Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Identify Lv. 7] [Night Vision Lv. 3] [Acrobatic Lv. 2] Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled [Spark Fire Dragon Lv. 4] [Earth Magic Lv. 4] [Evasion Lv. 4] [Holy Resistance Lv. 4] [Fire Resistance Lv. 4] [Earth Resistance Lv. 4] [Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 4] [Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 4] [Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 4] gained. Your Current SP is 450 You have bought [Wind Magic Lv. 1] [Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 1] Your current SP is 250 Skill requirement fulfilled. [Spark Fire’s Fire Boost] gained Magic gained: [Rock Bullet] [Wind Bullet]

'So, you think these are the skills I need to invest in?'

'Yeah, these are the stuff we will be needing the most, I think.'

'You think? So, what are we gonna do with the remaining 250?'

'Save them up.'

'I guess we can train the rest up and be efficient with this.'

Before you ask why I’m talking with another person in this cave, I’ll just answer it for you right now. This is Parallel Mind; created by my [Parallel Thoughts] skills, that essentially duplicates my mind. It's an extra me in my head.

Just imagine two consciousness living and thinking inside of me, which inherited the once singular mind’s memories and personality. The reason why I’m calling her “Parallel Mind” is that she is the one who is the clone of that original mind, in other words, mine.

'According to you, I’m the “Original Mind” ‘cause I am the only one who cannot give up control over our body, while you can only move it with my consent, right?'

'Yeah, I can’t move our body, but I can use our mana for magic. At least, that’s what our experiments showed us. That’s why; treat me well, boss ~'

'Bleh, don’t call me boss. That sounds like I'm a smug bitch when I know it’s you that says it.'

My parallel mind also told me that she was the one who accepted the evolution. She managed to wake up for a bit, after I fell unconscious, but couldn't see why I evolved into a [Young Spark Fire Dragon] nor why it’s the default choice when I clearly saw it wasn’t on the list. Well, whatever.

I can’t say constantly talking to myself is a sane option, but there isn’t much to do when you’re walking around in a cave looking for the exit. Besides, having a talking partner, while messing around with both the skill upgrade and shop, is kinda comforting.

She is also a big help with looking through the shop for any interesting skills. That’s how we found [Enhanced Mana Capacity] and [Wind Magic] for 100 SP each. Cheap and both seem quite useful. I can't say no to more mana when I mostly use spells in battle and branching out my magical spell arsenal is important for flexibility's sake.

I wish I could also learn the last two of the elements, but both cost an obscene amount of SP. [Water Magic] costs 2100 SP and [Dark Magic] costs 3000 SP. I guessed affinity affected the amount of SP you needed to spend on specific skills, but this just outright proves it, knowing that my titles are literally making it totally impossible to get any skills related to those two elements.

I had to give up on them. The cost is far too high, especially, when I know that training them would be a nightmare by itself, and to be honest, my three magic elements fire, earth and holy has served me well until now.

The only part that annoyed me, is that without [Water Magic] it’s hard to keep myself hydrated. Large amounts of strawberries, other berries, and fruits inside my storage are depleting at an alarming rate.

Well, that is an issue that I can deal with in the future. Right now, I’m not in the mood to concern myself about something that isn’t even possible to fix now.

Anyways, my parallel mind decided to stop buying skills. so we would have enough SP to buy my way through the breakpoint requirements for my most important skills. And that’s how we ended up with 250 SP remaining that we will save up for the future.

…

“Kraaaaaaaaaaa!”

I roared. The sound of my draconic voice traveled throughout the cave, echoing and echoing even further into the cave than I thought. Considering how far it went, I can only guess how huge this cave must be.

'Hey, what are you doing?!'

My parallel mind asked inquisitively. She should understand my actions and motives, so this must be her way to strike up a conversation. She lonely I guess.

'Boredom. We've walked for a while now, but we haven't found anybody else yet. This cave is empty.'

The cave was cold and dark. Two adjectives I wish would have been reversed. Thankfully, casting a simple spell like [Light] is something I can do well, so I am able to make myself a bit more comfortable despite how I just switched from a less ideal living environment to another one.

Speaking of how empty this cave is, it has improved my sleeping quality significantly. [Enhanced Enemy Sense] allowed me to fix my previously unrhythmic sleeping cycle, ‘cause I was finally able to sleep “cautiously”. The skill would wake me up like an alarm clock, when something came closer.

Unfortunately, it also sounds when a [Loopabit] appears, so it isn’t ideal. Ja, I could deactivate it, but do you think of me as an idiot?

The cave is eerily quiet, and my skills have barely activated at all. I haven’t slept soundly in so long, that I think I forgot how good it felt to wake up fully rested.

