2026-09-29 05:06:59Ethan didn't move.
Neither did Ash.
Two enormous red eyes stared at them from between the trees.
The creature remained hidden in the darkness, but Ethan could feel its presence.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Dangerous.
His fingers tightened around the weapon at his waist.
“Beast Insight.”
The system responded immediately.
[Ding!]
[Beast Insight activated.]
[Scanning target...]
[Scanning...]
[Scanning...]
The result appeared.
[Unable to identify.]
Ethan's expression changed.
“Unable to identify?”
The system had identified the Ironhide Boar almost instantly.
Why couldn't it identify this creature?
The red eyes moved.
A branch snapped.
CRACK.
Ash growled.
The creature finally stepped out of the darkness.
Ethan's breathing stopped.
It was a wolf.
But it was enormous.
Its body was covered in black fur, with patches of dark red running along its neck and back.
Four long claws extended from each paw.
Its mouth opened slightly, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
[Ding!]
[Unknown Beast detected.]
[Threat assessment unavailable.]
Ethan's face became pale.
The system couldn't even determine its rank.
That meant one thing.
This beast was far beyond anything he had encountered.
The creature looked at Ash.
Then at Ethan.
It took one step forward.
The ground cracked beneath its paw.
Ash moved in front of Ethan.
“Ash, don't.”
The wolf didn't move.
Ethan knew they couldn't fight this thing.
Not now.
Not with Ash already injured.
He slowly stepped backward.
“Easy…”
The enormous wolf growled.
A wave of pressure swept through the forest.
Ethan's legs almost gave out.
Ash lowered its body.
Its fur stood on end.
The larger wolf suddenly lunged.
“RUN!”
Ash grabbed Ethan's clothing with its teeth and pulled him sideways.
BOOM!
The place where Ethan had been standing exploded.
Tree trunks snapped.
Earth flew everywhere.
Ethan hit the ground and rolled.
“Ash!”
The wolf landed between him and the monster.
Blood dripped from Ash's side.
But it refused to retreat.
The larger beast stared at Ash.
Then something strange happened.
It stopped.
Its red eyes narrowed.
It sniffed the air.
Then it looked directly at Ash's chest.
Ethan noticed.
The beast wasn't interested in him.
It was interested in Ash.
“What does it want?”
Ash suddenly growled louder.
A faint golden light appeared in its eyes.
The black wolf's expression changed.
For the first time, it looked surprised.
Ethan's heart pounded.
The system suddenly reacted.
[Ding!]
[Unknown bloodline resonance detected.]
[Host's contracted beast is responding to a superior bloodline.]
[Bloodline suppression detected.]
Ethan's eyes widened.
“Superior bloodline?”
The black wolf took another step.
Ash refused to move.
The pressure increased.
Ethan struggled to breathe.
Then—
A strange energy erupted from Ash.
BOOM!
The golden light in its eyes became stronger.
The black wolf stopped.
It stared at Ash for several seconds.
Then it suddenly turned away.
Ethan couldn't believe it.
It was leaving.
“Why?”
The black wolf disappeared between the trees.
The pressure vanished.
The forest became silent again.
Ethan remained frozen.
Ash slowly relaxed.
Then its legs gave out.
“Ash!”
Ethan caught the wolf before it hit the ground.
He checked its status.
[Health: 8%]
Ethan's face tightened.
“We have to get out of here.”
He carried Ash onto his back.
The wolf was surprisingly heavy.
Ethan struggled forward.
One step.
Then another.
He had no idea how far he had walked when he finally saw sunlight ahead.
The forest began thinning.
A narrow road appeared.
Ethan stumbled onto it.
Then he collapsed.
Ash landed beside him.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
A voice suddenly came from behind.
“Hey!”
Ethan raised his head.
A group of Beast Masters stood on the road.
There were five of them.
Three men.
Two women.
All of them carried weapons.
The person in front was a girl around Ethan's age.
She had short brown hair and wore a dark combat uniform.
Her eyes immediately went to Ash.
“Is that an Ironclaw Wolf?”
Ethan nodded weakly.
The girl crouched beside Ash.
“It's badly injured.”
She looked at Ethan.
“What happened?”
“An Ironhide Boar.”
