The still air of the basement lingered heavy with traces of ancient mana, faintly glowing in green and gold veins that pulsed along the stone floor. Ren exhaled slowly, letting the flood of warmth in his body calm. The echoing heartbeat of the unborn dragon within him was steady now—quiet, patient, alive.
As he knelt beside Lyra, her breathing even and light, a faint chime resonated within his mind.
[System Notification – Subprocess: Brother Node]
Synchronization Complete.
Skill Upgrade Pending: Forestry Lv.9 + 5 (Legacy Boost Detected).
Due to reaching natural growth limit and external influence, the skill is eligible for Evolution.
Proceed with upgrade?
[YES/NO]
Ren blinked in surprise. "Brother node…" he murmured. It was rare for that secondary process to speak. The last time it had done so was when his system initialized at the start of his journey.
He hesitated for a heartbeat—then selected YES.
The air shifted instantly.
A faint green luminescence surrounded his hands, and the familiar scent of pine and soil filled the air, stronger than ever before. The faint shimmer spread from his fingertips across the floor, climbing like roots through the cracks in the stone.
[Skill Evolution Commencing...]
Forestry (Lv.9 + 5 Bonus) → Botanist (Lv.4)
It was subtle—less an explosion of power and more a deep, resonant awakening.
The system's text unfurled in his vision as the world seemed to breathe around him.
[Skill: Botanist (Lv.4) – Advanced Profession Skill]
You have evolved your understanding of the natural world.
You no longer simply harvest the forest—you commune with it.
Effects:
Increases efficiency in gathering wood, herbs, and plants by 60%.
Allows detection of hidden plant-type resources within a 50-meter radius.
Enables minor nurturing effect: nearby flora respond positively to user's presence.
Greatly reduces material loss during harvest.
Additional Passive:
Green Veins (Minor): Slightly regenerates stamina and mana when surrounded by living vegetation.
Ren exhaled slowly, eyes half-closing as the faint hum of energy settled into his being. This was different from raw combat power or mana control—it was quieter, older.
He raised a hand and pressed it against the cold stone wall.A thin tendril of emerald light slipped from his palm and traced across the surface, forming faint, glowing cracks where moss had long since died.
In seconds, tiny sprouts of life emerged—green moss returning, roots crawling along the stone as if the world itself remembered how to breathe again.
"…Botanist," he whispered. "So, this is what it feels like when the world responds."
He could feel it now—each plant, each trace of mana-laced soil within the mansion grounds whispering faintly at the edge of his senses. Even the long-forgotten garden outside, dormant for decades, seemed to stir in faint anticipation.
[System Notification]
Skill evolution complete.
Residual levels applied post-evolution.
Botanist: Level 4 attained.
Ren flexed his fingers and stood. His body no longer ached, and even the lingering dizziness from his earlier collapse was gone. The regenerative hum from Green Veins was faint but constant—soothing, like a forest breeze in his bloodstream.
Lyra stirred.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and after a few seconds, she opened her eyes, confusion flickering in their blue depths. "Ren…? Where—where are we?"
He offered a faint smile. "Still in the mansion's basement. You passed out when that pressure hit."
She frowned, glancing around. "The… the dragon?"
Ren looked to the dais. Empty. "Gone," he said quietly. "But it left something behind." He didn't elaborate. Not yet.
Instead, he crouched beside her, helping her sit up. The faint glow of his newly awakened Botanist skill flickered around them—subtle green trails winding like gentle fireflies in the dim chamber.
Lyra blinked. "This place feels… different."
"It's breathing again," Ren murmured, placing a hand against the wall once more. The vines reacted immediately, tiny leaves unfurling in response to his touch. "It's like the whole forest above sensed the change."
Lyra's eyes widened slightly, awe softening her features. "Did… you do this?"
Ren smiled faintly. "Maybe the world just wanted to wake up too."
The faint hum of mana pulsed again, steady and rhythmic. Deep down, Ren could sense the layers of his growth—his newfound draconic core intertwined with his evolving human understanding of nature.
He wasn't just stronger; he was becoming something balanced—a bridge between the natural world and ancient power.
He took one last look at the spot where the Dragon King had once rested.Now only faint scorch marks and lines of mana remained, forming an intricate spiral sigil—an old draconic rune for Inheritance.
Ren turned toward the stairway leading up. "Let's check the rest of the place before it decides to wake up more surprises."
Lyra rose, brushing the dust from her clothes, and gave a small nod. "Agreed. But… Ren—what really happened?"
He hesitated for a moment, then replied softly, "Let's just say… the forest wasn't the only thing that chose me today."
And with that, they ascended the winding steps, the faint light of the revived moss following their path like soft green lanterns.
The forest outside was waiting—alive, alert, and whispering his name through the wind.
