As Lizarius swallowed the Beast Core, a torrent of spiritual energy surged through his body.
It came with pain—searing and wild—but not as devastating as he had anticipated. The mutated lizard winced but endured, his clawed feet digging into the dirt beneath him.
"Not as painful as I thought..." he murmured to himself. "But there's definitely something... hot, burning inside."
" But I don't feel any stronger."
Despite the surge, he felt no immediate strength boost. Just heat—intense, molten heat swirling in his core.
[System]: Host has not fully absorbed the energy of the Beast Core.
Lizarius frowned, his wings unfurling with a leathery snap. "Absorbed? So it's not instant..."
With a single powerful flap, he lifted off the ground and soared toward the lake, following the pull of instinct. Landing at the edge, he lowered his head and drank deeply from the cool, clear water.
"That burning sensation... it's still there," he thought as he drank. "So what now?"
Slowly, he let his body fade into invisibility. His form shimmered and vanished from sight as he flew silently toward the dense forest canopy. Within moments, he landed lightly on the branch of a towering tree, hidden in both shadow and stealth.
There, nestled against the bark, he issued a mental command.
"System—begin gene fusion."
A jolt of raw energy blasted through him. His body trembled, coiled up tightly, eyes shut as the pain from within collided with the transformation.
---
Dawn.
Golden light filtered through the treetops. Lizarius, still cloaked in invisibility, slowly opened his glowing yellow eyes. A familiar voice echoed in his mind:
[System]: Fusion complete. Mutation: White Scale Lizard. Current Rank: 9 – Late Stage.
He stretched out along the branch, testing his limbs and wings. "Late Stage Rank 9... I've reached this far already?"
Yet the heat hadn't faded.
[System]: Residual energy from the Beast Core remains. Host has reached the peak of Rank 9. Further absorption is blocked. To fully utilize the Beast Core's power, host must form a Demonic Core.
Lizarius growled lowly in thought. "I didn't expect to grow this stronger from just one core... and I haven't even absorbed it all yet."
His yellow eyes pulsed with ambition.
[System]: To form a Demonic Core, 100,000 Evolution Points are required.
"How many do I have?"
[System]: Host currently possesses 48,800 Evolution Points.
"Then how much more?"
[System]: Host needs 51,200 additional points to initiate Demonic Core formation.
Still perched atop the tree, Lizarius narrowed his eyes. That was a large gap.
"51,200 points... that's a lot," he thought, wings beginning to stretch once more. The wind whispered through the leaves around him.
He took off silently, still invisible, soaring above the trees. Below him, life stirred—beasts, prey, energy sources waiting to be consumed.
" Am so hungry."
" If I want Core... I need to hunt."
"I need to feed. I need points."
"Any Beast … I'll tear it apart and devour it."