Chapter 27: Evolution, Laughter, and a Looming Howl
A familiar, endless black void stretched before Drake's eyes. He smirked.
"Hmph, this space again…" he thought. "Feels like home already."
Before him appeared the strange white being—the one who had judged him before, radiant and serene.
"Well, child," the being spoke, voice ethereal yet warm, "it's good to see how far you've come. I pulled you out of that cursed dungeon because you were too weak… and that bastard had noticed you."
Drake's eyes narrowed at the cryptic phrase, but the being continued unfazed.
"In this world, if you manage to complete the quest I gave you, you'll have a chance to return and finish what you started. So enjoy my little gift—and grow stronger. I can't wait to see how far you'll go. Good luck… and goodbye."
Before Drake could even open his mouth to respond, his consciousness was yanked back.
His eyes opened to see Rimuru and the Pokémon gathered around him, faces full of worry—until a radiant pillar of light suddenly enveloped his body.
[Special Gift from the ABSOLUTE has been activated: Evolution to Dragonewt has begun.]
Drake felt an overwhelming surge of power course through him. His arms elongated, nails sharpened, and a burning sensation flared across his back as something sprouted—wings.
His senses sharpened dramatically, and his magic surged to new heights.
When the light faded, a transformed Drake stood before them. His black, wispy scales shimmered ominously, his face had become more draconic, and his teeth were sharp enough to tear steel.
Rimuru gawked. "Big bro… what happened to you?!"
Drake flexed his new claws, checking himself out with a grin. "How do I look?"
Rimuru circled him excitedly. "You look like a smaller version of Acnologia! That's so cool!"
Drake chuckled, showing his now terrifying teeth. He turned to the goblins, who were trembling in place.
"Relax," he said with a smirk. "I'm not gonna eat you. I promised to help, remember?"
The goblins cautiously relaxed, and the elder resumed guiding them through the village.
As they walked, Drake spoke inwardly.
"System. Show me my status and all changes."
A soft, pleasant feminine voice echoed in his mind.
(Understood, Drake. Displaying updated status.)
A black screen appeared before him:
StatusName: Drake Romanoff TempestRace: Dragonewt (High Monster)(Monsters are ranked: Low, Medium, High. To evolve into a Demon Lord, you must achieve SS+ in all stats.)
Stats:
STR: H−
AGI: B+
DEF: J
MAG: H+
CHRM: J−
Skills:
Lunge, Sprint, Steal → Evolved into Ultimate Skill: [Flash Monarch of Speed]
Armament Haki
Magic:
Magma Dragon Slayer Magic → Evolved into Ultimate Skill: [Igneel Monarch of Fire]
Drake blinked, baffled. "Hey, what's going on? Where are my stat points? And why are stats in letters now?!"
(Apologies, Drake. The ABSOLUTE has changed the system's functionality. You now have to train to raise your stats—no more point allocation. He wants you to grow stronger through effort, not shortcuts. You can still acquire skills and magic through the shop, but mastery must come through use.)
Drake took a moment, then nodded. "Fair enough. What about these 'Ultimate Skills'? I don't feel any changes."
(Displaying Ultimate Skill Info.)
[Flash Monarch of Speed]
Allows you to learn any speed-type skill 100x faster.
When witnessing a speed skill used by an opponent, you can instantly comprehend and replicate it.
Current Skills Learned: Flash Step
[Igneel Monarch of Fire]
Greatly enhances comprehension of fire-based skills and magic.
Observing an opponent's fire attack allows you to learn and mimic it.
Current Skills Learned: Magma Dragon Slayer Magic
Drake's face lit up with joy. He let out a booming, almost maniacal laugh.
Rimuru, inspecting a nearby hut, turned to see his brother cackling like a lunatic. "Uhhh… you okay, bro?"
Drake wiped a tear of laughter from his eye and turned to Infernape. "Hey! Use Flamethrower, straight into the sky."
Infernape gave a nod, took a deep breath, and released a powerful stream of flames into the air. Drake activated his new fire skill, watching and absorbing every detail—how the energy moved, how it was expelled, how it ignited.
Ding![Congratulations! Skill Learned: Flamethrower]
Drake grinned, raised his head, and mimicked the movement—then released a massive stream of fire into the sky.
Everyone froze.
Rimuru's slimy eyes sparkled. "THAT WAS AWESOME! How did you do that?!"
Drake smirked. "Let's just say... I have a cheat skill for learning."
As they approached the elder's humble hut, they sat around a tiny table to discuss strategy.
"When will the direwolves attack?" Drake asked.
The elder looked down, voice trembling. "Their leader said… tonight. The whole pack is coming to wipe us out."
Tears welled in the goblin's eyes.
"Don't worry," Rimuru said confidently. "We'll take care of it."
Ding![Hidden Quest Complete: Form Bonds with Rimuru and Veldora.][Rewards: Pokémon Lottery Gift Ticket x2]
Drake's eyes gleamed. He pulled out two shimmering golden tickets.
"Hey, Rimuru. Got a present for you."
Rimuru bounced over curiously. "Huh? What's that?"
"Just crush them in your... slime... hands and find out."
Rimuru did as instructed. The moment he crushed the tickets, he froze.
His gooey body rippled with rapidly shifting emotions—none of them good.
Then—"WHAAAT THE HELL IS THIS LOTTERY?! COULDN'T I GET SOMETHING COOLER?!"
Two bright lights flared beside him.
When they faded, two round Pokémon stood there. One was a pink puffball with tiny hands and a microphone—Jigglypuff. The other was a red, goofy-looking Pokémon with stubby limbs—Darumaka.
Drake stared at the scene for a second... and burst out laughing, rolling on the ground.
"AHAHAHAHA! Now we have three goofballs in this so-called village!"
Rimuru stood with a giant exclamation mark hovering above his slime head. "...Why do I feel like this is some kind of cosmic prank?"
He sighed and turned to the two Pokémon. "Alright, Jigglypuff, Darumaka… let's get to know each other."
As the sun dipped behind the horizon, peace settled briefly over the village. Drake, Rimuru, and their Pokémon lounged in the clearing, laughing, bonding, and preparing.
Then—
"AWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
A chilling, thunderous howl echoed from deep within the forest.
The direwolves had arrived.
A/N well i hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please tell me has my grammar improved at least a little bit in comparison to the first chapters enjoy this crazy chapter of mine author out heheh....