"I'll wait here and guard the entrance for you." Sergei's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he decided to stick with Anser.
This was a high-end "gold farming party." Missing out would be downright stupid.
He was afraid of death, yet staying out of the expedition entirely left him itching with curiosity. He would always have reservations working with others, but teaming up with a Paladin was practically the ideal arrangement.
"Sure." Anser did not refuse. He pointed at the corpses scattered across the ground. "Mr. Sergei, I'll also leave the loot distribution to you. I don't mind taking a smaller share—just keep things as fair as possible."
"Don't worry." Sergei understood what he meant.
There was probably nothing valuable left on the zombies anyway. There was no point creating conflicts and grudges over them.
Anser beckoned to Iris, and the two moved away from the area surrounding the pit.
"I've gained some insight into innate magic. I'm planning to return to Holrewen and let it settle for a bit. Want to come with me?"
Iris's expression turned strange at his words. Confused, she asked, "Let it settle a bit?"
"Mm... basically, I've made some progress," Anser explained awkwardly.
"Made progress?" Iris stared into his eyes, seemingly at a loss for words. "Your growth speed is comparable to the reincarnation of a saint. How long will it take?"
"One or two hours, probably," Anser estimated.
"Heh, go on then, my arcane prodigy." Iris waved her hand and rode her flying carpet up into the sky. "I'll keep watch here."
Anser immediately activated the Rod of Security and teleported to the astrolabe transit array inside the Black Tower. He could barely suppress the excitement in his heart.
He pulled up his character sheet and touched the class option:
[Advance your Sorcerer level or choose a new class.]
'Advance Sorcerer level.'
[Level Up: Sorcerer Level 11!]
[Your true dragon power has grown stronger, entering the Young Dragon stage. Gold Dragon Power +1, Silver Dragon Power +1]
[You may learn a new spell, one Evocation spell, and one enhanced Metamagic ability]
[You may manifest one innate spell as a supernatural ability. Magic Power Control has increased in level]
A string of notifications flashed by, filling Anser with delight.
Level 11 was a major milestone for classes. Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Artificer, and Warlock all gained powerful class features at level 11, resulting in a tremendous increase in strength.
Classes such as Sorcerer and Wizard did not gain new class features, but they could awaken or learn powerful sixth-circle spells.
He calmed himself and checked everything one by one.
First was his true dragon power. His body had officially entered the Young Dragon stage, and every aspect of his physique had improved dramatically.
...
[Young Dragon]: The power of true dragons flows within your body. You gain new draconic inheritances and acquire the ability Dragonkind Transformation.
Skills: History +2, Perception +2, Stealth +2, Insight +2, Persuasion +2.
Senses: Blindsight 9 meters, Darkvision 36 meters.
Supernatural Abilities: Paralysis Breath, Weakening Breath, Dragonkind Transformation.
...
The increase to his skills was substantial, all originating from the inherited memories of dragonkind.
Everyone knew that dragons were born with ancestral memories. From birth, they already mastered Common, Draconic, and various skills. They had no need for painstaking study—given enough time, many abilities simply came naturally to them.
The range of both his Blindsight and darkvision had increased drastically, roughly comparable to that of a young true dragon.
He had also gained two new breath abilities.
"Paralysis Breath" came from his silver dragon bloodline. It inflicted a paralysis effect on every creature within a 9-meter cone. Failing the first Constitution saving throw caused the target to become incapacitated, while failing the second saving throw left them fully paralyzed.
"Weakening Breath" came from his gold dragon bloodline. It caused every creature within a 9-meter cone to fall into a weakened state. If they failed a Strength saving throw, their Strength would be weakened, and all Strength-related checks would be made with disadvantage.
Neither of these breaths possessed direct killing power, but their effects were excellent and could be used to suppress enemies.
In addition, both "Cold Breath" and "Fire Breath" had received tremendous increases in range and power. Their base damage had reached 7d10 (7–70), surpassing even the base damage of a fifth-circle Fireball.
However, all four breath attacks relied on the same biological sac and conversion glands, limiting him to a maximum of five breath uses per day—a pitifully small number.
The final ability, "Dragonkind Transformation," was not a transformation into a true dragon. Its effect was similar to his previous half-dragon transformation, but it granted most draconic traits, such as dragon wings.
