Golden Experience - Chapter 188: “Amphisbaena”

After returning to Tore Forest, I decided to conduct experiments right away.

Originally, I had planned to gather the Newts and leave them somewhere, but it didn’t make much difference whether they were placed in a separate territory or left by the river.

“Keeping the plaza was a good idea. Let’s try various things right away.”

I only brought five Lizardmen with me.

While there were quite a few Hiers Newts, their appearance aside, they were classified as amphibians. Probably.

It’s unclear whether the game clearly distinguishes between amphibians and reptiles, and even if it does, it’s uncertain whether dealing with amphibian Newts would lead to Dragons.

“─ Before that, I wonder if dragons are reptiles. And what about Lizardmen? They were bipedal, and their skeletal structure seemed suitable for upright walking. Does that mean they are closer to dinosaurs? Then, are dragons dinosaurs?”

It’s said that the biggest difference between dinosaurs and reptiles that have survived until modern times is the suitability of the skeletal structure for upright walking.

Following that definition, it could be said that Lizardmen are dinosaurs.

If Lizardmen can evolve into dragons, there’s a possibility that dragons are also classified as dinosaurs.

“I don’t know what the official intention was, and it’s pointless to think about it.”

Regardless, the key seems to be the Lizardmen.

Currently, there are only five of them, but Rare decided to strengthen these five as much as possible before considering other options.

When Rare gave the Lizardman a Great Philosopher’s Stone, two options appeared: [Sub-Dragonkin] and [True Dragonkin]. Since the evolution into a [True Dragon] required experience points, it can be considered superior. (T/N: the words here are 亜竜人 or sub-dragon-man, and 真竜人 or true-dragon-man)

Considering that Lizardman Skeletons transformed into Spartoi and Dragontooth through Blanc’s blood, it can be assumed that Sub-Dragonkin is a race fed with flesh and blood from Spartoi and True Dragon from Dragontooth. No, the other way around. Those are probably the undead forms of the dragonkin.

There was no reason to evolve into Sub-Dragonkin, so I evolved all of them into True Dragonkin.

True Dragonkin had a physique that was overall one size larger than Lizardmen, with horns growing from their heads that extended backward, and their claws on their hands and feet changed into thicker and more robust shapes.

The color seemed to have become darker, but it seemed more like the scales covering their bodies had thickened than a change in body color. Moreover, the scales had grown sharper than before, indicating a heightened sense of hostility.

If there were about 25 more Lizardmen in this place, I could continue with this, but currently, there are only five. Even though all five have evolved into True Dragonkin, it’s a bit disappointing if they end up being too small due to taking shortcuts.

It’s just a matter of waiting for more Lizardmen to come. However, information about the Lizardmen’s habitat has probably already been communicated from Blanc to Lyra, and sharing information about lizards is a priority for both of them. Since Lizardmen were acquired first, it’s probably better to give the next ones to Lyra.

“Nothing to lose, so… let’s throw the Newts into the mix.”

For now, I decided to reincarnate some Newts and, depending on whether they leaned towards lizards or dragons, use them as fusion materials or expand the underground lake in the Liebe Great Forest and toss them in there.

And the reincarnation destination for the Newts was─

“─Salamander! Specifically, it’s Hiers Salamander, but it really looks like it! Can’t they drop the ‘Hiers’ from the word?”

A monster depicted in many fictional works as a fire lizard, among other things.

However, when talking about Salamanders, they generally refer to newts, and thinking calmly, it could be said that it’s just an axolotl turned into a newt.

Depending on the nuance when translating, there may be a difference between aquatic and terrestrial tendencies, but generally, both Newts and Salamanders refer to similar creatures.

But this is a game world. Although we don’t know the details just from the name, it’s not entirely impossible that it refers to a fire lizard.

“If not, they wouldn’t add ‘Hiers’ to the name. This feels more like a newt, like a Mexican Salamander. Definitely an axolotl. But even though I used a Greater one, only one reincarnation option came up. Is this the end… or rather, does it mean there are some conditions that need to be met?”

If I want to bring it closer to a dragon, the image would be flames. To emulate Japanese or Chinese dragon legends, lightning might be good. Or, considering the dragon god, a water element might also be considered.

Anyway, for now, I gave permission through the system message and reincarnated it into a Hiers Salamander.

As expected, it was a giant newt. With dark skin and a body length exceeding three meters, the silhouette still resembled a crocodile, but the flat face and round eyes ruined the tension. It didn’t change much from the time it was a Newt.

It would be good to verify if it could be brought closer to a dragon by acquiring magical skills, but if I get caught up in it, it will require a tremendous amount of time and experience points.

However, unlike when I was playing with ants alone in the Liebe Great Forest, there is now a reliable friend.

By smuggling a Philosopher’s Stone to Lyra and providing information about Hiers Newts, she should be able to proceed on her own.

Since there is probably the closest thing to a dragon, the True Dragonkin, I can try something here.

Currently, there are five True Dragonkin. I definitely want to make a three-headed dragon like Blanc’s Ghidorah.

In that case, three need to be left. Currently, only two can be used for verification.

“Philosopher’s Stone, huh? Alright, let’s leave three of them──Ah!”

Whether it interpreted Rare’s words as an order, two of the True Dragons entered the crystal eggs.

“…Well, that’s fine.”

