Unfortunately for King, just because the AI's script was destabilized didn't mean it would change anything. As it had been stated, the AI had a plethora of rules and directives it had to follow.
It could not interfere unless it was invoked by both parties when concerning players. A player against an NPC or monster, was left to the circ.u.mstances of the world.
All the AI did was prepare the stage according to a script and let the actors go along with it or without it, it was up to them.
King held Draco's sabatons while struggling a little. He was like a worm that was captured by a bird, wriggling about helplessly.
Draco shook his head. He didn't know King's story, but he wasn't too interested in finding out. Now, it was up to him to contemplate whether or not he wanted to accept this possible race change and how to go about it.
The Ultima Sunt race, as described by Vadoma and Qiong Qi, possessed the greatest potential of any living being. One might not understand such a description, but Draco did.
It meant that no matter how weak or foolish he was at the beginning, he would eventually surpass everyone. It was similar to highschool, when that one tryhard kid did his best at everything but eventually burned himself out later, yet you, this lazy goat, managed to get a degree and got a nice job.
In other words, there were no caps or limitations. Once Draco put in the effort to climb, he would soar like a rocket. Instead of being stuck at Rank 6 like his past life, he would directly break through using the special means of the Ultima Sunt race.
He wouldn't even need to wait for the Great War, he would reach the cap long before then.
These were just the basic pros that he was aware of. There were probably many things that came with being an Ultima Sunt that even King had no idea of. After all, he was no different than an early adolescent in Ultima Sunt terms.
He had only unlocked his most basic bloodline seal, allowing him to gain some capital to grow further. He hadn't been given a chance to explore his potential and grow his destiny.
Draco was different. Nothing could stop his rise in a world like this, where he could never die. Even if he was killed, he would come back to life with a smile that promised retribution and vengeance.
However, what stayed his hand was the biggest disadvantage of being an Ultima Sunt, their estrangement from the world.
In other words, they weren't tolerated by the Gods in anyway or form.
Draco was extremely hesitant to be on the opposite side of the Gods. One should not compare mortals with Gods, they were a whole different ball game altogether.
Against players, NPCs and monsters within the first three Ranks, Draco could handle them with differing levels of ease. Above that, he had Richmond to deter NPCs at the higher Ranks. Monsters wouldn't care, but then again Draco wouldn't go seeking death by attacking Rank 4 and above monsters.
Players at Rank 7… well, suffice to say that by the time players reached that level, Draco would already have moved to another section of Boundless to develop himself.
So within the scope of mortals, being an Ultima Sunt wasn't a problem if he could handle himself properly.
However, the Gods were not on that same level. Once Draco exited this unique quest, they would know. King hadn't been destroyed solely because unique quests were in a 'separate dimension' from the main world.
No outside influences could interfere.
Draco would be destroyed the moment he turned in the quest, and there was no way for him to hide.
He had barely even known about legendary items in his past life. Divine items had been an absolute novelty to him and the Gods were a distant topic that had very little to do with him.
He hardly even knew which Gods did what and were who. If it wasn't for the Eyes of Caelo, he would never have known that such a God existed.
How was he to tell their methods? This was one of the cases where his knowledge of the future wasn't too helpful, because in that future, he hadn't learned of any of this.
Draco wasn't going to rush into this, he needed to be sure before he made a decision.
His good guy thoughtstream wanted him to kill King as humanely as possible, finish the quest and reunite with Eva.
His bad guy thoughtstream wanted him to abuse King as painfully as possible, take his race and destroy the Gods if they dared to fart in his direction.
His unique thoughtstream though, was torn between both.
This was a serious dilemma.
The meat pie was right in front of him, yet he dared not bite because there was a wolf nearby that was eyeing the pie as well. If he bit into it, he would be chewed to death.
If he let it go, well, he wouldn't die of hunger, but he would be extremely unreconciled.
Just as Draco was stuck on what to do, he saw a screen pop up before him.
｢Detected a possible candidate for racial assimilation.
Would the player like to change their race? Y/N｣
Draco began to sweat as his mind whirred.
To risk it all for the benefits or to reject them and lose the biggest reward?
No gamer should have to make such a harrowing choice, between top-tier loot and their continued existence.
Just as he was about to make his choice, there was another screen that popped up over the previous one.
｢Warning!
Candidate for racial assimilation detected to possess enmity with the Gods.
Since current player is detected to possess Godly Remnants, as well as high reputation with the Church of Light, a negotiation has been reached.
Player can assume the race change without penalties to reputation as long as the player is willing to sign an agreement to never go against the Gods.
Note: The player's Immortal Spirit would be destroyed in the case of a breach.｣
It seemed like a way out had been provided for Draco. Thanks to his possession of the Dragon Soul and the Eyes of Caelo, as well as his high reputation with the Church of Light, Draco was able to possess this race as long as he promised not to go against the Gods.
