Icarus stared at the harpy from the ground, unable to reach his target. Icarus couldn't help but feel frustrated. His fight had gone well so far, so why did the harpy have to be a coward near the end of the fight? Although Icarus didn't have『 Appraisal 』, he could tell the harpy was near dead. Two hits, maybe even one was all it would take to finish her off.
Icarus may have been young and had the mentality of a seven-year-old human, but that was just enough to know what to do in a situation like this. If the enemy was in the air, why not follow them?
So, with no other plan, Icarus began to spread his wings. There was no way in hell he was letting his target get away, no way! Even though Icarus had a plan, moving his wings was difficult. He hadn't much had the chance to even move them, mainly because he was too young. Even when he was training, he only ever managed to make his wings twitch once or twice.
Now, however, he was attempting to fully open then, which caused him great pain. It felt like his bones were breaking and his scales were tearing apart. He didn't want to take a look at his wings, as he felt that they were probably too gross to have a seven-year-old experience at the moment, so he turned his attention to the harpy.
As his eyes met with hers, the pain seemed to feel less important. Determination filled his eyes as he began to push past his pain. As his wings began to spread away from his body, his roar grew stronger and flames began to escape from his mouth as he breathed.
Unknown to Icarus, something else was happening, something Icarus was unable to see.
There was no other word than shocked, confused even. I should've felt proud in a moment like this, but I couldn't help but wonder what sort of creature I created. When I saw Icarus attempt to move his wings, I felt hopeful and proud. I was glad that Icarus had trained so hard for a moment like this. He was still three levels early, but he had finally unlocked his『 Flight 』skill.
In the next second, however, Icarus began to roar. His roar, although as light as should be expected from a young dragon, was full of anger and determination. There weren't many scenarios where a roar such as his could be replicated. Even an imitation was impossible. I watched as flames began to escape from his mouth, probably subconsciously, as his wings continued to straighten themselves from his body.
Unlike what Icarus had expected, though, his wings weren't breaking. The pain he felt from his bones and scales wasn't bad, it was good. Although painful, it was for a good reason. As Icarus's wings continued to spread apart, they reformed themselves. They grew longer, stronger, and more intimidating. Only a few seconds after he began his determination-filled roar, Icarus's wings grew to such a length that my wings- when compared to the size of my body, couldn't compare.
If Icarus was my size, then his wings would probably be double the size of my own, they were that impressive. I could hardly contain my shock that I wasn't prepared for the next thing that happened. Icarus's body began to glow in specific places, almost like writing across his scales. The letters were unfamiliar but definitely sharp enough to be read. The letters, which looked like runes, covered his entire body from head to toe but seemed to gather at the joints of his wings.
As the runes appeared, traveling up his body like snakes, they diverged into his wings. In seconds that followed, Icarus's wings began to glow like the sun. Within seconds, the runes as well as his scales were completely blind to me, blocked by a blanket of light that I had only seen from my core.
However, even if the light was enough to block my vision, I could still clearly see the outline of his wings. They flapped once, almost from pure excitement. Icarus didn't seem to notice the change, as his attention was focused on something else. Then, just a second later, the outline of his wings began to change. They shook and trembled like the ground during an earthquake.
Then they split apart, forming a second set of wings behind the first. Icarus's wings quickly shrunk back down to normal size, though the number of his wings had increased. All four wings, which were the same shape and size as my own- when keeping in mind the size of our bodies, began to flap in excitement as Icarus prepared himself for the fight by lowering himself to the ground.
As I looked at Icarus in bafflement, a notification appeared in front of me.
『『 Icarus Aureys 』has evolved into a Dragon Fury Wyrmling, congratulations! 』
As the harpy looked at Icarus's transformation, she could only feel fear. She hadn't seen the wings on Icarus's back, as they were tiny and hung to his body like clothes, so she assumed he was just some sort of red lizard. Now that she saw that Icarus had four wings, her entire body shook from the terror she was feeling. How was she supposed to survive now, when her only advantage had been crushed down to nothing but a faint memory?
The harpy began to consider running away and abandoning her nest, but she didn't have enough time to consider it further before she felt a fierce burning sensation against her chest. She looked down, then saw the tiny lizard she had been fighting sail through the air. He was fast, far faster than what she was capable of, but his attack felt weaker.
