Dragon Necromancer: Starting With First Dragon Bloodline-Chapter 54: Blink and Gone

[Ding!]

The system rang in Noa’s head, making an announcement he would have been glad to hear in normal circumstances.

But not now.

Not when he was still fighting against the pain that was equal to the burning.

What’s worse, it lasted for a long moment.

At least that’s how he felt, as even a second stretched like an eternity.

However, the hovering text before him gave Noa consolation, bringing a forced grin to his face.

[Second physical threshold unlocked]

[Body development progress]

[Description:]

[Overall efficiency in speed, movement, endurance, and recovery moderately improved. Noticeable enhancements in muscle coordination, reaction speed, and stamina recovery]

[Progression:]

[Threshold 2 out of 7 unlocked. (Threshold 7 represents the peak of human potential.) Further growth requires intensified effort and recovery]

The girls, unable to do anything, watched him from the side.

Thalia bit her lip, forcing her legs to stop, but they kept shaking without signs of stopping.

Selaira remained calm.

She showed no reaction except curiosity, which kept flashing through her eyes.

Normally, unlocking a threshold was a peaceful process.

Not only should it not be painful, but it should also feel liberating.

But Noa’s case was different.

He had awakened only a couple of days before

and had already reached the second mind threshold, granting him terrifying speed.

Yet, he didn’t stop there.

Now he did it with his physique, and the opposite paths clashed with each other.

Still, Noa was dead set on following this road.

And each subsequent progress could be more dangerous if he were just as quick and advanced almost simultaneously in these two paths.

However— 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Ashe was with him.

The bloodline she had, the lineage he carried, gave him a promise.

A promise for the future that Noa could go beyond the normal means and advance without the pain that would force him to stop.

With Ashe by his side, Noa could do it.

Even when the pain barely started to dim, he knew he could do it.

It was only a matter of time, and with enough patience, practice, and dedication, the world beyond the seventh threshold would be within his grasp.

’Damn,’ he thought after regaining his composure. ’That shit hurt.’

Noa still lay slumped on the floor.

But within seconds, his mind and body woke, bringing foreign sensations.

Every heartbeat, every breath he took, felt heavier, as if his senses were adjusting to the change.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips as he forced his legs to stand up.

Selaira tilted her head.

Her eyes continued scanning him. "Get up, Graveworm boya. Let’s see how much you have improved."

Pushing himself upright, Noa looked at her.

He ignored the last remaining pulses of pain and took the sword from the ground.

Selaira’s next strike came fast.

This time faster and stronger.

But Noa moved with his mind and body in sync, slipping past her first attack.

His muscle and bone density had increased.

They also became equally agile, allowing Noa to shift his weight effortlessly while also giving him a brief time to sense his next actions.

’The system never lies,’ he muttered under his shallow breath.

His speed, strength, stamina, recovery, and control all clicked into new heights.

Seeing this, Thalia’s eyes narrowed. "He is sharper."

The other girl nodded.

Acknowledging his progress, she moved with a coldness that felt like an act of killing.

In brute strength, no one could top Selaira.

However, her four elements, which she still refused to use, allowed her a much wider range of versatility.

As a result, she could fight like assassins, knights, shield men, or even a full-fledged mage.

Looking at her, one would think she could do everything.

The fight proved that.

To train, to show Noa, she used everything in her arsenal.

Sometimes, hitting him like a truck, then attacking from behind or tripping him with a burst of raw mana, was a common occurrence in this battle.

At one moment, she swept low with her sword, aiming directly at his knees.

Noa didn’t hesitate.

There was no time for him to think.

Only a reaction existed, and second by second, he started absorbing her technique.

It began the same way it did with Haric.

But this time it was harder because the girl didn’t hold back when it came to her physical attributes, forcing shadows around her to react in different ways.

Knight’s power, assassin’s precision, mage’s unpredictability—everything was present.

