Chapter 334: [Draconification]

The dragon scale began to lightly shake as if it was waking from its slumber. It floated off the ground as it turned towards Sol.

It was then that Sol felt something pass through him as if analysing every single cell in his body. He didn't have any intention to block it as he knew it was the scale's doing but he had an inkling that even if he tried to block it it would be useless.

Once it was done the scale expressed its intent. Though it could not use verbal language Sol understood what it was conveying.

Sol let out a chuckle at its response. "Hah! Barely huh? But that means I can handle it right?"

Last time he attempted to use the scale, he was violently rejected and told he wouldn't be able to withstand its power. But he wasn't the same as he was then. He had gained not one, but two law techniques and had grown greatly in many aspects. He was sure he could endure whatever the scale imbued with the Law of Dragons had for him.

The dragon scale hummed faintly in confirmation as it began to glow. Sol reached out to touch it, but before his fingers could make contact, the scale began to shrink rapidly.

"What—?" Sol muttered, pulling his hand back as he watched the phenomenon unfold. The scale, once a meter tall, diminished at an unbelievably fast rate. Its glow flickered, and the energy he could sense from it weakened, its presence retreating like a wave pulling back into the ocean.

'Is it sealing itself to not overwhelm me?' Sol concluded after watching it shrink until it was half a foot long. He wasn't shocked that the scale was lowering its power for him but what shocked him was the degree it was decreasing by.

The scale continued to shrink until it was the size of a grape. Sol could feel its power compressing, folding in on itself as though sealing away its true strength.

"For it to seal itself this much…" Sol muttered under his breath with a slight bitterness in his voice. Even reaching A-Rank, an achievement most could only dream of, was something insignificant to this object.

The now tiny scale hovered unsteadily in the air, before it floated toward him. It landed gently in his palm and expressed a single command to Sol's mind, easily translatable to one word.

Eat.

Sol stared at the scale, his brows furrowing. "Eat it?" he asked aloud, his voice tinged with disbelief and slight worry. 

This wasn't what he expected. He thought he could use it like a weapon like he did with the void root but to directly consume was an entirely different matter. There was no way to know what would happen and what would become of him doing so. At the very least he would gain attributes and maybe a new skill but at worst it could be many things and dying was likely not the worst of them.

After a moment of hesitation, Sol let out a long breath. "Fine. Let's see what happens." He reached out, grabbed the small scale, and without overthinking it, placed it in his mouth.

The scale was smooth and cool against his tongue, and easily swallowed it in one go. Sol waited, but for a few seconds, nothing happened. Just when he was about to wonder what it was supposed to do, a sudden, searing pain erupted in his stomach, forcing him to his knees.

"Argh!" Sol groaned, clutching his abdomen as a torrent of energy surged through him, wild and uncontrollable. His mana and psychic energy also spiraled out of control, lashing out in waves that cracked the walls and splintered the furniture around him.

He did his best to keep his energies in check, but like a raging wind it continued to leak out against his will. It didn't take long for the door to his room to burst open with Amber standing in the doorway, her weapon drawn and her eyes sharp, ready to fight. She believed the reason for the ruckus was from someone attacking him but as her eyes darted around she was unable to find anyone.

Sol, struggling to even lift his head, managed to gasp out, "Amber! Help me contain it!"

If he didn't get a hold of the rampant energies soon not only would the inn collapse but all the people inside as well.

Understanding the urgency, Amber responded with her actions. With a wave of her hand, the air around Sol filled with swirling grains of sand that coalesced into a dense, protective dome. The room quaked as Sol's rampant energy continued to surge, but Amber's sand absorbed and neutralized the worst of it.

Inside the dome, Sol's transformation began in earnest. His body burned as dark orange scales erupted across his skin, their texture rough and gleaming. His muscles swelled, his frame growing larger and denser. Two thick, spiraling horns jutted out from his skull, their sharp edges glowing faintly in the dim light.

Sol's screams of pain reverberated within the dome, muffled by the sand and energies swirling around. Sweat poured down his face, and his breathing was ragged, but he could feel something changing deep within him. The energy of the dragon scale wasn't just empowering him—it was remaking him, reshaping his very being.

Amber stood outside the dome, her focus unyielding as she reinforced her sand barrier against the occasional cracks of energy that managed to escape. Her expression was unreadable, but a flicker of concern passed through her eyes as she watched the struggle unfold.

Inside, Sol's transformation reached its peak. The searing pain began to subside, replaced by a new sensation—a raw, primal power coursing through his veins. His body felt foreign yet familiar, as though it had always been this way his entire life.

The energy calmed, the storm subsided, and the sand dome crumbled away. Sol knelt in the center of the room, his breathing heavy but steady. His new form was imposing, with the dark orange scales covering his body and his horns casting long shadows in the dim light.

Amber stepped closer, her eyes scanning him. "What happened?" she asked, her voice tinged with unusual confusion as she saw his new appearance.

Sol slowly stood, his larger frame towering over her. He flexed his hands, feeling the strength in them, and looked at her with glowing eyes that now carried a faint orange hue.

Before he could explain himself, a system message flashed before his eyes:

[Race has changed: Human -> Variant Human]

[Comprehended law technique [Draconification] Lv 1!]