Free Web NovelChapter 9: First Time Skip
With their dire weasels acquired, what followed was a stable routine that lasted for months.
Every day followed the same cycle.
Morning classes.
Afternoon labor.
Weasel grooming and training.
Then the evening cultivation baths.
At first, Ka’z found the routine repetitive, but as the months passed, he gradually realized he was witnessing the inner workings of an entire civilization. Every lesson, every chore, every hunt, and every training session served a purpose.
The world slowly unraveled itself before him.
During that period, Ka’z also came to understand just how rare the title of Magic Beast truly was.
Nature was brutal.
Out of the fifteen hatchlings that had survived infancy and trained diligently throughout the year, only five successfully reached the Iron Core stage by the end of their second year.
Just five.
The remaining ten remained trapped at Ash Core. No amount of hard work guaranteed success. No amount of determination guaranteed evolution.
They simply lacked the talent and they would likely never become true magic beasts in their entire lives.
The five successful hatchlings were Ka’z, the mischievous Ru’k, the timid Kurg, the unique Za’r, and finally Tu’ka.
The moment their cores advanced, they were separated from the rest of their siblings.
The remaining children continued studying under Lady Zira where they learned construction, trap making, farming, resource gathering, and other skills vital to the survival and expansion of the Vaal’kor Clan.
Meanwhile, Ka’z and the others were handed over to a new instructor.
Lan’ka.
The kobold was built like a walking boulder.
Standing over four and a half feet tall, he possessed broad shoulders, thick arms, and scales so rough and uneven they looked like natural armor spikes. His appearance alone was enough to intimidate most hatchlings.
His solution to every problem was simple.
Fight it.
If that didn’t work, fight it harder.
Three months later, the results spoke for themselves.
[Dragon Scales]
Bang!
Ka’z skidded backward through the dirt with his arms crossed in front of his face.
Jagged golden scales protruded from his body like overlapping armor plates, covering most of his four-foot frame.
Roar!
The grizzly bear in front of him surged forward again.
The beast stood nearly twice his size and possessed enough strength to tear apart ordinary kobolds with ease.
Its claws swung down.
Sparks erupted.
The bear’s claws scraped across Ka’z’s scales but failed to leave even a scratch. Despite that, the relentless barrage forced him entirely onto the defensive.
Thankfully, he wasn’t fighting alone.
Swoosh!
A dark blur descended from above. Tu’ka dropped from a nearby branch with a black spear clenched tightly in his hands.
Bam!
The spear drove into the bear’s back. Oddly enough, no blood appeared and no wound formed. Yet the section struck by the spear immediately began turning gray.
The flesh visibly weakened.
The bear let out a deafening roar as it reared onto its hind legs and attempted to shake him off.
Tu’ka clung on stubbornly for several moments before finally being thrown across the clearing.
The bear immediately turned toward him and its claws rose high, prepared to crush him.
Seeing this, Ka’z moved.
"I won’t let you!"
Bam!
His palms struck the ground.
Immediately, he felt mana surge from his core. The energy merged with the surrounding Aether before responding to his will.
The earth beneath the bear shifted as stone and dirt erupted upward.
A half-formed dome rose around Tu’ka moments before the bear’s claws descended.
Bang!
The incomplete barrier exploded apart. Chunks of earth scattered everywhere, yet it had served its purpose.
Tu’ka remained unharmed.
His cold gaze remained fixed upon the beast. In front of him, another spear materialized. This one was formed entirely from darkness with deep violet energy lingering along its edges.
"Darkness Magic: Pestilence."
Swoosh!
The spear shot forward. It struck the bear directly in the eye. Just like before, no visible wound appeared, yet the beast screamed louder than ever.
Its massive paws clawed desperately at its own face.
Everyone watched as both eyes rapidly turned gray. Within seconds, the bear was completely blind.
Meanwhile, Ka’z inhaled deeply.
Mana and Aether fused together while heat gathered within his throat. His mouth opened revealing fire rolled between his teeth.
"Fire Magic: Flame Breath!"
Brrrrrrrrrr!
A torrent of flames erupted forward. The fire crashed into the bear’s fur, instantly igniting it.
The beast screamed in panic as flames spread across its body. It collapsed onto its back and began thrashing wildly.
Tu’ka didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his broken spear and charged. The metal point plunged deep into the side of the bear’s neck.
Blood erupted.
The creature swung wildly and Tu’ka barely avoided the attack. A fraction slower and his head would’ve left his shoulders.
At the same moment, earth spikes erupted beneath the bear. Multiple stone spears pierced its underside.
Blood flooded the clearing as the bears own blood soon filled its lungs.
Seeing no reason to continue attacking, Ka’z and Tu’ka simply stood back and watched.
