Dashi buzzed lazily by my ear, then smacked into my shell and flopped onto the grass. "Yeah, you're growing. Thanks to your race, genetics, and passives—which is kinda BS, by the way—you bulk up every level. Also, you're still in your early stage, so you'll grow about 0.06 inches a day until you hit Level 5."
"Huh, that’s kinda cool," I muttered. I was about to ask more when an unholy racket broke the morning calm.
SKREEEEEEE... SKRAAA... SKRRRRREEEEEEEEE!!
HSSS! HSSS! SKRRRAAAHH!
HISS-KRAAAKK! SKRREEEEEEEE!!
Dashi screamed like a squeaky chew toy and bolted for cover in my tail plates. "NOPE. Nope! I’m out. Nopetown, population: ME."
I turned slowly—and froze.
"Uh, Dashi? What are those things?" I asked, trying not to make any sudden moves. Three crimson-scaled snakes slithered into view, each one with jagged frills and glowing green eyes.
Dashi peeked out from behind my tail. "Those are Burn Snakes. Chaos beasts. Fast. Spit acid. Hate eggs. Sooo... good luck, boss."
"What do you mean, 'good luck'?! You're part of this too! At least show me their stats!"
Race: Reptile
Subrace: Burn Snake (Fire)
Health: 60/60
Mana: 20/20
Traits: 5
Attributes:
-
Strength: 12
-
Vitality: 10
-
Agility: 16
-
Dexterity: 10
-
Intelligence: 6
-
Wisdom: 4
-
Charisma: 2
-
Willpower: 8
Skills:
-
Acid Spit (F) - Level 3: Launches a stream of corrosive acid at an enemy, causing burn damage over time.
-
Quick Coil (F) - Level 2: Coils tightly to reduce incoming damage and boost evasion for a short period.
-
Fang Lunge (F) - Level 3: A burst-attack that delivers a venomous bite with a chance to paralyze.
Traits:
-
Scaled Hide (F) - Level 2: Slightly reduces physical damage taken.
-
Territorial Fury (F) - Level 3: Increases speed and power when defending its nest.
Man does those attack sound super lame.
I let the last bit of charred snake slide down my gullet. Tasted like burned rubber mixed with hot sauce. Not great, but not poison either.
[You have consumed a monster rich in fire-aligned mana.]
[Temporary Affinity Boost: Fire +1]
"Wait, what does that mean?" I asked, wiping slime off my snout.
"It means," Deav said as he hovered in front of my face, "you’re aligning more with elemental fire. Eat enough of one type, and your body will start adapting—passively."
"Yep," Dashi chimed in, perched upside down on my horn ridge. "Mana’s like diet. What you eat changes what you can do. Carnivores get raw power. Elemental eaters like you? You start leaning toward spells. You are what you scorch."
"Okay, so walk me through how magic works. Like, exactly."
Deav straightened. "Magic is stored in your mana pool. But that’s just energy. It doesn’t mean anything unless you shape it. That’s where your affinity and willpower come in. You imagine the effect, the shape, the feeling—and the mana answers. Different cultures shape mana in their own ways—some through ritual dance, others through silent meditation or rune-inscribed scrolls. In the Eastern Wastes, they whisper it into the wind. In the Obsidian Courts, they use blood and pact-bonding. But at its heart, it’s always a conversation between will and the world around you."
I blinked. "So… no incantations?"
"Only if you’re trying to impress someone."
Dashi laughed. "It’s like flexing your brain muscles. Magic wants to work for you—but if you hesitate, it fizzles. Or misfires. Or explodes. Which is funny when it’s not us."
"So if I imagine an ice spike—"
"Nothing will happen yet," Deav cut in. "Your elemental affinity is still fire-dominant. You don’t have the elemental mana mix for ice. Not unless you absorb or train in it."
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
"Which means," Dashi said, "more monster snacks!"
Great.
I checked my Codex. Sure enough, a new line had been added:
Elemental Affinity: Fire (Minor)
Your spells naturally pull from fire-aspected mana. Spells of this type are easier to cast and have bonus potency.
"Alright," I said, stretching. "I’ve got fire, fangs, and claws. What’s next?"
Deav hovered silently for a moment, his glow flickering. "We move toward the lake. There’s a mana surge coming from that direction. And I’d bet every mana crystal in the world that something… unnatural is gathering there."
Dashi let out a long, theatrical groan. "Ugh. Can’t we just find a puddle and nap?"
"Dashi, we just murdered five acid-spitting snakes."
"Exactly. We earned a nap."
But I was already moving. Something deep in my gut—besides the snake meat—was telling me that the lake held more than water. Maybe a challenge. Maybe a change.
And I was done being just an egg with claws.
As I trudged away from the burn zone, I could still feel the elemental charge pulsing in my gut.
It didn’t feel like fire anymore. It felt… different. Heavier. Cooler. Like a quiet storm had built up behind my ribs.
“Yo, Deav,” I said. “What happens if I try… lightning?”
“You can’t,” he replied instantly. “Your affinity is fire-aligned. That’s what your body’s tuned to. You can’t just think lightning and—”
CRACK-BOOM!
A jagged, blue-white arc of energy erupted from my mouth and scorched the earth ten feet ahead.
Dashi screamed and flew in circles. “HOLY FLAPPING—HE ACTUALLY DID IT?!”
