"I'm back!" Kashi exclaimed as he stretched his arms, cracking muscles that had gone stiff from lack of use. His brows furrowed as he took in the gigantic bed he lay in and the massive door and chairs that adorned the room, which lacked any ordinated decorations save for some animal head trophies on the walls. "Oh, yeah. The giants." The draconian relaxed, recalling he had logged out in the giants' territory. "This is not where I slept, though. I wonder how much time has passed." His waking up in a different location suggested that time did not stop while the Summoned were logged out. The only question was how much time passed.

Kashi slid off the bed and opened the system menu but was met with disappointment. The menu displayed real-world time, but perhaps due to his lack of knowledge, the in-game clock was covered in question marks. Well, that tracked with Genaco's method. The same way the system map only filled out when players acquired a map or walked through an area.

"This is weird. I'm weak."

A familiar voice drew Kashi's attention back to the bed, where he saw a frowning daeben emerge from underneath the thick sheets. Seemingly oblivious to Kashi's presence, Suzuki murmured to himself, "My strength is gone. Did they reset the stats?"

"What're you talking about?" Kashi squeezed his hands, resulting in a tight scowl. He immediately pulled up his stat table.

Name: Kashi

Specie: Hume – Elder Drakon,

Sex/Age: Male/19

Current Condition: Good/Hungry/Well-Rested

Level/Class: Lv.1/201 (Dimension Artist)

Nationality: Rosendun

Affiliation: Twilight Wolves (Guildmaster)

Titles: Liberator, Conqueror, Hydra Slayer, Angel Slayer, Bane of Jackals, Restorer

Fame: Renowned

[2. Traits]

Temperament:

--Strong-willed.

--Stubborn

--Extreme Loyalty

--Cunning Cheat

Aptitude:

--Expert Pilot (Beyond Human learning capabilities. Extreme memorization and photographic memory

[3.Physical Attributes]

Strength: 34

Agility: 44

Constitution: 33

Vitality: 43

Intelligence: 45

Perception: 105

Mana: 100

Mana Regeneration: 1.2% Max MP/s

Satiety: 50/100 (Hungry)

Fatigue: 98/100 (Well Rested)

[4. Mana Attributes]

Mana Perception: 105

Instinct: 100

Fighting Spirit: 200

[6. Elemental Resistances]

Fire – Lv 3 (58%)

Cold – Lv. 3 (58%)

Wind – 58%

Earth – Lv.3 (58%)

Lightning – Lv.3 (58%)

Holy – Lv. 3 (58%)

Dark – Lv. 3 (58%)

[7. Abilities]

i) Innate Abilities:

Soul of Orez

Water Elementalist, Fire Elementalist, Lightning Elementalist, Earth Elementalist, Wind Elementalist,

Elder Draconic Soul, Elder Draconic Body, Elder Draconic Eyes, Elder Draconic Instinct, Elder Draconic Aura, Elder Draconic Core. Elemental Manipulation, Shapeshifting, Elemental Resistance.

ii) Class-Related Abilities:

Dimension Artist: Dimension Break, Dimension Shift, Teleport, Permanent Dimension Gates, Graphic Memory, Noorita's Senses, Mind's Eye

Jingu's Brush: Elemental Infusion, Ink Creation, Shapeshifting Brush,

Ferulic's Techniques: Ferulic's Spirit Technique, Realm Piercing Bow Technique, Earth Shattering Martial Arts, Angel Step Technique, Drill, Machine Gun, Hawk Eye, Extra Round, Gilgamesh, Wall, Gaia, Second Wind, Rock, Asura

iii) Craft-Related Abilities:

Identify, Sculptor, Chef, Artist, Blacksmith, Armorer, Tailor, Leatherworker, Handicraft, Repair, Support

iv) Other Abilities:

Archery, Silent Feet, Rapid Shot, Multi-Shot, Keen Sense, Homing Arrow, Warrior's Instinct, First Aid, Resuscitation

v) Self-Taught Abilities

Ki-Release, Dragon Blow, Free Archery

The stat table's new layout and streamlined stats immediately stood out. Most importantly, HP and MP no longer existed, the former being especially concerning. Without numerical HP numbers, Kashi could tell that he would have to pay more attention to injuries. Genaco seemed to have made the stakes a bit more realistic, which made sense considering the invasion.

Kashi next noticed that his stats did not start at 50, meaning he did not retain the Golden Body from his daeben body. A thought came to his mind, and he turned to Suzuki. "Hey, let me see your stats. Let's compare."

Suzuki glanced at Kashi and made his status window visible, revealing not-too-dissimilar stats.

