Crack! Snap!

The sound of bones misaligning and realigning echoed repeatedly. Muscles tore apart and regenerated over and over.

Organs twisted and rearranged themselves, settling into entirely new configurations within his body. The heart transformed into something entirely alien, and entirely new organs began to form.

With a sensation like his head was about to explode, he began to see and perceive things far beyond his previous understanding. His brain evolved endlessly, gaining abilities that were incomprehensible for a mere human.

Impurities and waste accumulated within his body were entirely expelled, replaced by a pure, dark crimson mana that circulated within him.

His body, merging with mana itself, started transcending mortality. Like a being of pure mana, his physical form became inseparable from the energy.

He ascended to a new level of existence as a living organism.

Even his soul grew to match this newly reshaped vessel. Bound by a spiritual connection to Tiamat, his soul broke free of mortal constraints, gaining boundless potential.

Thanks to the arduous process of inscribing magic on Tiamat's massive bones and the spiritual awakening she'd guided him through, his soul evolved rapidly.

His soul began to enlighten. A nonexistent "third eye" awakened within him.

And amidst all these overwhelming transformations, Yujin...

Crack! Snap!

"Ugh...! Huff... Huff..."

He was barely able to keep himself upright as the pain of evolution and the growth of his soul overwhelmed him. Worse, the evolution of his soul meant he experienced the pain with unrelenting clarity, unable to shut it out.

Coupled with his radically altered senses, every sensation became unbearably vivid, magnifying the pain.

While his soul, strengthened through its growth, endured the torment with relative ease, his body was completely overwhelmed by the physical transformations, leaving him unable to utter a single word.

『Are you alright?』

Tiamat looked at Yujin and asked. He struggled to speak.

Crack! Crack!

"Ugh!"
Haha... I’m managing better than I expected. Maybe it’s thanks to my past experiences of being burned and regenerating repeatedly?

Though his mind formed coherent thoughts, his mouth could only produce groans, unable to articulate through the chaos of his reshaping body.

『It seems so. You’re handling it surprisingly well.』

Perhaps due to their spiritual bond, Tiamat could hear the thoughts Yujin wasn’t able to speak aloud.

And she was right. As mentioned before, his strengthened soul bore the brunt of the pain without much difficulty. Even though his body was undergoing such intense reconstruction that he couldn’t muster even a word, his soul was steadfast.

Haha, this is a little scary. Once this is all over, I feel like I’ll look more like a monster than a human, he thought, conveying the sentiment to Tiamat through their connection.

『Don’t worry. That won’t happen. Just look at my form—there’s no sign of such a thing, is there?』

Is that so?

『Of course. Remember? It’s been about two months since I told you that this form of mine is a polymorphed appearance.』

Ah, that’s right.

『Do you recall what you said about my appearance when I showed it to you?』

I said it was stunningly beautiful. I still think so.

『Exactly. Just as with me, you’ll find that your appearance will be even more striking by human standards than before. Though, as a dragon, our perspective on human appearances is somewhat trivial. Still, since you were originally human, it might matter to you.』

Well, if I’m good-looking enough to make a living off my appearance alone, I wouldn’t complain. Though, it does make me wonder—are dragons’ human polymorph forms always so conventionally attractive?

Amused by the thought, Yujin asked. If dragons appeared stunningly beautiful by human standards, did that mean all dragons in human forms shared this trait?

『Not necessarily. A dragon can choose their appearance when they polymorph, but… well, there is a default. When a dragon transforms into a human, they typically take on the appearance of what they personally consider to be the most ideal human form. While they can modify it, most dragons don’t bother. After all, dragons only polymorph for amusement.』

Ah, I see. So dragons’ sense of aesthetics is somewhat aligned with humans’?

『It’s not so much about aesthetics as it is about similar standards of beauty. As I mentioned before, humans may not be dogs or cats, but they can still recognize what makes dogs and cats cute or beautiful. It’s the same for us.』

Understood.

With this exchange, Yujin continued conversing with Tiamat, enduring the pain of evolution.

How much time had passed, he didn’t know.

Suddenly—

Fwoooosh!

The transformation was complete. Dark crimson mana billowed out of Yujin’s body like steam.

"...Phew."

Yujin let out a deep breath and rose to his feet, glancing around.

"...Ah."

And then, he saw the world anew.

Was this what it felt like for a blind person to suddenly gain sight? Or for a person to acquire an entirely new sensory organ?

The cavern was as vast and empty as before, but Yujin now perceived it with an overwhelming influx of information.

It was as though his presence extended everywhere, even into spaces he didn’t physically occupy, as if he could feel and process every detail of the cavern.

The storm of information, impossible for a human mind to comprehend, flowed through him effortlessly. He couldn’t classify or comprehend it entirely, yet his mind managed to process it instinctively.

For a moment, he saw the world in seven hues, touched sounds, tasted colors, and smelled light.

He saw ripples in space caused by his movements and even brushed against the flow of time itself.

And amidst all of this...

These energies...

Mana, aura, divine power, demonic energy...