Yet every time Noa got injured, the shadows adapted faster.

Soon, they deepened and showed Noa the way the girl moved or would move.

Despite the prediction coming just a fraction of a second before the attack was finished, it was still an enormous leap for Noa.

They stretched.

They mimicked her stance.

"It’s weird," Selaira said out of nowhere, stopping mid-movement.

"What is weird?" Noa asked, eyes narrowing.

"You are," the girl answered, pointing a finger at him. "There are still things about you I can’t read, I can’t see. But you... You are doing things no other shadow mage or warrior is capable of doing."

"Does it scare you?" he questioned, grinning.

Selaira shook her head. "I don’t like it when there is something I can’t explain. It makes me wonder, and that’s not good."

"Well," Noa began, taking a step closer to her. "I am the same. There are things I can’t see through, and it drives me crazy. What can you say, you are just as mysterious as I am."

The queen’s brows twitched.

She looked just as cold as always.

Yet an inexplicable discomfort gripped her mind.

Still, she didn’t show it. One question was already more than she was willing to share.

Suddenly, when she took another step, the shadows warped in chaotic patterns, and instead of helping Noa to read through her intentions, they confused him further.

A moment later, his sword was knocked out of his hand.

The shadows had screamed warnings, but actually reading them was impossible.

She did something.

Or maybe became something that made anticipating her patterns even harder.

Still, as the air was torn out of his lungs, Noa stumbled to the ground with a cheerful smile.

He had already learned a thing or two from her.

He had copied her movements and remembered techniques he absorbed and could even use in real combat.

Today was a great day.

He had survived her harsh training and, despite being beaten to a pulp just like she had promised, Noa rubbed his pained flesh with a grin.

Tomorrow, he intended to do more than today.

Shadow mana particles remained by his side.

Dragon’s constitution might have been a passive ability, but with each threshold advancement, it demanded more mana from him.

Selaira, meanwhile, looked at him with a nod of approval.

"You did well," she commented. "Way better than expected. Now I am looking forward to your future and the warrior you will become."

"Me too," Thalia agreed out of nowhere. "I am looking forward to your amazing adventures."

She looked happier than Noa.

Her face was expressive, and her voice was soft.

Everything about Noa boosted her mood and made her smile ear to ear.

Seeing this, Selaira shifted her attention.

Even though there were still things she wanted to say to Noa, she also looked forward to training with Thalia.

"You have to be strong for him then," she said to the girl with no emotion. "Just knowing the future won’t be enough. You need the strength to play your cards right."

Thalia blinked and summoned Luna.

The temperature around the chamber dropped significantly.

Tiny snowy fragments appeared beside her. They were the size of dust, but under the evening light, they shone with vigor.

"You ready, girl?" she asked the queen and flicked her fingers.

There was unusual excitement on her face.

It was the first time Noa had seen his maid this eager to do something.

She was adorable, and he had to acknowledge that.

A moment later, the clash began.

It was immediate, playful in nature, but none of the girls held back.

Especially Thalia, because she knew she was weaker, and she had to try harder.

And she did so.

The ever-shifting air crystallised, grew colder, and shaped into a ball.

Also, the razor-shaped snowflakes danced outwards, threatening Selaira.

It didn’t just end there; the floor iced over and made a creaking sound in her wake.

But the moment Selaira took one step, a spear of ice erupted from the ground.

Its force was terrifying.

Its speed was almost on par with the speed her enemy had shown before.

’She wasn’t this strong this morning,’ Noa mumbled.

He had seen Thalia fight against the ape-controlling boy, and even though she won it so easily, the strength she showed right now was nothing like that.

She attacked in quick succession and forced Selaira to do something in one second Noa couldn’t do in a full fight.

"You are better than I thought," the queen said, taking a step back.

"Of course, I have to protect him, remember?" Thalia answered with a mischievous grin, and instead of staying in one place, she blinked in space and vanished.