The fact that they could enter meant that some kind of fusion was possible.

Next is the task of giving each Hiers Newt a Philosopher’s Stone and tossing them into the eggs.

This also went smoothly, and it seems that at least Hiers Salamanders can be used as ingredients.

I kept tossing them in, but the end was not in sight. When it was about to reach 30, the 29th was bounced off the crystal and fell flat on the ground.

With the initial two True Dragonkin included, this would make it 30. This is the same number as during Blanc’s Ghidorah incident. The size of the crystal is also similar, so expectations are high.

Putting the Great Philosopher’s Stone inside and heating it with [Athanor], the lizards melted into a vibrant rainbow color. Well, strictly speaking, there isn’t a single one that can be called a lizard.

Even though they just used the Philosopher’s Stone a moment ago, it seems there’s no cooldown period for them.

Perhaps fusion is recognized as just one of the effects of the Philosopher’s Stone, not a resurrection. That might be the reason.

For good measure, I mixed in a small amount of blood. If there’s a branching point, it should transform into a species closer to a demon.

“[Magnum Opus].”

《The followers have fulfilled the conditions for reincarnation.》

《Do you permit the reincarnation into [Amphisbaena] by consuming 800 of your experience points?》

“Permit it! Amphisbaena, huh!”

Amphisbaena is a two-headed snake with another head at the tip of its tail.

However, she used True Dragonkin, and the ingredients were also amphibians. There’s no snake element at all. It’s probably safe to think of it as a two-headed dragon interpreted in later times.

Soon, the crystal was crushed, and a giant dragon with two heads emerged from within.

Its scales gleamed black, gradually turning red towards the tips of its wings, claws, and the horns on its heads.

The heads were split from the neck as usual, and the tail also seemed to have two branches.

“When it comes to Amphisbaena, I thought the tip of the tail would be a head, but it’s different in this game.”

In terms of overall abilities, it’s higher than Blanc’s Skeletal Ghidorah, but LP is not as abundant. VIT and STR were higher on the undead’s side, but in return, INT, MND, AGI, and DEX seem to be higher for Amphisbaena.

Regarding skills, it doesn’t have the passive area-of-effect slip damage like Skeletal Ghidorah. That’s a relief since it would be difficult to coordinate with other followers if it had it.

But that doesn’t mean it lacks a species-specific special technique.

While Skeletal Ghidorah didn’t have it, Amphisbaena has two types of breath attacks: [Toxic Breath] and [Plague Breath]. According to the help section, it seems to be breaths of poison and disease, just as the names suggest.

Skeletal Ghidorah is a skeletal dragon and probably doesn’t breathe. That’s why it doesn’t have a breath attack.

Overall, Skeletal Ghidorah is stronger. However, subtracting the experience points Blanc apparently invested in them, they are roughly on par.

“It also has [Flight] and [Sky Drive]. I wonder if these skills are common for dragon types?”

Whether it had them from the start is unknown, but it also has [Bare-Handed]. This skill gives a bonus to damage and judgment when attacking directly without weapons. However, it’s unclear whether the original attack power of claws and fangs is taken into account.

If that’s the case, characters with sharp claws and fangs might have more than just numerical attack power in close combat.

“Breath and that part, I want to try those out here. I wish the angels would come soon.”

If my speculation about the true identity of the angels from the Count’s story is correct, they should be magical creatures.

In that case, they’re likely to drop items and disappear when defeated, just like Adaman-knights. Confirming this would add another layer of excitement to the event.

I would like to use the event to test the operation of myself and my subordinates.

What’s also concerning is the weakness of the angels.

They’re at a reasonable level considering the current military strength of the continent’s nations. If they were stronger, the human nations, which rely on sheer numbers, would be on the brink of destruction, and as a game event, it would be designed to leave rookies behind. As an event where participation is forced without choice, it’s not very acceptable.

In light of this, it can be said to be exquisitely balanced, but this time, on the contrary, the difficulty level is somewhat unsatisfactory for the top tier of players.

For players who are active in Hiers Capital and Neuschloss, dealing with a group of ☆2 small fries is probably not worth their time.

The bonus to experience gained seems to apply to all activities, regardless of whether they are event-related or not, as before, and if that were the case, I would continue to stay in the dungeons I usually attack. Alternatively, if there’s no death penalty, I might try challenging areas of a higher difficulty than usual.

“Is it correct to recognize that the angels themselves are for rookies, and that it is simply an experience boosting week for intermediate and above…?”

Regardless of the intentions of the operation, that’s probably what the playerbase will assume and how the players will move.

At that time, if I think about what I should do, it would be intercepting as planned and entertaining as usual.

“In other words, there will be a three-way battle in the dungeon.”

It’s unfortunate that the reduction of the death penalty doesn’t apply to me and my group, but it can’t be helped.

More than that, the fact that the bonus to experience points and the reduced death penalty will encourage players with higher ranks to challenge more challenging dungeons is a bigger deal.

Like last time, it will be a fever time for all players.

Maybe there will be players who try to hunt down “the calamity” itself, meaning “Rare”.

“I’m really looking forward to it, but first I have to get the Portree matter out of the way. I think it should be done by now, but I don’t know what’s going on. It seems like they don’t trust me to contact them, so I guess I’ll just have to wait a little longer…”