Name: Suzuki

Specie: Hume – Daeben,

Sex/Age: Male/19

Current Condition: Good/Hungry/Well-Rested

Level/Class: Lv.1/201 (Dimension Artist)

Nationality: Rosendun

Affiliation: Twilight Wolves (Guildmaster)

Titles: Liberator, Conqueror, Hydra Slayer, Angel Slayer, Bane of Jackals, Restorer

Fame: Renowned

[2. Traits]

Temperament:

--Strong-willed.

--Stubborn

--Extreme Loyalty

Aptitude:

--Expert Pilot (Beyond Human learning capabilities. Extreme memorization and photographic memory

[3.Physical Attributes]

Strength: 54

Agility: 54

Constitution: 53

Vitality: 53

Intelligence: 55

Perception: 55

Mana: 15

Mana Regeneration: 0.2% Max MP/s

Satiety: 50/100 (Hungry)

Fatigue: 98/100 (Well Rested)

[4. Mana Attributes]

Mana Perception: 150

Instinct: 100

Fighting Spirit: 150

[6. Elemental Resistances]

Fire – Lv 3 (58%)

Cold – Lv. 3 (58%)

Wind – 21%

Earth – Lv.2 (34%)

Lightning – Lv.2 (35%)

Holy – Lv. 1 (58%)

Dark – Lv. 1 (58%)

[7. Abilities]

i) Innate Abilities:

Soul of Orez

Water Elementalist, Fire Elementalist, Lightning Elementalist, Earth Elementalist, Wind Elementalist,

Golden Body

Mark of the Daeben (0% Completion).

ii) Class-Related Abilities:

Dimension Artist: Dimension Break, Dimension Shift, Teleport, Permanent Dimension Gates, Graphic Memory, Noorita's Senses, Mind's Eye

Jingu's Brush: Elemental Infusion, Ink Creation, Shapeshifting Brush,

Ferulic's Techniques: Ferulic's Spirit Technique, Realm Piercing Bow Technique, Earth Shattering Martial Arts, Angel Step Technique, Drill, Machine Gun, Hawk Eye, Extra Round, Gilgamesh, Wall, Gaia, Second Wind, Rock, Asura

iii) Craft-Related Abilities:

Identify, Sculptor, Chef, Artist, Blacksmith, Armorer Tailor, Leatherworker, Handicraft, Repair, Support,

iv) Other Abilities:

Archery, Silent Feet, Rapid Shot, Multi-Shot, Keen Sense, Homing Arrow, Warrior's Instinct, First Aid, Resuscitation, Dragon's Blow, Runecaster

v) Self-Taught Abilities

Ki-Release, Free Archery

Kashi's eyes narrowed as he observed the difference in their status windows. Just as he thought, Suzuki retained the Golden Body. But, in return, Suzuki lost the multiple elemental resistances and abundant mana that came with the dragon body. Fortunately, the mental attributes such as Mana Perception, Instinct and Fighting Spirit remained even between the duo. It remained to be seen whether that would remain as they levelled further.

Either way, both Kashi and Suzuki were satisfied. So far, it seemed to be a fair enough trade.

The growth rate was the only concern left. With the new rules, Kashi wondered if he would leave Suzuki in the dust by the time they approved the level-ups. As a level 1 Bloodline, Daebens received pitiful amounts of level-up stat points compared to level-5Elder Dragons.

Or, at least, that would have been the case under normal circumstances.

"Golden Body has mutated," reported Suzuki, pulling up the skill description.

Golden Body [Passive Skill]

Through boring hardwork, you've managed to raise all stats to 50 before level 10. The gods have rewarded your hard work with the Golden Body, raising your bloodline to Level 3. Work hard and find further ways to improve your bloodline until you can stand next to the Divine.

Kashi's eyes twitched while he read the description. In a way, it made sense. The original Golden Body was supposed to be a rewarding stat booster that pushed its wielders far from everyone else. Unfortunately, with the Bloodline System, those with better bloodlines, like Kashi, would pull ahead, rendering the Golden Body useless. With the boost, the Golden Body allowed its wielders to catch up to those with better bloodlines. Furthermore, the hint at the bottom suggested there were methods to improve the bloodlines further.

"It's kinda like Drix," murmured Kashi. Using Drixlia as an example, perhaps there was a way to find primordial versions of each hume and perform some ritual to upgrade their bloodline? Kashi was unsure, but it was worth looking into when he had time.

Suzuki, meanwhile, shut his status window and held out his hand. "Hand over the Brush. Your growth path doesn't need it."

Kashi clucked his teeth. But, he obediently summoned Jingu's Brush. He had chosen to walk the path of the Dragon Elementalist. Between his dragon body, claws, fist, and abundant magic, external weapons would only hold him back save for very specific situations. So, he shrugged off his hesitation and held out the brush. He would have also handed over Ferulic's Practice Bow but needed it to resurrect Yggdrasil. Since he would be the one travelling around, it made sense for him to hold onto the bow.

