c2: Upgrade! 0 Breakthrough!
The term "Dragon Slayer" originally comes from the manga Fairy Tail. In that world, Dragon Slayer Magic was pioneered by Irene Belserion and categorized as a Lost Magic. It transforms the user's body into that of a dragon's, enhancing physical capabilities and granting elemental affinity Dragon Slayer Magic is a hunter's art, created for one purpose: to kill dragons.
Though Loya's first love had been Naruto, when he crossed into this world, he'd long since been a follower of many shōnen epics. Among them, Fairy Tail had struck him most vividly, especially during his middle school years. Even the adventures of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji those "three migrant workers" as fans jokingly called them couldn't compete with the visual impact of Fairy Tail's elemental magic systems during that phase.
Dragon Slayers in Fairy Tail are known for their elemental affinities, able to consume their respective elements to restore stamina and enhance their strength fire, lightning, iron, and more. When channeling the essence of a dragon, users can activate draconic transformations that grant terrifying combat potential: enhanced attack, regeneration, and defensive scaling, literally. Their magic was forged to slay dragons, thus the name.
When Loya first picked up the Fairy Tail manga from the corner shop near his apartment complex, he treated it like sacred scripture. He was mesmerized by the magical battle sequences and the ever-growing roster of flashy spells. With pocket money painstakingly saved week after week, he'd purchase each new issue sometimes even dipping into the "soy sauce money" his mother entrusted to him.
But like any obsession, it dimmed over time. The narrative dragged. School became more demanding. And gradually, his passion for the series faded.
But that wasn't the point.
"Ice Dragon Slayer? That's not even in the original series! Not even God Serena had that!" Loya's eyes widened as he sifted through his memories of the manga.
In Fairy Tail canon, no Ice Dragon Slayer had ever appeared not in the first generation who were trained by dragons themselves, not in the second generation who gained their powers via Lacrima implantation, and not even among the hybrid third generation. God Serena, wielder of eight different Dragon Lacrima magics, could theoretically possess such an element but it was never confirmed.
Given Fairy Tail's usual storytelling style, Loya reasoned that an elemental power like ice often symbolic of lone protagonists or rival figures would have appeared early in the series had it truly existed.
"This must be my golden finger... please don't be something weird like pure healing magic don't let me be a Wendy clone!"
Still slightly on edge, Loya turned his attention to the floating interface in front of him.
The display was divided into two sections: the left side presented a detailed breakdown of attributes, while the right housed a skill tree composed of icon-blocks, somewhat reminiscent of World of Warcraft's old talent system. Intrigued, Loya tapped a colored icon at the bottom of the tree with his finger. Instantly, a tooltip appeared.
> Dragon Power: 1/100%
Dragon Power enhances the strength of Dragon Slayer Magic. At levels exceeding 30%, partial draconification occurs. At levels exceeding 90%, the Dragon Slayer's body begins irreversible transformation into a dragon.
Loya's blood ran cold.
As described, Dragon Slayer Magic came with heavy consequences. Irene Belserion had explained it best those who used Dragon Slayer Magic too frequently without the proper resistances would eventually become the very creatures they sought to destroy. Their bodies, saturated with draconic energy, would shift and morph beyond human form.
Just like in One Piece, where overuse of a Devil Fruit especially Zoan or Mythical Zoan types could push the body into animalistic or monstrous states, this system clearly wasn't without its risks. It reminded Loya of Chopper's Rumble Ball experiments temporary power, long-term instability.
The first attribute on this panel wasn't the gift of a chosen hero. It was a countdown to losing his humanity.
And the timer had already started ticking.
Loya was no longer the second-year junior high student from just a few days ago. If time could be rewound or if this world held someone with reality-warping powers on the scale of Jellal Fernandes from Fairy Tail he might even be tempted to test what it truly meant to become a dragon.
The next few colored icons were all extensions of Dragon Power, and Loya tapped each one in turn to check their descriptions.
Dragon's Body: 10/100% – The body begins adapting to the influx of draconic power, improving a Dragon Slayer's overall physicality. Adaptation can be temporarily accelerated by consuming energy. However, the backlash can be significant.
Roar of the Ice Dragon – Condenses the essence of the Ice Dragon into the lungs, channels it through a magic seal, and expels it as a destructive blast of ice energy. (Unavailable: Insufficient magic power.)
Ice Dragon's Iron Fist – Coats the user's fist in Ice Dragon energy, triggering a powerful freezing effect on impact.
Ice Dragon's Wing Strike – Shrouds the arms in draconic ice energy, mimicking winged swipes that cover a broad attack range. (Unavailable: Insufficient magic power.)
Ice Dragon's Claws – Infuses ice energy into the legs and feet, delivering frost-laden kicks with devastating force.
Ice Dragon's Broken Teeth – Channels power into the fingertips, forming icy claws that rip like jagged dragon fangs.
Ice Dragon's Grip – A grappling technique that infuses ice energy directly into a captured opponent through physical contact.
