[New Achievement Unlocked: Refused Extinction]
[Description: Survive infancy despite the extinction conditions of your race.]
[Reward: 50 System Points]
[First Task Accomplished Successfully]
[Reward: System Store Unlocked]
The notifications held Ka'z attention. For a few seconds, he simply stared at them. A year had already passed since his reincarnation.
The realization felt surreal.
After spending months trapped in the body of a helpless hatchling, he had finally reached an age where he could walk, speak, and feed himself.
More importantly, he had survived.
Looking down at himself, Ka'z could immediately see the difference between himself and the rest of his generation.
At barely one year old, he already stood roughly three and a half feet tall. His chest was broader, his muscles more defined, and his scales noticeably denser than those of ordinary kobolds. His claws were larger, his tail thicker, and his posture naturally straighter.
Compared to the other hatchlings who typically stood between two and a half and three feet with thin builds and dull scales, Ka'z looked like a wolf cub standing amongst a litter of dogs.
The difference was impossible to ignore.
Even members of the clan had started whispering about it. Some claimed it was proof of the prophecy. Others believed it was the blessing of the dragons.
Tong'a simply called it divine providence and used it as another excuse to demand more offerings.
Ka'z personally knew it had something to do with his draconic constitution. Before he could continue examining the notifications, a sharp voice suddenly pulled him back to reality.
"Ka'z, are you paying attention?"
His head snapped upward.
Only then did he realize he was sitting inside one of the colony's classrooms.
The chamber itself had been carved directly into the cave walls. Rows of wooden stools filled the room while crude diagrams of beasts, plants, and hunting techniques had been painted onto flattened stone surfaces around the chamber.
Fourteen young kobolds sat scattered throughout the room.
Or rather, fourteen survivors.
The number had been significantly larger at birth. Not everyone made it through infancy.
At the front of the room stood a mature female kobold with blue scales.
Lady Zira, one of the colony's educators.
Her brown hair flowed neatly over her shoulders while her fitted leather garments accentuated an hourglass figure that somehow managed to remain attractive despite her reptilian features.
Ka'z had long since stopped questioning why kobolds could be attractive. The human brain was surprisingly adaptable.
Because of his larger size, Ka'z occupied a stool near the back of the room while most of his siblings sat closer to the front.
"Ooh... yes."
Ka'z rubbed the back of his head and nodded casually.
Lady Zira narrowed her eyes.
"Then tell the class what I said."
"The Aether Core is the source of life, magic, bloodline power, and evolution. It naturally absorbs Aether from the world and stores it within the body. As the core grows, its density, purity, and capacity increase."
Several children immediately turned to stare at him.
Lady Zira folded her arms.
"And?"
"Beasts rely on instincts, physical abilities, and Aether. When our core reaches the Iron Rank, we gain higher awareness and become magic beasts. At that point, we gain access to the two elements we are naturally most attuned to."
The classroom fell silent.
Ka'z had repeated her lesson word for word.
Draconic Wisdom was honestly ridiculous. His memory had become so absurd that he could recall dreams from months ago in perfect detail. Random conversations remained permanently stored in his mind.
The underground layout of Vaal'kor Clan had taken him one look to memorize. It had taken some of his siblings several weeks.
"Good."
Lady Zira nodded before returning her attention to the rest of the class.
Truthfully, talking to Ka'z always left her feeling uncomfortable.
The hatchling's appearance could be explained by his draconic lineage.
His maturity could not.
In her opinion, Ka'z often behaved like an adult pretending to be a child.
"Now then." Lady Zira clasped her hands together. "If kobolds cannot naturally use magic, how do we survive?"
Immediately, numerous hands shot into the air.
Ka'z fought the urge to facepalm. He was literally sitting through what amounted to kindergarten.
The answer was obvious.
Kobolds were physically weaker than most intelligent races. They were slower than wolves, weaker than orcs, and significantly less intelligent than humans and elves.
The only reedeming factor is their scales provided decent protection.
That was about it.
Everything else came down to numbers. Kobolds survived because they worked together.
"Kora?"
A small green-scaled kobold immediately jumped to her feet.
"Teamwork!"
"Teamwork!" the rest of the class repeated excitedly.
Lady Zira clapped approvingly.
"Correct. Kobolds survive because we are never alone."
"What magic do you have, Zira?" Ru'k suddenly asked.
The entire class immediately shifted their attention toward the teacher.
Ru'k sat near the front. He possessed bright crimson scales and large innocent eyes that made him appear harmless.
The appearance was a lie.
Ka'z had personally witnessed Ru'k release cave lizards into sleeping chambers, hide venomous insects inside food baskets, and somehow convince three other hatchlings to eat mud for an entire afternoon.
He was chaos given physical form. Even Ka'z dared not cross pass with this devil.
"I'm like Tong'a," Lady Zira replied. "I possess Water and Earth Affinity."
