'I can think about it later.' While thinking about his decision he decided to move on the first planned adaptation on his list.

The more he used magic, the more he saw it as an important tool.

His eyes shifted from the horns crowning his head to his long crystal claws and spikes growing along his spine.

'That treacherous wyrm had the power to use their claws in the same way I am using my horns. I can do it too.'

Going after his inspiration, the dragon's mind moved, and his claws grew longer, and their inwards changed with glowing mana veins and nerves growing through them.

The nerves and veins quickly spread and connected everything together.

Ding!

//

The modifications added to the list: Magic focus claws, magic focus back spikes, additional veins connecting them

Cost: +2000 meta points

Material cost: Any mana-sensitive material X 6.

//

'Controlling all this would be a nightmare. I need to fully automatize it while still making it easy to send commands to.'

With a single thought, small clusters of neurons popped into the roots of his claws, and even small neuron clusters grew under every single spike on his back.

Immediately all the nerves thickened, forming a complex net of wires leading into his quickly expanding, magic-calculating brain. Finally, more neuron clusters formed along the nerve paths, working like hubs and routers.

It wasn't random as he took inspiration from computer networks back on the earth, 'The core layer connecting to the distribution layer that connects to the access layer.'

Ding!

//

The modifications added to the list: Expanded magic sub-brain, claw, and spikes controlling neuron computers, thickened nerve connections, controlling and distributing neuron computers

Cost: +5000 meta points

//

'it is done... Ahh, I guess there is no more escaping from making that decision.'

He closed his eyes and finally made his decision.

'No, wouldn't it give me two fully functional dragon hearts? There must be more benefits to it than just a boost to my frost powers. Also, I am still a curse dragon, my curse power might weaken but on the other hand, it will not vanish entirely. '

He confirmed his choice a bright light enveloped the entire body of the dragon, and the thin layer of frost spread through the black void.

Right before his eyes, all the black goo covering the heart vanished in motes of light, revealing the beating red organ overgrown with golden, blue, and red glowing veins.

Ding!

//

The heart is the most essential part of a dragon's body. You now have two of them.

Do you want to spend additional 15000 META points and a piece of material belonging to a higher being to rekindle the remnant soul fragments of the winter dragon for further use?

//

'Fifteen thousand? What can be so expensive? That is more than twice my total META points from before. Yes, do it.' He already went into it, so he decided to continue even though his heart hurt just thinking about the staggering cost.

Immediately one of the shining pieces of angelic halo orbiting around the dragon turned into motes of light and got sucked straight into the heart. The brightness of the veins growing through it increased.

'What?' To his surprise, a few motes of light didn't move toward the dragon but instead shot straight toward his floating vision like homing missiles.

The moment they collided, he felt coldness awaken within something that was there, his soul. Then the fiery hell of his soul spilled out and drowned the coldness, enveloping and joining with it.

Ding!

//

You have awakened, rekindled, and repurposed the last remnants of the dead dragon left behind to form a sub-soul. You have two hearts and two souls. You are now a dual dragon, two dragons in one.

Your ability, The Curse Heart (LV 8), was removed

You have gained a new ability:

Duality (LV MAX):

Description: Are you still one being, or are you now two beings?

You can now separately level up and evolve your secondary soul (All the XP and instant level-ups can be distributed at will)

You can think in two parallel threads

Your two hearts and souls can tap into two separate vitality and mana pools, and share them.

Each of your parts can have its own affinities while having the ability to tap into the affinities of the other part

You can isolate ability to a single part of you or share it (Isolating conflicting powers and affinities will lead to a boost of their power) (Each reallocation will require deep hibernation)

Your total stats will be the sum of the stats of your both parts

//

Ding!

//

Please wait, the new system instance is being generated...

//

One of the two dragon's golden eyes changed, turning bright blue. At the same time, bright purple and golden flames enveloped his right half, and black frost enveloped his left one. They met in the centre of his body into the spiralling vortex of frost fire.

The flames almost turned transparent in their core from their immense temperature, while the frost became so cold it froze and slowed down even the light, turning it black.

'What is this?'

'What is this?'

The dragon's mind froze as he tried to process what had happened. The two separate threads of his thoughts ran at once.

'Can I now level up? How can I evolve only one part of me?'

'How does this work?'

Ultimately, he collected the force of his will, and the two streams of thought synchronized into one.

'What have I done this time... I expected a boost to my ice powers with a few bonuses and instead, I got this, whatever is it.'

He felt it wasn't inherently bad, but it was extremely confusing and required more exploration once he get back into the real world.

At that exact moment, a second notification dinged into his metaphorical ears.

Ding!

//

The new system instance was generated!

You have awakened a new ability: Winter Soul and Heart (LV 8)

...

POV Prof:

'What is this? This doesn't look like some advanced lab. This is more fitting of ancient times.' With shock, Veren looked at the glass vials filled with mysterious red glowing liquid, sharp-looking metal tools, and pages of paper lying on tables of polished black stone.

Just as he wanted to sight, his eyes fell upon something in the corner.

Crystal and metal rods were connected together, his sensors picking large amounts of energy flowing through them. Something about its shape was screaming at him; it was a weapon.

His heart was pounding as he saw the piece of technology so alien and foreign that it felt like something a madman would dream of.

'This makes no sense.' On the one hand, he could see extremely advanced crystal-based technology and a highly advanced power source that he couldn't grasp how it worked, but on the other hand, it was slapped together almost in a nonsensical and crude manner.

'Where are lenses to focus any output? There is no isolation and all this energy is just leaking out. Please don't tell me it is just firing raw energy... that would be such a waste.' It was such huge contrast he couldn't even believe it.

There were parts so advanced he couldn't comprehend how they worked, but there were also parts so wrong it was as if the engineer behind it didn't even know basic physics.

"Welcome, my new minion. Ehmm, from now on we will work together " Veren almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice from behind him.

A small alien with sharp pointy ears and long glowing horns stood there.