This is one thing that I appreciate about this place. Be thankful for the smaller things…

'Weeeell, technically, we do have someone in this cave. Bacteria, bacteria, bact…'

She's trying to make a joke. It's bad. I hastily stopped her before she could deliver the punchline, to save us from the cringe.

'Yeah, yeah, I know. These mushrooms also count as “life”, right? Speaking of which, these mushrooms are quite tasty.'

Belzac Mushroom A mushroom growing in the deep caves of the Belzac Forest. When dry, its flesh displays a strong absorption ability for any kinds of liquids; essentially stuffing the mushroom full, if not handled carefully

I prefer my shrooms in a creamy soup, but I need to eat them raw for the little bit of liquid in them. The humidity inside this cave is keeping these mushrooms alive, by letting them absorb the moisture from the air, giving me a way to obtain small amounts of water.

'That reminds me, we did level up our [Identify], so why not use it on something.'

'I’ve nothing better to do, so why not. I’m also curious about a certain plant with a similar name to this mushroom.'

Belzac Herb A herb that possesses astonishing healing capabilities against most wounds. Due to possessing a calming effect, it can be used to alleviate symptoms like fever. Can only grow in the Belzac forest

Yup, it did get more detailed.

'Astonishing healing capabilities? Wow, and we've been using these leaves as a food wrapping. Ha ha. I bet doctors would kill us for wasting these things.'

'For the sake of tasty food, I do not regret that decision.'

However, what's important isn't the description of the plant itself, but the name Belzac forest. Once again, the name “Belzac” appeared again. For some reason, identifying the word "Belzac" gave out no answers, but maybe “Belzac Forest” would work.

Belzac Forest A mountainous forest bordering the Valley of Belzac. The forest is divided into the mountain parts and the forest part. Most of the weaker monsters live in the mountainous part, where a wide variety of potent herbs and plants develop. On the other hand, powerful monsters roam the forest part, divided by cliffs from the mountain

Ah, so that's the name of the place I was born in. If the hole where I fell in is linked to the mountainside of the forest, then that means that the exit of the cave will lead me to the forest part of this place.

'Hmm, stronger enemies, huh? This might sound weird after we just dodged a close call, but I think we’re lucky that we got down the mountain.'

What is she talking about? I turned my mental head around to face her. I then imagined myself exaggerating a shocked face and asked her, with a little bit of real shock, to clarify what she meant.

'Huh? What? Why?!'

'I understand that this might sound crazy, but you saw what happened to us back there. We are too weak, and we aren’t strong enough to properly survive if we don’t start putting some seriously hard work into getting more strength.'

'Hard work is worthless if we get killed by such a reckless action! Did you not see that garm?! Did you not see the even more terrifying garm that was its leader?! If the-there are even more of those things out there…then send your prayers.'

I’m appalled! What is this person thinking and saying to be about fighting stronger monsters? For somebody who names herself a clone, she sure acts against my intentions!

'So…what are you planning to do then? You aren’t seriously suggesting staying in this cave, right?'

'I-I… don't you remember what I felt when I saw that second garm?''

I asked her while remembering the total stats of the garm with the [Pack Leader] title. It was crazy high if you compare them to the first garm. I thought that flamboyant garm was pretty scary already, but it looks like he was just a grunt.

'…Of course, I do. However, I don’t think that way.'

'What?'

'Reason number two, why you are the Original Mind and I’m not. While we both share the same emotions and feelings together; our thinking is, fortunately, different. My thinking is more robotic. Logical. I guess it's a side effect of being artificially cloned from yours, by a skill.'

It's a bombshell. I thought we could completely, fully understand each other. However, this changes things. Somebody that isn't me is in my head! This can't be good.

'But…you've been sharing a ton of my opinions though. We even talk exactly the same.'

It looks like my parallel mind noticed my panic, so she shook both her mental head and hands to signify that I'm panicking for no reason.

'Hey, I never said we were that different. I am thou, and thou art I, or whatever. The only difference is that my thinking is a bit more…logical.'

'So, you don’t fear…dying?'

Every true sentient being must possess a will to survive. A preservation instinct. The only way my new neighbor can be me is if she shares this…I think.

'My existence is created to keep you alive. Your survival is my most important task, and from how I see it, cowering inside a cave, instead of going out there to at least try to survive is something you wouldn’t have done in your past life.'

'But…but…this isn’t the same. I don’t want to die…I don’t want to feel that terrified again.'

'Well, has failure ever held us back? I remember that our teachers praised the effort we put in despite…'

'You can’t be seriously suggesting that sort of thing in this situation! Failing to have my dream come true is different than losing a fight in this world!'

If I can’t get scouted by a talent scout then ok, next time. I’ll become a better dancer and singer, until then. My dream to become an Idol won’t just die from one or two…or tens of failed castings. But lose a fight in this world and you’re dead…

I got lucky that I fell through that hole, but if I hadn’t cast [Holy Barrier], then I would have died from that fall. If those garms were only a bit less preoccupied, then I would have died.

