Unfortunately, it was proved that removing the source of the infection didn't kill any infected beasts, and Yi Qiang had to fight them.

Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem for him - he would have welcomed it, in fact, and seen it as a chance to test out his new class. But Yi Qiang wasn't alone anymore. No, now he had a baby dragon no larger than his foot to worry about, and it was difficult to fire a bow or perform dangerous maneuvers with a dragon on your shoulder.

No matter how talented or how much potential Shenyu had, he was still a newborn - it was all the young dragon could do to stay on Yi Qiang's shoulder while he ran through the forest, trailing his own prints backwards to get back out of the forest(Yi Qiang would rather avoid unnecessary trouble, and figured the way he had already come through was safest - he had killed many plague beasts, after all, and that should reduce the amount he had to kill to get back).

So, when he encountered the first monster, there were a few troubles.

"Brother, why you not attack?"

Yi Qiang resisted the urge for a sarcastic retort. I can't, Shenyu, because you're on my shoulder and I have to think about you when fighting. Don't worry, I won't get hurt.

To the emotionally-starved archer's dismay, a wave of intense sadness emanated from Shenyu.

"I'm holding Brother back?"

Yi Qiang's eyes widened. He had not expected such a response, not at all. Well, yes, but only because of your age.

As one could likely imagine, the problem was not alleviated by this response.

"I thought I would be helpful... Sorry, Brother, I'm useless."

Suddenly, Yi Qiang understood where he had gone wrong - the tiny dragon perched on his shoulder was not an emotionally stable, battle-hardened adult. The maturity and nobility of the newborn had led him to think so, but that made no sense. Thus, Yi Qiang couldn't handle him with the coarse gloves he normally would. No, he had to try something he never did before.

He had to sugarcoat things.

No, you're not useless - I'm just waiting for you to grow. If I wanted, you could kill this little guy all by yourself, but we have to set the proper foundation. Why don't you just try shaping your Qi?

Shenyu instantly perked up. "I'm not useless to Brother? Yeah, yeah! If I wanted to, Brother wouldn't even have to raise his hand! Ok, I'll get to practicing so I can stay with Brother!"

Maybe, Yi Qiang thought to himself, this isn't that hard after all.

The problem of fighting the plague beasts with drastically reduced mobility was quickly solved. As Yi Qiang discovered, Empyrean Dragon's Armaments was an incredibly versatile skill, and it was a simple matter for him to conjure small Qi rocks above a moving plague beast's head, pelting it with small attacks. As he got more extravagant with his Qi usage over battles, the archer had even taking to conjuring a hailstorm of little pellets, a single wave of the lethal golden matter quickly slaying any aggressive beasts.

That increased Qi usage, unfortunately, meant that his sustain was lower. No matter how beneficial it was toward his skill and stat growth(hence his reluctance to stop doing it, though the satisfaction of summoning up a veritable storm of Qi pellets to instantly kill a plague beast was not completely removed from the matter), the fact of the matter was that he could only last 5 fights before he'd be left with only enough Qi to last in case of emergency, though that number fluctuated a bit depending on the spacing between each fight. That was random, after all.

Yi Qiang, despite the fact he had to sit down and rest for three minutes every five fights, found his training to be going superbly under this new method - his Vigor and Qi Manipulation skills were rising rapidly.

He also spoke with Shenyu, finding out some very interesting things.

"I know how to control Qi, in ways, because I memories, Brother."

Putting aside the broken speech and fragmented thoughts, Yi Qiang caught the general gist(somehow, an infant's tendency not to form complete sentences transferred over to telepathic communication. Yi Qiang had no idea, and little interest in finding out why) of what Shenyu was trying to say. It turned out that dragons had ancestral memories - not fully-formed scenes contained within the mind, but more a sort of developed instinct. It was how Shenyu had so many skills Yi Qiang didn't, even though he was so young.

It also seemed that dragon's skills leveled far slower, and it, as Yi Qiang hypothesized, it was harder to gain them. The former he knew just based off of Shenyu's improvement rate in Qi Manipulation, which he had been constantly practicing - compared to Yi Qiang, who had improved drastically, Shenyu hadn't even reached Level 1 in the Apprentice stage.

