"Argh!!"

As evolution began, the vast magicules within Damien surged chaotically.

A searing pain tore through his body, forcing a cry of agony from his lips.

"Damien!!"

Ogerpon jumped in alarm.

She wanted to check on him, but a voice in her mind urged her not to interfere.

This was normal... a transformation unique to Damien.

He wasn't pure human or Majin but a hybrid of both.

This intense reaction was the awakening of his Majinic bloodline!

[Bloodline Appraisal Initiated…]

Until now, Damien had been unaware of his Majinic heritage.

Only as the Voice of the World echoed did his Majinic bloodline fully activate.

[Appraisal Complete: Pseudo-Dragonoid Bloodline Activated]

[Acquired Exclusive Skill: Stardust Manipulation]

[Evolution Successful: Individual 'Damien' Gains Race 'Dragonoid (Pseudo)']

[Skill 'Appraisal' Upgraded to Extra Skill 'Dragon's Eye']

[...]

As the pain subsided, the Voice of the World's prompts flooded Damien's mind, overwhelming him just as he began to recover.

But this time, instead of distress, he felt exhilaration.

Stardust Manipulation!

It's actually Stardust Manipulation!!

And Dragonoid? Damien never imagined his body's latent Majinic bloodline would be dragonoid.

Moreover, it stemmed from the Cardinal World's pinnacle, the Star Dragon King!

In Tensuraverse, 'Dragonoid' wasn't a race but a designation for a singular entity: Milim, one of the three oldest Demon Lords.

Milim, daughter of the Star Dragon King and human Lucia, inherited her father's infinite magicules and dragonoid bloodline, making her the unique 'Dragonoid.'

Now, the Voice of the World had granted Damien the 'Dragonoid' race.

Pseudo-Dragonoid, but still Dragonoid!

However…

After the initial thrill, Damien pondered, Where did this body's dragonoid bloodline come from?

Milim could be ruled out.

She was a little girl, unlikely to have human offspring.

Excluding natural reproduction, Damien could only think of one explanation: Magicule Contamination.

In the original story, the Storm Dragon Veldora's leaking magicules birthed Charybdis.

Powerful magicules could spawn independent lifeforms, so it wasn't a stretch that they could infuse someone with partial power.

"So, my body's ancestors were exposed to the Star Dragon King's or Milim's magicules."

"And they were lucky enough to survive, passing those magicule factors through their bloodline."

Given Milim's unique Dragonoid status, Damien doubted any of his ancestors had awakened this power.

This aligned with his original body's memories of entirely human ancestors.

"The Star Dragon King's bloodline was too potent, preventing my ancestors from awakening it."

Damien wondered, "So why did I awaken it?"

Reflecting on his uniqueness, he considered his Planeswalker talent.

The ability to traverse worlds was likely the key to activating his dragonoid bloodline.

A faint dragonoid bloodline, combined with Planeswalker's world-hopping and the Cardinal World's magicules, created this miracle.

Sure, 'Pseudo' was tagged onto Dragonoid.

Damien estimated he'd need to become a Demon Lord Seed, or fully awaken as a True Demon Lord, to drop the 'Pseudo.'

"No matter. It's only a matter of time."

"Gaining the Dragonoid bloodline opens an evolution path with immense potential."

"Most importantly, I've acquired Stardust Manipulation early."

Even with knowledge of the original novel, Damien's understanding of stardust was limited.

Stardust, simply put, was highly compressed, concentrated magicules.

Just as matter consists of atoms and molecules, magicules have a base unit: Spiritons.

Damien had previously puzzled over magicule values.

For example, why was 9,999 magicules B-rank, while 10,000 was A-rank, despite a mere 1-point difference?

A 10,000-magicule A-rank monster could easily crush a 9,999-magicule B-rank one.

Was that 1-point gap really so vast?

Shouldn't breaking from B to A-rank cause a massive magicule surge?

Now, Damien understood.

That 1-point difference was a qualitative leap.

Below 10,000, magicules were measured in spiritons.

9,999 magicules could be broken down into 99.99 million spiritons.

But upon reaching A-rank, a monster's magicules became a cohesive whole.

The base unit shifted from spiritons to pure magicules.