Looking back, if I hadn’t unconsciously used [Mana Control] on my first day, then I would have died without knowing what even happened. Even my first real fight was a disaster, and I barely won only ‘cause those kobolds were equally as bad as fighting as me.

The noose was this close from hanging me.

'I know what you are thinking but we don’t have a choice here. Even if you don’t include the fact that we will probably starve to death in here, what about our dream? Becoming an Idol. Wasn’t that the plan we decided on the moment we found [Humanize]?'

'Isn’t it about time we gave up on it?'

I said that, while also sighing, expressing a bit of my built-up stress. It was always an option for me to give up, but I couldn't do it in my past life.

'And have all our hard work go to waste? We aren’t that old. For idols, 15 years old is around the age you start properly training to become a professional, so our chance wasn’t completely gone yet.'

'And what has all that hard work brought us, but rejections over rejections over rejections. Maybe our first death was a sign for us to start anew, without all that baggage from before. I can bake, we can become a baker. That’s a good profession.'

'…That still means we need to get out of this forest first. That also includes leveling, so we don’t just die again.'

'Oh…'

I guess if I really want to survive, I need to get out of this cave, after all. A pity…

I wish I wasn’t born in this forest. What the hell happened to those dragons that gave birth to me, then? Why did they just leave my egg in this forest all alone, without guarding it…or why have they not found me yet?!

What irresponsible assholes! My real parents would not calm down until I was found.

Considering my papa’s personality, he would probably light a fire under the police station just to make them search faster! I can just picture him shouting with that deep, German accent of his against a random police officer.

The NYPD won’t know rest!

*chuckle* I feel bad imagining him doing that for me…

The world isn’t just about me. I died without becoming a real professional Idol. All the struggle I have done was meaningless…

'Sigh, but wouldn’t our life be even more meaningless, if we are too afraid to even try?

'Can you not understand that I’m scared of dying? I don’t want to go out.'

'Nein, you aren’t afraid of dying. You’re just scared that if you try something again, that you will fail at it. I know you. You are the sort of person that can do anything she wants to do if she is interested enough.'

'Maybe that’s true, but learning that you can die anytime, with all your effort and accomplishment just vanishing into thin air… it’s discouraging.'

I firmly denied her efforts to cheer me up. What she's saying are empty words, only meant to improve my current mood. She should know better!

'…Do you remember when we first decided on becoming an idol? Watching that awesome video of SNSD? We just came out of the usual violin practice with mama, and she found that video of their song “Gee” and started to analyze it, while we started to rock to the beat.'

'…She also started to join in at the second chorus repeat, right?

Neomu banjjakbanjjak nuni busheo. ♫

No no no no no. ♫'

'Neomu kkamjjakkamjjak nollan naneun. ♫

Oh oh oh oh oh. ♫'

'Neomu jjaritjarit momi tteollyeo. ♫

Gee Gee Gee Gee Gee. ♫'

' “Mama, I want to become a singer like them!” Oh, when Mama heard that. She was so confused about what to say besides “That’s good to hear, honey.”.'

'*chortle* And Papa was so devastated when he heard that. He really didn’t want us to become an idol, ha ha. But he did agree to give us both singing and dancing practice, right? Both our dancing and singing teachers were fantastic.'

That’s right. The reason why I wanted to become an Idol wasn’t for the fame nor was it for the money.

I still remembered my first SNSD, also known as Girls’ Generation, concert where I literally begged my parents so I could attend one when they had a tour through Japan. The venue was filled with darkness and the silent cheering of fans, while the only lights that shined were the glow sticks the fans were waving. I was only 7 back then, so my Mama had to calm me down when I was confused about how concerts worked.

Then it happened. Suddenly, a single area was bathed in dazzling, shimmering brightness and the figures of SNSD idols appeared on the stage. Mesmerized at this sight, I copied what the other fans did and shouted so loud I could, to express how overwhelmed I was at this stunning stage appearance.

I wanted to be a part of that. I also wanted to stand on that stage, be one of the stars that shimmered their radiance in a world filled with darkness. The excited cheering of the fans. The ear-shattering explosions of voices after a song was done. The tears of joy when the concert ended.

I didn’t only want to be a fan that cheered on the side-lines. I wanted to be someone who can evoke people to cheer. Someone that can bring a smile on the faces of others.

'You seem to have cheered up. Is all that pent-up frustration and stress gone?'

'Pah, shouldn’t you know that? ...You probably also noticed something changed in us after evolving, correct? No more restrains. My thoughts feel more liberated than before.'

Honestly, I'm not sure if I have completely gotten over it, but I guess it does feel good to let our steam. Remembering the origin of my dream just reassured me enough to not become pessimistic.

