Imp Shin is staring at Nezintic with wide eyes, and his muscles are tense as hell as if she was going to attack him at any moment.

And she would if he doesn't answer her question-no DEMAND right now.

"What... do you mean... my queen," Imp Shin asked, very nervous and afraid of the female dragon in front of them. He's never been this scared before; not even when she took him on her 'hunts'.

Nezintic smiled at him, which just made him more terrified than ever. "You know what I'm talking about." She said while pointing a claw towards the sky behind him. "I only got to learn about you because my [Inspect] skill had increased to rather high LvLs, and I want something from you now!"

His body stiffened up again, but it didn't stop him from trying to escape or run away. However, Nezintic was faster that time around and grabbed his tail with one hand and pulled him closer until their faces were almost touching each other.

"What do you want, my queen?" Imp Shin whispered quietly, although he knew better than to say anything else out loud for fear of being killed instantly by her sharp claws.

She stared into his eyes intently, making sure he saw every single emotion within hers: anger, hate, amusement—everything.

"Calm down, you idiot. You act like I'm going to kill you!" she hissed. "We are allies, idiot."

Imp Shin reoriented himself before rapidly blinking.

"Good. While it is necessary, I order you to teach me how to use an ability you have called: [Structural Analysis] and [Projection]." Nezintic told him.

Imps' eyes widened once more, and then they narrowed slightly.

He shook his head slowly and gave her a questioning look.

"I don't think so."

The magical pressure from the Dragon Queen told him that this move was very unwise and unsafe. "I mean, I will teach you! I'll teach it to you. Good!"

Nezintic grinned at his quick change of mind. "Excellent strategy."

"But in exchange, I want you to build me a forge. It doesn't have to be as good as true blacksmith's forge, but good enough to smelt ores," Imp Shin proposed.

"Are you demanding something from your Queen?" Nezintic asked the Imp.

"Yes. And no. Yes, because I was hoping you could help me make things for myself, and no, because I can't do all that stuff on my own yet." Imp Shin said with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Nezintic nodded. "Your request is will be done."

New Quest!

Build A Forge

Requirement:

*Build a forge with a minimum LvL of 20 (Keep in mind that a forge's LvL determines the LvL of the forged goods made there).

Reward:

*Imp Shin agrees to teach you [Structural Analysis] and [Projection].

After Imp Shin agreed to help the female dragon, Nezintic flew off to find some materials for building a forge.

While waiting for her to return, the Imps decided to explore the area. They found many interesting things like trees that could be used to craft bows, rocks and gems that could be turned into weapons and armour and even caves where they might find food.

Day 66:

Nezintic decided a for Imp Shin. The Imp would need to evolve before the forge would be complete. It would work in a schedule. In the morning, she and he would train by hunting in the mountains, and in the afternoon, they would build the forge and teach Nezintic how to use [Structural Analysis] and [Projection]. In turn, they agreed that they would continue to share skills and tools as both of their interests lay within crafting.

The training involved the Dragon and her brother stationing themselves as guards of sorts while Ashteumax would separate a single high LvL monster or animal for Imp Shin to fight against. Nezintic decided that she would try to help her minion by using [Observe] to point out which targets should be within his combat range but would reward the imp an incredible amount of EXP.

A few days after their agreement, Nezintic found that Imp Shin evolved. His new form was much larger, stronger and more dangerous looking than his previous one. He looked pretty much like a regular human male, with the exception of a single horn that came out of his forehead. He had long, icy blue hair that came down just to the sides of his jaw. His body tone was that of an urban guerrilla; it was lean and flexible.

"Congratulations, Imp Shin!" Nezintic said with mild approval, approaching him. "You've finally evolved!"

"Thank you, my queen. I feel so powerful." Imp Shin replied with a grin.

Nezintic inspected the status of the newly evolved Imp.

Oni Shin

Pale Oni (Humanoid Demon Lineage)

LvL: 21

HP: 58

MP: 700

STR: 60

AGI: 45

INT: 34

WIS: 20 + 87 (Reincarnation) = 107

Magic: 30

Skills:

─ Skill: Magic Missile - Thunder Bullet

─ Skill: Summon Dark Knight

─ Skill: Detect Evil/Good

─ Skill: Analyze

─ Skill: Create Water Blade

─ Skill: Create Thunder

─ Skill: Create Wind Blade

─ Skill: Protect Me

─ Skill: Shield Wall

Nezintic blinked as she read the information of Shin, who was now an Oni.

"Wow! That's quite a lot of skills!" Former Imp Shin said excitedly. "Which one should I start with first, my queen?"

"Well, since you're still young and inexperienced, let's begin with creating water blades. But remember that your magic level is low, so you won't be able to create a big one."

"Yes ma'am."

Nezintic created two small ones that floated in mid-air above the ground.

"Now, go ahead and use the spell you saw me do."

Imp Shin took a deep breath and began to chant the spell's words.