The latter he guessed because of the way dragons seemed to know skills: every single one was ingrained into a dragon's instinct. Yi Qiang was by no means an expert in draconic heritage, but if what he observed was accurate, it was likely that Shenyu would gain no more than 2 or 3 more skills in the rest of his life.

It also made sence from a balancing perspective. Even Yi Qiang, who was entirely unexperienced in the gaming world, knew that it was a bad idea for developers to make a specific feature too powerful - it would, without any doubt, be exploited quickly. So dragons, who had incredible stats(the base stats were increased by a dragon's maturity level, which determined a multiplier. Yi Qiang shuddered to think of Shenyu's stats when he matured and the multiplier grew), would naturally not excel in skills as well. Instead, it would make sense for them to be a little behind in that regard. Otherwise, even Yi Qiang would start to get jealous.

As he continued to converse with his bonded dragon, Yi Qiang started to create more and more intricate weapons with his Qi. Eventually, he wanted to exercise his control of the new energy to its maximum, creating a basic wrist crossbow.

Though the multiple parts and multiple uses of those parts were extremely difficult to keep track of, the weapon was effective, both for slaying plague beasts and for increasing Qi Manipulation and Empyrean Dragon's Armaments.

It also turned out constantly slaying monsters literally fifty times your level resulted in quite the hasty level-up speed, with Yi Qiang rapidly gaining levels and thus, free stats. And an incredible amount of them, too - the free stats from before his level was reset and the combination of his perk, Patience, resulted in such a bulk of them Yi Qiang could hardly wait for the next stat to reach 250. He hoped Strength would be first, since that would herald such a huge increase in damage that Yi Qiang would consider himself all but invincible.

And so, Yi Qiang found himself outside of the forest in around 5 hours, his long journey and difficult quest finally over, and Yi Qiang all the stronger because of it.

He started heading back towards the village, intent on receiving his reward from the Grand Elder and continuing on his journey. As for where exactly that journey went, that particular decision could wait for until he also reported back to Ororil, the blacksmith that originally sent him here.

What am I going to do about Shenyu... will they accept a dragon in the city? Oh, that reminds me, I saw a notification about my race changing as well, what's that all about?

Yi Qiang started leisurely walking and pulled up his status screen, wanting to see if he could solicit more information about his new race - it must have been changed because of his new bond with an actual dragon. Being a Dragonblood Elf, it made sense to the archer that forming a close connection would enhance the attributes of his race that were draconic in origin.

But to confirm that, he first had to figure out how to see the description of his race, if he even could...

Empyrean Dragonsahn

The previously extinct race exclusive to those bonded with one of the three major dragons; those that formed a connection with an Infernal, Celestial, or Empyrean dragon found their physical structure changed to that of a Dragonsahn - a being with the strength of the creatures spoken of only in legends; a dragon given human form. Different Dragonsahns, depending on their previous race and the dragon they've bonded to, have different bonuses, but their universal aspect, the draconic blood flowing through their veins, grants each and every one of them monstrous strength.

Bonuses:

+30% Strength

+30% Dexterity

+30% Agility

+30% Vigor

+15% Constitution

+15% Vitality

+40% to bow skills' growth

+150% to training speeds

+20% to Qi potency

+50% to progress of all class skills

Yi Qiang broke into a grin. He had already thought that the bonuses of the Dragonblooded Elves were insane, but this? This was asking for him to become invincible.

Well, I've clearly been plenty lucky, especially since the bonuses also seem to be based on your previous race, Yi Qiang thought to himself. And no longer am I persecuted! I wonder if I look any different? I've never actually seen myself in this world. Have my stats changed my physical appearance? Has my race? Bah, I'll find a pool of water eventually. Then we'll see.

With slightly more pep in his step, Yi Qiang continued toward the village.

