An intense surge of mana erupted instantly from the activated spell formation, enveloping Orion completely. Waves of vibrant, powerful energy flowed over him, nearly overwhelming his senses.
The formation beneath him blazed to life, its intricate runes glowing with dazzling brilliance as they channeled mana into Orion's body.
In an instant, pain unlike anything Orion had ever experienced in either lifetime assaulted him.
It felt as if countless burning needles stabbed into every inch of his body simultaneously, forcibly injecting streams of turbulent mana through his veins.
[BEEP]
[BEEP]
[BEEP]
[Due to the enhanced mana senses from your Dragon Lineage, the host is experiencing pain at a hundredfold intensity.]
He nearly screamed out loud hearing the absurd words of the system. A human couldn't even withstand the normal amount of pain, yet here he was, bearing a hundred times that.
He tightly clenched his fists, teeth gritting fiercely as he resisted the urge to scream. His heart refused to allow any sound of pain to escape from him—so as not to make Eldric and Selene more worried than they already were—but beads of sweat rapidly covered his forehead.
Outside the formation, Eldric and Selene watched anxiously, their hearts tightening as they saw Orion's pained yet unyielding expression.
"Endure it, Orion…" Eldric whispered, fists clenched tightly, eyes filled with a complex mixture of worry and confusion. The amount of mana gathering was abnormal. The spell alone couldn't have done this.
But he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, focusing entirely on Orion for now.
Inside the formation, Orion's awareness plunged inward, and he felt the raging torrents of mana rushing violently toward his Sea of Consciousness.
The mana surged forward relentlessly, crashing into the barriers protecting the core of his mind with increasing ferocity.
Come on! Orion roared inwardly, gathering every ounce of willpower he possessed, guiding the relentless flow of mana.
BOOM!
The first barrier shattered violently, sending ripples of agony throughout his soul. Orion nearly collapsed mentally but steeled himself quickly.
One barrier down… he muttered internally.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two more barriers shattered in quick succession, nearly overwhelming him. His body trembled uncontrollably, muscles screaming in protest, yet Orion's will remained unshakable.
The mana from the mana stones began extracting, infusing into his body before violently surging everywhere—before converging toward his Sea of Consciousness.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three… four… five… he counted as each barrier to his Sea of Consciousness broke, one after another.
The mana flowing into him grew denser, more aggressive, pressing against the final barriers with overwhelming force.
"Almost there…!" Orion growled aloud through gritted teeth, sweat now soaking his clothes, dripping onto the glowing formation beneath.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the sixth barrier violently shattered, releasing a surge of energy that momentarily blinded Orion.
However, the expected awakening didn't happen. Instead, the mana turned even more violent—he could feel a new layer of barrier inside the Sea of Consciousness.
SEVENTH BARRIER!!! Orion nearly shouted out in anger, but his will didn't shake. He continued pressuring the barrier. Fucking hell! Let's see how many barriers there are!!
His body violently trembled as the mana in the surroundings grew denser, nearly converting into mist due to his resonance.
Eldric and Selene looked on in shock—they couldn't understand how Orion was gathering so much mana all around him.
"Th-This— I don't think even those three-barrier or four-barrier geniuses can compare with him," Eldric said speechlessly, recalling the prophecy once again.
While Selene continued to look at Orion worriedly, clasping her hands together, silently hoping for him to be safe.
Orion, on the other hand, continued breaking through the barriers. After the seventh, he shattered the eighth—before finally clashing against the ninth.
BREAK! Orion shouted inwardly, exhaustion and unyielding will clear in his voice.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
BOOM!!!!
All of a sudden, the ninth barrier broke, and a tsunami of mana flooded his Sea of Consciousness, rapidly expanding it beyond the limitations of any human or True Dragon—making it at least ten times greater than a True Dragon's Sea of Consciousness.
[Ding!]
[Vepar has noticed your presence.]
Orion felt his mind expanding exponentially, overwhelmed by a powerful clarity.
Just as he tried to heave a sigh of relief, his bloodlines surged with even greater force. His Dragon Bloodline and Perfect Human Lineage resonated, merging even closer together—yet there seemed to be something, a very tiny fragment, still missing before he could complete his metamorphosis and merge all three lineages perfectly.
However, even this partial fusion elevated Orion to a whole new level. His body suddenly erupted in intense pain once again as profound transformations occurred:
Bones strengthened immensely. Muscles grew denser. His senses sharpened to extraordinary levels. His very soul seemed to elevate in purity and power.
The mana in his body surged once more—attacking the dormant mana channels next—instantly opening three of them.
But it didn't stop.
It continued smashing again and again—until all nine mana channels burst open one after another.
Outside the formation, Eldric and Selene were speechless, feeling the earth-shaking fluctuations emanating from Orion's body.
Yet that was not the end.
His body began emanating intense elemental fluctuations that cycled through all known elements—leaving none behind. However, his Fire and Thunder elements shone the brightest.
"Did he just… awaken nine channels?!" Selene gasped, eyes wide with shock and amazement.
Eldric nodded solemnly, his face filled with even greater shock. "And his elemental affinity… did he awaken all of them? And this level of affinity… it's far greater than mine."
***
Somewhere else, in the outside world…
In a lavish and elegant room, a young lady could be seen studying books.
All of a sudden, she raised her head. "Light… affinity?" Light particles rose around her, as if conveying something, but before they could—
A knock.
"Lady Arya, it's time for dinner."
***
Deep within the Stormwood Forest…
At a volcano, where molten rivers flowed like blood through obsidian caves, a pair of ancient golden eyes slowly opened.
A colossal dragon head—wreathed in scales like a crimson sun, with veins glowing faintly with dripping magma—rose from the heart of the volcano.
Its massive horns scraped against the volcanic walls as it turned, its eyes narrowing toward the northwest, toward the distant skies above Greythorn City.
A long silence. The wind howled.
Then, with a voice as old as the world, deep enough to shake the ground, the Dragon spoke a single word in the tongue of its kind:
"…Anomaly."
It did not know what had happened. Only that something impossible… had just occurred.
"Matters… naught… to me."
Its draconic voice echoed once more in ancient speech, before it slowly descended back into the lava.
***
Back inside the mansion…
Orion continued to feel the mana rampaging inside his body.
[Ding!]
[Limitless System Evolution Triggered — Analyzing Host Anomaly… Reconfiguring Modules…]
At the heart of the spell, Orion's body was drenched in sweat from the overwhelming pressure. His consciousness flickered, returning for a split second.
[Ding!]
[System Evolution Detected — Initiating First Major Update…]