The four great forces, as they were called, could now be seen, felt, and comprehended.

He felt the energies saturating the space around him and realized, astonishingly, that even this storm of overwhelming information was something he could manage.

The memory of Tiamat remarking on his mortal limitations returned to him—the time she had transmitted the dragon’s magic formulas, and his human mind had been paralyzed for thirty minutes.

So this is what she meant.

Now, he lived in this world with a mind capable of effortlessly processing such information. Yujin could finally grasp the magic formulas she had shared, confident he could handle and master them.

With this newfound ability, what had once taken him nearly a month of work could now be completed in mere seconds.

"...Remarkable."

He felt it clearly—he had risen from the stature of a mere ant to that of a truly extraordinary being. He could now comprehend things beyond human understanding and view the world with entirely new senses.

Simultaneously, he felt an immense power coursing through his body. It was no longer the crude mana he once wielded as a human; now, it was the mana of the great dragon Tiamat, filling every part of him.

He crouched slightly and picked up a small stone from the debris around him.

Before swallowing Tiamat’s heart, the mere act of touching such a stone would have turned it to dust. But now, he could pick it up and hold it intact in his hand.

At first glance, it might seem that his strength had diminished. Yet...

Crunch! Crumble...

The stone crumbled into dust the moment he applied even the slightest pressure.

In truth, he was far stronger than before. The difference now was that he could control his strength.

He could exert the strength of an ordinary human or summon the power to move mountains—all with complete ease and precision.

His control over his body was absolute.

Placing a hand over his chest, he could feel it: no longer did a heart of flesh and blood reside there. Instead, it had been replaced by something akin to a jewel.

The Dragon Core.

From this core, an unceasing flow of mana circulated through his body, infusing him with power.

Drawing upon that mana, he extended his hand.

Dark crimson energy, seemingly pulled directly from his core, began to swirl in his palm. With a flick of his hand—

Boom!

The energy erupted, obliterating a section of the cavern wall. He gazed at the result for a moment before flexing his fingers, opening and closing his hand.

"This... it’s almost intoxicating."

The feeling was similar to the first time he had moved Tiamat’s mana—it was an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, as though he had become a god.

Now, that overwhelming power was his own. The thought sent a shiver of exhilaration through him, tempting him to revel in his newfound strength.

"I should cool my head."

But Yujin quickly calmed himself. Succumbing to such intoxication would only lead to ruin.

He reminded himself of his roots—that he had once been nothing more than a weak human. Forgetting that would strip him of his humanity, leaving him as nothing more than a beast drunk on power.

He was not special.

He was just another being, living in a world full of struggles and burdens like everyone else.

This thought steadied him, bringing a sense of peace. He turned to look at Tiamat with a gentle smile.

Tiamat, too, smiled as she looked at him, her voice warm.

『How does it feel? To be a dragon?』

"Haha, it’s an exhilarating feeling, as though I might lose myself in the power. I never thought much about being a ‘great being,’ but... now I understand what it feels like."

『I see. And yet, you’ve managed to compose yourself rather well, haven’t you?』

"...Haha, you caught me."

Yujin scratched the back of his head sheepishly at her remark.

Tiamat gazed at him with pride, like a mother admiring her child. She had sensed all his thoughts.

Indeed, Yujin had felt the temptation of power but had quickly reined himself in. He refused to let arrogance consume him, acknowledging his flaws and weaknesses.

Truth be told, Tiamat had been somewhat worried. The greatest flaw among young dragons—or hatchlings—was their tendency to become drunk on their newfound power and act as tyrants.

Children often see themselves as the center of the world. How much more so for those destined to become great beings and endowed with immense strength?

Many young dragons quickly succumbed to arrogance, wielding their power recklessly and causing irreparable damage.

But Yujin was different. Though he was technically a hatchling, his life as a human seemed to have instilled a deep humility in him.

Or perhaps it’s simply who Yujin is, she thought.

Mortals, being inherently fragile, often became arrogant when granted power. But Yujin lacked such selfish desires and had the wisdom to control his emotions.

Relieved, Tiamat felt her worries dissipate.

Yujin was the first mortal to ever come to this place, yet he was also precisely the kind of person she had longed to meet.

Perhaps, she thought, it was fate.

No, it was undeniable. That Yujin, of all beings, was the first to arrive here and forge a bond with her—this was surely destiny’s design.

Tiamat smiled softly, looking at him.

His appearance had changed slightly since becoming a dragon.

Though his features had already been flawless, now his skin was immaculate, free of any blemishes. His facial features had grown even more ideal by human standards.

His hair had darkened to an ink-like black, and his blue eyes had transformed into a striking crimson—just like Tiamat’s.

Those blood-red eyes met Tiamat’s as Yujin asked, "Have I changed much?"

『You’ve become even cuter. The red eyes suit you well. Though your blue eyes were lovely, I quite like that they match mine now.』

"I see."

Yujin had already noticed his changes with his enhanced senses but was curious about Tiamat’s thoughts.

As he briefly examined his transformation, Tiamat spoke.

『Now then, shall we prepare to leave?』