Chương 111: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 111 - Water Cooling System

Bolikri and Grey Wolf noticed the commotion at the Dragon's Nest. They both wore expressions of pure reverence and made no move to disturb it. [The master has evolved again. Such a uniquely gifted constitution — truly worthy of being a variant dragon] Bolikri smacked his dog-like lips. His admiration for the Black Dragon Boss was practically leaking out of him. The only way to repay that kindness was to work harder, build fiercer traps, and raise an even more magnificent Dragon's Nest....

"Pain pain pain PAIN— ahh oww~""Hmm hmm hmm AHHH hmm hmm..." Su Nian couldn't make a sound. He could only wail in silence. He thought about every transmigrator senior who had walked this path before him. All those big shots who went the monstrous beast route. They faced countless lethal dangers and emerged as supreme existences, apex predators without equal. Then he looked at himself. His greatest mortal danger, apparently, was this godforsaken system.

Every transformation felt like having his tendons ripped out and his skin peeled off at the same time. It could protect his vocal cords but couldn't block his pain receptors? He thrashed across the ground, complaining internally the entire time. The sensation of intense pain with no way to scream it out, it was exactly like having a brutal stomachache while sitting on a toilet. You're there for half an hour. You accomplish absolutely nothing. This had to be the system's revenge.

Half an hour later, the transformation ended. Thank whatever gods existed that Su Nian had enough presence of mind to roll toward the forest instead of back toward the Dragon's Nest, or the freshly built perimeter wall would have been rubble. The forest he'd death-rolled through was a different story. Those once-lush trees lay scattered across the ground in every direction, snapped and toppled and thoroughly destroyed. They looked like a group of lolis had gotten to a bodybuilder.

Su Nian was now coiled neatly on a rocky outcrop, studying his new appearance through the system's inspection screen. [Congratulations, host, on completing the transformation] [Your inherited advancement sleep time has been significantly reduced] [You have obtained the Molten Heart. Comprehensive burst power increased by 50%. Breath weapon power increased by 50%. You have become more imposing]"Not bad. Not bad at all." Su Nian examined the Molten Circuit across his chest and smugly turned in a circle.

Normally, only his throat would swell and glow when he was about to breathe fire. But now, no breath required. From his throat all the way down to his tail, a web of intricate, interconnected Molten Circuits spread across his scales. Never mind the actual power boost for a moment. It looked incredible. That part was simply a fact. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Back in his gaming-addicted teenage years, Su Nian had lived by one principle: you can be terrible at the game, but your appearance must be flawless. Collector's skins, ultimate skins, get them all first, so your flashy effects could psychologically dominate the enemy during team fights. Even if you fed and died immediately after. You'd still be a cool-looking corpse, right?

"System, what exactly is 'comprehensive burst power'? Can you give me something more concrete to compare it to?" Su Nian flexed his dragon claws. He felt basically the same as before. [Host, why don't you... try exhaling a breath?] Exhale a breath? Blowing smoke rings was his specialty. Always had been. Su Nian breathed out a puff without hesitation. The wisp of steam condensed instead of dispersing and shot outward like an arrow, only fading gradually seven or eight meters away. Su Nian: "...? (?''??)?"

"System. This is a Western fantasy world. You're making me want to go cultivate immortality." He scratched his chin with a hind claw, turning the result over in his mind. He had a solid read on the "burst power" concept now. It wasn't a flat increase to strength or speed, it was an improvement to how efficiently he could apply strength and speed within a given moment. Anna was going to be much happier.

Which brought him to the immediate problem: with a Molten Heart sitting on his chest, how exactly was he supposed to get close to Anna? Su Nian glanced down at his chest and frowned. This wasn't a cosmetic light effect. It was genuinely scorching hot. What if he went in for a cuddle and accidentally cooked her? He couldn't solve that on his own. He needed the system.

"System, can you do something about this Molten Core? It's cool, I admit it's very cool, but it's genuinely inconvenient for everyday life." [Based on the host's situation, the recommended exchange is: Kyushu Divine Ice Core Water Cooling System]"A what? A water cooling system!?"

"I'm a dragon! A DRAGON!"

"NOT A COMPUTER CASE!!!" Su Nian roared at the system in his head, absolutely losing it. Whoever designed this thing had a serious problem. A cooling system. Next they'd want to slather thermal paste on his forehead. [Please remain calm, host. This system is a joint product of the technology side and the high-martial side. Installing a cooling system on the host is straightforward] [Additionally, this is currently the most effective solution to the host's problem] [After installation, the Molten Core's surface temperature will drop to 38. 6°C during non-burst states, and an outer biological membrane will be included at no additional charge]"... Fine." Su Nian gave in. Water cooling system it was. Computer case it was, apparently. As long as he could cuddle Anna, he'd let them turn him into a Transformer.

[Host agrees to transformation. This transformation requires 10, 000 system points. Mild discomfort will accompany the process. Begin?]"Begin." Ten thousand system points, gone. His heart was bleeding. Financially. This type of modification had a high dissonance rating, incompatible materials, incompatible concepts, which was why the price stayed high even for relatively limited functionality. A sharp, boring pain arrived from the right side of his chest.

That was where the Molten Core sat, nestled right against his dragon heart, their energies running in tandem. But now Su Nian felt something small slot into place between the two, radiating a clean, cool presence outward. Actually not bad. Genuinely comfortable. Like someone had installed a personal air conditioner inside him. [Transformation complete. Molten Core surface temperature reduced to 38. 6°C. Please conduct a self-inspection, host]"Nice work, System-san.

You're getting faster and faster~" Su Nian ran his claws over his chest with satisfaction. The scorching heat was gone. The Molten Core wasn't fully exposed anymore either, a translucent, crystal-textured membrane had wrapped around it, sealing it beneath the surface. Looked great. And he could cuddle Anna again. The cost was steep. But worth it. Time to check on his little treasure. Su Nian planted both claws and pushed off.

His dragon body shot into the air with a whoosh, launch speed noticeably faster than before.... On the other side of the camp, Anna had been watching Su Nian's evolution with the understanding that it would take a while longer. Watching the kobolds work had worn out its novelty fast. She'd drifted into listlessness. That was the thing about being away from her brother. No matter how interesting something seemed, it eventually went flat.

But when he was nearby, even sitting in silence and staring at the sky felt like something to treasure. What was there to do right now? Anna wrinkled her nose. The heat had left her skin feeling sticky, and even her fox tail carried a faint dampness.

"It's been a while since I've bathed, hasn't it."

"Let's go take a bath~""Take a bath, smell nice and clean — brother will definitely like Anna even more." A sweet smile curved her lips. She turned and skipped off toward the safe bathing area Su Nian had designated, light on her feet and already looking forward to it. ➤ Next: Bath — What Was Lost