100x Rewards: Draconic Evolution As An NPC (LITRPG/Cultivation/Artifact Refining)

[Ardenox]

contradict, I believe

Click to shrink...

Oh yea good catch, edited! I was thinking something else when I wrote that line, but now I realize that even if it makes sense to me due to knowing the background plot, it doesn't make sense to readers, and anyway, contradict makes sense and still suits the plot I have in mind. Thank you for pointing it out!

 

[Ardenox]

Without slowing his jog, Kaizen mentally told the system to display the cost of the Wave Greave's blueprint.

[Wave Greave - 100,000 experience or 65,000 experience and 1x Holy Stone.]

Holy shit, why don't you just rob me?

He grumbled before continuing.

Also, what's with this holy stone? Weren't purchases supposed to be made purely with experience?

[The rules of the system are on my whims, you lowly mortal.]

I really can't trust anyone.

[Anyway, why are you sulking? Isn't it better that you can save 35000 experience by handing over a Holy Stone?]

True, might as well enjoy getting fucked over if I can't resist.

[That's quite a way to put it.]

Thanks, flattering me still won't make me buy your overpriced products though. I don't need that blueprint right now.

[I wasn't flattering you.]

Stop, stop, if you keep praising me so much I might not be able to sleep at night.

[...]

[Shameless.]

Can't hear you.

While bantering with the system, he finally reached the second upper opening.

His expression shifted to that of seriousness as he began inspecting every inch of the wall, eager to find the second vital point.

Kaizen really wished he would be able to find it here itself, as the third opening, which was the bottom part of the 'Y' was really way too far.

Just travelling to this second opening took around an hour. Reaching the third one might take two or three hours easily.

After half an hour of searching, to his delight, he finally found the second vital point.

With the memory of dismantling the first node still fresh, it only took him ten minutes to destroy this one as well.

As soon as the second node broke down, a piece of boulder shifted in his vision.

Is the secret entrance located there?

Using the immense strength he received from the combined benefits of two main classes, he pushed away the boulder and entered.

Without his draconic eyes, navigating this space would have been miserable. It was dark.

This looked like a portion of the tunnel that had been deliberately sealed off.
From the outside, there would have been no way to tell anything was missing.

Yet aside from the lack of light, nothing stood out.

No mechanisms. No treasure glow. No ominous aura.

Just a tunnel.

A very plain tunnel.

In fact, it was even more barren than the one outside. No vines creeping along the walls. No insects skittering around.

A few tens of meters in, there was finally a change.

He heard voices.

And judging by how quickly they reacted, it was mutual.

"I hear footsteps!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

…There are more people here?

Kaizen retreated while adopting a defensive stance. It was never a good idea to engage with no information on the opposite party.

The sounds drew closer. Soft. Wet. Slightly enthusiastic.

Just as he reached the edge of the sealed tunnel, the figures finally came into view.

They were…three slimes.

Kaizen's movement stalled mid step as the absurdity hit him.

Slimes?

They were colored red, green, and brown. It seemed they had used some kind of cultivation skills which allowed him to sense their aura.

All rank 1.

The red one was a cultivator.
The green one was an oathkeeper.
The brown one… Kaizen had no idea.

Each of them was barely the size of a football, with two coin sized black eyes embedded into an otherwise perfectly smooth surface.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

Their voices were high pitched, and extremely clear. Whenever they spoke, a hole would open up below their eyes.

Kaizen's eyes narrowed.

These slimes aren't at rank 4.

And as far as I know, the status of the slimes only increased later when their intelligence as a race underwent a huge shift, rivalling those of dragons, phoenix and other such races.

Slimes shouldn't possess such human-like intelligence this early in the timeline. Or is there something I don't know?

Kaizen coughed into his fist seeing that these slimes weren't hostile.

"Who am I?"

This might as well be my favourite question.

He put on the brightest smile he could muster, and spoke with complete sincerity.

"I'm Kaizen. The most mysterious and most powerful prince of the Aeonhart Empire. The fifth prince."

The reaction was immediate. He could practically see their eyes shining.

"Woah! That sounds so cool!"