Whatever he did in the mortal world was not their concern. As long as he had no plans to intrude upon their territory, he could be whatever race he wanted to be.
Draco too, had no plans to do that, otherwise he would've taken the Divine Emblem instead of the Treasure Chest. He also could've chosen to have his Divine Foundation in the Vita Settlement.
On that topic, Draco was far different from the Gods of the Western Fantasy world. They were content to lock themselves up in heaven and enjoy their immortality, having the occasional squabble here and there.
However, he had his sights set on exploring every world within Boundless and outside of it. There was no time for him to play house.
Still, even though this development seemed to be tailor made for him, Draco frowned.
He felt that this was a bit of a stretch. If he wasn't at the outside world yet, how would the Church of Light and the Gods negotiate with him? How would they even know?
Yes, it was possible they would negotiate with him afterwards, but that was afterwards. And even then, the terms would be far more stringent and unfavorable since we would already be an Ultima Sunt by then.
Subconsciously, the words of Amber resonated in his ears.
"Its almost like… like the AI is in love with you…"
Draco denied this once again. Amber might be close to the AI, but that was only for a short while in this life. He had spent over 15 in-game years in Boundless, so Draco could argue that he understood how the AI handled the game world better than Amber.
Even if it were so smitten with him, it was still a code-based entity. Code could not go against its directives, otherwise it would be penalized.
Directives to the AI were like subconscious actions of a human.
It was like the action of pumping the heart to humans. Even if we managed to, the moment our heart stopped beating, we would die. It was a directive from nature for our heart to pump blood through the body for us to live.
However, every rule had its grey areas. The AI had once been able to withhold rewards for Draco, which had been requested by him. It wasn't against its directives, so it acquiesced.
Similarly, it had deemed that Draco had fulfilled the terms necessary to acquire the Ultima Sunt race, but the disadvantages brought were heavier than the advantages, making it an unfair reward.
Since fairness was the motto of the AI, it was allowed to directly make this change since Draco fulfilled other criteria as well.
Still, he felt a bit uncomfortable. It was like being a young girl and seeing that particular uncle watching you like a hawk. While he wouldn't do anything yet, you could tell that all the presents he brought were…'investments'… for the future.
Draco sighed and chose yes. The pros had now outweighed the cons, so from the perspective of logic, choosing no would be foolish.
｢Beginning racial assimilation
Please do not interfere with the process.｣
King, who had stopped struggling under Draco's boot as his mind whirred with possible plans and outcomes, suddenly felt his body begin to lose power.
His mind began to slow and his eyes gradually lost their color. He couldn't even form a coherent thought as his body broke down and began to merge with Draco.
The last thing he felt was extreme unwillingness and regret.
Draco though, felt extremely ticklish. He had heard what race changing was like from those few players who managed to achieve it, so he knew it was normal.
There was no pain in racial assimilation, just an extremely weird sensation.
He watched King's deconstructed cells enter his body and merge with his own.
Racial assimilation was different from racial recalibration. Racial assimilation was about merging your current race with that of another to form something new and unique, a half and half of sorts.
So afterward, Draco would be half human and half Ultima Sunt.
Racial recalibration would be like what happened when his bloodline was released. His body would be reconstructed and made into the form of the new race, casting his old one away.
Both had their pros and cons, but Draco preferred to keep the benefits of the human race while taking those of the Ultima Sunt race. Of course, the benefits on both sides would only be half as potent as they should be.
It was a quick process. In a matter of seconds, Draco felt… different.
His physical makeup was slightly different, in that his reverse scale had transformed into a glowing black gem. His black and scaly Dragorugio armor became smooth, with black gems on his shoulder, the back of his palms and his knees.
His black hair became white like snow and his skin became slightly paler.
Combined with his blood red pulsing eyes, Draco looked like some evil vampire lord who preferred the blood of beautiful women.
｢Congratulations on completing: Race Change
Reward:
Ultima Sunt racial benefits｣
｢Name: Draco
Class: Avenger (Optimal)
Race: Hybrid (Human/Ultima Sunt)
Rank: Adventurer (1)
Level: 19
Exp: 65%
Str: 10
Dex: 20
End: 10
Int: 15
Spr: 14
Cha: 10
Lck: 9
Combat Skills: Absolute Void, Revenger, Cloud Feet, Armageddon, Instant Healing, Rain of Arrows, Necrotic Hands, Evil Curse, Life Steal, Divination, Dark Resurrection, Beckon.
Non-Combat Skills: Soul Bond, Omnipotent Archer, Charm, Insight, Foresight, Flexibility, Illusion, Evolution, Ultimate Stealth, Pinnacle Intelligence.