'Well, who knows? But what I do know is that this gloomy mood is something neither of us enjoys. An Idol needs to put up a smile, even in the toughest times.'

'Yeah, that is what we do, right? Thanks for reminding me.'

'I gotcha your back. Remember what Papa said when we fully committed to becoming an Idol?'

Of course. “Music is the art of touching the souls of thousands to empower and heal them."

His motto.

She’s right. I guess I did fall back into mistrusting my talents. It brought so many problems for me and actively halted my progress, causing me some rather unpleasant issues that an idol…no, an entertainer must overcome.

Stage fright and self-doubt.

I personally think I was a pretty good singer and dancer, but the constant failures of being rejected by scouts, slowly grinded on my mind to the point that I just wasn't confident of going up on any stage. "What if I mess up the tune?” or “What if I made a misstep?”. The anxiety of failing and disappointing my parents was too unbearable.

…wait. My parents?

'Hey, are you listening?'

'Huh? Oh, yeah. I think I understand now.'

'Awesome. That’s what I want to hear from myself. Now let’s get back to business, alright? Our end goal might be a bit too idealistic, but it’s still true that we want to become an idol, right? To do that in this world, we need the strength to survive in it.'

'To never have to experience death again. That’s what you’re getting at.'

'Yup. As a monster, that might be a bit tricky considering our whole existence might make us enemies. We might have to act callous and cruel in some situations, but that is all part of survival. The strong reap the weak.'

With her speech over, she beamed a big smile. I couldn't help but give a wry smile in response.

'Being a dragon does bring a ton of disadvantages, huh? I don’t want to die before I can reach my dream this time. I fear death ‘cause I don’t want to fail a second time.'

To gain strength I must kill. As a monster, that is what I have to do. However, I was also once a human. My end goal is to return to human civilization, so the humanity part of myself is something I can’t forget, nor must I abandon it.

Act cruelly to survive if I have to but stay human in other situations. Who wants an Idol going around slaughtering things? *chuckle*

At the end of the day, the Idol must shine so bright, that others can feel safe.

'Good girl! Now that’s the smile I wanted to see! Come on, let’s continue looking around for some monsters.'

Wait…wait a moment. There really is something I forgot! It felt normal to not have it, so I never questioned it. Just like it’s expected from me not to have when I started this life.

Now that I’ve finally gotten some proper sleep, my head’s clear enough to understand.

'Wait, there is something that is annoying me.'

'Huh?'

'Papa and Mama…can you…can you remember their name… or mine?'

How obvious. How very obvious. How very stupid of me.

'Huh? …Huh?! Huuuuh?!'

_____________________________________________________

MC's Status Board Profile: Name: * Level: 0 Race: Young Spark Fire Dragon Age: 1 Month Status: Health: 245/245 Mana: 743/743 (+56) Strength: 159 (+4) Intelligence: 150 (+9) Vitality: 106 Wisdom: 116 (+5) Agility: 303 Stamina: 174/174 (+11) Effects: None Skill Points: 250 (-1450) Unique Skill:

[Spark Fire Dragon Lv. 4] (+3)

[Spark Fire’s Fire Boost] (New)

Skill:

[Mana Control Lv. 4]

[Holy Magic Lv. 6]

[Fire Magic Lv. 4] (+1)

[Earth Magic Lv. 4] (+1)

[Wind Magic Lv. 1] (New)

[Space-Time Magic Lv. 2]

[Primal Magics]

[Stealth Lv. 5]

[Identify Lv. 7] (+1)

[Prediction Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 7]

[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 1]

[Night Vision Lv. 3] (+2)

[Evasion Lv. 3] (+1)

[Acrobatic Lv. 2] (+1)

[Mana Strike Lv. 3]

[Enhanced Claws Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Fangs Lv. 3]

[Cooking Lv. 5]

[Dismantle Lv. 4]

[Parallel Thoughts Lv. 1]

[Physical Resistance Lv. 4]

[Pain Resistance Lv. 4]

[Holy Resistance Lv. 4] (+1)

[Fire Resistance Lv. 4] (+1)

[Earth Resistance Lv. 4] (+1)

[Wind Resistance Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 1] (New)

[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 4] (+1)

[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 4 (+1)]

[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 1]

[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 4] (+1)

[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 1]

Ability List:

[Flame Blast] [Spark Claws] [Spark Flame]

Spell List:

[Minor Heal] [Cure] [Modest Heal] [Smite] [Light] [Holy Protection]

[Fire] [Firebolt] [Imbue Fire] [Fire Ball]

[Earth Wall] [Rock Blast] [Earth Strike] [Rock Bullet]

[Wind Bullet]

[Haste] [Storage Magic]

[Shine]

Titles: [The Light] [Bearer of Kargryxmor’s Blood] [Otherworldly Reincarnator]