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, Telekinetic, Telepathic

[Spells]

Cantrip: Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Lightning Bolt

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

[Infusions]

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

"Mmm~, so it really is a Dragon Mark..."

Staring at the extra racial traits he now had, Karl smacked his lips, his expression complicated.

A Dragon Mark was a peculiar ability in the world of Eberron.

Legend had it that these were the lingering echoes left on mortal beings by the dead sky dragon, Xyberis.

The powers of Dragon Marks were varied, but only twelve were well-known in the present day.

The families that inherited these twelve Dragon Marks controlled various industries across the Continent of Khorvaire, forming massive organizations that even nations had to treat with caution.

The Dragon Mark Karl had obtained was one of these twelve.

"The Scouting Dragon Mark generally only appears on humans and half-orcs, and it usually awakens during adolescence. Hmm, my situation fits perfectly."

Most individuals who awakened a Dragon Mark were members of the Dragon Mark Houses, but atavistic awakenings were also common.

These were often descendants of family members who had never awakened a Mark, and within the Houses, such awakened individuals were called "Foundlings."

The Scouting Dragon Mark Family had the most "Foundlings" among the twelve Dragon Mark Houses.

As the youngest of the Dragon Mark Houses, the Scouting Dragon Mark Family didn't even have a strict, unified surname for its Mark bearers, which led to a massive outflow of bloodline.

Currently, the Scouting Dragon Mark Family had three major surnames within it, governing the family through a triumvirate council system, with its headquarters located in the Shadow Wetlands at the westernmost edge of the Continent of Khorvaire.

"I heard that Scouting Dragon Mark bearers have a special sensitivity to dragonshards. I wonder if I'll be able to grasp that ability after I wake up."

Focusing his mind, Karl closed his eyes, trying to mobilize the Dragon Mark power within him.

But a Dragon Mark was primarily a physical ability. Karl's spiritual body in the Dream World could only sense the existence of this power, not actually replicate it.

After trying for a while, Karl finally gave up on the idea of testing his Dragon Mark ability early and instead resumed training his combat skills.

Unlike the DND game "Baldur's Gate" from his past life, while all professionals in Eberron could gain spiritual enhancement and level up through combat, leveling up didn't directly grant attributes, skills, or abilities.

Back when Karl first became an Artificer, besides meeting the minimum Intelligence requirement, he had also taught himself the use of smith's tools, tinker's tools, and thieves' tools.

After learning two cantrips and successfully casting the level 1 spell Identify through a ritual, earning the [Ritual Caster] and [Artificer Apprentice] feats, he finally managed to become a level 1 Artificer in the second half of his first school year.

Those abilities that would automatically upgrade in a game had to be learned and mastered by the professional themselves in this world.

If a Warrior wanted to advance from level 4 to level 5, besides accumulating enough spiritual energy, they also had to personally raise their Strength and Constitution attributes to specific values; otherwise, they couldn't level up.

And the amount of spiritual energy a professional could accumulate was tied to their level.

The higher the level, the more spiritual energy they could store.

After accumulating a certain amount of spiritual energy, even if they continued fighting, the excess spiritual energy would dissipate.

So there was no situation where someone suddenly jumped several levels at a critical moment.

If Karl wanted to multiclass as a Warrior, the most conventional path was to master a tactical style through combat training and physical exercise, thereby obtaining the [Combat Apprentice] feat.

Gaining a class by obtaining certain feats was one of the unique features of this world.

Time in the Dream World passed quickly. Outside, Hopp opened his eyes from sleep.

Long-term wilderness living had made Hopp's sleep very light, and he would inevitably wake up at regular intervals.

Sleep like this wasn't great for recovering stamina, but Hopp's physique, honed since becoming a Barbarian, made up for it.

She gently shook Karl, but just like the past few days, he was dead asleep.

"Whew~, what a carefree guy. We've only known each other a few days, and he sleeps this soundly right next to me."

Letting go of Karl, Hopp reached for her dried clothes and put them on piece by piece.

The stretchy undergarments slipped on easily, but when she started on the leather armor, she found it had gotten much tighter.

"Did I gain weight lately?"

Squeezing her chest and backside, Hopp frowned as a wave of irritation surged from nowhere.

Restlessly scanning the room, her gaze soon landed on the spot where Karl was tenting prominently.

Even though it wasn't the first time she'd seen it, Hopp still felt blood rush to her cheeks. Looking away, she let out a breath and tugged hard at her leather shorts.

"Rip!"

The hemp thread stitching the leather armor snapped, and the lower half tore open at the crotch, leaving a gap.

"It—it must have shrunk. It fit fine not long ago."

Refusing to believe it, Hopp pulled the upper leather chest piece over herself. She managed to squeeze in, but her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe.

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

Sitting on the floor, she forced herself to sleep again, but she couldn't stop sneaking glances at Karl.

'Forget it, I'll just cover it up like before!'

Irritably draping Karl's clothes over his belly, Hopp finally let out a sigh of relief.

'Going by usual, Karl's got about... four more hours? How can this guy sleep so much!'

Suppressing the restlessness churning inside her, Hopp closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

But it took over two hours before she finally drifted off.

Not long after she fell asleep, blood began to flow from her lower body.

Another two hours passed, and Karl finally woke up.

"I feel like I'll master a combat style soon, but with my current stats, it's better to just advance to a level 3 Artificer. Hopp, I know what the markings on my back are now. You—"

Opening his eyes, Karl was sorting through his gains in the Dream World and about to share the good news about awakening his dragonmark, when he saw Hopp lying not far away, her lower half covered in blood.

For a moment, Karl was stunned.