Tradeskills: Smithing (level 33, 39%), Alchemy (level 37, 40%), Enchanting (level 26, 42%), Cooking (level 3, 15%), Taming (level 1, 0%)｣
｢Beckon – Active Skill
Effect: Lure some living organisms towards you. Organism must be within your Rank (Adventurer for NPCs and Specialist for monsters)｣
｢Evolution – Passive Skill
Effect: Acquire a single aspect of any living entity consumed. Maximum aspects can be 10 at Rank 1.｣
｢Ultimate Stealth – Passive Skill
Effect: Remain harmless in the eyes of most living entities until damage is dealt. Entities must be within your Rank (Adventurer for NPCs and Specialist for monsters)｣
｢Pinnacle Intelligence – Passive Skill
Effect: Possess a thinking and reasoning capacity 1.5 times your current limit.｣
It was clear that the overpowered traits and abilities King possessed had been strongly weakened since Draco had assimilated his race, instead of recalibrating.
This was one of the reasons why most players preferred to change over fully, instead of doing it halfway. There was an upside and downside to everything and Draco wouldn't regret his choice.
Roma, who had been watching this all with a strange expression, froze as her body began to change slightly. Her lovely caramel skin became a little paler and her greenish-blue hair became white. Her purple eyes retained their color, but became a little brighter.
A bright green gem emerged on her chest, just above her cleavage. No other gems appeared on her body, for reasons one could not guess. Maybe female Ultima Sunts had only one gem?
This was a direct consequence that Draco had expected. He was aware of Roma's ability to assume the benefits of his race as well as his skills. When he decided to keep half of his humanity, it was mostly for Roma.
She would have three racial benefits, one for the gypsies, one for humans and now for Ultima Sunts.
The more powerful Roma became, the higher her value to Draco. At this point, Roma became a lot more crucial to his future plans. Her ability to grow now surpassed even Draco.
Qiong Qi noticed all this and felt his mouth drop.
F.u.c.k, a huge development happened right before his dog eyes, but he couldn't even see anything! Wasn't he the protagonist of the world? Why did it feel like he was a side character?!
Qiong Qi almost wanted to poke out his eyes and wash them with holy water before putting them back. Clearly, he had seen too many commoners, leaving his divine eyeballs coated in filth.
Aisha was lost the whole time. The proceedings that had occurred so far were far beyond her understanding. She opted to remain quiet and wait until it all played out before deciding what to do.
Draco turned around and faced his waiting party.
He smiled widely as he saw the changes in Roma, nodding his head with satisfaction.
When his eyes roamed over Qiong Qi, the fellow felt a tiny bit of apprehension. His Brother Draco was very different from before.
When Draco looked at Aisha though, her body trembled and she almost fell to her knees. The kind of suppression Draco placed on her was too powerful.
This was a suppression based on State of Being rather than power or aura. Draco's State of Being had been in the top 5 before, so King could not suppress him in any noticeable way, but now he was at least, number 2.
To Aisha, who was a Dryad that had a common State of Being, the effects manifested strongly.
"Aisha."
Draco's voice had not changed noticeably, but there was a more… confident and controlling tone to it. Whether he liked it or not, he had inherited a bit of the Ultima Sunt race's arrogance.
Aisha's discomfort disappeared, but she became a lot more compliant than before. She realized that something very important had happened right now, but what it meant, she had no idea.
"My Lord Draco."
Draco walked over to Roma and placed his hand on her shoulder as he stared at Aisha.
"Are there any problems with the Dryads? Or with the Forest of the Dryads?"
Draco asked this question lightly and without any pressure, so Aisha didn't find anything strange.
"Apart from having to deal with the parasitic monsters, everything is fine."
That was the truth. Aisha was sure that everything was alright with the Dryads at this moment in time.
Draco nodded, agreeing with her.
"That sounds plausible but… how many Dryads have gone missing in the past few days?"
Aisha was startled by this question. She pondered over it and found that there was something that had been off for the last few days.
A few of her Dryads had gone missing. Since their society was very liberal and free, she had taken it that they had either been captured by the Green Orcs or had gone out to experience more pleasures.
However, the numbers were a little too high…
"Yes, the number of Dryads that have gone missing recently is really suspicious. Does my Lord have any clues…?"
Draco smiled without talking. He just began to walk towards the huge tree in the center of the forest. Roma had come down from her dazedness, following him silently.
Her demeanor was less innocent and slightly more dignified. She was like a young and friendly princess who treated everyone fairly, as opposed to her former 'girl next door' disposition.
Qiong Qi trotted alongside them with a slightly bored expression. Despite Draco's great change he wasn't too impressed, because at the end of the day, he was still Draco!
In fact, he was even more Draco-ish than before! Qiong Qi could practically smell the evil and nefarious intent roiling from him, promising him more successfully carried out plans.
More lionesses to capture!
More innocents to play with!
More enemies to bully to death!
This was Qiong Qi's dream for his best life!
And the current Draco was perfectly geared towards making this become reality.
Aisha opened her mouth and closed it again, unsure of what to say. The question Draco had asked had made her reach some conclusions, but she wasn't too sure about them.
She just followed along, ruminating on her own thoughts.