The classroom immediately erupted.
"Show us!"
"Show us!"
"Please!"
The children practically swarmed her. Even Ka'z felt his curiosity rise.
Over the past year he had heard countless stories about magic, but actually witnessing it remained rare.
Lady Zira resisted for several moments before finally sighing in surrender.
"Alright. Everyone back to your seats first."
The classroom transformed into a stampede. Every child rushed toward their stool as though their survival depended on it.
Once everyone had settled down, Lady Zira slowly raised her hands.
Ka'z immediately leaned forward.
Unlike the others, Dragon Eyes allowed him to see things they couldn't. A faint pulse emerged from deep within Lady Zira's body.
Her Aether Core.
The energy spread throughout her body like countless glowing streams before converging toward her hands.
For the first time, Ka'z could actually observe magic being formed.
The process fascinated him.
The energy gathered above her palms.m, condensed, stabilized and then transformed.
A sphere of water appeared.
The floating liquid slowly expanded until it became the size of a clenched fist.
"Wooooowwwwwwwwwwwww!"
The classroom exploded. Several children nearly fell off their stools.
Others stared so hard their eyes looked ready to pop out.
Even Ka'z found himself impressed.
The sight looked simple yet seeing the impossible happen before his eyes triggered something deep within him.
This was magic, actual magic.
Lady Zira couldn't help smirking at their reactions.
"Now, if you want to develop your cores enough to Awaken magic, you must follow your training routines. Exercise properly. Eat properly. Practice your breathing exercises."
She pointed dramatically toward the class.
"Do your best, and you'll be using magic before you know it!"
"Yaaaaayyyyyy!"
The children cheered enthusiastically.
Watching from the back of the classroom, Ka'z found himself surprisingly impressed.
When he first arrived in this world, he expected kobolds to be little more than intelligent animals living in caves.
The reality was far different.
Over the course of the past year, he had slowly come to understand how the Vaal'kor Clan functioned.
The clan lived beneath one of the Four Great Hills of Evergreen Forest. Hidden within the mountain was an enormous underground settlement dug by generations of kobolds.
There were mushroom farms supplying food. Underground ponds providing drinking water. Separate bathing pools, training grounds, storage chambers, trap workshops, hatcheries, medical dens and even guard posts.
The clan even raised domesticated dire weasels used for tracking prey and hunting. It also had a clear hierarchy existed as well.
Hunters.
Gatherers.
Craftsmen.
Warriors.
Elders.
Shaman
And above them all stood the Chieftain.
Compared to human civilization, it was primitive. But compared to what Ka'z had expected?
It was remarkable.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Ka'z began looking at the kobold race differently.
While Lady Zira continued explaining the basics of Aether circulation to the rest of the class, Ka'z gradually lost interest. The lesson itself was useful, but thanks to Draconic Wisdom he had already memorized every word she had spoken. There was little point listening to information that had permanently engraved itself into his mind after hearing it once.
His attention drifted inward and a familiar translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Ka'z]
[Race: Kobold]
[Aether Core: Bronze][Low]
[Bloodline: Draconic Lineage]
[Bloodline Tier: High]
[Bloodline Purity: Dormant][5%]
[Soul Stage: Awakened]
[Status: Healthy]
[System Points: 50]
[Open System Store?]
[Y/N]
Ka'z stared at the final prompt for a few moments before making his decision.
'Yes.'
The moment the thought formed, the screen vanished before another replaced it.
[System Store]
[Name: Survey Module I]
[Price: 50 System Points]
[Description: Allows Ka'z to inspect people, creatures, resources, and structures.]
[Name: Archive Module I]
[Price: 50 System Points]
[Description: Stores all information Ka'z learns, creating a perfect memory database.]
[Name: Combat Module I]
[Price: 50 System Points]
[Description: Helps trace enemy movement, making them predictable and giving host an edge in physical combat.]
Ka'z rested his chin against his palm as his eyes moved across the information.
Compared to the ridiculous systems from web novels, this one seemed surprisingly restrained.
The Archive Module immediately caught his attention, but only briefly. While its function sounded impressive, Draconic Wisdom already granted him photographic memory. Purchasing a second memory-related ability felt wasteful.
His gaze shifted to the Combat Module.
That one was tempting.
Every gamer loved combat abilities. The idea of predicting enemy movements sounded powerful. Unfortunately, reality quickly killed the excitement.
'Let's be realistic.'
The thought alone made the decision obvious. His eyes returned to the first option.
Survey Module.
Information was power, especially in an unfamiliar world. Knowing who was strong, weak, trustworthy, dangerous, talented, or useful would benefit him far more than slightly improving his ability to fight.
Without hesitation, Ka'z made his selection.
[Congratulations, Survey Module I Purchased]
The notification flashed before his eyes.
[System Points: 0]
[Survey Module I Installed Successfully]
[Inspection Function Unlocked]