"Cool cool!"

"Veryyyy cool!"

Yes! Finally! The correct reaction to my proclamation! Something was indeed wrong with Steve and Alice. Those two aren't normal.

The satisfaction lasted exactly half a second before his brows furrowed.

"Wait, what do you mean it only sounds cool? Do you not know of the Aeonhart Empire? It is cool."

The brown one blinked once, and answered calmly.

"We don't know anything about the Aeonhart Empire. We've lived in this cave for as long as we know."

Before Kaizen could ask the obvious follow up, the green slime chimed in.

"There are several holes in this tunnel. Small beasts come through them often, and there's a river flowing through one of them. So we've never lacked food or water."

Kaizen tilted his head.

"Couldn't you all have left?"

This time, the red slime answered. Its voice was the highest pitched of the three.

"Our bodies get zapped whenever we touch those walls. We can't break out of this tunnel even if we want to."

Kaizen cautiously eyed the tunnel walls, then cleared his throat.

I at least need to know their names if I want to start a conversation with them about any kind of good stuff here.

From what I've gathered, the red one is the youngest and most energetic.

The green one is the middle child. Still enthusiastic, just less explosive.

The brown one is the oldest. Calm. Measured. Probably the voice of reason when these slimes argued about absolutely nothing.

"So," Kaizen said, "what should I call you all?"

For the first time since he had arrived, all three slimes fell completely silent.

Kaizen's thoughts went haywire, spilling in every possible direction as a flicker of excitement creeped into his eyes.

"You don't have names?"

The brown one hesitantly answered. "We just call each other by our colors."

CLAP!

The sound echoed sharply through the tunnel as Kaizen brought his palms together.

"Perfect. I'll take you all out of here, and give you a proper identity. I have this authority as a prince of an empire. How about letting me name you?"

The red one's eyes shined at the mention of a life outside of these dull tunnels.

"Sure!"

Kaizen stepped closer, his foot tapping the ground with an especially rhythmic beat.

By now, the excitement was barely contained. It was leaking out of his eyes.

Pointing at the brown one, he said.

"You…will be the Earthmelon."

He snapped his fingers, spun once for absolutely no reason, then pointed at the green one.

"You will be the Airmelon."

Then he shimmied. For a solid two seconds. Commitment mattered.

Finally, he pointed at the red one.

"And you… will be named the Firemelon."

"Yayyyy!"

The red slime bounced with joy. The green one looked politely pleased. The brown one remained silent, as if still processing the consequences of this decision.

Suddenly, Kaizen's brows furrowed as he muttered.

"Wait, the Elemelons are incomplete."

He paused.

"There should be a Watermelon too."

At that, the brown slime's eyes widened, genuine excitement finally breaking through its calm.

When it spoke again, its voice carried a hint of reverence.

"How do you know of our blue sister?"

 

[Ardenox]

Btw, small correction in chapter 23. It ends with "Can you let me enter the tunnel behind you?" and not "Can you show me the way to the tunnel?" (I already edited the changes). In case someone is confused why chp 24 started the way it did and didn't scroll back to read the updated end of chp 23, it's the above reason.

 

[Ardenox]

"We have a sister?"

"A blue one?"

Airmelon and Firemelon exclaimed one after the other, their mouths stretching into identical, perfect O shapes.

Huh? The other two slimes didn't know of their sister? Did I uncover some big family secret?

Kaizen thought with full blown curiosity etched all over his face.

However, at that moment, the derailing of his thoughts halted.

The memories of what took place hit him.

What did I do?

Aaaahhhhhh

Shame replaced curiosity in an instant, crawling up his spine and settling squarely on his face.

He straightened up, forced his expression into neutrality, and decided the best course of action was to shut up and let the family drama play out.

Earthmelon hesitated before speaking.

"I think we were placed here by our blue sister."

"Watermelon."

The word slipped out of Kaizen's mouth before his brain could intercept it.

All three slimes turned to look at him.

Kaizen's face went red.

Earthmelon paused for a couple of seconds, then deliberately used the new name.

