Standing in front of the hunters at 6 feet tall, with short, curved horns pushing through his dark hair, jagged yet regal, marking the birth of something beyond human.

His fingers and toes had sharpened into lethal claws, black-tipped and gleaming with a predatory edge. Crimson scales spread across his skin in patches, hard and reflective like living armor, glinting with a dangerous light as though forged in fire.

From his back unfurled a pair of massive wings, blood red and jagged at the edges, each beat of them stirring the air with cinematic intensity.

They weren't just wings; they were the mark of a ruler of the skies, glowing faintly like freshly spilled blood under the sun. Behind him, a long, sinuous tail lashed the ground, armored in the same crimson scales, its tip jagged and fierce.

Yet, for all the monstrous power in his new form, his human features remained. His face was still his own, though now sharpened with a draconic fierceness in his golden eyes. The blend of man and dragon was now perfectly sealed into one terrifying yet majestic hybrid.

This was Max. In his new form as a Dragon Hybrid, he stared at his friends and hunter Drey who stood there, arms crossed, a small smirk flashing across his face as he eyed the dragon up and down.

"And now, you look more like a dragon to me," the hunter said, his voice soft with awe and authority despite trying to remain calm.

"M…M…Max? You there?" Jasmine asked as she staggered forward, her heart thumping loudly as fear slowly crawled into her chest. Was his humanity gone? Did she just lose him?

She stepped a few feet closer until she stood about a metre away, refusing to go further as she stared at him. Max, instead of responding, slowly lifted his gaze to the sky.

Tring!

[Congratulations on the evolution!]

[Congratulatory rewards: +10 stat points to all stats; +5000 XP; +2 new skills; +fire ability evolved: +1 new fire skill; one talent altered]

'Status tab,' Max called out inwardly.

{Name: Max Ashwell}

{Age: 18}

{Level: 32}

{XP: 14,300 / 18,600}

{Race: Dragon Hybrid}

{HP: 30 / 150}  {MP: 20 / 400}

{STR: 75}    {AGI: 75}

{INT: 61}    {Partners: 3}

{Free stat: 46}

Staring at the screen, Max glanced down at his hands, the black claws gleaming softly back at him. He clenched them in and out and could feel the overwhelming difference in strength, the raw power pulsing beneath his skin.

Not satisfied, he slowly walked away from the hunters who were now looking at him weirdly as he headed towards a standing house. Without hesitation, he swung his fist straight into it, smashing through the wall and crumbling the entire structure down in one blow. Dust exploded around him like a cloud.

"Whoa there! That is coming out of your pay!" Drey shouted as a vein protruded from his forehead for a second.

Max only smirked as he stared at his hands once more, then slowly looked up into the sky. His wings beat gently behind him, a breeze swirling around his feet as his grin widened.

"Max! What is wrong with you?! Are you even there?!" Jake shouted, his voice mixed with concern and confusion.

"Just testing something," Max said, his voice deeper and rougher than before. He looked up, crouched slightly, the ground cracking under his feet from the pressure of his strength. But before he could do anything, his vision suddenly became blurry and the world around him started spinning faintly.

"Huh? What the…" his legs buckled, his wings sharply retracted back into his back with a loud snap as he slowly swayed from left to right, his eyes growing dimmer. Drey darted forward just in time, catching the dragon as he collapsed into his arms.

"MAX!" Jasmine screamed, her voice trembling as the whole crew dashed forward in worry.

"Don't worry, he is just exhausted from all the pain and stress he went through. Come on, let's all return to the association," Drey casually said, though his eyes remained sharp and cautious.

He lifted Max and slung him over his shoulders. "One more thing before we leave, no other hunter should hear of any of this, including and most especially what happened to Max. Are we clear?"

"Sure," they all replied in unison, their expressions serious. With that, they left the place in silence, their destination fixed in their minds. Back to the association.

__

UNKNOWN REALM AND LOCATION

In a massive castle-like structure floating high above the world, untouched by mortal eyes.

The inside of the castle was nothing like the grand, majestic halls one might expect. Instead, it was an endless, shifting labyrinth that defied logic and reason. The walls stretched impossibly high, built from gleaming black stone that reflected faint light like polished obsidian.

Golden lanterns floated mid-air without chains or supports, drifting gently as they cast ghostly shadows that stretched and curled unnaturally across the endless space.

The floors were made of smooth, black tiles that seemed to go on forever, yet with every few steps the corridors twisted, tilted, or spiraled into new directions as if the entire castle was alive and constantly rearranging itself.

Staircases coiled along the sides of walls, some leading upward into nothingness, while others descended into pitch black only to reappear elsewhere entirely.

Gigantic doors marked with ancient sigils floated in the air or leaned at impossible angles, leading to rooms that could be a grand banquet hall one moment and a silent empty void the next.

Every sound—the faint echo of footsteps, distant whispers, the low hum of unseen forces carried endlessly, as though the castle itself was breathing and listening.

The entire place felt like walking inside a dream that could collapse, twist, or reshape at will, a castle unbound by reality, suspended between worlds.

Deep within this fortress, on one of the floating stone platforms, a throne stood. Shadows clung to it like living smoke, hiding the figure seated upon it.

Before the throne, twisted aberrations—beasts that resembled nightmares more than creatures bowed low, shivering under the oppressive presence emanating from the figure.

"Hmm… he has evolved again, huh?" the figure on the throne sighed, placing his chin on his knuckles as he gazed down at the creatures groveling below. "And not only that, Gukaki lost. He actually lost to a dragon scion. What is wrong with all of you? Are you growing weaker or what?!" His voice thundered through the hall, and the golden lanterns around them shattered into glittering dust.

"B…but… but… Lucifero, Gukaki's sister is there, she cou…"

"Did I give you permission to speak? Trash." The figure tilted his head slightly, his cold gaze locking onto the demon kneeling before him. A split second later, the demon's head exploded into nothing but blood and mist, splattering across the floor.

The others bowed even lower, trembling violently in fear.

"I don't need excuses. I need results. I spent half my energy sending that fool to the human world, and he lost. He fucking lost! ARGHHH! This is unacceptable.

I've had enough. The Twelve Echelons now have their work cut out for them." His voice shook the walls as he rose from the throne. The chair vanished into the shadows instantly, and a heartbeat later, so did he. A massive door somewhere in the distance slammed shut with a deafening echo.

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