10,000 magicules were exactly that... 10,000 magicules.

They were indivisible unless the A-rank monster chose otherwise, making it impossible for outsiders to break them down into spiritons.

This transformation massively increased an A-rank's weight in the Cardinal World.

When A-rank collided with anything below, the latter would shatter instantly.

A-rank control was also beyond B-rank imagination.

They could split one magicule into millions of spiritons for precise manipulation, achieving effects far surpassing their B-rank days.

This was the A-rank's voluntary separation.

Others couldn't harm you, but you could wield your power with greater finesse.

This disparity formed the A-rank divide.

"Maybe this explains the difference between Skills, Intrinsic Skills, and Unique Skills."

"Only Special A-rank monsters possess Unique Skills…"

Damien mused, "Conversely, reincarnators with Unique Skills, if developed properly, will eventually reach Special A-rank."

Unique Skills were likely the product of refined magicules, recognized by the Voice of the World.

"So, A-rank to Special A-rank is about finding your path."

"Find it, and you ascend to Special A-rank, earning the Demon Lord Seed title."

Damien roughly grasped the monster-to-Majin-Lord evolution process. "I have four Unique Skills: Planeswalker, Leader, Capturer, and Learner."

Capturer and Leader weren't particularly strong on their own.

Compared to Rimuru's near-omnipotent Predator, they paled.

Capturer allowed contracting high-potential individuals, waiting for them to grow, then letting the Voice of the World elevate the user.

The results were promising but difficult.

Capturer lacked combat power, making the user vulnerable early on.

Without a noble or lordly status to command loyalty, it was nearly useless.

Leader was easier.

Theoretically, anyone willing to follow could contribute magicules.

But their contribution wouldn't match Ogerpon's 50% yield.

Most followers offered maybe 3%.

How many subordinates would Damien need to amass enough magicules for Demon Lord Seed?

"Without a decade or two, building such a force is impossible."

Fortunately, Leader and Capturer complemented each other.

Combined, their effect rivaled Rimuru's Predator.

Planeswalker's limitless potential was immeasurable, so he set it aside.

Lastly, Learner wasn't far behind Predator.

Copying and enhancing abilities was a cheat-tier skill in any isekai novel.

***

Hi guys, I hope you're all doing well! I want to share that I'm currently working on a new project related to Lord of Mysteries.

If you're interested, feel free to visit my profile and start reading. Below is a brief summary:

[Lord of Mysteries: Incarnation of Chaos]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone from a Lovecraftian world got isekai'd into another world built on Lovecraftian themes? Well, it's absolute chaos.

Meet Alaric, a human(questionably) survivor of the madness and chaos caused by a certain crawling chaos, who, thanks to the kindness of a certain bubble daddy, got isekai'd into the "fake it till you make it" world.

What will he do in this strange new world? Climb the ladder of power to become that impossible god unless you're just a pawn of a certain russian priest or a certain goth mommy?

Or become a cheshire cat, leaping onto the 4D chessboard to disrupt the schemes and mind games of these bizarre folks?

For Alaric, it's not a tough choice. But before he picks either path, he must, of course, uphold the time-honored tradition of isekai'd victims(questionably) that forms the foundation of this world.

What's that tradition?

Keeping a diary.

---

[Alaric's Transmigration Diary]

[Day 1: I encountered Amon. Used a special technique to summon a projection of the Ancient Sun God, who personally delivered a heavy slap to Amon. Hope Amon appreciates this weighty paternal affection.]

[Day 2: I received an invitation from the Aurora Order. Told them I want it all... looks, brains, and combat prowess... and invited them to join my newly founded Joker Club.]

[Day 3: I met Leonard and acknowledged Gramps Pallez. Declined Leonard's enthusiastic suggestion for the old man to move in with me, as I'd rather not have a old man critiquing my every move, even in private moments.]

[Day 4: I told Klein I plan to pray to a deity named The Fool. Watched his eyes widen in shock and kindly offered him some eye drops.]

[Day 5: I listened to Medici perform a two-hour comedy routine. Suggested he go professional and invited him to share a meal.]

.

.

.

[Day 666: I fully absorbed a certain crawling chaos fragment within me. From now on, I am the Fifth Pillar.]