Dragon Mark

Name: Karl Ares

Age: 14

Race: Human (Scouting Dragon Mark)

Traits: Darkvision, Hunter's Intuition, Seeker Magic, Dragon Mark Spell

Class: Artificer Level 2

Attributes

Strength: 11

Dexterity: 11

Constitution: 13

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 14

Charisma: 13

Feats: Artificer Apprentice, Ritual Caster, Telekinesis, Telepathy

Spells

Cantrips: Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Lightning Bolt

1st Level: Identify (ritual), Feather Fall, Longstrider Spell, Tasha's Acid Arrow, Cure Wounds, Magic Missile, Thunderwave

Infusions

Rapid Fire Weapon, Returning Weapon, Replicate Magic Item (Alchemy Jug, Bag of Holding, Rope of Climbing)

"Hmm~ It really is a dragon mark..."

Looking at the several extra racial traits he had gained, Karl smacked his lips, his expression complicated.

Dragon marks were a unique ability in the world of Eberron.

According to legend, they were echoes left on all living beings by the deceased sky dragon Xyberis.

Dragon marks came in all sorts of forms, but only twelve were well-known in the present day.

The families that carried these twelve dragon marks controlled various industries across the Continent of Khorvaire. They were massive organizations that even the various nations had to treat with caution.

And the dragon mark Karl had gained was one of those twelve.

"Scouting Dragon Mark usually only appears in humans and half-orcs. It normally awakens during adolescence. Hmm, my circumstances fit pretty well."

Most individuals who awakened dragon marks belonged to Dragon Mark Families, but inherited awakenings from earlier generations also appeared from time to time.

Most of them were descendants of family members whose dragon marks had never awakened. Within the families, such awakened individuals were called "foundlings."

The Scouting Dragon Mark Family had produced more "foundlings" than any of the other Twelve Dragon Mark Houses.

As the youngest of the Dragon Mark Families, the Scouting Dragon Mark Family had never even enforced a single surname for its dragon mark holders. This had also caused a large number of bloodlines to spread outside the family.

At present, the Scouting Dragon Mark Family had three major surnames. They governed the family through a council of three, with their headquarters located in the Shadow Marshes at the westernmost edge of the Continent of Khorvaire.

"I heard that holders of the Scouting Dragon Mark have a special sensitivity to dragon crystal. I wonder whether I'll be able to master that ability after I wake up."

Focusing his mind, Karl closed his eyes and tried to activate the dragon mark's power within him.

But dragon marks were abilities manifested mainly through the physical body. Karl's spiritual body in the Dream World could only sense the existence of that power; he could not actually imitate it.

After trying for quite some time, Karl finally abandoned the idea of testing his dragon mark's abilities in advance and instead resumed training his fighting techniques.

Unlike the DND game Baldur's Gate he had played in his previous life, although Eberron's adventurers could all gain spiritual power through battle and thereby level up, leveling up did not directly grant them attributes, skills, or abilities.

When Karl had first sought to become an Artificer, aside from meeting the minimum Intelligence requirement, he had also studied smithing, repairs, and the use of thieves' tools on his own.

Only after learning two cantrips and successfully casting the 1st-level spell Identify through a ritual, thereby gaining the Ritual Caster and Artificer Apprentice feats, had he successfully taken a level in Artificer during the second half of his first academic year.

The abilities that automatically improved after leveling up in the game had to be learned and mastered by adventurers themselves in this world.

If a Warrior wanted to advance from level 4 to level 5, then aside from accumulating enough spiritual power, they also had to raise their Strength and Constitution to specific values. Otherwise, they could not level up.

The amount of spiritual power an adventurer could accumulate was also tied to their level.

The higher their level, the more spiritual power they could accumulate.

Once they had accumulated a certain amount of spiritual power, any excess would dissipate even if they continued fighting.

So it was impossible to suddenly gain several levels during a crucial moment.

For Karl to multiclass into Warrior, the most conventional method was to master a combat style through martial training and physical exercise, thereby gaining the Combat Apprentice feat.

Gaining a class through certain feats was also one of this world's defining characteristics.

Time passed quickly within the Dream World. Outside, Hopp opened her eyes from her sleep.

Years of wilderness living had always kept Hopp's sleep light, and she was certain to wake up once every so often.

Such sleep could not restore her stamina very well, but the physique she had developed after becoming a Barbarian made up for it.

Hopp gently shook Karl, but just as during the previous few days, he remained fast asleep.

"Whew~ What a completely defenseless guy. We've only known each other for a few days, yet he's sleeping so soundly beside me."

Releasing Karl, Hopp reached out and took the clothes that had already been dried, putting them on piece by piece.

She easily slipped the elastic undergarments over herself, but when she began putting on her leather armor, she found that it had become much tighter.

"Could I have gained weight recently?"

Hopp squeezed her chest and buttocks. Her brows furrowed as an inexplicable restlessness welled up inside her.

Irritably looking around the room, Hopp's gaze soon stopped on Karl's prominently raised position.

Although it was not the first time she had seen it, Hopp still felt hot blood rush to her cheeks. She looked away, exhaled, and tugged hard at her leather shorts.

"Riiip!"

The hemp thread stitching the leather armor came undone. The armor around her lower body tore open at the crotch, exposing a slit.

"I-It must be this thing shrinking. I could clearly fit into it not long ago."

Unwilling to accept it, Hopp put on the leather chest armor as well. Although she managed to squeeze into it, she felt as though her chest was being compressed so tightly that she could hardly breathe.

In a fit of anger, Hopp took off the leather armor and threw it into the corner of the room.

Sitting on the floor, Hopp forced herself to fall asleep again, but she could not stop opening her eyes to sneak glances at Karl.

Forget it. I'll cover him up like before!

Irritably, she pulled Karl's clothes over his navel, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

At this rate, Karl should sleep for... another four hours? How can this guy sleep so much?

Suppressing the irritation that kept churning inside her, Hopp closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

But it was only after more than two hours had passed that she finally fell completely asleep.

Not long after she fell asleep, blood suddenly began flowing from her lower body.

Another two hours passed before Karl finally woke up.

"I should be able to master a combat style soon, but with my current attributes, it would still be better to advance directly to Artificer Level 3. Hopp, I know what the pattern on my back is now. You..."

As soon as he opened his eyes, Karl reviewed what he had gained and lost in the Dream World. He was about to tell Hopp the good news that his dragon mark had awakened when he saw her lying not far away, her lower body covered in blood.

For a moment, Karl was stunned.