"Watermelon should be the eldest one among us, based on what I felt in my bones back then."

"We have bones?!!"

"Where where where???"

Kaizen could practically imagine steam coming out of Earthmelon as it puffed up.

"Figure of speech, idiots. This is exactly why I said you should explore your bloodline to get educated. But no. All you ever want to do is run around and eat."

Kaizen's brows furrowed at that.

Bloodline exploration? It couldn't be due to that sister who is a rank 2, it must be someone above in the life hierarchy. Their parents? Are they rank 2 as well? Or more?

Bloodline exploration was exclusive to flora and fauna. It allowed the progeny of beasts to more easily trace their path forward if their ancestors were strong enough.

For example, if a beast reached rank 2, its descendants could naturally obtain the knowledge required to break through to rank 2 themselves, along with fragments of their progenitor's memories.

This knowledge often contained basic information about the world, with occasional fragments of their understanding of skills or blueprints, if any.

Exploring the bloodline could be done through manipulating your Qi through the numerous Qi lines in your blood.

These Qi lines were distinct from the ones used to deploy cultivation skills.

Hmm, talking of bloodline exploration, I am in essence a dragon. Could I explore my blood to gain some information?

I don't really need any information on breaking through to several ranks but it would be better if I get some information which would tell me the source of this dragon essence.

I might be able to narrow down the scope of the source of this system through it as well.

Those ruins through which I got that cultivation technique was definitely not ordinary.

That technique changed my race to that of a dragon and might also be responsible for this system.

Was I lucky? Or chosen?

Kaizen's frown only deepened as another thought surfaced, one that sent a chill straight through his spine.

Wait, the energy for the draconic evolution came through the Fragment of Heaven.

However, I obtained that Fragment of Heaven by slashing at the heavens!!!

Entering the unknown ruins and acquiring that cultivation technique was one thing. Slashing at the heavens at the end of his life was another. There were two independent events.

Was I unknowingly influenced to slash at the heavens after I entered those ruins?

This doesn't make sense.

He had slashed at the heavens in pure rage. Rage born from failure. From being unable to break through into that completely new rank. From watching his last hope of resurrecting his partner collapse in front of him.

That anger had been real. The bitterness towards heaven for denying him his breakthrough had been real.

But then another thought followed, colder than the last.

Was she killed because I entered those unknown ruins? Therefore forcing me down this path?

Unknowingly at some point, his breathing had grown heavy.

He had never even considered the possibility that receiving the Fragment of Heaven might not have been a direct result of slashing at the heavens.

It was because that aquamarine colored crystal rested within his hearts, completely bare to even his rank 1 senses.

He would've definitely noticed it with his rank 9 senses if it entered his body anytime before he slashed at the heavens.

Kaizen eventually snapped out of his thoughts with a frown still on his face.

This is more troublesome than I thought.

Chuck it, can't be hung up on something I can't do anything about currently.

Bloodline exploration takes a fuck ton of time. Maybe months, maybe years, or even longer.

I can't be doing it when I have a survival mission hanging over my head.

He refocused on the slimes.

They were still in the middle of some discussion revolving around Watermelon when Earthmelon suddenly raised his voice, as if something important had just clicked.

"Oh yea, I don't know if both of us had names or not, but Watermelon did give me your name before leaving."

His eyes were fixed on Firemelon. The red slime blinked, then screamed.

"I have a second name?"

Airmelon interjected.

"Technically, it should be your first name. You were named Firemelon today, whereas that name was decided long ago."

Firemelon wobbled slightly, turning towards Kaizen before speaking.

"I don't care. Firemelon came first for me. I only learned about this name after Kaizen named me, so this will be my second name."

A strange sense of pride welled up within Kaizen before he ruthlessly crushed it.

No. Absolutely not. I refuse to take responsibility for this. Credit or blame.

My naming sense is not this bad. This only happened because my thoughts went completely off the rails.

As Kaizen denied the irrefutable reality, a classic case of delusion, Earthmelon continued.

"I don't care whether it's your first name or second name. I never told you before because it was related to Watermelon.

"It doesn't make sense to bring up any topic related to her if she wasn't going to return. That would only cause sadness.

