Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 83: Spikes of Victory

Chapter 83: Spikes of Victory

Bel gritted his teeth, eyes squeezed shut. His breath came in sharp, ragged gasps.

Everything hurt.

He opened his eyes slowly. His body was back to normal, scales and horns gone. But he wasn’t celebrating. Not even close.

"Ugh..." he groaned, trying not to scream. "It hurts... it hurts... it hurts..."

Below him, sharp black spikes pierced through his body. One had pierced through his right leg, another tore open his left thigh.

"It hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts..."

His left shoulder was split wide, blood dripping slowly down the jagged rock. And his left hand was skewered, pushing painfully to keep his torso suspended just above more deadly spikes.

"It hurts," he hissed again, shivering. "Too much... pain!"

He slowly glanced to the side. Beside him lay the lightning bird, dead and still. Its massive body was impaled on the same vicious spikes, blue abyssal flames gently eating away at its body.

"Sucks... Doesn’t it?" Bel muttered, a weak chuckle escaping his lips.

But even that small victory couldn’t distract him from the agony.

[HP: 423 / 7,000]

[MP: 872 / 7,200]

[Stamina: 290 / 6,000]

He winced as he shifted slightly, trying to find a way out. Every small movement brought a new wave of unbearable pain.

"Come on... just... a little..." he growled, gritting his teeth harder.

He carefully began lifting his leg, but as soon as the spikes slid through his thigh again, he couldn’t hold it back any longer.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" A scream ripped from his throat, raw and filled with agony.

He collapsed slightly, panting heavily, sweating profusely. Never in his life did he feel so alive.

"It’s... The... WORST!" he growled through clenched teeth.

His chest rose and fell heavily. His eyes twitched as he tried to regain composure. He needed to focus.

He glanced again at his stats.

"I... I’ll live," he whispered, his breath shaking. "My stats... will replenish... I’ll heal. I just... have to get out... first."

Just as he summoned the strength to move again, a bright chime echoed in his ears.

[Dungeon Cleared: Rewards Granted]

[Void Gate Key - Category C] [Rarity: Rare+]

Function: Allows user to generate a dungeon gate of Category C. The user must imagine a door and insert the key virtually to initiate dungeon access. Usable once.

Bonus: Elemental Core - Unbound Type [Rarity: Epic]

[Lightning Elemental Core (Rare+)]

Type: Synthesis Material

Effect: Adds a powerful lightning affinity to weapons or armor during synthesis. Greatly enhances lightning damage or resistance.

[Stormforged Feather (Rare)]

Type: Synthesis Material

Effect: Can be used in crafting to grant lightweight armor or accessories lightning attributes, significantly boosting agility.

[Thunderbird Talon (Rare)]

Type: Weapon Component

Effect: A sharp, durable talon that can greatly enhance piercing damage and add lightning effects to crafted weapons.

[Electrified Bone Fragment (Uncommon)]

Type: Synthesis Material

Effect: Increases durability and grants minor lightning resistance when incorporated into armor.

[Stormblade of the Thunderbird (Epic)]

Type: Weapon

+55 ATK

Effect: Each strike has a 20% chance to release a lightning bolt, dealing additional lightning damage and potentially stunning the enemy briefly.

[Runes of Empowerment (Rare)]

Type: Consumable

Effect: Permanently increases selected primary attribute stats by 10 points upon use.

[Gold Acquired: 2,000]

Bel was silent for a few seconds, staring at the glowing rewards on the screen. His body trembled, a shaky breath escaping his lips, then slowly turned into a weak laugh.

"Wonderful..." he whispered, barely audible between his grunts of pain. "Absolutely... wonderful."

About half an hour later, Bel had finally managed to free himself from the spikes. His body was already healing at an astonishing pace.

He observed with curiosity as the flesh and bones of his hand began to regenerate. Tendons and muscles knitted together smoothly, wrapping around newly formed bones.

Skin gradually covered the exposed tissue, sealing itself as if nothing had happened.

Bel blew gently. With a curious smirk, he activated his system interface.

————————————

[Draconic Evolution System]

————————————

Select Interface:

[1] Stats

[2] Skills

[3] Storage

[4] Refinement

————————————

[1. STATS]

[Level: 50]

[Race: Dragon]

[Title: Demonic Lindworm]

[Class: Demon General]

[HP: 7,000 / 7,000]

[MP: 7,200 / 7,200]

[Stamina: 6,000 / 6,000]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 10]

[Maximum Level Reached]

[Experience Capped. Evolution available.]

[Initiate Evolution: [Y]/[N]]

————————————

Primary Attributes

Strength: 330

Toughness: 325

Agility: 315

Endurance: 285

Intelligence: 324

Wisdom: 360

Pressure: 85

Luck: 11

————————————

Draconic Core: 75%

————————————

Secondary Attributes

Final Wyrm

Lindworm’s Legacy

Pressure: Lindworm Class

Aura Suppression: Maxed

Draconic Regeneration: Intermediate

Elemental Affinity: Fire, Ice (Maxed)

————————————

[2. SKILLS]

Abyssal Flame

Eternal Ice

Elemental Convergence [Stage 1]

Reflex (Passive)

Poison Mastery

Critical Chances (Passive)

Lesser Demon Slayer

Beast Slayer

Reptilian Slayer

Piercing Strike

————————————

[3. STORAGE]

[Inventory Slots: 88/100]

————————————

[4. REFINEMENT]

Fuse Skills

Upgrade Traits

Synthesize Weapon

————————————

His eyes lingered thoughtfully on a blinking notification:

[Maximum Level Reached]

[Experience capped. Evolution available.]

Bel raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Evolution available?

He shifted his attention, and another notification surfaced in his view:

[Early Evolution Triggered!]

Conditions:

Elemental Mastery (2/7)

"Two elements mastered," Bel murmured thoughtfully. "Fire and ice, I suppose... Well, three now," he added, lightly tossing the Lightning Elemental Core up and catching it again.

His mind flashed back to his first evolution, remembering vividly the transformation from a Wyrm into a Lindworm.

The sheer boost in strength and magical capability had been overwhelming.

The idea of another evolution thrilled him. Just how powerful could he become this time?

Yet, a spark of doubt shut down his excitement slightly.

"Early evolution...?" he muttered. "But why early?"

Bel’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated the implications. Evolution had always come with great benefits.

When he had been a Wyrm, he had no magical abilities. Only after evolving into a Lindworm had he unlocked his elemental magic, and every new advantage since then had revolved around his mastery of the elements.

He glanced thoughtfully at the elemental core.

The system had deliberately guided him towards elemental mastery, clearly preparing him for something related to this path.

If he evolved too soon, might he miss out on something even more powerful?

"If I rush this, could I lose something important?" he murmured softly, considering his options carefully.

His strength lay in turning elements into extraordinary powers. Right now, he was on track to becoming a formidable multi-element mage.

If he waited and mastered even more elements, just how formidable would he become?

"There’s no hurry," he finally concluded, nodding to himself. "I can afford to wait."

Bel glanced once more at his HP, mana, and stamina, already well on their way to recovery. He chuckled softly.

"I could start another dungeon right away, collect all the elements I need," he mused with determination. "Alright, it’s decided."

Grasping the elemental core firmly, Bel opened his mouth wide, his fangs sharpening to razor points.

With a sharp crack, he bit down.