The Lizard's Ascent

The slimy touch enveloped his body from all sides. 

It's so hard.

Why can't I open my eyes?

Humans panic when they're unsure of their surroundings. If they're trapped, they instinctively struggle. 

He began waving his arms and legs, struggling to break free. 

The arms and legs can move.

Realizing this, his 'hand' subconsciously touched his face.

Why? Why couldn't I reach it? I can feel my hands, I can feel my body, why? Why?

This bizarre change made him panic, and his body struggled violently. 

The empty room was filled with fiery red crystals, and in the center stood a one-meter-high egg, its shell covered in fire scales glowing like red flames, flickering light and dark. 

In front of the pile of crystals stood two teenage figures. The girl in front, dressed in a gorgeous gown, had long black hair as dark as the night sky and an innate noble bearing. The girl behind her wore a black and white maid outfit, her eyes full of anticipation as she gazed at the magical beast egg about to hatch. 

The fire elemental crystals piled in the hall channeled their magic power toward the egg. The red flame glow on the eggshell brightened and dimmed rhythmically, a sign that the magical beast egg was about to hatch, as the maid had read in many books. 

"Your Highness, it's finally about to break its shell."

"Hmm."

The girl addressed as Your Highness by the maid gave a light response, her tone plain, but her unwavering gaze on the magical beast egg revealed her anticipation. This magical beast egg was crucial to her future.

"Your Highness, do you think this magical beast egg will hatch into a ranked species? After all, its bloodline is from a mid-ranked species."

"I hope so."

"This little guy inside the eggshell is so voracious; it must be a ranked species."

"Hmm."

Celine did not object to what Aina said. This magical beast egg had consumed tens of thousands of her fire elemental crystals. The higher the bloodline, the more voracious the magical beast. This was common knowledge. Only a fool would use elemental crystals to feed an ordinary beast egg. This magical beast egg could not be ordinary. It was a magical beast egg she had acquired from an auction, and the auction union had shown the entire process of its birth from a mid-ranked species magical beast. So, as long as it successfully hatched, it would be a ranked species, even if it wasn't as powerful as its mother.

As long as it's a ranked species, it's fine.

The girl's gaze towards the magical beast egg became slightly heated.

[Ka-ching~]

A small sound echoed in the quiet hall. 

Celine immediately held her breath, her eyes tightly focused on the magical beast egg, her palms unconsciously clenching into small fists.

[Ka-ching~!]

A chubby claw covered in fiery red scales protruded from the top of the eggshell.

Light!

At the sight of light, his hands waved more vigorously. One hand peeled away the top of the eggshell, then he squeezed his head through the opening toward the light source above him. He couldn't wait to escape the darkness.

[Click~]

The moment he poked his head out, he was stunned. This was an empty hall filled with various fiery red crystals. These crystals weren't industrially inferior; they looked beautiful, almost fantastical, with fiery red filaments flowing through them. He didn't know how it was done. Then he saw the two young girls standing in front. They were both very pretty, but the girl in front was more eye-catching, not in terms of appearance, but in terms of temperament. She looked like a European aristocrat, while the maid following her had a more ordinary demeanor.

Was he a part of some cosplay event? But why was the maid looking at him angrily? And why was the other girl's gaze becoming more somber?

Forget it, better to ask first; staying silent isn't a good idea.

Thinking this, he raised his 'hand'.

"Spindle~"

Wait for his voice.

Lowering his head, he saw his stomach and hands covered in red scales, and his palms had turned into lizard-like claws.

Had he turned into a monster?

Fear instantly spread through his heart.

This must be fake.

He peeled at the left paw with his right, trying to pull off the skin covering. But it wouldn't come off; it wasn't a holster.

No, it wasn't.

His claws continued to tear until the eggshell underneath his body tilted slightly, causing him to roll uncontrollably. After rolling several times, he stopped. Sitting on the ground, he looked at the drooping tail before him and realized he had become a mutant lizard, one meter long. This size was absurdly large.

Celine looked at the deformed big-headed lizard that rolled to her feet. Its head was almost as large as its body, clearly deformed. Unlike intelligent species, magical beasts were blessed by the realm's will when they hatched, allowing them to gather gift rings corresponding to their bloodline. The more rings of gift, the higher the beast's bloodline. The growth limit of a magical beast depended on its bloodline. This big-headed lizard hadn't even managed to condense a single ring, indicating it was an ordinary beast egg all along. 

Thinking of all the elemental crystals it had absorbed only to hatch into a deformed big-headed lizard, Celine felt her heart clog up. After consuming so many of her elemental crystals, it wasn't even a magical beast. The lizard's rotten bloodline was evident.

Damn it! That auction house must have cheated me!

A very uncomfortable feeling came from above his head. Raising his head, he met the young girl's gaze. Seeing the undisguised coldness in her eyes, he instinctively shrunk his neck. She didn't like him! He didn't understand why this girl, who gave him a sense of affection, would look at him like that. Lowering his head, he dared not meet her gaze.

Hm?

Why was the air twisting? A creepy feeling rose in his heart. Instinctively, he scuffed his paws, trying to back away.

But it was too late.

"Hmm~"

The expression on Celine's face turned to pain, followed by blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.