"But since it's already out in the open, I might as well say it.

"Your name…it's Morden."

As Firemelon celebrated, Kaizen stood rooted in place, frozen in shock as if struck by lightning.

…Morden?

……This little red slime?

………He is Morden?

GODDAMN FUCKING MORDEN?

THE CELESTIAL EMPEROR WHO ORIGINATED FROM THIS PLANET?

 

[Ardenox]

As Firemelon celebrated obtaining two names in a single day, Kaizen stood frozen in shock.

Celestial Emperor Morden, bearing the title The Recluse at the Summit, was one of the very few Celestial Emperors who had never hunted him.

The reason was there in his title itself.

This Celestial Emperor was quite literally a homebody. A complete introvert.

He had little interest in anything, content with staying home and experimenting with his powers.

Weapons, cultivation techniques, secret inheritances. None of it particularly appealed to him.

Due to the same reason, he had almost no enemies. However, Kaizen had no idea that this Celestial Emperor was a slime.

Even though one could acquire traits of another race, they still couldn't change their own inherent race.

Yet…I somehow became a dragon. Could it be that one could indeed change their race and it was just me who didn't know that?

Kaizen left that thought for later as some memories surfaced in his mind.

Oh wait…

No wonder the intelligence of the slimes underwent a drastic transformation.

There were rumors that Celestial Emperor Morden had a hand behind it, but due to insufficient evidence, it was never confirmed.

But if that Celestial Emperor was a slime, everything made sense.

There was a moment of silence in his mind as he considered his future actions. The appearance of a future powerhouse changed quite a bit of his plans.

Hmmm…

Sorry little guy.

Your two brothers will get proper identities and a place to live in.

But something will go wrong during your registration.

As an illegal immigrant, you can only stay by my side for protection.

Kaizen looked at his future teammate with the gentle kindness of an elder who had already decided your fate without consulting you.

Well, judging from their size and manner of speech, they are just children.

Children need to be taught the unpredictable harshness of the world or else they'll grow up to be insufferable brats if everything proceeds smoothly.

Now that he knew their names, Kaizen moved on to what he had actually come here for.

"Guys, since we'll be leaving this place, is there anything you want to take with you? Anything valuable?"

He stressed the last word.

Firemelon was the one who answered with a small hop.

"There's nothing worth bringing. Well, except our playground. But I don't think it can be taken away."

Kaizen smiled at Firemelon while replying.

"Can you take me to your playground?"

This time it was Earthmelon who responded with a yes.

They didn't walk far. After only a couple of minutes, Kaizen began noticing tiny purple fragments floating in the air.

Airmelon pointed at ahead.

"When you move through this area, it changes your speed.

"Purple fragments accelerate you by a hundred percent. Green by fifty percent, and yellow by seventy five percent.

"Going through white fragments means your pace will be reduced by twenty percent. Orange by forty percent. Blue by ninety percent.

"Red fragments will slowly force you to a complete halt no matter your speed. Be careful. It will hurt.

"If you accidentally crash into tunnel walls at high speed, well, obviously, it will hurt more."

Kaizen's eyes shone as he listened, sensing the aura of the place.

This looks like a Treasured Land for movement skills!

Treasured lands was a term used to describe places which accelerated your understanding of a cultivation skill.

Kaizen wasted no time testing it out. Even though he couldn't stay here to strengthen himself due to the pressure of the survival mission, there was no harm in just trying out.

Approximately ten minutes later, he exited the lands with endless ideas brewing in his mind and with a boost to his movement skill.

[Thousand Shadow Mirage Pace gained 1000 experience.]

[Apex: 99,008,803,216,824/100,000,000,000,000]

This speed doesn't feel enhanced.

System2, cultivation skills don't get the 100x experience benefit?

[No.]

Well, figured as much. No worries.

Kaizen quickly moved on to the other discovery.

Hmm, it'll take 22 years to push it to the Supreme level going at that rate.

But he knew cultivation skill progression was never that linear.

You had to meditate on the skill's workings, fight countless battles to smooth out imperfections, and brush against life and death to break through certain nuances.

