A Chronometric Defect

Status.

Name: Rafien

Level: 1

Job: None (?)

Skills: Mind Control (complete)

Talents: None (?)

Stats:

Str: 37

Sta: 66

Int: 152

Wis: 141

Woah! I guess that's what it gets from eating my brain, huh? What a smart Parasite.

"Thanks to you, my delicious host."

Aww shit. I feel like it's almost fully consumed my brain.

Nahhh, I ain't having this!

Status, Wis.

Wis: 165

Bonus: Perfect Mind

Don't care! Activate Perfect Mind!

Nothing seems to happen. My Will becomes distant and my mind empties into the to black void once more.

I think Parasite has taken over.

THIS was supposed to be the most valuable enemy I could easily fight? The damn thing just stole my entire body!

Waaaitaminute. How am I still thinking? Status.

Name: Rafien

Level: 1

Job: Dragon Acolyte

Skills: Mental Schism

Talents: Parasite (100%, Evolving)

Stats:

Str: 55

Sta: 78

Int: 196

Wis: 188

Huh? Evolving? Dragon Acolyte?

No, don't get distracted.

Status, Parasite.

Parasite (100%, Evolving)

Parasite has completely taken over your nervous system and has consumed your entire brain. However, it was stopped before it could erase your Will. It's currently evolving in an attempt to overcome your Perfect Mind.

Hell yes! Random lottery bullshit saves the day! I'm not out of the woods, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Alright. Let's do things properly this time.

Status, Mental Schism.

Mental Schism

Your mind is occupied by two Wills. Mental Schism allows one Will to dominate the other depending on whichever controls more of your body's nervous system.

Okay, that's not going to help. At all. Parasite has 100% of my nervous system, so what even would be the point?

What about the other one?

Status, Dragon Acolyte.

Dragon Acolyte

Your body has been transformed from mere kaizen into full-blooded dragon. Rejoice! For the draconic lineage within you has awakened. As a Dragon Acolyte, your lineal talents will further awaken as you gain stats and will likewise grow stronger as you level up. This job can be advanced to Dragon Mage at level 20.

Current bonuses:

Perfect Mind

Holy crap.

I'mma dragon. I'm actually a dragon.

In my past life, I always—

Ah, no. Wait.

That means Perfect Mind wasn't random. It's a job passive. Parasite awakened my latent lineage, neat. I'm still not able to get it out of my body. So, this doesn't help me; it helps Parasite. If it manages to evolve, I'll be handing over a much better body than I started with.

Damn!

Isn't there anything else?

I think back to when I died. No, not the whole 'fated to die' thing. If I give up now I'm definitely fated to die. But I haven't given up.

Wait, why was I chained to that bed? I have a feeling that talent was related. Then—

Status, Chronometric Fixation.

Chronometric Fixation (Active)

Your fate is forever pinned to the chosen pivot. Even if you die and are reborn in a different body or a different world, the gears of fate will pull you inexorably toward your destined pivot. From this point forward, you won't be able to escape from your fate, but neither will anyone else whose fate you've ensnared.

Pivot Type: Evolution

Related Fates: ?????? ???, ???? ????

Bonuses: None

What a bunch of cryptic bullshit! Thank you soooo much. Why doesn't Int or Wis make me smart enough to figure out what any of this means? Goddamnit. I don't know!

Status, Int.

Int: 201

Bonus: Master Pathfinding

Bonus: Overmind

Yes! Something new to work with. The fact my stats are still rising might seem good, but it could also mean Parasite is successfully evolving. Hopefully, this does something useful.

Status, Overmind.

Overmind (active)

Allows your mind to simultaneously focus on multiple tasks with alacrity. Always activated.

Are you friggin' kidding me? I take it back. The random lottery sucks! Come on!

Activate Dragon Acolyte. Activate Perfect Mind. Activate Mental Schism. Nothing is happening!

"Just be patient, my food. I've almost got you."

No! Screw off! Activate Parasite!

"Uwaahh! Thank you!"

Huh? Status!

Name: Raf¿en

Level: 0

Job: Dragon Acolyte (Variant)

Skills: Mental Schism (Active)

Talents: Parasite (172%, Evolving/Active)

Stats:

Str: 133

Sta: 191

Int: 284

Wis: 271

What the HELL?! Deactivate Mental Schism! Deactivate Parasite! Status!

Name: ?af¿en

Level: -9

Job: Dragon Acolyte (Unknown Variant)

Skills: Mental Schism

Talents: Parasite (367%, Evolving/Active)

Stats:

Str: 241

Sta: 307

Int: 414

Wis: 387

No, no no no no! Now I know why everyone shows up here in a few minutes! Stoooop!