The girl frowned.
“You fought an E-Rank beast with only one contracted beast?”
Ethan didn't answer.
One of the men laughed.
“That explains why the wolf is almost dead.”
Another man looked at Ash.
“An Ironclaw Wolf isn't worth much anyway.”
Ethan's expression darkened.
He had heard that before.
Useless.
Weak.
Not worth much.
He was getting tired of those words.
The girl stood.
“We have a healing potion.”
Ethan looked at her.
“How much?”
She smiled.
“Nothing.”
She pulled a small green bottle from her bag.
“Give it to your beast.”
Ethan hesitated.
He didn't trust strangers easily.
But Ash needed help.
He took the bottle.
“Thank you.”
He opened it and carefully poured the liquid into Ash's mouth.
Within seconds, the wolf's breathing became steadier.
The wounds began closing.
Ethan stared.
A healing potion really was useful.
The girl smiled.
“You're welcome.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Why did you help me?”
She shrugged.
“Because you looked like you were about to die too.”
Ethan laughed weakly.
“Fair enough.”
The girl extended her hand.
“I'm Mira.”
Ethan looked at her hand.
Then shook it.
“Ethan.”
One of the men behind Mira suddenly spoke.
“Mira, we should go.”
She nodded.
Then she looked at Ethan again.
“You shouldn't stay here.”
“Why?”
“This area isn't safe anymore.”
Ethan's expression changed.
“What do you mean?”
Mira glanced toward the forest.
“Something powerful entered the outer zone last night.”
Ethan's heart skipped.
“The black wolf?”
Mira's eyes widened.
“You saw it?”
Ethan nodded.
The group became silent.
Mira's expression turned serious.
“What did it look like?”
“Large. Black fur. Red eyes.”
Mira's face paled.
“That can't be…”
“What?”
She looked toward the forest again.
“That sounds like a Bloodmoon Wolf.”
Ethan frowned.
“What's a Bloodmoon Wolf?”
Mira lowered her voice.
“A monster that shouldn't be anywhere near the outer zone.”
“Why?”
“Because according to the records…”
She paused.
“It is a C-Rank beast.”
Ethan's eyes widened.
C-Rank.
The creature they had just encountered wasn't D+.
It was even stronger.
Mira continued.
“And if a C-Rank beast has entered this area…”
She looked toward the distant forest.
“It means something has disturbed the deeper wilderness.”
Ethan glanced at Ash.
The wolf was still unconscious.
Then the system suddenly appeared.
[Ding!]
[Hidden Quest detected.]
[Quest: Discover why the Bloodmoon Wolf entered the outer zone.]
[Quest Reward: Unknown.]
Ethan stared at the message.
The system had never given him a quest like this before.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
The Bloodmoon Wolf hadn't attacked Ash randomly.
It had reacted to something inside him.
Something connected to Ash's mysterious bloodline.
Ethan clenched his fists.
He needed answers.
But first…
He needed to become stronger.
Much stronger.
Because somewhere deep in the wilderness, a C-Rank beast had noticed Ash.
And Ethan had a feeling…
This was only the beginning.