It was a bit of a long walk until he reached the home of the uprooted lizardmen. He wasn't keeping track, but the sun that was previously high in the sky was dipping down, not yet touching the horizon but beginning to cast a dimmer glow upon the prosperous lands of the hidden, underground world. It's good to see the death mages didn't destroy the entire ecosystem, Yi Qiang thought. But I'm sure they had their own lasting impact, and I doubt it was positive.

The moment Yi Qiang walked into the village, his bow still on his back(Yi Qiang was tempted to throw it away - it was unnecessary weight after all, he would rely on his Qi as a weapon, but realized that he could sell it for likely good coin, though with his newfound strength, Yi Qiang certainly would not have issues earning money) and Shenyu on his shoulder, the part of the village closest to him fell silent.

Not wanting to intrude, Yi Qiang remained at the outskirts, waiting for the Grand Elder to arrive - he was sure word would travel quickly of the strange foreigner's return. Sure, he could have easily entered the village - he had saved its people, after all - but he didn't know just how widespread knowledge of his quest and goodwill was, and didn't want to frighten unsuspecting lizardmen. Never let it be said I'm inconsiderate towards those weaker than me, Yi Qiang said wryly to Shenyu as he subtly regarded the lizardmen, doing his best to appear as unthreatening as possible. That became slightly more difficult, though, when Yi Qiang heard the baby dragon's response.

"If they weaker, Brother shouldn't care. Shenyu say Brother kill them if they annoying. Maybe yummy."

Along with those honestly frightening words, Shenyu conveyed such a strong bloodlust Yi Qiang himself couldn't help but become affected(it was being broadcast directly into his mind, after all; things were harder to resist like that), causing the wary lizardmen to stumble back a few meters and look at him with widened eyes, significantly more worried than before.

The archer cursed internally. Shenyu, you can't just go around killing people because they're weaker, no matter how annoying they are! I understand you're a dragon, and the most tyrannical species at that, but that's no excuse for wanton murder! Listen to me, and listen well, Shenyu.

Killing for a cause, one you believe in, is something to live for. If that cause that you believe in is strong enough for you to take lives to defend it, I will support you through and through, even if I don't feel as strongly as you do. But killing for no legitimate reason is unacceptable. Shenyu, I have expertise in killing people without their knowledge. But every single life I took was a life I carefully judged to be unworthy. I'm no fanatic, and I'm aware of my flaws, but as a killer, I had to know very early where to draw the line between purposeful bloodshed and careless massacre. Shenyu, you need to do that as well. Restrain your savage side; control it - every life has meaning, and you must treat them as such. Do you understand, Brother?

Yi Qiang, eyebrows furrowed in worry and slight disappointment, nodded as he listened to his partner's response.

"Yes, Brother, I sorry. We dragon born to kill - we don't think about kill. Just kill. I try though, Brother."

That's all I can ask for, Shenyu. Yi Qiang, having calmed down, smiled gently when he saw the Grand Elder walk out from the interior of the town and heard the rhythmic thumping of her walking staff against the dirt ground of the village.

Compared to the ancient lizardwoman he remembered, an old woman with a back hunched over, bearing the responsibilities of an entire people, this Grand Elder seemed freer. Clearly, she took Yi Qiang's return as a sign of his success. That assumption, however, did not smooth out those last creases in the aged scales of her face.

"Tell me, boy, have you succeeded?"

Yi Qiang nodded.

"Yes, Grand Elder, I have wiped out the source of the infection."

A brilliant, joyful smile blossomed on the old lizard's face. She turned around, leaning on her staff for support, and yelled in a language foreign to the hero she spoke about.

The people she was speaking to, however, clearly understood the strange, rasping language Yi Qiang assumed to be their native tongue, and turned around, discussing in hushed tones to each other.

The news traveled like a wave of information through the lizardfolk, each lizardman's tense shoulders clearly resting and every member of the village slouching out of relief when it was their turn to hear the news.

