Chapter 47: Evelyn’s Discovery

While Nora remained absorbed in her book, Neo suddenly felt the familiar chime ring through his mind, pulling his attention away from his lazy circles on the parchment.

[Ding!]

[Karma Evaluation Triggered.]

[Cause: Sustained emotional support provided to Nora Valentina over an extended period, serving as a stabilizing presence following significant personal loss. Additional factor: successful, responsible care of an endangered species (Frostwyrm) over seven years.]

[Karma is being evaluated...]

[Evaluation Complete.]

[Based on accumulated Karma, three suitable rewards have been generated.]

Neo blinked, sitting up slightly straighter, careful not to draw Nora’s attention away from her book just yet.

’Oh, look at that. Guess seven years of babysitting a villainess and raising a dragon finally paid off.’

[Reward Options:]

[1: Attribute Scroll — Instantly grants +50 points, distributed freely across any attributes of your choice.]

[2: Skill Scroll — "Domain Compression" — Allows the user to condense their mana domain into a smaller, more concentrated radius, increasing overall potency at the cost of range.]

[3: Bloodline Awakening Catalyst — A rare item capable of forcibly triggering dormant bloodline traits. Success is not guaranteed, and effects vary depending on the host’s inherent bloodline.]

Neo’s eyes lingered on the third option for a long moment, his mind immediately drifting back to something he’d nearly forgotten about entirely.

’My bloodline. Right. I’d almost stopped thinking about that.’

Ever since he’d first checked his status window all those years ago, the bloodline section had remained stubbornly listed as unawakened, an empty slot waiting for something that, according to the original story, had never actually triggered for the real Neo Draven. He’d assumed, somewhere along the way, that it simply never would for him either.

But now, staring at the option in front of him, that old curiosity flared back to life.

’A catalyst. That could actually force it open. Or it could do absolutely nothing at all, since it says success isn’t guaranteed.’

He weighed his options carefully. Fifty free attribute points was solid, safe, and immediately useful. A skill like Domain Compression sounded genuinely powerful too, especially for close-quarters combat.

But the bloodline catalyst carried a weight neither of the other two options did. If it worked, even partially, it could unlock something far greater than either a simple stat boost or a new skill ever could.

’Well, when have I ever been the type to play it safe?’

[Selected: Option 3 — Bloodline Awakening Catalyst]

[Confirm selection?]

[Y/N]

"Yes."

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained: Bloodline Awakening Catalyst.]

[Item has been placed in your Inventory.]

Neo let out a small, satisfied breath, deciding to save the actual usage for later, somewhere private, somewhere that wouldn’t end with another exploded wall if things went sideways.

He pulled up his status window out of habit, scanning through the familiar screen.

----

[STATUS WINDOW]

>Name: Neo Draven

>Titles: Final Hope

>Talent: Paragon

>Race: Half-Human

>Core: 5th Circle

>Rank: Master (I)

>Bloodline: Unawakened

>Affinity: Starlight, Gravity, Ice

[ATTRIBUTES]

[STR: 333/1000] [AGI: 341/1000]

[DEF: 347/1000] [STA: 502/1000]

[INT: 401/1000]

[HP: 1000/1000] [MP: 6000/6000]

[TECHNIQUES]

>Basic Cultivation Scripture

>Draven Dragon Art

>Celestia Cultivation Scripture

>Nine Heavens Dragon Ascension Scripture [LOCKED]

[SKILLS & ABILITIES]

>Mana Suppression

>Sword Forms

>Frost Manipulation

>Gravity Control

>Star Fall

-----

Neo’s brows lifted slightly. ’Middle of Master rank already. Not bad at all for fifteen.’

He was about to dismiss the window entirely when the library door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, startling both him and Nora out of their respective concentration.

A small figure came dashing inside, black hair bouncing with every excited step, bright blue eyes wide with pure delight. Cradled carefully in her small arms was Yuki, who curled up his wing happily.

"Brother! Brother, look! Yuki just used magic!"

Neo blinked in surprise, quickly recognizing the voice instantly.

"Eve? What happened?"

Evelyn skidded to a stop in front of the desk, nearly dropping Yuki in her excitement, her small face flushed pink from running through the halls. At six years old, she carried an adorable mix of both her parents, Cassian’s sharp jet-black hair paired with Sylvia’s same striking blue eyes, though her personality leaned far closer to Cassian’s boundless, chaotic energy than Sylvia’s composed grace.

"Yuki did something so cool!" she said breathlessly, holding the little dragon up toward him as proof. "We were playing in the garden, and then Yuki got mad at a butterfly, and then, and then, ice just shot out of his mouth! It froze the whole flower bed! Mother’s going to be so mad, but it was so cool, Brother!"

Neo stared at her for a moment, then glanced down at Yuki, who looked entirely too pleased with himself despite clearly being the reason for whatever chaos Evelyn was currently reporting.

"Wait, hold on. Yuki actually used a breath attack? That’s actually huge. He’s never managed anything beyond passive frost before." Neo sat up properly now, genuine interest sparking behind his eyes.

Nora, catching only fragments of the excitement from Evelyn’s animated gestures, set her book aside entirely, leaning forward with quiet curiosity of her own.

Evelyn nodded enthusiastically, nearly bouncing on her heels.

"It was so loud! Like a big whoosh, and then everything got all sparkly and frozen! Can we go see it again? Please, Brother, please?"

Neo couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him, reaching out to ruffle his little sister’s messy hair affectionately.

"Alright, alright. Let’s go take a look before Mother finds the frozen flower bed and decides someone owes her a very long explanation."

Evelyn’s face lit up instantly; she spun around and dashed back toward the door with Yuki still clutched excitedly in her arms, the little dragon letting out a slightly dizzy chirp from all the sudden movement.

Neo pushed back from the desk and turned toward Nora, offering her a hand. "Guess story time’s over for now. Sounds like we’ve got a baby dragon breakthrough to witness."

Nora studied his outstretched hand for a moment before finally taking it, allowing him to pull her up from her seat.

"This isn’t over. We’re finishing that Chapter later."

"Yeah, yeah, Come on, before Eve breaks something else trying to demonstrate it herself." Neo said, already halfway to the door, grinning back at her over his shoulder.

Together, the two of them followed after Evelyn’s excited chatter, making their way toward the garden, where an overly proud, slightly dizzy dragon and a very frozen flower bed were waiting for them.

After dinner was over, Neo stood up from his seat and returned to his room.

Once inside, he walked toward the designated area prepared solely for his cultivation training and sat down in the center, crossing his legs into a lotus position.

He slowly closed his eyes and entered his inner sanctum.

At the same moment, the runic circle beneath him began to glow, its faint light spreading across the floor. The formation helped him maintain his concentration while also drawing the surrounding mana toward him at a faster rate.

Neo began cultivating using the Celestia Cultivation Scripture, the technique he had learned from his mother.

As the mana circulated through his body, a faint layer of frost began forming across his skin. The temperature around him gradually dropped as the frost continued to spread, eventually covering his entire body.

Inside his inner sanctum, Neo’s consciousness floated quietly within the swirling frost. He raised his hand and began gathering his ice element in front of him.

Slowly, the frost condensed and formed into a solid wall. However, the wall was still cloudy and foggy. Neo couldn’t see his own reflection through its surface.

’Not pure enough.’

He punched the wall, shattering it into fragments before summoning another one.

Again and again, he repeated the process, continuously refining his ice element and forcing the frost to become purer.