The beast slowly choked to death.
High above the battlefield, two figures observed from a distant tree branch. Lan’ka stood proudly with his chest puffed out.
"I’ve raised these kids pretty well, haven’t I?"
Only three months ago they had arrived as inexperienced children. Now they were capable of killing a grizzly bear.
Tud’or slowly nodded. Unfortunately, his eyes showed no satisfaction, only disappointment.
"And those three?"
He pointed and Lan’ka followed his gaze.
Immediately his confident expression cracked.
Ru’k sat comfortably atop another branch while cheering.
"Hit him harder!"
"That’s my brother!"
"Break its face!"
He wasn’t helping, he was only providing commentary. Meanwhile, Kurg and Za’r were hiding behind a tree while hugging each other in terror.
Neither had participated.
Lan’ka immediately broke into a cold sweat and Tud’or’s eye twitched.
"You trained two out of five and expect praise?"
Smack!
He punched Lan’ka directly in the arm but instant regret followed.
The next moment Tud’or was sitting on a nearby branch desperately kissing his swollen fist while Lan’ka repeatedly apologized and rubbed the spot where he’d been hit.
Bam!
Ka’z collapsed onto his butt. His chest rose and fell heavily. As he relaxed, the enlarged scales covering his body gradually shrank back to normal.
Using Dragon Scales felt strangely similar to holding his breath and clenching every muscle in his body at once.
The moment he relaxed, the skill ended.
Weird but effective.
His gaze shifted toward the dying bear and a sense of pride filled him. This was only his second year in this world yet he had helped kill a grizzly bear. Back on Earth, he had spent over twenty years accomplishing absolutely nothing.
Here, he was becoming something. Perhaps he could actually pull off this Messiah thing.
"Gak!"
A familiar cry interrupted his thoughts.
West sprinted toward him.
The small dire weasel immediately leapt onto his shoulder. Right behind him came Kurg and Za’r.
"Big Brother Ka’z was amazing!"
Kurg practically screamed.
"The bear went arrrgh!"
He mimicked the bear’s attacks.
"And then Brother Ka’z went raaah!"
He mimicked Ka’z blocking.
Ka’z rolled his eyes. Some things never changed.
His attention shifted toward Za’r. She approached cautiously and concern filled her expression.
The changes brought by her growth were becoming increasingly obvious. Her breasts had begun developing and her nipples turned pinker each month.
Long hair now framed her face while her body was gradually gaining feminine proportions and curves.
"Are you hurt?"
She immediately began inspecting him. Her hands moved across his scales searching for injuries. Moments later her eyes widened.
"Not even a scratch."
She looked genuinely shocked.
"Dragon Scales are really tough."
Ka’z quickly looked away.
The combination of her proximity and his sexual orientation from his previous life were creating dangerous thoughts.
Instead, he focused on the opposite side of the clearing.
Tu’ka sat there with his blank eyes remained fixed on him.
Ka’z inwardly shivered.
Even now, he still found Tu’ka creepy. The guy looked like the protagonist of an entirely different novel.
One thing was certain though.
Amongst all his siblings, Tu’ka was the only one who could truly stand beside him. Unlike everyone else, Tu’ka had awakened only one element.
Darkness.
Yet nature had compensated for that flaw by granting him absurd affinity with it.
Nearby sat Ru’k.
The shameless kobold was enthusiastically fanning Tu’ka with a giant leaf. Originally he had attempted to join Ka’z’s circle through excessive flattery.
When that failed, he immediately switched targets.
Tu’ka never acknowledged or rejected him. Yet Ru’k had somehow declared himself Tu’ka’s loyal follower.
The sheer shamelessness was impressive. Then again, Ru’k had always been like that. His awakened elements reflected it perfectly.
Wind and Water.
Officially becoming the second kobold in recorded clan history to awaken without Earth affinity.
The first being Tu’ka.
Rather than feeling ashamed, Ru’k treated it as a badge of honor. He even founded a gang called the Outcasts.
Its only members were himself and Tu’ka. Whether Tu’ka was aware of this fact remained unknown.
Meanwhile, Kurg had awakened Earth and Water. Za’r had awakened Earth and Light, becoming the first healer Vaal’kor Clan had produced in generations.
All things considered, everyone except Kurg contributed something useful.
Ka’z and Tu’ka were the frontline fighters.
Ru’k handled scouting, traps, and mobility.
Za’r served as support.
Kurg...
Kurg cheered. That was his specialty. He avoids danger then enthusiastically retell the story afterward as though he’d personally slain the beast himself.
He was essentially the cameraman of the group.
Useless during the battle but indispensable afterward. It was a bizarre combination of personalities. Yet somehow, against all logic, it had worked perfectly for the past three months.