Suzuki took Jingu's Brush and returned it to Orez. The handing over was mostly symbolic since they both had access to Orez. From this moment, Suzuki owned the brush. Emergencies aside, Kashi needed to let Suzuki know before he summoned it to avoid inconveniencing the latter at a crucial time.

Having confirmed the Jingu's ownership, Kashi grinned while looking at his stat table. "No point in holding it off. Let's level up and see the difference."

"Alright." Suzuki did not see any point in holding it off, either. He already had the Golden Body, and he was certain Genesis would have blocked off others from getting the Golden Body trait before resetting the stats.

The room erupted with several multicoloured lights as the duo zipped past dozens of levels in a second. Their bones creaked, and muscles tore as their rapid strength gain rearranged their musculature. Fortunately, the agonizing process did not take long.

Roughly ten seconds later, the light dimmed, revealing Suzuki and Kashi, who were both slightly taller than a few seconds ago. Without hesitation, they opened their stat windows.

[1.General Information]

Name: Kashi

Specie: Hume – Elder Drakon,

Sex/Age: Male/19

Current Condition: Good/Hungry/Well-Rested

Level/Class: Lv.201/201 [Dimension Artist](Advancement Pending)

Nationality: Rosendun

Affiliation: Twilight Wolves (Guildmaster)

Titles: Liberator, Conqueror, Hydra Slayer, Angel Slayer, Bane of Jackals, Restorer

Fame: Renowned

[2. Traits]

Temperament:

--Strong-willed.

--Extreme Loyalty

--Cunning Cheat

Aptitude:

--Expert Pilot (Beyond Human learning capabilities. Extreme memorization and photographic memory

[3.Physical Attributes]

Strength: 830

Agility: 830

Constitution: 829

Vitality: 829

Intelligence: 831

Perception: 1100

Mana: 1000

Mana Regeneration: 1.2% Max MP/s

Satiety: 50/100 (Hungry)

Fatigue: 98/100 (Well Rested)

[4. Mana Attributes]

Instinct: 540

Fighting Spirit: 800

[6. Elemental Resistances]

Fire – Lv 3 (58%)

Cold – Lv. 3 (58%)

Wind – 58%

Earth – Lv.3 (58%)

Lightning – Lv.3 (58%)

Holy – Lv. 3 (58%)

Dark – Lv. 3 (58%)

[7. Abilities]

i) Innate Abilities:

Soul of Orez

Water Elementalist, Fire Elementalist, Lightning Elementalist, Earth Elementalist, Wind Elementalist,

Elder Draconic Soul, Elder Draconic Body, Elder Draconic Eyes, Elder Draconic Instinct, Elder Draconic Aura, Elder Draconic Core. Elemental Manipulation, Shapeshifting, Elemental Resistance.

ii) Class-Related Abilities:

Dimension Artist: Dimension Break, Dimension Shift, Teleport, Permanent Dimension Gates, Graphic Memory, Noorita's Senses, Mind's Eye

Jingu's Brush: Elemental Infusion, Ink Creation, Shapeshifting Brush,

Ferulic's Techniques: Ferulic's Spirit Technique, Realm Piercing Bow Technique, Earth Shattering Martial Arts, Angel Step Technique, Drill, Machine Gun, Hawk Eye, Extra Round, Gilgamesh, Wall, Gaia, Second Wind, Rock, Asura

iii) Craft-Related Abilities:

Identify, Sculptor, Chef, Artist, Blacksmith, Armorer, Tailor, Leatherworker, Handicraft, Repair, Support

iv) Other Abilities:

Archery, Silent Feet, Rapid Shot, Multi-Shot, Keen Sense, Homing Arrow, Warrior's Instinct, First Aid, Resuscitation

v) Self-Taught Abilities

Ki-Release, Dragon Blow, Free Archery

Then came Suzuki's level up. 

[1.General Information]

Name: Suzuki

Specie: Hume – Daeben,

Sex/Age: Male/19

Current Condition: Good/Hungry/Well-Rested

Level/Class: Lv.201 [Dimension Artist] (Advancement Pending)

Nationality: Rosendun

Affiliation: Twilight Wolves (Guildmaster)

Titles: Liberator, Conqueror, Hydra Slayer, Angel Slayer, Bane of Jackals, Restorer

Fame: Renowned

[2. Traits]

Temperament:

--Strong-willed.

