Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 456: SSS+ Rank Mana Manipulation, New Transcendent Rank Skills

Isaac raised a brow.

He had received a random gift box when Alice’s affection reached 150 too. The notification was almost identical, and that made him pause for a moment.

Do I get a reward for all of my wives when their affection reaches 150? That’s nice. I thought I would get more rewards for milestones of three wives, then five wives reaching that affection.

The system’s logic seemed different from what he had expected, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. If anything, this meant steady gains instead of waiting for larger but rarer milestones. It suited him better.

Then he lowered his gaze to Emily.

She was still hugging him.

Her arms were wrapped around him tightly, her face buried against his chest. There was nothing unusual about the gesture itself. Emily was affectionate, and she didn’t hide it. But something about her suddenly felt... different.

He couldn’t quite explain it.

”Isaac,” she suddenly said.

”Yes?”

”I’m yours, right?”

”Yes. What about it?” he asked, confused.

Emily lifted her head. For a brief moment, her eyes looked deeper than usual. There was something complicated in them, something he couldn’t quite read. Then she let go of him and smiled.

”Nothing,” she said lightly. ”Just asking.”

And just like that, she returned to her usual self.

Isaac frowned slightly. The strange feeling lingered, but he didn’t pursue it. Emily didn’t look troubled anymore, and that was enough for him.

Before he could think further, the Crimson Sky Wyrm descended.

The massive Catastrophe landed near Emily, its wings trembling slightly. The battle with Alice had clearly taken a toll on it. Despite being stronger overall, it had been pushed back repeatedly, and Alice’s Dragon Flames had inflicted real damage.

Emily immediately walked toward it.

”It’s okay... you did well,” she said softly, placing a hand on its snout.

The enormous creature lowered its head, letting her touch it. Its breathing gradually calmed. The hostility that had once filled its eyes was gone, replaced by something far more docile.

Isaac watched in surprise.

The Crimson Sky Wyrm... had opened its heart to Emily already?

That was fast.

Even though she had subdued it, winning the trust of a Catastrophe wasn’t supposed to be this easy. But the creature clearly trusted her now. After soothing it for a few more seconds, Emily stored it inside her Soul Space again.

The enormous presence vanished instantly.

Just then, Alice flew down.

Light gathered around her as she descended. A huge amount of mana was released, rippling through the mirror dimension like waves. Her dragon form shrank, the massive black dragon compressing into a human silhouette.

By the time she landed, she had fully transformed.

All of her clothes were gone.

Alice didn’t look embarrassed. She knew only the three of them were present in this dimension, and she didn’t care much about modesty in front of Isaac and Emily anyway.

Still, she crossed her arms casually and said, ”Clothes?”

”You left your spatial ring at home again?” Isaac asked.

”I took it off before transforming. I didn’t want to damage it,” she replied.

Isaac nodded and took out clothes from his Soulbind Pendant. He handed them to her, and she began dressing without hesitation.

As she wore them, he studied her appearance.

”Your wings and tail are missing,” he commented. ”Is this due to your new skill?”

Alice nodded.

”Yes. I can control what I want to appear now, like Professor Catherine. I like the horns, but the tail and wings are annoying. I can’t even sit in the car because of them.”

She stretched her back slightly as she finished dressing.

”And they get in the way during daily life This is much more convenient,” she added.

She seemed genuinely happy.

The transformation had made her stronger, and now she could choose which draconic traits to display. It was the perfect balance between power and practicality.

They talked for a bit more, casually discussing the fight. Emily commented on how strong Alice had become, and Alice replied modestly.

After a few minutes, the two prepared to leave.

”We’re going back,” Alice said.

Isaac nodded. ”I’ll stay behind. I have some work.”

Emily stepped closer and kissed him on the cheek.

Alice hesitated for a moment, then followed suit. She tried to act nonchalant, but there was a faint redness on her face as she did the same.

Then both of them left the mirror dimension.

Silence fell.

Isaac rolled his shoulders.

A smile appeared on his face. It was time for him to share the skills.

