Chapter 24

Nathan checked his Status immediately,

[Name: Nathan Netherstar]

[Species: Juvenile Royal Dragonborn]

[Title: Crown Prince of Darkness]

[Level 5]

Energy Cultivation Technique: None

Soul Cultivation Technique: None

Divine Abilities: [Eighteen Gates of Hell](Locked)

Bloodline Abilities: [Partial Transformation (Lv 1)]

[Stats]

HP: 1000/1000

Strength: 56

Agility: 54

Stamina: 100

Toughness: 40

[Skills: None]

[Passive Skills: Blessing of Darkness (Lv Max)]

Stat Points: None

Skill Points: 16

[Items: Moon Rock Necklace, Secondary Profession Pack]

[Soul Bound Items: Sigil of Authority(Crown Prince), Mark of Inheritance(???)]

'!!!' Nathan couldn't close his mouth, as he was in too much shock!

'I knew Dragonborn would be special… bur this is almost too much! Oh! I even got a new item! Secondary Profession Pack? What is that?'

'And looks like I even got a Bloodline Ability… Let's test it!'

[Partial Transformation!]

Nathan's right arm got covered black scales that shone with a dark light. Jagged teeth-like sharp scales grew from his elbow and shoulder, tougher than a bone, while his fingers extended slightly and turned into mighty Dragon Claws so sharp that it could rip metal apart like it was paper.

Nathan looked at his hand, gawking. He felt so powerful that he had a feeling he could punch a hole trough a mountain… but he calmed himself down. He was too weak for that right now.

He turned and looked around, only to see everyone staring at him stupidly.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Nathan noticed that Sophie had gotten very much smaller, but then it hit him!

"Nate! You got so big! And your arm! Is that a Dragon Claw!?" Sophie gawked, as she saw Nathan change so much, in such a short span of time!

"Looks like there is more to evolving than we thought…" Aunty Solina looked at Sophie mysteriously.

"Grandpa, would you mind explaining?" Nathan turned to the only reliable person in the room.

"Certainly." Strange undulations burst out from Grandpa, as they covered Nathan from head to toe, making him feel as though his deepest secrets were laid bare for all to see, "Indeed, young Prince, you are now officially twelve years of age. Your bone age confirms it."

"How convenient. I guess this way, my physical age will no longer be a restriction." Nathan was happy with these changes, as being a child was very restricting.

"Let us test your strength, shall we? Young Prince, would you please attack this barrier?" Grandpa created a wall made of Spiritual Energy to test Nathan's newfound strength.

Nathan walked over to the wall before slashing it with all his might. His claws cut into the wall like a hot knife through butter. The further he went, the more resistance he felt,

"RrrraaaaAAAAHHHH!" With a final push, he managed to cut all the way across the wall. A powerful shock wave generated a gust of wind inside the room as the wall dissipated. As soon as he was done, his arm returned to normal and he fell to the ground, panting heavily.

"Nate!" Sophie rushed over to him, worried.

"Haaaa…haaaa… I'm fine… ho-how… was it… Grandpa…?"

"Very outstanding, young Prince. The attack right now could easily tear a low-level Energy Gathering cultivator to pieces. As long as you continue growing at such a pace, it won't be long that you surpass this old man." Grandpa answered with admiration. 

"So a Low-Level Second Stage cultivator huh… that's a big difference when I couldn't even fight against a normal adult half an hour ago! But it is also very draining to sustain. I need to increase my stamina…"

"Indeed, but as long as young Prince finishes your training, you will be powerful enough to go out on missions and earn real experience."

"The training…" Nathan was motivated to finish the training as fast as possible. He wanted to go out there and complete missions!

Sophie sat down next to Nathan, her usual cheery mood nowhere to be seen. Nathan looked at her questioningly.

"Nate. I have my my decision!" She said with conviction.

"What decision?" Nathan had an idea what it could be, but he still asked.

"I want to follow you, Nate! I will take the trials of Darkness!"

Nathan didn't look much surprised, "You are aware how dangerous this decision is, right?"

"I do, and I have already decided!" She didn't show any hesitation.

Nathan broke the serious atmosphere and smiled, "I'm truly happy you decided to follow me. It means the world to me."

[Ding!]

[Quest: (First follower) Completed!]

[Stat Points +10, Skill Points +1]

[You have acquired a new Skill: (Trial of Darkness)]

[Congratulation! You have reached Level 6! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]

[Congratulation! You have reached Level 7! Stat Points +30 Skill Points +10]

Nathan looked at the description of his first ever Skill!

[Trial of Darkness]

Send the soul of the selected target to the trial grounds of Darkness. Should they pass, they will enter the Path of Darkness. Should they fail, they won't remember anything.