'Please don't tell me I'm going to grow two pairs of dragon wings. That would look a little ridiculous, wouldn't it?'
True dragon power would continue to evolve alongside his level progression, so even Anser himself was not yet sure of all the exact changes.
There was no reason to hesitate over those two points of true dragon power. He decisively added them to Charisma, raising it to 23.
The attribute cap for a young dragon was 25, so investing in an extraordinary attribute would maximize its value.
'This is actually a pretty pleasant surprise.' Anser took several deep breaths before continuing to choose his sixth-circle spells.
There were very few sixth-circle Evocation spells: Blade Barrier, Chain Lightning, Otiluke's Freezing Sphere, Sunbeam, and Wall of Ice—only a handful in total.
Since he possessed both fire and cold elemental affinity, he prioritized spells with those two damage types. Even with Transmuted Spell, the structural nature of a spell still determined which damage type it was best suited for.
After some thought, he chose Otiluke's Freezing Sphere.
...
[Otiluke's Freezing Sphere]: Sixth Circle, Evocation School
Base casting range: 90 meters.
A globe of ice shoots from your fingertip toward any point within range, then bursts into a spherical area with a diameter of 36 meters. Every creature within the area must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 10d6 (10–60) cold damage. On a successful save, it takes only half damage.
If the globe strikes a body of water, the surface freezes into 15 centimeters of solid ice. Any creature swimming on the surface becomes trapped beneath the ice and restrained. A trapped creature may attempt to break free using its own strength.
You may choose not to launch the globe immediately after casting the spell. In that case, a tiny icy sphere the size of a sling bullet appears in your hand, cold to the touch. You may hand this sphere to any creature.
A creature holding the sphere may throw it or launch it with a sling. The sphere shatters on impact, producing the same effect as the normal casting of the spell.
If the sphere remains unbroken after one minute, it explodes automatically.
...
At first glance, the spell seemed fairly ordinary, but it possessed an extremely long range, a massive area of effect, and flexible casting methods.
With Anser's exceptionally high Charisma empowering it, Otiluke's Freezing Sphere gained a base range of 180 meters, and upon impact transformed into a frozen sphere sixty-five meters in diameter. Escaping such an enormous area was incredibly difficult, making it terrifyingly powerful for large-scale attacks.
The second spell was even harder to choose. Originally, he had favored Disintegrate and Globe of Invulnerability.
But considering the unique nature of his "Arcane Bloodline," spells like Bewitching Gaze, True Seeing, Investiture of Flame, and Tasha's Otherworldly Guise seemed even more appealing.
Directly turning a sixth-circle spell into a permanent supernatural ability sounded far stronger.
Bewitching Gaze specialized in control, while True Seeing granted Truesight.
Investiture of Flame granted immunity to fire while continuously dealing fire damage to nearby creatures.
Tasha's Otherworldly Guise was more comprehensive, granting multiple damage immunities, flight, +2 Armor Class, magical weapon attacks, extra attacks, and other enhancements simultaneously.
After agonizing over the decision for quite a while, he decided to postpone choosing the "bankruptcy spell" until next time.
Globe of Invulnerability sounded wonderful, but it could only block spell effects of fifth circle and below.
'Tasha's Otherworldly Guise it is!' Anser gritted his teeth.
...
[Tasha's Otherworldly Guise]: Sixth Circle, Transmutation School
Duration: Concentration, 1 minute
By chanting the incantation, you absorb the power of either the Lower Planes or the Upper Planes, transforming yourself into an otherworldly form.
For the duration of the spell, you gain the following benefits:
[1. You become immune to fire and poison damage (Lower Planes) or radiant and necrotic damage (Upper Planes).]
[2. You become immune to the poisoned condition (Lower Planes) or the charmed condition (Upper Planes).]
[3. Ethereal wings appear behind you, granting flight at a base speed equal to 1.5 times your running speed.]
[4. Your Armor Class increases by 2.]
[5. All your weapon attacks count as magical. You may use your spellcasting ability modifier in place of Strength or Dexterity for attack rolls and damage rolls.]
[6. Your melee combat ability is greatly enhanced. Empowered by extraordinary strength, you can unleash two rapid attacks in a short span of time.]
...
'Please don't disappoint me.' Anser took a deep breath, feeling more than a little nervous.
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