Every action gave a different amount of experience.

Treasured Lands helped convert the potential understanding into real progress. In short, it accelerated what you would have already understood given time.

What it didn't do however was help you break through major bottlenecks tied to subtle workings of the cultivation skill. One could only achieve those by chance, mostly in life and death situations.

The mastery of cultivation skills were vital, as each level of mastery further increased the efficiency. It included damage, defense, speed, Qi cost, or anything which the cultivation skill was geared towards.

System2, can you display the efficiency growth for each tier of mastery? Oh yea, also provide the required experience at each level.

Kaizen only had a rough approximation in mind, and couldn't calculate it as accurately as the system.

[Entry level mastery grants no added efficiency. The universe doesn't reward you for doing the bare minimum.]

[Entry to Refined - 0/10,000.]
[Refined - 10%]

[Refined to Seamless - 0/10,000,000]
[Seamless - 27.5%]

[Seamless to Apex - 0/10,000,000,000]
[Apex - 52.5%]

[Apex to Supreme - 0/100,000,000,000,000]
[Supreme - 87.5%]

I see. So those are accurate efficiency bonuses huh.

Since I had no system to accurately display my stats, I must have understood some minor breakthrough as some major mastery jump which made me think my movement skill was at peak mastery.

Kaizen was deep in thought as he witnessed the color fragments of this movement oriented Treasured Land fading ever so slightly.

Most Treasured Lands were limited. At one point, they would run out of the enhancement they could provide.

In his past life, Kaizen was chased to the ends of the world for three major reasons.

First, he had found an extraordinarily valuable Treasure Land.

This was the major reason he had almost three cultivation skills at Supreme level in approximately hundred years when just taking one to the peak took thousands of years.

Second, his Mythic grade sword.

One could say that without this sword, Kaizen was only a bit stronger than an average rank 9.

It was this sword which put him at the absolute peak.

Third, well, that was for later.

Kaizen asked the slimes.

"How far does this playground of yours stretch to?"

Earthmelon answered.

"This is one end. It has two other ends which are veryyyyyyy far away."

Kaizen mentally facepalmed at the description but he nevertheless understood what he meant. This Treasured Land most likely had the shape of 'Y' as well.

As he led them out of the tunnel, various ideas were already brewing in his mind. He asked.

"Say, do you happen to have a map of where each color is situated?"

"Yes."

 

[Ardenox]

Kaizen drew a few stares as he walked through the city with three slimes in tow, but that was all. People roamed around with all kinds of beasts. This barely registered as unusual.

Before bringing them out, he had already notified them about their oddity of being able to speak.

As far as he knew, the intelligence of the slime race had not yet undergone its major leap, so being able to speak at rank 1 eluded to something extraordinary like a strong bloodline or treasure.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he told them not to speak in front of anyone, and to act just like normal wild slimes.

To blackmail—cough—build teamspirit, he was holding Firemelon close to his chest with one hand while the other two hopped behind him.

Kaizen had already informed his elder brother about his plan to keep Firemelon with him, and the latter had agreed to help handle it.

As he neared the city border, his brows furrowed at the sight of a massive crowd.

While passing through the bunch of people, he gradually pieced together everything relying on his extraordinary hearing.

An unrest in the neighbouring empire?

The emperor of the Moriem Empire is the strongest person of that region, an internal disturbance should have been nearly impossible unless something happened to the ruler himself.

Kaizen felt an urgency deep in his bones as he felt the unstable atmosphere.

I need to hurry up and figure out at least something about the survival mission.

For now, I have the Treasured Land through which I can run away. But that's an escape mechanism, I need something to actually confront whatever it is that is coming.

A deep seated urge for power gripped him as he entered the city.

Witnessing the heavy atmosphere in the city, his brows furrowed even further.

What now?

Just like before, his excellent hearing as a rank 1 allowed him to understand what was happening.

The tribes of Wilderlands have launched an attack?

It is said to be one of the biggest among the last century?

What was going on?

Could my survival mission have something to do with all of these?

