Hearing Muria's urging, Bernard glanced around the room. The servants in the dining hall were all staring at him, their eyes full of concern. They could tell something was wrong; their master seemed to be in conflict with this mysterious Muria, and the once-proud dragon knight was now in a position of submission.
However, Bernard paid no attention to the servants' gazes and instead focused on the elderly man who had followed him from humble beginnings. The old man's cloudy eyes were filled with concern, reflecting his deep worry for Bernard.
Seeing the old man's concerned gaze, Bernard felt a pang of guilt. In the rush to retreat, he had abandoned the old man to keep Muria from becoming suspicious. Now, realizing the futility of his decision, Bernard felt a deep sense of shame. But the old man hadn't blamed him; instead, he was still worried about Bernard's safety.
Recalling Muria's earlier promise, Bernard gritted his teeth and shoved the walnut-sized crystal into his mouth, chewing it up and swallowing the single drop of brilliant dragon blood within.
For the first two or three seconds, Bernard felt nothing unusual. But soon after, a searing torrent of energy erupted from his abdomen like a volcanic eruption, surging through his limbs. It felt as if he had swallowed a furnace.
Within mere seconds, Bernard's originally fair skin turned bright red, like a boiled shrimp, with wisps of steam visibly rising from his body. Eventually, his body ignited, flames licking at his clothes. Fortunately, his garments weren't ordinary and resisted the flames for a while.
As time passed, Bernard's face, initially calm as he endured the pain, began to contort slightly. His strength was increasing, his battle aura being purified and refined by the dragon blood, but he took no joy in it. His body was being violently transformed by the dragon blood.
Bernard's once golden-blonde curls rapidly darkened, and his sapphire-blue eyes turned into a radiant golden hue. Tiny golden scales began to appear on his cheeks, and his muscles swelled, his body growing taller and larger. His once form-fitting clothes now clung to him like a tight second skin.
"Master!" The sight of Bernard's transformation caused the servants to cry out in shock and retreat in fear. Only the elderly butler stepped forward, worry etched on his face, showing no fear of the terrifying changes overtaking Bernard.
"Don't worry, this is a great opportunity I've given your master. As long as he endures this, he will benefit immensely in the future." Muria reassured the old man with a smile, gently moving him aside with a soft power to prevent him from interfering with Bernard's draconic transformation.
Despite Muria's words, the old man's worry didn't lessen. As time passed, Bernard's body swelled to the point that his clothes could no longer contain him. They began to tear, revealing his bulging muscles and the golden scales covering his skin. He was no longer within the realm of human appearance.
Rip! The sound of fabric tearing echoed through the room as Bernard's regular clothes burst apart, his body now towering over two meters tall.
And still, the transformation didn't stop. His body continued to swell, though the clothes had already been destroyed. A layer of small, light-golden scales covered his body, sparing him from complete exposure.
"Roar!" When Bernard's body had grown to over three meters, the transformation paused for a moment. Just as the servants thought it was over, Bernard let out an inhuman roar, so powerful that it caused the nearby servants to bleed from their ears and collapse to the ground.
Then the flames covering him suddenly turned a pale gold, with tiny arcs of lightning flickering across his body, and a faint wind stirred within the room. Muria noticed these subtle changes and couldn't help but smile.
This guy had inherited three of Muria's powers. How much he could utilize them would depend on how well he fused with the bloodline and the opportunities he encountered in the future.
Suddenly, Bernard let out a dragon-like roar, and more intense changes erupted in his body. His muscles tore apart in massive chunks, only to be reabsorbed by his body before they could bleed, regenerating even more flesh.
Then his body rapidly grew larger, his bones creaking and cracking as they expanded at an alarming rate. His muscles couldn't keep up with this accelerated growth.
The gruesome transformation left Bernard covered in blood, enduring unimaginable pain—pain worse than any punishment Muria could remember from his previous life. His body was being torn apart and rebuilt over and over again.
It was a familiar sight for Muria. Under the power of the dragon blood, Bernard's body continued to grow, gradually turning him into a giant skeleton. His muscles couldn't keep up with his rapid growth, leaving strips of flesh hanging from his bones, making him look terrifying.
