Read up to chapter 169 ahead of others on Patreon/ MountainDuskWalker; join for free to check out all the exclusive character art.
—
After letting the giant serpents move around freely to hunt in the shadows of the abandoned warehouse, Alex finally let out a long, exhausted breath.
He sat cross-legged on a clean old bench near the back wall of the old warehouse.
Outside, the strong night wind rattled loose sheets of metal on the roof, but inside it was quiet enough that he could hear his own breathing.
"System," he whispered into the empty room.
Instantly, the familiar pale blue holographic panel materialized in the air right in front of him.
His dark eyes skipped past his usual details and locked directly onto the one line that was giving him endless anxiety.
[ Feminization Progress: Phase 2/9 (Ecdysis) — 99.5% ]
Alex stared at the number for a long moment and let out a bitter, helpless laugh, running his slender fingers through his silky, short black hair.
"So that's it, ninety-nine point five percent," he muttered, his soft voice echoing softly in the warehouse. "There's really no turning back now, is there?"
By now, he had already accepted there was no way back.
Still, seeing the progress bar sitting that close to one hundred felt different.
He could feel it in his body, the constant low heat under his skin, the way his chest moved when he breathed, the soft weight that never quite left his attention.
He was just waiting for the progress to finally hit 100%.
He could foresee that the upcoming evolution into Phase 3 wasn't going to be a simple, quiet shift.
The physical changes that were about to happen to his body would not be small this time, and he strongly suspected that his mana circuits would undergo a painful, intense reorganization.
Alex had no intention of returning, the warehouse was far enough from the city.
No one would see. No one would ask questions. He planned to stay right here until the evolution finished.
A quiet thought slipped in behind the others. It was not only his body that might change.
Something in the back of his mind, something kept whispering that his soul would change too.
He did not know if that was the Empress talking or just his own fear, but the idea stuck.
In a strange, confusing way, it wasn't false to say that a small part of his mind was actually waiting for the progress to hit 100%.
As much as his male ego hated turning into a woman, the power and advantages gained through the Naagin bloodline were undeniably greater than anything he could have achieved as an ordinary man.
"I hate this. I really do. Turning into a woman was never part of the plan." Alex paused, then gave a short, tired laugh. "But the advantages… damn. They're not small."
He started listing them under his breath, almost like he was trying to convince himself.
"Better talent. Limitless evolutionary potential. My body is stronger than it ever was when I was just a guy… possessing Monstrous Physical Strength."
"Mental strength is sharper. Enhanced Senses.. I can smell things, hear things, feel mana in the air that I never noticed before."
"And the bloodline… All of that came with this."
He looked down at his own body. The loose shirt still could not hide the perfect curves of his breasts.
His thighs pressed together when he sat. Between his legs, though, he still had his dick. Soft right now, but still there.
"If only I could switch back," he whispered. "Or at least keep this one part. Just this."
He reached down and gave himself a light, almost absent-minded squeeze through the fabric, then let go with a frustrated sigh.
"These advantages are real. I know that. But losing my dick still feels like too much. I haven't found a way around it yet."
Alex thought about Mira. The last time he saw her was a week ago when he evolved to Phase 2, they had a good time together… Then she left for the Royal Capital and the messages stopped.
And he was already about to reach Phase 3.
"Maybe she could fix it," Alex thought quietly. "If anyone can, it's her."
"But she's gone. And with the Empress still living in my head… I already know I can't go all the way back to being a full man. Not while she's here." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Still. Right now I'm stuck in the middle. Most of me looks like a girl."
"Soft, sexy. Sensitive in places that didn't used to be. But I still have my dick. How long that lasts… who knows."
He turned his attention back to the panel. The next number made his eyes slightly excited.
[ Source Power: 2561 ]
Alex let out a low whistle.
"Two thousand five hundred…just in one night." He shook his head. "I never thought I'd see numbers like this."
"However, it didn't come easily, the price was the feminization speeding up again, but it was going to happen anyway."
"One day sooner or one day later doesn't change much. At least now I also gained some source power."
He vaguely remembered the moment the counter crossed one thousand for the first time.
A new function was unlocked right then.
[ New Feature Unlocked: Simulation Crystal / Dream Crystal ]
[ Item Description: A condensed, physical manifestation of pure Source Power. By using this crystal, the host can extend the system's unique simulation capabilities outside of their own mind and body.]
[ Effect 1: External Entity Simulation: Can be used by other living creatures to forcefully simulate a dream space to train their martial arts training, skill mastery, or evolutionary growth without the host needing to manually guide them.]
[ Effect 2: Object & Weapon Deduction: Can be applied to external, non-living items to simulate physical refinements, accelerate plant growth etc…]
[ Note: Variable Time Dilation, the internal time ratio experienced during the crystal's simulation is not fixed. It automatically scales and adjusts depending upon the complexity, rank, and natural aptitude of the specific target being simulated.]
"One hundred source points for one crystal," he muttered, reading the description again.
"I can use it on things outside myself. Other people. Creatures. Different time ratios depending on what I'm simulating."
"That means I can help others get stronger. Maybe train the snakes faster..." He tapped a finger against his knee. "But a hundred points for each crystal is not cheap… I have to plan them properly."
"I still need to test the limits. Don't know how far it goes or what happens if I push it too hard. But it's new and useful."
Alex closed the panel for a second and just sat there, listening to the distant rustle of scales outside as the snakes began hunting through the dark night.
His body felt slightly cold.
The 0.5 percent left on the progress bar sat in the back of his mind like a timer he could not stop.
"Phase Three," he said to himself. "Whatever comes next… I'll deal with it. No choice."
He opened the panel again and started looking through the simulation options, already planning how to spend the first few crystals once the snakes returned.
[ Feminization Progress: Phase 2/9 (Ecdysis) — 99.6% ]
As time passed… The progress bar ticked.
99.7%.
Alex's eyes narrowed. His heart gave a small jump.
"Here it comes…"
99.8%.
99.9%.
A soft chime sounded inside his head.
[ Feminization Progress: Phase 2/9 (Ecdysis) — 100% ]
[ Evolution Condition Met ]
[ Beginning Transition to Phase 3… ]