--Stubborn

--Extreme Loyalty

Aptitude:

--Expert Pilot (Beyond Human learning capabilities. Extreme memorization and photographic memory

[3.Physical Attributes]

Strength: 651

Agility: 652

Constitution: 653

Vitality: 653

Intelligence: 656

Perception: 656

Mana: 323

Mana Regeneration: 0.2% Max MP/s

Satiety: 50/100 (Hungry)

Fatigue: 98/100 (Well Rested)

[4. Mana Attributes]

Mana Perception: 1100

Instinct: 540

Fighting Spirit: 800

[6. Elemental Resistances]

Fire – Lv 3 (58%)

Cold – Lv. 3 (58%)

Wind – 21%

Earth – Lv.2 (34%)

Lightning – Lv.2 (35%)

Holy – Lv. 1 (58%)

Dark – Lv. 1 (58%)

[7. Abilities]

i) Innate Abilities:

Soul of Orez

Water Elementalist, Fire Elementalist, Lightning Elementalist, Earth Elementalist, Wind Elementalist,

Golden Body

Mark of the Daeben (0% Completion).

ii) Class-Related Abilities:

Dimension Artist: Dimension Break, Dimension Shift, Teleport, Permanent Dimension Gates, Graphic Memory, Noorita's Senses, Mind's Eye

Jingu's Brush: Elemental Infusion, Ink Creation, Shapeshifting Brush,

Ferulic's Techniques: Ferulic's Spirit Technique, Realm Piercing Bow Technique, Earth Shattering Martial Arts, Angel Step Technique, Drill, Machine Gun, Hawk Eye, Extra Round, Gilgamesh, Wall, Gaia, Second Wind, Rock, Asura

iii) Craft-Related Abilities:

Identify, Sculptor, Chef, Artist, Blacksmith, Armorer, Tailor, Leatherworker, Handicraft, Repair, Support,

iv) Other Abilities:

Archery, Silent Feet, Rapid Shot, Multi-Shot, Keen Sense, Homing Arrow, Warrior's Instinct, First Aid, Resuscitation, Dragon's Blow, Runecaster

v) Self-Taught Abilities

Ki-Release, Free Archery

Suzuki sighed while examining his stats. As expected, in terms of pure stats, he fell far behind Kashi after regressing to a pure daeben. To make matters worse, he suffered from the daeben's curse that damaged their mana channels, which meant he could not store a lot of mana. Previously, Kashi luckily contracted the 'Dream of the Drakul,' which altered his bloodline early enough. Due to that, and the ability to freely assign stat points, Kashi's mana was always one of the highest despite being a daeben.

The Bloodline reset shattered that loophole. As a pure daeben, Suzuki would always fall behind on pure stats. However, did that mean he would allow Kashi to walk all over him? Suzuki recalled the daeben princess. Like most daeben, she did not seem overtly powerful at first glance, but that changed once she activated her daeben marks. Each one boosted her so much that she stood on equal footing against the five leaders.

"I'll have to look into getting the daeben runic marks." Suzuki twirled Jingu Brush while thinking. He placed the brush against his arm and drew a line. The bristles hardened, allowing the brush to cut a thin line in his skin. On closer inspection, however, the brushes were actually moving up and down, depositing their inks under the daeben's skin.

After creating a thin line, Suzuki nodded. "Jingu can be used to draw tattoos as long as I consider my body a canvas for art." He still could not use the brush to wound someone else, but this was good enough for his purposes.

Kashi looked at the line on Suzuki's arm. What a pity. He could have pushed even further if he could also mark himself with runes. Unfortunately, only daeben runes existed at present, and they only came into use after several generations of experimentation. If Kashi attempted to mark himself haphazardly, he was liable to blow up an arm or worse, his entire body.

No. For the moment, the daeben were the only specie to mark themselves successfully. However, they paid for it with having a limited mana pool.

"One last thing." Suzuki pulled up his status window and clicked on an ability that had been bugging him.

[Soul of Orez]

Intrinsically linked to the planet Orez as its primary god and creator. The faith of all lives in Orez passively contributes to your strength. It allows you to draw upon faith power for a short boost. It can only be utilized once every seven days. Passive boost increases with the number of sentient beings living in Orez.

Passive: 10.2% boost to all attributes

Active: 100% boost to all attributes

Duration: 10 minutes

Cooldown: 168 Hours

Penalty: Weak Status (5 Hours)

Suzuki frowned. "This—"

"Might be how we beat Razz," Kashi suggested while observing the skill window. "We'll do what we can to draw people into Orez. If the growth is limitless, we might grow enough to challenge Razz no matter our base stats."

"It won't be that simple," Suzuki argued. "The gods here won't let us steal their people. Just like we need faith, they probably also rely on faith. It's fine if we trick a village or two. But once we go too far, I'm sure they'll send someone after us."

"Okay, we've got our hands full with Razznik. We don't want to piss off any other gods." Kashi tapped his chin in thought. "We could hunt some dungeons? Not every dungeon has those evil Cambodian guys. I bet we could find some with 'good' humes."

Suzuki shrugged. "If that's what it takes." Closing his status window, he looked outside. "That's enough for now. Let's go. The others are waiting."