

“This is… sooo fucking awesome!” the younger girl declared.

“What exactly is awesome?” he asked.

She looked down at the ritual circle carved into the stone platform, the material already beginning to crack and crumble into dust.

“Er, how about we sit down somewhere?”

Sam chuckled. “Fair enough.”

He raised one foot and brought it down hard, allowing his magic to surge through the stone and destroy the entire surface of the ritual platform, ensuring that nobody would be able to simply copy the ritual circle and attempt to recreate what he had done.

A minute later, they were sitting at a small outdoor café-like area, surrounded by wrought iron furniture, glass tables, and parasols positioned above them to protect them from the harsh sunlight.

The moment they sat down, visibly terrified maids swarmed out and began serving them tea, small cakes, and various other sweets, while the ground crew headed toward the destroyed ritual circle, ready to remove the damaged stone and rebuild it for future use.

The Heavenly Forest crew worked with astonishing efficiency, almost as if replacing a ritual platform destroyed by an experimental transformation ritual was just another routine task on their schedule.

Sam watched them for a while, giving Cynthia time to adjust to her new body while also reading through the myriad notifications she had received. He had received a few himself, but he deliberately held back from checking them.

First, he wanted to see what Clarissa’s sister had received.

“So…” he began, only for Cynthia to cut him off.

“Boss… Sam,” she began, her eyes shining as she looked at him with unmistakable awe. “I don’t know how you did it, but you… you changed my race. I’m not human anymore!”

Sam looked at her for a moment before simply nodding.

She stared at him, the smile slowly slipping from her face. “Damn. My sister was right. There is literally nothing that can surprise you.” Then she grinned. “Wanna see?”

Sam nodded again.

Cynthia raised one clawed hand and waved it through the air, as if interacting with something invisible, and almost instantly a new screen appeared in front of him.

Clearly, Cynthia had chosen to share only the most important notifications, probably not wanting to completely drown him in the same flood of messages she had received.

[Congratulations! You successfully participated in a ritual without any side effects! You gain +1 LUCK!]

[You had no idea what the ritual was about, yet you dove in headfirst without any worry or hesitation! You lose 1 WIS!]

[You gain the title of Igor!]

[Igor: You are the perfect assistant to any mad scientist. You ask no questions and do whatever you are told. Mad scientists consider you valuable enough not to be sacrificed, and increasing reputation with their types is much easier for you. Especially if you do what they tell you to do.]

[Congratulations! You’re the first to change your race to Dragonkin!]

[You gain the title of Progenitor!]

[Progenitor (Dragonkin): You are the first of your race. At least among the players. The rest... well, that will remain a mystery for now. Increased reputation with Dragonkin and dragons.]

[Changes to your race have also changed your body!]

[As a Dragonkin, your vitality and mana have surged to new heights. Your base Health and Mana Point growth has increased from 10 to 100. You gain +1 Base Mana Regeneration per level. The effectiveness of all resistance skills is doubled. However, you become vulnerable to anything that affects dragon-type creatures.]

[You gain the skills Scaled Skin, Eyes of the Predator, Secondary Core, Treasure Sense, Draconic Transformation, and Dragon Incarnation!]

[Scaled Skin: Level 0/100 (0%) (Passive) Your skin has become covered in immensely strong scales. Reduces physical and magical damage taken by 0.1% per skill level. Grants 1% resistance against True Damage for every 10 skill levels.]

[Eyes of the Predator: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) You have become an apex predator. You instinctively perceive weaknesses in your opponents. Striking these weak points increases damage based on the nature of the weak point and the target.]

[Secondary Core: Level 0 (0%) (Passive) As a Dragonkin, you have inherited the magical nature of dragons. This has resulted in the creation of a small secondary mana core hidden within your body. Whenever you are not actively using mana, this secondary core absorbs excess magic, allowing you to draw upon it when needed. Mana stored within this core does not regenerate.]

[Treasure Sense: Level 0/100 (0%) (Active) A dragon is not a true dragon without its hoard. This ability allows you to identify treasures, ensuring that you collect only the most worthy.]

[Draconic Transformation: Level 0 (0%) (Active) Due to your ascension into Dragonkin, you are capable of transforming into a Dragon, complete with breath attacks and all other draconic abilities. Transforming places immense strain on your body, leaving you weakened with a debuff upon returning to your original form. You can maintain your transformation for 9 seconds, with the duration increasing by an additional 9 seconds per skill level.]

[Dragon Incarnation: Level MAX (MAX%) (Active) Despite being Dragonkin, you are still a dragon. Your transformation has attracted the attention of the God of Dragons. Finding you interesting, they have granted you the ability to call upon their strength, temporarily becoming the incarnation of all dragons. Cooldown: 777 hours. Warning: There is always a price for calling upon the power of the gods.]

“Well, that is a lot…” Sam muttered as he read through the information Cynthia had shared with him. “Never use the last skill until you have maxed out the transformation skill.”

Cynthia nodded immediately. “Understood.”

Sam reached up and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If I were in your position, I would focus on the Predator and Secondary Core skills first. They will synergize best with your current abilities.”

Cynthia nodded again, the grin almost permanently plastered across her face as every few seconds she glanced down at her scaled skin, flexed her clawed hands, or reached up to run her fingers over her new horns and ears with barely contained fascination.

“Anything else?” Sam asked.

“There was a… what do you call it… vision thingy?” Cynthia replied hesitantly.

“Vision?”

“Yeah, I saw some blurry figures, big as a planet, I think, that looked down at me, and then I had to do this quiz-night-level questioning thing before they accepted me.”

Sam didn’t mention that she had probably just gone through a one-on-one interview with the God of Dragons. There was no reason to scare her unnecessarily. Though, knowing the younger girl, she was probably much smarter than she usually acted and had already figured it out, but was simply still processing what had happened.

He reached into his inventory and pulled out a skillbook and a bracelet, placing both on the glass table before pushing them toward Cynthia. “Here, take these.”

“Oooh, what are they?” she asked, immediately fascinated.

“A disguise spell and a bracelet that allows you to record one disguise and project it around yourself,” he explained as Cynthia quickly learned the spell. “Make sure you use it for now, at least until Tim arranges some proper protection for you.”

It took Cynthia a moment to realize why he had said that. “Oh… People will want to know how I did it.”

“Yes, but don’t worry,” Sam calmly reassured her. “Now that we managed to do it, I’m sure the game system will make it available to everyone else somehow.”

“That’s a relief…” she exhaled.

“At most, you’ll only have to put up with hiding it for a month or two, depending on what they decide to do.”

Cynthia grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “Got it, boss man. Anything else?”

“Not unless you’re hiding something?” he asked, giving her a pointed look, but she simply shook her head.

“The rest were just some basic skill level-ups and stuff like that. Nothing earth-shattering…”

“Good. Then, if you want, you can use the training field here to test out your new body, or you can leave. Whatever you feel like.”

Cynthia stood up, checked that her clothing was still properly adjusted, and then suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Sam in a quick hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Then, before he could even properly respond, she was already gone, power-walking toward the training field with barely contained excitement.