“Impossible,” Deav muttered. “You don’t have lightning affinity. That should’ve drained your entire mana pool just to manifest.”
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Lightning)]
[Lightning Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
My eyes widened. “Wait, did I just… invent a move?”
“Yes. And no. And—what the hell are you?” Deav was circling me now, scanning like a flying MRI machine. “This shouldn’t be possible without formal elemental training. And you’re doing it from instinct.”
“Guess I’m gifted.”
“No,” Dashi said, flopping down onto my head. “You’re terrifying.”
My body reacted slower this time. My vision blurred. A dryness overcame my mouth. Then, suddenly—FWOOOSH!—a jagged shard of frosted mana burst from my jaws, embedding into a tree trunk and freezing half its bark.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Ice)]
[Ice Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana strain increased. +50 MP]
My mana bar dipped hard. My shell felt brittle. But I was still standing.
Dashi flew in front of my face, pointing a tiny bug-finger. “Okay. Time out. You’ve used fire, lightning, and ice within five minutes, you haven’t exploded, and your mana core isn’t shattered? What kind of busted protagonist cheat-code nonsense is this?”
“Maybe I’m just built different.”
“Or broken,” Deav added. “We’ll need to recalibrate everything we know about elemental structures. You’re not supposed to channel incompatible mana types like that. It should corrupt you.”
“Yet here I am,” I said, grinning wide. “Fire, zap, and snowcone edition.”
Still buzzing with energy, I turned my gaze to the lake ahead.
“Alright,” I said. “Let’s try something dumb.”
“No!” Dashi yelled. “You already did dumb. You maxed out the dumb quota.”
“Too late.”
I took a breath. This time, I imagined water. Cool, flowing, and heavy.
Then—SPLASH! A jet of pressurized water burst from my mouth and carved a trench through the dirt.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Water)]
[Water Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana strain increased: +50 MP]
“Okay, that’s not bad,” Dashi admitted. “Still terrifying, but wet terrifying.”
“What about… darkness?”
Deav’s tone was flat and clinical. “Initiating analysis… Shadow-aspected mana accessed without preliminary synchronization. Observation: no degradation. Conclusion: anomalous resilience. Proceeding with caution.”
I exhaled a thick cloud of black mist laced with violet arcs.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Dark)]
[Darkness Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Chaos Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
“…Functionality confirmed,” Deav stated. “Mana harmonization confirmed. No corruption. Subject displays cross-affinity control beyond theoretical limits.”
“Turn it off, turn it off!” Dashi screamed. The mist spread like ink in water, and even I could feel the cold in my bones.
“Light next.”
Dashi and Deav gasped in horror. I wonder why?
A golden burst lit up the air. Warmth surged from my mouth, blasting a beam of radiant energy across the field.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Light)]
[Light Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Holy Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
Dashi looked sunburned and face-down in the grass. “Too... bright. I think I saw my ancestors.”
Wind came next. That was easier. My body felt light. A swirl gathered in my throat and a slicing blade of compressed air tore through the trees.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Wind)]
[Wind Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
Earth followed—slower, heavier. I coughed up a clump of glowing rock that detonated on impact. Like a shotgun.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Earth)]
[Earth Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
Wood? Surprisingly weird. I hacked up something like a seed—it hit the ground, sprouted, and lashed out with vines.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Wood)]
[Wood Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
Steel? Now that hurt. My shell vibrated. I coughed up a spinning, jagged disk that screamed like shrapnel.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Steel)]
[Steel Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
Poison was...natural. I thought of venom, toxic plants, and every dead animal I ate, and I spat a sizzling glob of green fluid.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Poison)]
[Poison Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
Then gravity. I nearly passed out. My knees buckled, and the orb that came out was dense, pulsing, and crushed the dirt where it landed.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Gravity)]
[Gravity Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
“Last one,” I gasped. “Sound.”
I inhaled and screamed. Not a roar—a blast. A sonic shockwave blew the foliage back in a clean arc. Well that was everything in mind head told me to do.
[New Skill Discovered: Elemental Ball (Sound)]
[Sound Affinity unlocked: Minor]
[Mana increased: +50]
[New Trait Unlocked: Elemental Forge]
Your core can now generate and convert elemental mana through willpower and experience. All elemental variants of skills gain 5% enhanced potency.
[Undiscovered Trait Revealed: Pure Elemental]
Deav halted mid-hover. “Alert: Unregistered trait classification. Cross-referencing… Query returned: ERROR. Historical records redacted. Keyword match: ‘Origin Construct, Primordial Pulse, Elemental Sovereign.’ Subject Dracul possesses genetic and metaphysical markers previously considered extinct or hypothetical. Recommended action: deep containment. Override: observing for further anomaly.”
Dashi was pale. “Pure Elemental? That’s like… legend-level nonsense! You’re not supposed to exist, dude! That’s fairy tale stuff—like monsters that breathe rainbows or gods with coffee addiction!”
Deav’s glow dimmed slightly. “Scientific conclusion: Subject Dracul violates standard evolutionary and magical constraints. Updating registry entry: ‘Singularity-Class Entity. Classification: Evolving.’”
I blinked at them both. “I’m right here, guys.”
“You’re not a ‘guy’ anymore,” Dashi muttered. “You’re a walking magical event with teeth.”
I grinned. My mana was rising, one element at a time.
“Cool.”