Yuki had completely forgotten that skills could be upgraded through actual use. Up until now, he had relied almost entirely on the Fusion Lab to gain better skills, assuming it was the only method. He had not even attempted to improve the ones he already possessed.
In truth, skill growth through use was a far more difficult and uncertain path. But now he understood the potential hidden in repeated skill activation.
Frost Breath had been only an F-Rank skill, and that was likely why it had advanced so quickly. Just a handful of real-life applications against overwhelming fire had forced it to evolve.
His E-Rank skills, however, were far more stubborn. They would demand much more time, intensity, and experience to see a step of growth.
Still, this upgrade was a timely gift. A turning point.
Against fire, ice was a natural counter. Now that [ Frost Breath ] had strengthened, Yuki could match the elemental might of the Sun Crow more evenly.
He might still be only Level 5, but his confidence soared after realising this.
And he had one more ace.
Night Berserker.
A brutal transformation skill he had yet to use since he fused it.
His eyes narrowed, glowing faintly with cold determination.
"Let's see what happens when frost and fury dance together," he whispered under his breath.
Yuki took a deep breath as frost gathered at the edges of his fangs. The upgraded Frost Breath pulsed inside him like a frozen tide, waiting to be unleashed.
"CAWWW!"
Above them, the Sun Crow shrieked once more, wings blazing with flames that danced like wildfire in the dark sky.
"Grakar!" Yuki shouted. "We are not running anymore!"
Grakar's eyes lit up. "Yes, my Lord!"
Yuki's body charged forward, his wings spread wide with the assistance of [ WindLeap Dash ].
"Swoosh!"
He flew directly toward the Sun Crow to draw its attention.
The beast cawed and hurled another firestorm from its beak, engulfing the space between them in radiant destruction.
But this time, Yuki was ready.
[ Frost Breath ]
A storm of icy mist exploded from his small mouth, colliding midair with the blazing fire.
Buzz...
The two opposing forces clashed, sending shards of vaporized steam in all directions.
But this time, the frost was heavier, faster, and colder. It began pushing back the flames.
The crow screeched, flapping harder, trying to overwhelm the frost. But its eyes flicked downward just a second too late.
[ Crushing Tail ]
Grakar, who had circled beneath the tree, burst into a sprint and launched himself like a missile. His tail swung with monstrous force, smashing into the crow's lower wing. Bones cracked. Flames wavered. The bird let out a strangled shriek and lost balance.
Bang!
It crashed onto ground.
As Yuki stepped forward, looking at the scorched and frozen corpse of the Sun Crow, his silver eyes picked up a subtle twitch in the bird's talon.
Its eyes, dimmed but not fully dead, ignited with a flicker of blazing flame.
"It's still alive?" Grakar growled, pulling himself upright.
Yuki narrowed his eyes. "Then we just have to kill it completely."
But deep inside, he sensed that one more blast of Frost Breath would not be enough. The creature was a descendant of the legendary Sun Crow. It was built to survive. If they hesitated, even for a moment, it would rise again.
He had no more time to waste. He wouldn't give it another chance.
'Activate… Night Berserker.'
Instantly a dark pulse surged through his veins.
His pupils slit sharply, and veins of black energy rippled beneath his scales. His body expanded slightly, muscles thickening, claws growing sharper. A cold wind coiled around him, and his mana flared like a storm waiting to be unleashed.
[ Skill Activated: Night Berserker (E) ]
[ Boost: Strength +30%, Agility +30%, Defense +30% ]
[ Duration: 5 Minutes ]
Yuki's stats surged with terrifying intensity.
He vanished from sight with a sonic crack, then reappeared above the struggling crow with glowing claws.
[ Phantom Claw!]
His strike descended with brutal speed and power, and this time the ghostly claws ripped through the bird's flaming defenses as if they were paper. Its cries were cut short by the five deep, burning gashes that ran across its face.
Two seconds later, the Sun Crow let out a deathly howl before its body finally went motionless.
And then flashes of light danced before Yuki's eyes as a stream of notifications appeared:
[ Congratulations! You have levelled Up ]
[ Congratulations! You have levelled Up ]
[ Strength +4, Agility +3, Defense +3 ]
[ Mana +20 ]
[ Strength +4, Agility +3, Defense +3 ]
[ Mana +20 ]
_____
Yuki quickly deactivated [Night Berserker], wary of overusing it and risking a weakened state afterward.
He opened his status screen and confirmed the result. He was now a Level 7 Dragon.
The growth wasn't just on the screen. His body had grown noticeably, now about the size of a sturdy calf. His once-small wings had broadened and thickened, gaining the primary structure needed for real flight control. His limbs carried more muscle, tightly woven with power, and his scaled hide felt denser and stronger.
More importantly, the flow of mana coursing through his veins felt denser and purer. It flooded his body with energy that sharpened his senses, refined his reflexes, and made his very breath feel like drawing from a river of power.
He stretched his limbs and flapped his wings once, feeling the strength in their motion.
"So… this is what it means to level up," he muttered with satisfaction.
Beside him, Grakar looked at him with shining eyes of reverence.
"You were amazing, my Lord. And a little scary..."
"You think so?" Yuki smiled as he focused on the dead glowing corpse, which was like a treasure trove to him.
First, he touched the body and extracted the skills:
[ Skills Extracted: Fire Breath (E), Firestorm (E), Blazing Armour (E) ]
Then bloodlines:
[ Bloodline Extracted: Sun Crow (D) ]
After the extraction, all that remained was a dried-up husk. There was still some essence to be gained.
So he placed it inside the Fusion Lab beside those Hollow husks to fuse with them later.
Like a leech, he would use every part of its body.