[Anna Hathaway's Favorability +5, Current Favorability: 55 (Close)]
"Uh... what?"
Su Nian, who was being embraced by Anna, was a bit dumbfounded. He had thought that reading those kinds of storybooks would make Anna look down on him, but to his surprise, her Favorability actually increased.
It seemed that, regardless of being a young Half-Elf girl, as long as she was female, they were just incomprehensible creatures.
"A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean," as the great Kong Zi once said—how true!
Being hugged so affectionately by Anna, Su Nian had no inappropriate thoughts.
Mainly because the atmosphere wasn't quite right. He rubbed his snout against Anna's soft and tender cheek, then gently placed her back onto his back, letting her lie comfortably. Spreading his wings, he flapped a few times, freeing the buried Kobolds from the mound of dirt.
"Cough, cough! Pffft... Merciful Master, please warn your poor servants next time…"
Bolikri climbed out of the sandpile, his face covered in dirt and his mouth full of sand.
The speed at which the Black Dragon had dug the pit earlier was simply too fast. Before he could react, a large heap of soil had buried him and the other Kobolds together.
To be honest, it was not a pleasant experience. Fortunately, their merciful Master had dug them out.
"Stop whining. For now, return to the lair to rest and recover. Take your spoils of war with you. I need a quiet cave to reflect on the changes brought by this inheritance!"
"Once I'm ready, we'll reclaim the lair occupied by the Ettercaps!"
Su Nian's stern command filled all the Kobolds with immense courage. They barked and cheered, their grief over fallen comrades dissipating like smoke in the wind.
In the harsh world of Silvermoon Forest, where the strong preyed on the weak, creatures died every moment. Mourning was merely a melancholic interlude; only battle was the true main theme!
A moment later, Su Nian was quietly resting in a private chamber the Kobolds had specially prepared for him.
On the way back to the Kobold lair, Su Nian had already roughly decided on the direction of his next modifications.
First, Basic Dragon Breath Accumulation was a must-have. Currently, his main means of dealing damage were Dragon Breath and melee combat.
However, his Dragon Breath had an unbearably long cooldown. Even with the help of Intermediate Devour, it still took a full minute to recharge.
This was mainly because he was still a juvenile dragon. In fact, when dragons reached adulthood, their Dragon Breath became as casual as a basic attack, with a cooldown of just ten seconds. By then, their primary attack method would shift to Draconic Magic.
Su Nian had an idea.
Looking at the extensive upgrade tree for Dragon Breath, he wondered if he could push this basic attack skill to its pinnacle. For instance, while other dragons spewed molten flames, could he unleash an annihilation ray instead?
Just the thought of it felt exhilarating!
Next, Su Nian wanted to modify his appearance.
Currently, the Black Dragon's body was too lean, lacking the aesthetic appeal he envisioned.
In his mind, dragons should be muscular behemoths, not some mosquito flying in the sky!
"System, I want to modify Basic Dragon Breath Accumulation."
[Ding! 1000 system points deducted. Basic Dragon Breath Accumulation is being solidified. Please prepare yourself.]
This modification came with a slight pain, but it was far less intense than when he had upgraded Basic Furnace. It was a bearable swelling pain.
After the modification was complete, Su Nian raised his dragon head, emitting a "gurgling" sound from his throat. A greenish glow grew brighter around his neck, and at its peak, a ghostly green Dragon Breath spewed forth, quickly filling the entire cave.
This flame was highly corrosive; not only did it burn the surrounding rocks, but it also emitted a sizzling sound.
It felt almost on par with the fel flames of a Hellfire demon.
Su Nian was very satisfied with his new Dragon Breath. Now, this felt like a proper dragon. It retained the advantages of acidic Dragon Breath while adding burning damage.
Moreover, he could feel that the speed at which he accumulated Dragon Breath liquid had doubled. Now, it only took thirty seconds to fully charge a breath attack.
"Next is modifying my body…"
Su Nian pondered, recalling the dragon bosses he had encountered in games during his previous life. The first to come to mind was Deathwing, Neltharion—a classic Black Dragon figure.
A demonic, ferocious dragon head, armor-like scales, a thick neck, muscles bulging all over, and a glowing molten crack running from its neck, across its belly, to its tail, exuding terrifying energy.
The second reference was Nidhogg, the legendary dragon gnawing at the roots of the World Tree—a catastrophic existence.
Its body was covered in glossy black scales, its back bristling with menacing spikes, and its wings, shrouded in shadowy energy, seemed to pulse with faint starlight.
Compared to the muscular Deathwing, Nidhogg leaned more towards the traditional Black Dragon image. However, it was equally robust, exuding an air of mystery and elegance.
But Su Nian still preferred Deathwing, Neltharion. That kind of physique was the true definition of a dragon—the ultimate embodiment of violent aesthetics.
With that thought, he eagerly transmitted the memory image of Deathwing to the Free Modification Function.
If he could transform into something akin to Deathwing, even as a juvenile dragon, he could probably terrify adult dragons into submission.
[Ding! Calculating the cost of the modification template provided by the host.]
[Calculation complete: External appearance modification requires 20,000 system points. Additional organ modifications require 1,000,000 system points. Host's current system points are insufficient. Modification failed.]
"Uh... what?"
Su Nian was speechless. He knew it would be expensive, but he hadn't expected that just altering his appearance to resemble Deathwing would cost 20,000 system points.
He had thought he'd struck it rich earlier, but now it seemed his system points were barely worth mentioning.
The revolution was far from over; the Black Dragon still had a long way to go.
Su Nian sighed, ready to abandon the idea of appearance modification and look into other projects when the system suddenly popped up a notification:
[Insufficient system points. Would you like to activate the staged modification plan?]
"What's the staged modification plan?" Su Nian asked, puzzled.
[Ding! The system will divide the host's modification plan into multiple stages based on the provided direction. Each stage will incur a portion of the total cost.]
"Nice, isn't this just installment payments?"
Su Nian was overjoyed, his dragon mouth curling into a ferocious grin.
This system was quite user-friendly, offering installment payments with no interest. Truly, it was his good son—just a tad inferior to his SSR-tier Anna.
"Activate the staged modification plan!"
With a wave of his dragon wing, Su Nian straightened up, his crimson dragon eyes filled with anticipation.
[Ding! If only modifying the external appearance, the transformation will be divided into four stages.]
[Stage 1: "Explosive Dragon Form" – Cost: 1,500 system points. This stage will reshape the host's physique and redistribute muscle structure.]
[Stage 2: "Advanced Scale Density" – Cost: 5,000 system points.]
[Stage 3: "Advanced Scale Strength" – Cost: 5,000 system points.]
[Final Stage: Addition of a new organ, "Molten Heart" – Cost: 7,500 system points.]
…
[Host has sufficient system points. Would you like to initiate the Stage 1 modification?]
"Do it! I can't wait any longer!" Su Nian declared with excitement.
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