”Share the potion made of Crimson Sky Wyrm’s Mana Heart that Alice consumed! And share Alice’s Physique and skills!”

Solar Dragon Physique Level 0 → Solar Dragon Physique Level 1

Dragonification Level 4 (SSS rank) → Dragonification Level 5 (SSS+ rank)

Dragon Flames (SSS+ rank) gained

Dragon Roar (SSS+ rank) gained

Mana Manipulation (SSS+ rank) gained

Mana erupted from within Isaac.

His whole body underwent countless changes.

His mana started to rampage violently. For a moment, he realized why Alice had transformed into a dragon. The pressure building inside him was immense, like something trying to burst out.

With his mana control, he could have suppressed it.

But it felt wrong.

The transformation demanded release.

His mana was sucked from his Mana Core and surged into his soul. His entire body, soul, and mana properties morphed. The mana began forming flesh, scales, wings.

Before he realized it, he had transformed.

Into a black dragon.

[...Huh. I’m a black dragon too?]

He looked at his body. With his spatial awareness—an ability gained from Celia’s skill set—he could sense himself without turning his head.

He froze slightly.

[I feel like I’m bigger than Alice... by three times, at least.]

The realization came quickly.

The Dragonification skill used his mana as the foundation. The more mana he had, the larger and stronger the dragon form became. And Isaac’s mana pool was absurd.

[Hmm... this form boosts my stats by twenty percent.]

He flexed slightly.

[And my senses... I can stretch them pretty far.]

Twenty percent didn’t sound like much. But with Isaac’s base stats, the increase was enormous.

He flapped his wings and rose into the air.

Immediately, his senses spread.

He could feel the entire city inside the mirror dimension. Every structure. Every corner. Every fluctuation of mana.

[Damn... this feels amazing.]

[Alright, let’s try more skills.]

He inhaled deeply.

Dragon Flames.

Fire boiled within his throat. The pressure built instantly, and he released it.

A beam of draconic fire shot forward.

One-tenth of the city vanished.

[...Bloody hell. This is insanely strong.]

After testing the skills a bit more, Isaac flew down. He returned to human form, his clothes gone. Unlike the spatial ring he took off before transformation, the Soulbind Pendant remained around his neck.

He took out new clothes and wore them.

”I should check the gift box...”

Then he paused.

A strange thought surfaced.

He shared Alice’s Physique and gained skills because the physique upgraded. Could he share the skills she gained too?

It didn’t hurt to try.

”System, share the new skills Alice gained.”

The system responded.

Dragonification Level 4 (SSS+ rank) gained

Dragon Flames (SSS+ rank) gained

Dragon Roar (SSS+ rank) gained

Mana Manipulation (SSS+ rank) gained

User has multiple same skills. Would you like to combine them?

Isaac grinned.

”Yes!”

Dragonification (SSS+ rank) → Dragonification (Transcendent rank)

Dragon Flames (SSS+ rank) → Dragon Flames (Transcendent rank)

Dragon Roar (SSS+ rank) → Dragon Roar (Transcendent rank)

Mana Manipulation (SSS+ rank) → Mana Manipulation (Transcendent rank)

”Holy shit... I gained four Transcendent rank skills.”

He could feel the difference immediately.

Until now, he only had two Transcendent rank skills: Seed of Providence and Domain of War.

Now he had four more.

He used Dragonification again.

The change was instant.

He was almost twice as large, and the stat boost jumped from twenty percent to fifty percent.

Isaac flapped his wings and used Dragon Flames again.

The mana consumption was only half of before, thanks to Mana Manipulation reaching Transcendent rank. The fire roared out.

Half the city vanished instantly.

[This is amazing.]

He grinned widely.

Clearly, upgrading the physiques of his wives was the fastest way to grow stronger. He could share their physiques, gain skills, then share them again and merge them.

It was ridiculous.

It took him a few seconds to calm down. He transformed back into human form. Only then did he realize he had destroyed his second set of clothes while transforming in excitement.

He smiled wryly and took out another set.

”Now, let’s check the random gift box.”

He looked at the system.

”System... open the random gift box!”