Days had passed since Klein and Lucien's journey to the capital, Ostina. The excitement of the royal audience had faded, and the sun now rose lazily over the eastern vineyards, coating the manor's tiled roofs in a dull orange hue. The garrison had resumed its routine—the clang of training swords, the murmur of soldiers at breakfast, and the smell of dew settling over steel.
But Klein wasn't part of that rhythm this morning.
He lay sprawled across his bed, eyes half-open, staring at the wooden ceiling above. The room was quiet save for the soft crackle of the hearth and the faint chirping outside his window. He had grown used to this room—the creaky floorboards, the faded curtains, the faint scent of wine from the barrels below.
Then suddenly—
[System Initialization: 99%...]
The glowing blue text hovered above him. Klein blinked once, rubbed his eyes, and sat up slowly.
"Finally," he muttered, stretching. "It's been days since this thing started. What's taking so long?"
Paros' voice echoed lazily in his mind.
'Good systems take their time. You wouldn't rush divinity, would you?'
Klein sighed. "If divinity came with a loading bar, I just might."
Then, the sound of a soft Ding! resonated through his skull.
[System Initialization Fully Complete.]
[Omnipotent System Fully Installed!]
Klein's breath caught as more lines of glowing text appeared, cascading like digital scripture.
---
[Loading Status Screen.....]
[Host: Klein Adler]
[Level: 1]
[XP: 0/100]
[Health: 1500]
[Mana: None]
[Cultivation: None]
[Affinity: None]
[Title: None]
[Race: Human]
[Core: Heart of the Iron Drake - 25%]
[Bloodline: Iron Drake]
[Physique: Iron Drake]
[Abilities:]
* Passive Regeneration
* Fire Resistance
[Spatial Dimension:]
* Mantle of the Silent Tempest (Epic)
* Whisperfang (Legendary)
* Aegis of the Hollow Star (Mythical)
* Chalice of Endless Wakefulness (Uncommon)
* Verdant Veil (Uncommon)
* Emberheart Gauntlet (Legendary)
* Mirror of False Crowns (Rare)
[Omni Shop]
---
Klein's eyes widened. "Wha—what the hell is all this?"
He leaned forward, studying the glowing panel like it might vanish if he blinked too hard. His fingers passed through it like smoke, but the data held steady.
"Level one, huh? Makes sense. Health fifteen hundred... not bad. No mana? No cultivation?" He frowned. "Did they forget to finish me or something?"
Paros gave a low chuckle. 'Don't panic. The system only registers those once your mana awakening begins. Until then, those slots stay blank.'
Klein nodded slowly, eyes drifting toward one line in particular.
[Core: Heart of the Iron Drake - 25%]
"Heart of the Iron Drake..." he whispered. "So it's true. I really have a dragon's heart."
He remembered it—the blinding light before his reincarnation, the voice of the intern god stammering about a "heart of the primordial drake." Klein had brushed it off then, thinking it would just give him fire magic or something flashy.
But now… this looked serious.
"Wait, what does twenty-five percent mean?"
'Ah,' Paros hummed knowingly. 'That represents your evolution stage. Your core—the Iron Drake's Heart—is slowly merging with your mortal vessel. At twenty-five percent, you're roughly one-eighth dragon.'
"One-eighth?" Klein blinked. "So, like... I'm becoming a dragon?"
'Something like that,' Paros said, amused. 'When it reaches fifty percent, you'll be one-fourth dragon. Seventy-five percent, three-eighths. At a hundred percent, you'll be half-dragon—a hybrid. A rare existence in any world.'
Klein froze. "Half... dragon?" He felt his pulse quicken. "Why didn't that intern god tell me about this?!"
Paros sighed dramatically. 'Because he's an intern, Klein. He barely knew what he was doing.'
Klein pinched the bridge of his nose. "But he made you!"
'Yes,' Paros replied smugly. 'You could say I'm his only accomplishment.'
Klein fell back on the bed, groaning. "Great. I got blessed by an incompetent god and his snarky masterpiece."
'You're welcome,' Paros replied brightly.
Klein stared up at the ceiling again, trying to process everything. His thoughts drifted to his earlier fights—the goblins. He remembered how his stamina barely faltered, how his skin resisted cuts that should've drawn blood.
"So that's the dragon heart, huh? The reason I didn't even feel tired back then."
'Exactly,' Paros said. 'Your heart is not human anymore. It pumps mana-rich draconic blood, granting immense vitality and recovery. You've already reaped part of that benefit—Passive Regeneration and Fire Resistance are only the start.'
Klein flexed his hand, watching the veins shift faintly beneath his skin. "But I still look human."
'Because you're only one-eighth dragon. As your core progresses, your body will change to reflect your lineage. Scales, horns, Immense power… subtle at first, then prominent by the time you reach one-fourth.'
Klein grimaced. "So, basically, I'll turn into a walking furnace."
Paros laughed. 'More or less. But trust me, mortals will envy what's coming.'
Klein sighed, rolling to his side. His gaze lingered on the floating window. "Bloodline and physique both say 'Iron Drake' though. Shouldn't it say human-dragon hybrid or something?"
'Ah, that's where world mechanics come in,' Paros explained, his tone taking on a lecturing edge. 'In this world, your core defines both your bloodline and physique. Think of it like a heart—it pumps power through every fiber of your being. The more draconic your core becomes, the more your body and blood follow suit. That's why it only shows "Iron Drake." Your humanity is simply... overwritten by what's stronger.'
"Overwritten?" Klein muttered. "That sounds reassuring."
Paros hummed. 'Don't worry. You'll still think like a human. Mostly.'
Klein shot up. "Mostly?!"
But Paros didn't reply. The system's interface pulsed gently in front of him again, and a new prompt blinked at the bottom.
[Omni Shop]
A grin crept across Klein's face. "Oh, now we're talking."
He reached forward and mentally clicked on it.
[Omni Shop Loading....]
A faint hum filled the room, like the vibration of a thousand distant strings being plucked at once.
The glow intensified, washing the walls in blue light. Klein leaned closer, eyes glinting with excitement.
"Alright, Paros," he murmured. "Let's see what kind of toys we've got."
The humming grew louder, the symbols shifting faster.
[Omni Shop Loading....]
And then—silence.
The screen flickered, frozen mid-load.
Klein's anticipation was electric. His story—his new life—was only just beginning to unfold.