Limit: 1 Person 

Cooldown: 24 hours

'Looks like I'm getting more Stat Points and Skill Points from leveling up after I evolved! This is awesome!'

"Are you ready to begin the trials now?" Nathan asked for conformation.

"Yes! I'm ready!" Sophie ran up to her Mother and hugged her tightly, "I'll be back soon!"

Aunty Solina kissed her daughter's forehead, "Mother will be waiting for you."

Seeing Sophie was done, Nathan also encouraged her, "I'll be waiting for the good news."

[Trial of Darkness]

Nathan activated the skill and a formation appeared beneath her feet on the wooden floor. Time froze in a small area around her. When Nathan got a closer look, he noticed that even the dust was frozen around her.

He turned and looked at Grandpa, "Grandpa, do you have any idea how long this would take?"

"Do not worry young Prince, the trial will be done in a few minutes. Although she will have to go through many days of trials, the time distortion shortens the time passed here." Grandpa explained, while Aunty Solina was looking at her daughter with anxiety. The trials were indiscriminate after all.

After waiting for a few more minutes, Sophie abruptly opened her eyes, happiness clearly visible in her topaz blue eyes. 

"I DID IT!"

She jumped and hugged Nathan with extreme happiness! Nathan hugged her back. He was not the least bit worried as he was well aware of her personality.

"I never doubted you for a single moment." Nathan said.

"Congratulation little Sophie. I'm sure your Father will be proud once he finds out." Said Grandpa

"Well done, my daughter. I'm happy for you!" Aunty Solina said.

"Thank you everyone!" She was feeling extremely happy.

Sophie turned to Nathan, "You can't get rid of me now, My Prince!~"

"Haha. In that case, a gift is in order!"

'Melian, please establish a connection with Sophie.'

[Requesting permission…]

Meanwhile, Sophie received a notification.

[Requesting permission to establish connection. Would you like to accept? Yes/No]

"Yes!" Sophie didn't even wait for Nathan to explain what she was accepting.

[Connection established successfully!]

"… As I was trying to explain, I want you to meet Melian, Darkness' key to its return to glory. With her, you can also follow me along on this journey, side by side…" Nathan said.

Aunty Solina walked over to Nathan, "You have lead my daughter down a dangerous path, I will hold you responsible for it."

"Don't worry Aunty. I won't let her suffer any grievances as long as she follows me." Nathan said seriously.

"A man's word is worth his weight. You carry a heavy burden, little Nate. Don't get crushed by it. When life gets hard, know that there is always a home for you to go back to." Aunty Solina smiled gently, as she caressed Nathan's hair. To her, Nathan was the same as her daughter.

"Hmm." Nathan enjoyed the head pats for a bit, before asking something that has been bugging him for a while now, "Sophie, did you find any Marks of Inheritance?"

"Oh! Oh!!! So that's what the tattoo was! I also have something in this 'Status Menu' as its called, it says Mark of Inheritance (Supreme Golden Crow Matriarch)!"

"Little Sophie is indeed exceptional. She actually managed to find an inheritance! Her future is all but guaranteed." Grandpa was satisfied with how things turned out today.

"A Golden Crow… they are a race of Supreme Magical Beasts, Born from the heart of a Star… their mastery over their Golden Flame is one of a kind and their beauty is envied, even by The Gods…" Grandpa decided to tell them a bit more about the greatness of The Golden Crow so they know the significance of this Inheritance.

"What's more, this Inheritance belongs to their Supreme Matriarch. The Supreme title is one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed upon an individual by The Universe itself. Since the Fall of Darkness, no new Supreme title has been ever bestowed…"

"WOW!!! It's that amazing!? Then I can definitely surpass Nate's Dragonborn if I try hard enough!" Sophie was all ready and roaring to surpass Nathan.

"With enough hard work anything is possible, but on the note of being a Dragonborn, Grandpa, where did you get that Dragon Heart?" Nathan finally decided to inquire about the crystal.

"Hoho~ As expected of young Prince! You noticed. Indeed, it was not a normal Heart, but as per the wish of my supplier, its origin shall remain unknown." Grandpa was a man of his words after all.

"Well, wherever you got it, it seemed to have unlocked a hidden option for me. I am a Royal Dragonborn now…"

Grandpa froze in shock, "…Even I didn't know the crystal would have such effects…"

He looked at Nathan and explained, "The Royal Dragonborn are considered 'Noble' by The Universe itself, meaning that they stand above the mortal races. The Royal Golden Crow is also considered a Noble race but their purpose is different. While Noble races have many specialties, what makes Royal Dragonborn so scary compared to the rest, is that they only have one…" Grandpa explained,

"To annihilate anything that dares stand in their way!"