From what he gathered, ancestral treasures had gone missing from the treasury of numerous tribes.

Under masterful leadership of one particular tribe, instead of letting that evolve into internal conflict, that rage was funneled towards the Aeonhart Empire.

Logically, it didn't have anything to do with his survival mission. But, what if?

With head full of thoughts, he headed towards the registration building of the empire.

True to his word, he secured legal identities for two of the slimes, ignoring the odd stare the clerk gave him. It was like registering pets as citizens.

But the concept of having a legal identity was so casual and loosely bound in this world that the lady didn't give him any trouble. He didn't even need to announce his status as the prince.

To be honest, he was actually looking forward to the part of announcing his identity.

Naturally, very naturally, and definitely without any intervention of external factors, something went wrong during Firemelon's registration of a legal identity.

For absolutely no selfish reasons whatsoever, Firemelon would have to remain by Kaizen's side for protection, while the other two slimes would reside in a nearby house arranged by the fourth prince, who had already informed Kaizen about the arrangement.

Kaizen accepted this outcome with the calm dignity of a man who definitely had not planned for it to turn out exactly this way.

On his way back home, Kaizen spotted the figure of the very same fourth prince, his elder brother Adrian, walking toward him.

This time, however, the familiar right hand man who usually hovered beside Adrian was absent. In his place was an unfamiliar young man.

With his enhanced eyesight, he saw that the young man's hands were webbed.

Did his ancestors fuck a duck?

Kaizen immediately shook his head.

No no no, I shouldn't be so demeaning towards strangers.

His ancestors could've also fucked a water dragon.

Hmmm wait…

Am I being demeaning towards the duck now?

Before Kaizen's thoughts could lead him further down the rabbit hole, Adrian spoke, having gotten close enough to talk and noticed his younger brother looking at the young man by his side.

"My dear little brother, meet this young genius. I recruited him all the way from Planet Gomoku to serve under me.

"I must say, the Cosmic University sure does charge a lot for their teleportation portals, especially since he is at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm."

Foundation Establishment was rank 3 of the cultivation domain.

Kaizen snapped out of his thoughts and greeted the young man, who simply bowed back.

"What did you decide regarding the party?"

Kaizen nodded at Adrian's question.

"I'll go make some acquaintances."

They were referring to the party organized by the president of the student council of the Cosmic University.

Kaizen had indeed thought this through and decided to attend it.

Any new source of information was more than welcome to him at this point.

After that, he would resume his hunting to level up.

"Where are you going?"

Kaizen asked his elder brother, who had a helpless smile on his face as he answered.

"I need to meet the representatives of the Church of the Unfinished Grace. Their priest died in my territory so they want an explanation."

Kaizen jogged his memory, and remembered that a priest from that church had indeed arrived to deal with the Tolko ghost. The one whose special ability was stealing lifespan.

Now even a priest has died. Although priests are as powerful as a rank 3 and not the strongest combatant of the two churches on this planet, a death of such a major figure is indeed concerning.

It feels like the world is collapsing all of a sudden.

His brows furrowed.

"But his death isn't your responsibility, is it? It was the Tolko ghost who killed him."

Adrian nodded, and explained.

"The thing is, Aeonhart Empire is the only region where the churches don't have a branch. They aren't allowed to preach here.

"With this incident, they have seen an opportunity. They'll cling to any excuse they can find to force their way into the empire

"Since this happened in my territory, I have become the target of their unreasonable demands."

"Do let me know if you need my help."

Adrian beamed at Kaizen's intention to help as he replied.

"Just knowing you thought of helping me is enough. I can handle it. Don't worry."

After some small talk, they each went their own way.

It looks like the majority of the money which he could've used for his political campaign to aim for the throne was redirected towards personal safety and other things since he has relinquished his claim.

Given the unrest in the empire and a major power like the church pressing aggressively, Kaizen couldn't fault that decision.

He would have done the same.

Shrugging, Kaizen continued walking, then paused.

Something from the conversation clicked.

Before going to the party, it looks like there's something I need to do.

It might not contribute much to his current predicament of survival mission, but it would help immensely with his state of mind.