─ Spell: Create Water Blade

─ Level 1

─ Name: Water Blade

─ Type: Water Element

─ Range: 10m

─ Casting Time: 3 seconds

─ Effect: Creates a blade of water that is 5cm thick. This weapon deals damage equal to the user's STR.

─ Damage: 80/120

─ Durability: 100/100

─ Range: 10 meters

─ Cooldown: 6 minutes

Oni Shin closed his eyes and concentrated hard on the spell. As soon as he finished, a thin blade of water appeared in front of him.

"Satisfactory!" Nezintic praised him.

Day 76:

It was finished.

By the gods, the Forge was finally finished.

Ashteumax was overjoyed when he saw the results of his sister's efforts. He ran straight to it and scrutinised it.

"This looks amazing!" He exclaimed. "So will Oni Shin be able to make a tail sword?! Oh Yeah!" The faerie dragon asked, stars in his eyes.

"No," Nezintic said stoically. "And stop saying 'oh yeah'."

"Oh..." Ashteumax pouted, disappointed. "But still, this is great."

Imp Shin walked up to Nezintic and bowed deeply. "Before I begin to teach you about Projection, I have to explain to you the magic of my world."

"So you are really a reincarnated individual... ," Nezintic mused.

Oni Shin nodded and then continued. "In our world, the world where I came from ... was kind of bitter. Magic was slowly losing its potential while the normal people around us were slowly making headway into things that only magecraft could have done just a few decades before." He explained.

"We were born with a certain level of innate power called mana. Mana is very similar to the way humans have blood. Every living being has it, but it is different in that it doesn't circulate through your bodies in order to keep you alive. Gaia, the creator of my world, was attempting to kill humans; I used to be a human. It went far as to create these dangerous creatures called the True Ancestors, beings who fed on human blood because of their ... hatred of humankind."

"Vampiric Beings?" Nezintic asked.

"Calling them vampire would be like calling a ant a spider monster. A single Ancestor is capable of wiping cities out within hours, small nations if they really wanted to. And unlike us, Gaia provided them with all the prana necessary and didn't interfere in their magecraft. In fact, because they were part of Gaia itself, the planet, they were able to enact Marble Phantasm. A True Ancestor can connect their will to nature, to interfere with probabilities, and to transfigure the surrounding world at will according to their vision of the world."

"I understood nothing of what you did said," Ashteumax said, his with chest out.

Oni Shin laughed at his Queen brother's prideful attitude. "That's okay, Lord Ashteumax. Most people don't understand about marble phantasms or any of that stuff."

Nezintic listened intently and nodded occasionally.

"Anyway, unlike them, us magi were just that; humans with special extra powers. We possessed something called magic circuits. It's basically a mixture of physical and spiritual energy. It's something every single living being possesses without exception, but one can only use it if they were trained from a young age. Projection, or Gradation Air, which is the formal name, is one such magecraft. It produces tangible objects with our magical energy, and as such, it does not last forever."

"Gradiation Air?" Ashteumax said, very confused at all the big words.

There was a bit of silence before Nezintic understood everything. "Okay, then let's get started on Projection. First, explain the details of the move?"

"You just draw out your energy and shape it.""That's it?"

"You won't be saying that once you accomplish your first real projection."

"Hmmm. Okay, then tell me how to do it."

"First, you must know what kind of object you wish to project. You can't create anything that isn't already in existence. Second, you have to visualise yourself drawing this imaginary thing you want to create. Third, you will need to gather your strength and focus on the image in your mind. Then you will have to release all unnecessary thoughts from your mind."

"What happens next? Will I be able to see what I'm doing?"

"Yes, you will be able to see it in your mind. Now, close your eyes and imagine that you're holding a piece of paper in your hand. Then, draw whatever you want onto that sheet of paper."

"Is that all?"

"Yep! Now open your eyes and look at the paper!"

Immediately, Nezintic opened her eyes. What she saw was a picture drawn by herself. It was a simple drawing of a bird with a short beak perched upon a branch. She stared at it for a moment before closing her eyes again.

"Draw a second time!" Oni Shin instructed.

Nezintic drew another one. It was a little more detailed than the first one. It was a hawk sitting atop a tree.

"Open your eyes!" Oni Shin ordered.

When she did, she found a third drawing in her hands. It was a large falcon soaring across the sky.

"Now, take a step back and look at it from afar."

She did as she was told and gasped in surprise. "Imp Shin, this is amazing!"

"Excellent job, Nezintic. You're getting better." Oni Shin said proudly. "Your first real projection."

"Great!" Nezintic smiled. "How long until I master the skill?"

This was the first time Oni Shin ever saw his Queen smile. It was actually less terrifying than normal.

Oni Shin chuckled. "If you practice every day for three years, I think you'll be good enough to use it in battle. But it took me five years what you just did in five seconds. So I'm pretty sure you will do it in five days."