The vines along the mansion walls stirred faintly as Ren and Lyra made their way out. Sunlight filtered through the overgrowth, scattering golden beams into the air that shimmered with soft green motes. The once-decaying estate now looked half alive, as though the land itself had drawn breath after centuries of silence.
Ren glanced over his shoulder once more before stepping past the gate, sensing a quiet hum in the air — the lingering bond of power that had awakened beneath the earth.
They descended the hill path together, the air light but charged. Lyra walked beside him quietly, still shaken but trying to hide it.
Ren opened his system interface while walking — the familiar translucent display flickered into view. A single notification waited.
[System Notification]
Party Member Status Update Detected.Lyra's class affinity and link adjusted by Heir Synchronization.
Ren frowned and opened her detailed status window.
Name: Lyra
Level: 6
Strength: 20 (+10)
Agility: 26 (+10)
Endurance: 19 (+10)
Intelligence: 22 (+10)
Vitality: 20 (+10)
Skills:– Archery (Mastery)
└ Passive: Triple Shot – Fires three arrows simultaneously with 90% accuracy retention.
– Keen Sense Lv.8
– Basic Dagger Mastery Lv.5
Title:Mistress of the Heir
A bond formed through fate and inheritance. The bearer gains shared growth and partial resistance to mental interference when near the Heir.
Ren blinked.Then blinked again.
"…Mistress of the Heir?" he muttered under his breath, almost choking on the words.
A short, strained chuckle escaped him — half disbelief, half resignation. "Great… just great. The world really knows how to name things dramatically."
Lyra turned at his voice, her brows arching. "What?"
"Ah, nothing," Ren said quickly, hiding the flickering interface with a small wave of his hand. "Just… checking something."
She gave him a curious look, tilting her head slightly. "You're acting strange again."
"Habit," he said smoothly, forcing a smile. "Comes with near-death experiences."
She huffed softly but didn't press further, her gaze returning to the forest.
Ren's smile faded as he thought again of the title.He couldn't tell her—not yet. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but how could he explain something so strange? Mistress of the Heir… the words carried more weight than he wanted to admit. Still, he was relieved—she'd grown stronger. Her stats had risen beyond even his expectations, and her Archery had reached mastery, gaining the Triple Shot ability. That alone made her a formidable force.
"Your senses feel sharper?" he asked casually as they moved through the forest trail.
Lyra nodded. "Yeah. Everything feels clearer somehow—like I can feel the direction of the wind even before it touches me. And… the forest feels quieter, but not in a bad way."
"Good," Ren said. "Keep using your archery and keen sense as much as possible. It'll stabilize your control over that new strength."
"Right."
She raised her bow, testing the pull on the string. The faint shimmer of energy along the bowstring told Ren she could now channel mana through her shots. Not consciously yet—but it was there.
As they followed the faint path through the overgrown trees, Lyra suddenly stopped. "Ren… look."
Her eyes narrowed, focusing toward the eastern ridge.
Ren followed her gaze — the air there shimmered faintly with movement. Dozens of small figures scurried across the forest edge, their rough shapes visible against the shadowed slope.
Goblins.
And not just a few — a horde.
"...That's at least thirty," Ren murmured, tone tightening.
Lyra frowned. "Heading that way." She pointed toward a narrow rock passageway. "There's a cave there. I can feel the mana distortion inside it — something's drawing them in."
Ren's expression hardened. "A nesting ground."
He'd read enough old guild reports and heard enough rumors to know what that meant. Goblins left unchecked multiplied fast, and when they gathered under a leader or mutated into advanced forms, they became a disaster.
He clenched his fists. "If they're nesting, we can't leave it be. But right now… we don't have enough to deal with a group that large."
Lyra nodded grimly. "We should report it."
"Yeah." He turned sharply. "Let's move. The faster the guild knows, the better chance they can send a higher-ranked party before it becomes a village massacre."
As they made their way down the forest slope, the newly awakened mana in the air stirred faintly in Ren's senses. The forest whispered—a mixture of warning and awareness, as though it too knew the danger crawling beneath its soil.
Ren took one last glance over his shoulder at the dark cave mouth barely visible through the foliage.
A thin stream of green light drifted from the moss near the cave, twisting faintly like breath. Something deeper, older, pulsed beneath the ground.
He frowned, eyes narrowing.
"…I'll come back," he muttered softly, more to himself than to Lyra.
The two of them broke into a steady jog, the forest seeming to part slightly before them. Branches swayed aside as if acknowledging the Heir's passage.
The sun dipped slightly toward the horizon as they neared the town gates, both their hearts heavy with the image of that goblin horde vanishing into darkness.
Whatever was sleeping beneath that cave… he could feel it wasn't just another nest.