The good news: Loya's worst fear hadn't come true. Although the iconic Dragon Slayer "Roar" was locked behind a magic threshold, the rest of the available arsenal confirmed something critical he wasn't saddled with a support class like Wendy Marvell's. His Ice Dragon Slayer skill set was offensively driven, akin to Natsu Dragneel's Flame Dragon magic.
Whether this pattern would continue as he leveled up remained to be seen, but for now, that aggressive toolkit gave him peace of mind.
Among these standard-issue Dragon Slayer techniques, Dragon's Body stood out. It enhanced all-around stats, which explained the burst of strength and stamina he'd felt earlier. In One Piece terms, it was like entering Gear Second boosting output by ramping up internal energy flow.
Just as Natsu's scales once exploded outward after consuming Etherion in the Tower of Heaven, this skill could temporarily amplify combat capacity but at a cost. The downside probably wasn't as dire as Luffy shortening his lifespan with Gear Fourth, but it reminded Loya of that kind of strain. Risk for reward.
"Definitely built for seed explosions," Loya muttered in appraisal, borrowing the gamer slang for last-minute combat bursts.
The remaining icons were grayed out. Clicking them did nothing. To a seasoned gamer, the reason was obvious locked content due to level restrictions. Loya had a hunch: these were higher-tier skills tied to slaying actual dragons or achieving further mastery of Dragon Power, like how Zoro had to unlock Asura or Luffy had to awaken Gear Fifth. They wouldn't come easy.
Shifting his focus, he looked to the left side of the interface where attributes were displayed.
> Name: Christopher Loya (World Autocorrect)
Energy Stage: First Order, Zero Layer
Energy Value: 10/10 (Can be upgraded)
Mana: 500/500
Mana Recovery Rate: 50/s
"What's with the 'Christopher Loya' thing? World autocorrect?!" he grumbled aloud. "If a man can change his name or take a new one in a new world, then I say just Loya is enough!"
But another line caught his attention.
> Energy Value: 10/10 (Can be upgraded)
"What is this energy value?" he mused, rubbing his chin. His eyes drifted to the broken coconut shells lying nearby.
A suspicion began forming in his mind. Then, as if hit with divine inspiration, he threw back his head and shouted into the air, "System? Sprite? Mastermind? I'm your Host Baba reveal thyself!"
Silence.
Then, faintly on the wind: Fool... Fool... Fool...
He coughed awkwardly, glancing around. Nothing. Just the ocean breeze and the sound of rustling leaves.
Getting over the cringe, he extended his finger and tapped the arrow icon beside "Can be upgraded."
His instincts honed through years of reading web novels and playing RPGs told him to upgrade immediately when possible. In One Piece, enemies could strike at any moment. One second you're relaxing; the next, you're facing a Pacifista or an Admiral. He wasn't about to risk being underleveled.
Hum!
The interface blurred. A dazzling blue magic formation appeared beneath his feet. Upward wind swept his hair like a high-budget anime cutscene. Streams of blue light emerged from the surrounding air and surged toward him. As energy flooded into his body, glowing lines etched across his skin, forming an intricate pattern.
Though unfamiliar, the sensation triggered déjà vu.
"How many Super Saiyan levels am I climbing here? This feels like one of those flashy upgrade scenes from browser-based RPGs…"
The phenomenon ended as quickly as it began. Within seconds, the blue lines faded and condensed around his wrists, forming two rotating, diamond-shaped seals.
When the world returned to normal, Loya exhaled slowly and examined his new stats.
> Name: Christopher Loya (World Autocorrect)
Energy Stage: First Order, First Layer
Energy Value: 0/20
Mana: 550/550
Mana Recovery Rate: 50/s
His mana pool had increased by 50, and his energy capacity had doubled. But the skill tree on the right hadn't changed. Neither Dragon Power nor Dragon's Body showed any evolution.
"Does upgrading the energy stage have nothing to do with my Dragon Slayer magic? Or is it just that my level is still too low?"
Loya frowned. If it was the former, and this was Fairy Tail's world, he could always seek out a mage to train him. But if not… what if Dragon Slayer Magic couldn't be leveled up here at all?
Still, that was speculation. Right now, he didn't even know where he was, let alone if this was Fairy Tail, One Piece, or an entirely new world.
Goo~
A thunderous rumble interrupted his thoughts. He looked down and rubbed his belly.
"No way… I'm hungry again? I just ate. Wait, does this 'energy value' literally burn biological energy?"
Goo~
The stomach growled louder, confirming his theory. He needed food not magic crystals or potions. Just calories.
But coconuts? He'd already eaten over a dozen earlier. His stomach felt bloated, and the thought of cracking open one more was enough to trigger nausea. He never wanted to see another coconut again.
Besides, he was a Dragon Slayer now. Living off coconuts like some castaway? Utter disgrace.
No, it was time for meat.
Loya tightened his fist, ice energy faintly glimmering across his knuckles. A new goal crystallized in his mind.
He would hunt. He would eat. Like a true dragon.
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