"This transformation is much more intense than the last time with that wolf king," Muria remarked in amazement. Then he stood up and approached the dragon knight, who was on the verge of losing control, and began pounding the floor.
"Evolution is fine, but don't go wrecking my castle." Muria casually grabbed Bernard by the leg and began dragging him outside, much to the shock of the watching servants.
"Lord Muria, what are you doing?" The old butler, undeterred by fear, stepped forward to question Muria, trying to protect his master.
"Nothing much, just moving him outside. This castle is quite exquisite, and I don't want it destroyed because of some mindless rampage during his evolution." Muria explained matter-of-factly. Although the castle held little military value in Muria's eyes, it was now his, and he intended to preserve it.
The old man was stunned by this response, then silently stepped aside as Muria dragged Bernard out and flung him onto the castle's outer courtyard.
"Something seems to be missing," Muria muttered, frowning as he watched Bernard's skeletal form continue to grow. The dragonborn transformation process felt incomplete and far too brutal.
"Oh, I finally remembered." Seeing Bernard suddenly start digging up rocks from the courtyard and stuffing them into his mouth, Muria slapped his forehead. He turned to the old butler, who was watching with concern, and said,
"Your master isn't fully prepared for this evolution. Bring all the food in the castle to him. He's lacking the necessary resources for his transformation. Without them, he might starve to death during the process."
Muria scratched his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. He was still inexperienced in this area. The first time he had transformed a creature, it had only been a golden-level wolf, and the power in his blood had been enough to fuel the transformation. The second time, he had transformed a weakened version of a true vampire progenitor who still had untapped potential. But this time, he was transforming a dragon knight who was on the verge of reaching the legendary level—a completely different challenge.
"If possible, prepare some elemental crystals of wind, fire, and lightning for your master if you have them."
"We do, we do! The master discovered many crystal veins in Thorn Ridge. We have all of those!" The old butler nodded vigorously and began instructing the servants to gather the crystals.
"When my subordinates arrive, make sure to register all these resource points and hand them over to me." Hearing that there were crystal veins, Muria's eyes narrowed. He hadn't noticed any during his inspection of Thorn Ridge. It seemed Bernard had kept this hidden. No matter; whatever tricks Bernard had, he would now be working under Muria, and everything he had accumulated would now belong to him.
Crunch, crunch! The giant, now nearly ten meters tall, grabbed a fire elemental crystal with his clawed hand and shoved it into his mouth, chewing it up before swallowing. Instantly, his mangled body began to heal. Flesh regenerated, muscles reformed, and golden scales grew. Even the sides of his forehead began to bulge.
"Looks like he's regained his senses." Muria approached the dragonborn giant, who was now eating more methodically, and smiled as he observed Bernard's new form.
"Yes!" Bernard continued to shove various elemental crystals into his mouth, driven by a deep, gnawing hunger. But his gaze was fixed on Muria. "You're not a pure-blooded dragon."
His tone was firm. Bernard was certain of his judgment. The transformation he was undergoing couldn't have been caused by a pure dragon's blood alone. It was making his body far too massive, turning him into a giant.
Draconic transformation could cause a human's body to grow, but not to this extent. Bernard had created dragonborn before, and none had ever turned out like this.
"Correct," Muria nodded. "I'm not a pure-blooded dragon. I'm a hybrid, a mix of Titan and Gold Dragon."
"Titan?" Despite his face being covered in scales, Bernard's expression was one of shock. "Such legendary beings actually exist?"
"Of course they exist," Muria replied, rolling his eyes at Bernard's country bumpkin reaction. "Stick with me, and this single drop of blood will save you a thousand years of effort."
"A thousand years!" Bernard didn't argue. He could feel the terrifying power surging through his body. He had a sense that his current physique could probably go toe-to-toe with his red dragon mount. He felt like he could tear a dragon apart with his bare hands. And this wasn't just an illusion. Although he didn't know it yet, it was very much within his newfound abilities.
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