Status, Stats!

Stats:

Str: 262

Indomitable Will: Your Will is resistant to infiltration.

Sta: 329

Perfect Body, Perfect Mind: Your body and mind are united. You won't fatigue easily and will be impervious to outside influence.

Int: 446

Master Pathfinding: You innately get a sense of the direction of your target. Master level.

Overmind: Allows your mind to simultaneously focus on multiple tasks with alacrity.

Wis: 402

Perfect Body, Perfect Mind: Your body and mind are united. You won't fatigue easily and will be impervious to outside influence.

Haah? I'm not getting new bonuses? I thought that's why I had two in Int! Damn, Overmind must be from the Dragon Acolyte job! Thankfully, one thing HAS changed!

Activate Perfect Body, Perfect Mind!

*kshh*

Something within my mind shatters like a pane of glass. There's no audible sound, but the sense is unmistakable.

I just broke something.

"Hey! You can't do that! I was almost done!"

I don't want you to be 'done.' Get the hell out of my body right now!

I feel an angry sensation from deep within. Whatever it is, it's not happy. That damn Parasite, right? Or, so I hope?

Status!

Name: Pure Evil

Level: 1

Job: Dragon Acolyte (Pure Evil Variant)

Skills: None

Talents: Parasite (???%, Evolved)

Stats:

Str: 318

Sta: 383

Int: 522

Wis: 496

Daaah. What? I've been renamed "Pure Evil?"

"You interrupted my attempt to partly unseal your lineage! Now the cage is broken wide open! Whatever THAT is... Scares me! Even if I could take over your body? Um! I don't want it anymore! I'm outta here! Thanks for the meal!"

I feel sensations coming back starting from my neck. Weirdly, it feels like my brain is still merged with Parasite. Instead, its Will and mind are fleeing its own body, leaving me with a brand-new set of nerves, bones, and tissues.

Oh, is that how it is? Then...

Mental Schism, activate!

"Arrrrghhhhh!!!!!"

I feel like I'm a blender grinding something up deep within me. It's sickening— it feels like the thing I'm grinding apart is still alive and squirming.

Good! Screw you, Parasite.

Suddenly, a blacker-than-black maw with a barely translucent outline bursts from the void and... Eats Parasite whole.

Uhm. Status?

Name: Pure Evil

Level: 2

Job: Dragon Acolyte (Pure Evil Variant)

Skills: Devour

Talents: Parasitic Body and Mind (Evolved)

Stats:

Str: 322

Sta: 388

Int: 528

Wis: 501

Free Points: 50

My level went up by 1, and my stats all went up by 5. I presume that's more normal than whatever the everliving hell has been going on these past few minutes... I'm not sure how normal it is to get 50 free points, though.

It doesn't seem like a lot at first considering my base stats, but then, my original level 1 stats were way lower. Even if I assume +5 per stat upon level up is normal, that means I got seventy stats total. Seems a bit unbalanced. Especially if it turns out to be easy to get more levels.

Hmm.

Status, Skills and Talents.

Devour: Devours your opponent. Sates hunger.

Parasitic Body and Mind (Evolved): Parasite failed to take over your mind, and as a result, only succeeded in evolving your draconic body before dying. You've thus gained the full abilities of Parasite. You can take over bodies and minds, Devour any opponent, and can manually unlock sealed bloodlines, skills, and talents.

Damn. Master Pathfinding was OP, but this is—

My vision abruptly returns.

Holy...!

My shoulders are straight through the ceiling. My head's poking out the rooftop. I've become far too tall to stand within this room. I look down at my overbuilt muscles and powerful legs, which currently have a lot of broken wood piled around them. With a body build like this? It's utterly unbelievable that my job is a supposed to be a mage-type.

I gradually kneel down and turn, intending on leaving the room. I note my heavy orange tail swaying around me as I move. It's got huge bladed black spikes running down its topside, plus smaller spikes arranged in uniform patterns along its sides and bottom.

I've become a freaking raid boss.

I look over at the surprisingly small door. Hrm. There's a heavily armored man standing there staring up at me with his mouth agape.

"Uhm, sorry. Can I help you?"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

He drops his spear—

*TONK-ggg*

— and flees.

*PAG*

*KAT*

*kat*

*KRNH-tak*

*tak*

*tak*

{*tak*}

{*tak*}

{*tak*}

Uh oh. This...

Could be really bad.