A new pride and joy blossomed in Yi Qiang as he saw this. In his previous life, he had known that the cause he worked so hard for was one that helped countless people, but he had never experienced something like this - the sight of such a large populace staring at him with endless gratitude, relief, and... something Yi Qiang couldn't begin to truly understand. Never had he seen anything like this, and it made all of his efforts even more valuable to him than they already were; Shenyu also perked up, seeing this, and Yi Qiang could feel an intense pride emanating from the baby through their bond, despite his lack of involvement in the matter. He held back a chuckle when he saw the baby dragon's puffed up, proud chest, inflated with bravado and harmless hot air.

The Grand Elder turned back to him.

"Follow me. We don't have much, but I intend to reward you for your efforts. No treasure is too great for what you have done for us, and I will give you the greatest of what we have."

Intrigued, Yi Qiang followed behind the spritely elder.

This time, he entered the largest and best-constructed building, led through the messy streets by the Grand Elder and into the lavish(by comparison, of course; Yi Qiang had certainly seen... better off locales) room.

She sat him down at the wooden table, retrieving a key from the inner folds of her white robe. Holding this, she opened the third drawer down in a shelf in the furthest corner in the room, muttering some indistinct words as she did so. What an ordinary person would not have noticed, however, was the almost-invisible pale white glow emanating from her palm while she was chanting the inaudible words, the brightness of which increased slightly when it came into contact with the handle of that particular drawer, flaring then dying down as it was open.

It looks like some sort of guarding or warding magic... Interesting, magic has more applications than I had originally thought.

She brought out a small coffer from the drawer, unfittingly intricate compared to the general poverty of the village.

The tiny chest was covered in shining, swirling designs and made of a smooth hardwood, skillfully crafted and sculpted. What could something like that possibly contain?

Yi Qiang also detected a feeling of sheer curiosity and, dare he say it, greed emanating from the dragon on his right shoulder. I hope that's where his curiosity will stop. I shudder to think of dragon puberty - will all of these urges be magnified? Will he become even more curious? Will he be overcome by bloodlust? Just what shall I -

Yi Qiang's thoughts were cut off by the rays of brilliant light beaming out of the chest, blinding him for an instant before Yi Qiang's keen eyes pierced through the white light and into its source: a scroll sitting at the bottom of the chest.

It was covered in mystical inscriptions, profound patterns weaving their way all over the paper. Yi Qiang resisted the urge to Analyze, instead opting for politeness and wanting to listen to the Grand Elder before prying into the object himself.

As the old lizardwoman's hands gently brought out the still-shining scroll(though thankfully, the light had dimmed somewhat), she started speaking.

"We have no idea what this does, Chosen, only that it shall be of use to you. Our goddess, Silphorexia, sent it to us three days before the initial wave of the Chosen were fated to arrive, saying that it was an item crafted by divine hands specifically for a Chosen we deemed worthy. She did not explain its use, but said that the Chosen we decided to award it to would understand the scroll's purpose. This item is not the only one of its kind, either. Our priest says that the gods have given multitudes of such objects to their people, all waiting for the Chosen to claim them. And, we decide to give ours to you, kin, for your tremendous feat of saving our village."

Yi Qiang bowed his head sincerely. So, there are items like this lying around with inhabitants, waiting to be given away to the people who first impress them? Interesting. If the result is that shocking, I'll have to look for more.

"I thank you, Grand Elder. This is really not the reward I was expecting. Honestly, what the mission itself brought me was more than enough. Thank you for your kindness."

Yi Qiang restrained the urge to snatch the small scroll out of the Grand Elder's hands; he attributed this compulsion to the intense, ever-growing greed emanating from Shenyu. I really hope I won't be struggling with this emotional overspilling for long. We might need to work on that, I don't really feel like having to share puberty with Shenyu. Oh god, that time in every dragon's life is becomign scarier and scarier...

He was jolted out of his thoughts(Yi Qiang really needed to work on getting a handle on his constant internal dialogues, this was becoming a more and more common occurence) by the Grand Elder smirking, "Are you going to take the scroll? My old arms are getting tired here..."

Yi Qiang hurriedly took the scroll out of her hands and Analyzed it.

Scroll of Skill Morph

Empowers and changes a skill. Change based on class and skill level.

Yi Qiang grinned. Oh, this'll be useful.