Axel pushed off the wall, arms thrown up. "Are you insane?"
Beatrice's brows furrowed, her normally calm deanor cracking. "That's—Alister, that's not how healing works! You're not even a healer! Even if your body is strong, blood transfusions don't just—"
Anzo took a sharp step forward, his jaw clenched. "Is this so kind of joke?"
Blitz, however, was the loudest. "Hold on—hold the hell on! Since when was that a thing? You never ntioned your blood can heal!"
Alister took the barrage of reactions with his usual composure, crossing his arms as he let them get it out of their systems. Then he spoke again, voice low but absolute.
"It wasn't sothing I ever planned to use," he admitted. "But Lila's not waking up. If normal healing isn't working, then we try sothing else."
Beatrice shook her head, still looking skeptical. "Even if—if—this works, there's no way to know what will happen to her. You could make things worse."
"I won't," Alister said firmly. "My blood is special."
Blitz's expression twisted with frustration. "That doesn't answer anything, dammit!"
Miyu's golden eyes flicked up to et Alister's, sharp and knowing.
"This has sothing to do with the fact that you're a dragon, right?"
Before Alister could answer, Axel suddenly blurted out, "Whoa, whoa, hold up! I know Boss is an SSS-ranked Dragon Summoner and all, but that doesn't suddenly turn him into a dragon."
Alister t Axel's gaze calmly.
"Yes."
The room fell into dead silence.
Everyone froze—except for Miyu.
Then, all at once—
"WHAT?!"
Axel's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wait, wait, wait—so the scales, the crazy strength—that's all because you're a dragon? Holy shit! Wait, can you spit fire too? And—do you have, like, a really cool dragon form? With wings?!"
Blitz, who had been glaring at Alister monts ago, suddenly leaned forward, looking far too interested. "Yeah, Boss, I gotta admit, you just got a whole lot cooler." She smirked. "I guess if you're a dragon, we don't have anything to worry about. Oh, wait—does that an you hoard treasure? You got a secret stash of gold sowhere, Boss?"
Alister exhaled through his nose. "Enough of that."
Beatrice, who had remained stunned, finally found her voice. "Wait—but if this was true, why didn't you ntion it earlier? At the guild eting?"
Alister gave her a flat look. "Oh, I'm sorry. I should have casually brought it up and maybe even donated my blood for scientific study, right?"
Beatrice frowned. "That's not what I ant, Alister. This is huge. Sothing like this—"
"No." Alister's voice cut through her words, firm. His expression darkened slightly. "Besides the fact that there are strings attached to taking my blood, I can't just hand it out freely. Not in tis like these. There are people out there I can't trust—I can't afford to let my blood fall into the wrong hands."
The weight of his words settled over the group.
No one argued.
Axel blinked, then slowly looked around at everyone.
"…You guys hear yourselves right now? This sounds creepy as hell." He shuddered dramatically. "It's like you're all spitting lines straight out of so vampire movie. 'I can't afford to let my blood fall into the wrong hands…'" He deepened his voice for effect, wiggling his fingers ominously. "'There are strings attached…'"
Blitz snorted. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Axel threw his hands up. "I dunno, maybe because it is?! Next thing you know, Boss is gonna say he has so ancient bloodline curse or sothing—"
Alister sighed, rubbing his temple. "Axel."
Axel imdiately shut his mouth but grinned unapologetically. "Just saying, Boss. You got the whole brooding anti-hero thing going for you."
Alister shook his head. "We're getting off track. Back to the point—"
But Blitz grinned, leaning closer. "Wait, though—do you have an ancient bloodline curse? Because that would be sick."
Alister groaned.
Blitz raised her hands in surrender, a smirk still on her lips. "Fine, fine. Do your thing, Boss. Just make sure you bring back our precious Lila to us."
Alister sighed, then stepped closer to Lila's bed. He rolled up his black sleeve, revealing his forearm. Then he summoned a small, razor-thin blade of ether between his fingers.
A single, clean cut.
Golden blood welled up instantly, thick and strangely luminous in the dim light.
Alister took a steady breath before calling out internally.
'System, what exactly would be all the effects if a human consus my blood and undergoes dragonification?'
A brief pause followed before the familiar, emotionless voice of the system echoed in his mind.
⫷『If a human consus your blood and successfully undergoes dragonification, they will transform into a lesser dragon. This will grant them:』⫸
⫷『• A stronger body, enhancing their physical attributes beyond human limits.』⫸
⫷『• A significantly extended lifespan.』⫸
⫷『• Immunity to the Disaster of Death.』⫸
Alister's eyes narrowed slightly at the last part. 'Immunity to the Disaster of Death?'
⫷『Affirmative. They will be unaffected by its direct influence, rendering them resistant to its effects.』⫸
His grip tightened slightly. That was… significant. Far more than he had anticipated.
The system's voice continued in its usual neutral tone.
⫷『However, if the individual were to consu your blood a second ti, they would be registered as your spouse.』⫸
Alister's eye twitched slightly. 'I know. I didn't need to be reminded.'
Carefully, he lifted Lila's head with one hand, bringing his bleeding wrist to her lips with the other. The golden liquid dripped onto her tongue, sliding down her throat.
For a mont, nothing happened.
Then—
Lila's body jerked violently as golden veins of energy surged beneath her skin. A deep, primal tremor rippled through her body as her back arched off the bed. Her breathing turned ragged, almost pained, as the transformation took hold.
Her fingers clawed at the sheets, her entire body trembling. Then, a pair of black, curved horns sprouted from her head, twisting slightly backward. Her ears elongated and sharpened, taking on an almost elven shape. The glow beneath her skin pulsed once more before fading, leaving her body still and silent.
The entire room stared in stunned silence.
"…What the hell?" Axel muttered.
Blitz whistled. "Welp, if these are the strings you were talking about, Boss, I gotta say… they're pretty damn noticeable."
Alister sighed. "Yes. This is what I ant. Turning into a lesser dragon."
A heavy silence followed as everyone processed the words.
Then, Lila's breathing evened out. Her body relaxed.
And finally, her eyelids fluttered open, revealing golden irises.
Beatrice was the first to react. "Lila!" she gasped, stepping forward with relief.
Miyu let out a slow breath, nodding slightly.
Axel exhaled dramatically. "Damn, for a second there, I thought she was gonna explode."
Blitz snickered. "Would've been kinda cool, though."
Lila blinked, her gaze unfocused at first. Then, as she slowly took in the room, her eyes locked onto Alister.
And the mont she saw him—she broke.
Tears welled up instantly, and before anyone could react, she pushed herself forward, throwing her arms around him.
"Alister—!" Her voice cracked. "I was so scared…"
Alister stiffened slightly at the sudden embrace, but he didn't pull away. He hesitated before resting a steadying hand on her back. "It's okay," he said softly. "You're safe now."
She clung to him for a long mont, her body trembling as silent sobs racked her fra.
The others exchanged glances but didn't interrupt.
Then—
⫷『Lila has successfully undergone Dragonification.』⫸
⫷『New Classification: B-Rank Lesser Nature Dragon.』⫸
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