His fire was still hot, but it was weaker. As she felt this, she knew she had a chance. She looked back to the red lizard, hoping to see where he was, but she failed. She had no idea where he was. The red lizard was nothing but a blur, flying through the air with such speed that she couldn't even see it anymore.
On the other side of the fight, I was watching the fight with a look of shock. Icarus was only level seven, yet he was flying at a speed just slightly slower than my own flying speed. He was a baby dragon, for crying out loud!
My heart began to beat faster as Icarus began to fly laps around the harpy. The harpy had no choice but to turn in circles as she searched through the rapid red blurs that she was faced with. As Icarus showed off his newfound skill with flying, I couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Not only was he fast, but he was somehow making corners that even Hazel wasn't capable of. He had complete control over his body and was relishing in the feeling. He hadn't gotten the chance to fly yet, so Icarus was feeling proud of himself. He wasn't even concerned about the harpy anymore.
There was no way she would escape, so he was going to stretch this moment out for as long as he could. Eventually, after only ten seconds of flying, Icarus was beginning to feel tired. He quickly turned his body, using his four wings to generate enough power to make the turn with ease, and redirected himself toward the harpy.
Then, with enough speed to rival a young dragon at full speed, he charged right into the harpy. He didn't use his breath, however, as he was feeling too tired to feel comfortable with it. Instead, he chose to improvise. He could feel the power in his wings and began to wonder how well they would work as weapons.
So, with the two wings on the right side of his body, he attempted to create a blade by putting his wings together. Then, with the speed he had already gathered, he slammed his two wings into the harpy's neck.
He was surprised by the amount of resistance he felt as his wings hit the harpy. It felt like he was using a blunt sword to attack a tree, but Icarus luckily had enough power to push through that resistance.
The harpy's head was removed from its body and it hadn't even seen the attack coming. Because Icarus was so fast, the harpy was looking in the complete opposite direction as where Icarus had attacked.
Once the harpy's head was flung into the air Icarus slowed down and dropped to the ground. He immediately looked to his right wing, which felt bruised from the attack. However, when Icarus's eyes laid upon the extra set of wings, he stopped and gasped.
From the sidelines, I walked forward and found myself staring at Icarus's body. Not much had changed, other than the wings. Even the runes had disappeared, though I had a sneaking suspicion that I would see them again.
As I looked at Icarus, I quickly appraised him.
﹃
Icarus Aureys
Race: Dragon
Form: Dragon Fury Wyrmling
Level: 7
XP: 777.4/6400
HP: 30
MP: 90
AC: 25
DMG: 20
Rank: A
Titles: Son of the Dungeon Master, Heir of the skies
Skills: Flight, Supersonic, Mana Control, Dragon Fire, Fire Breath, Respawn
Status Effects: Flame Immunity
﹄
'So he's evolved, huh? From unlocking a skill early?' I thought with surprise. I felt proud of Icarus and felt that his reward was worth the effort. I quickly appraised his race, as I was curious about what strengths it would give him.
『 Dragon Fury: Even among dragons, there are those that can invoke fear upon others. Where a dragon would walk, a fury would fly. Where a dragon would eat, a fury would consume. Where a dragon would kill, a fury would burn its victims alive to hear their pained screams. They are the reapers of the dragon race, ready to cast their judgment upon anybody unlucky enough to cross one. Should you ever encounter one, give yourself up and hope it'll kill you quickly 』
'Neat,' I thought. Although the description of the dragon fury subrace sounded terrifying, I wasn't going to worry about Icarus. He was, after all, my son.
The evolution didn't come without its price, however, 'He traded HP and DMG for MP and speed, though it doesn't look like his evolution was on purpose. Oh? He has a new title and a few new skills, too.'
『 Supersonic: Once per day, Icarus can call upon the powers of the sky to aid him in his flight. 500% boost to speed for three minutes. Cost: 50 MP. 1-day cooldown 』
『 Heir of the skies: As the last Dragon Fury in existence, Icarus has become a beacon for other sky creatures that seek his throne 』
『 Quest Received! 』
『 Keep Icarus alive until he reaches level twenty and receive your reward 』