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Chapter 21 — The Secret Beneath the King's Grave
"Don't trust Aurelion.”The voice disappeared.Ethan stood motionless, staring into the darkness beyond the statue.He had heard that voice before.It was his own.Not the voice of the man who had appeared on the golden throne. Not the voice of his previous self during the inheritance trial.This voice sounded exactly like the Ethan Vale who had awakened with an F-Rank talent and been laughed at by everyone around him.His present self.“How is that possible?” he whispered.Mira moved closer.“What did you hear?”Ethan hesitated.“Someone told me not to trust Aurelion.”The little golden creature, which had finally recovered enough to flutter around his head, suddenly stopped moving.“You heard that voice too?”Ethan turned sharply.“You know something?”The creature avoided his eyes.“Not enough.”“That isn't an answer.”“It's the only one I have.”Ash stepped forward, placing himself between Ethan and the statue.“I don't like this place.”“That's becoming your opinion of every plac
Chapter 20 — The Enemy Beyond Evolution
Darkness.Complete, suffocating darkness.Ethan couldn't see his hands. He couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet. Even the sound of his own breathing had disappeared.“Ash?”No answer.“Mira?”Silence.He tried to move, but his body seemed to have vanished.Then a familiar notification appeared in the darkness.[System Reboot Complete.][Host: Ethan Vale.][Current Location: Unknown.][Contracted Beast: Ash.][Connection Status: Severely Weakened.]Ethan's heart tightened.“Where is Ash? What happened to everyone?”[Unable to determine.]“Then find out!”[Insufficient authority.]Ethan clenched his fists.“I'm tired of hearing that!”A faint golden light appeared in the distance.He ran toward it.With every step, the darkness grew thinner until he found himself standing in a vast field beneath a blood-red sky.The battlefield from his inheritance trial was gone.In its place stood an endless ocean of black water.At the center of the ocean floated a golden throne.And beside it l
Chapter 19 — Kill Your Former Self
"Now, kill me.”Ethan stared at the man sitting on the golden throne.The resemblance was impossible to ignore.The same face. The same dark hair. The same eyes.But the man looked older, perhaps in his late twenties, and wore black-and-gold armor covered in cracks. A long sword rested across his knees, its blade stained with something that looked disturbingly like blood.Ethan slowly rose to his feet.“Who are you?”The man smiled.“You really have forgotten everything.”“I'm getting tired of people saying that.”“Then perhaps you should start remembering.”Ethan clenched his fists.“I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm not killing anyone just because you tell me to.”The man leaned forward.“Even if I'm the reason you're alive?”Ethan fell silent.Behind him, Mira was helping her teammates stand. Ash remained close to Ethan, his golden eyes fixed on the stranger.The Bloodmoon Wolf growled.Something about the man frightened it.The stranger noticed.“Ah. The Ancie
Chapter 18 — The Evolution That Demanded a Life
"ASH!”Ethan's scream echoed through the chamber.Golden light swallowed the wolf completely. The markings on Ash's body spread like burning veins, while the floor beneath his paws fractured under the pressure of his awakening.The system's warning continued flashing.[Critical Warning!][Contracted Beast: Ash.][Evolution Status: Forced Completion.][Required Sacrifice: The Beast's Life Force.][Estimated Survival Probability: 3%.]Ethan's blood ran cold.Three percent.That wasn't evolution.It was a death sentence.“Cancel it!” Ethan shouted. “System, cancel the evolution!”[Unable to cancel.][The beast has initiated the process willingly.]“Then override it!”[Authority insufficient.]Ethan slammed his fist against the floor.“YOU'RE MY SYSTEM! FIND A WAY!”For the first time since its restoration, the system remained silent.Across the chamber, Lord Veyron watched the golden light with growing alarm.“So the Ancient Wolf King bloodline has finally reached twenty percent.”His ex
Chapter 17 — The Man Who Killed the King
"My king.”The two words echoed through the chamber.Ethan stared at the man standing in the doorway.He appeared to be in his early thirties, with silver hair, pale skin, and eyes so dark they seemed to swallow the light around them. He wore a long black coat decorated with silver symbols.Unlike General Kael Voss, he carried no visible weapon.Yet the moment he entered, the entire chamber trembled.The little golden creature immediately hid behind Ethan's neck.“Don't move,” it whispered.Ethan swallowed.“Who is he?”The creature's voice shook.“Lord Veyron.”The stranger smiled.“It's been a long time, little guardian.”“You shouldn't be alive!” the creature snapped.“Neither should he.”Veyron's gaze settled on Ethan.“And yet, here we are.”General Kael stepped aside, lowering his head respectfully.“Lord Veyron, the target has been confirmed. The Ancient Wolf King bloodline has also awakened.”Veyron barely acknowledged him.His attention remained fixed on Ethan.“Tell me, boy.
Chapter 16 — The Succession Trial
The tunnel seemed endless.Ethan walked at the front, one hand pressed against his injured shoulder while Mira supported him from the side. Behind them, the Bloodmoon Wolf carried Ash on its back.Nobody spoke for several minutes.They had survived General Kael Voss.But Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that the real danger had only begun.Finally, Mira broke the silence.“Ethan, what exactly did that message mean?”He glanced at her. “Which one?”“The succession trial. And that message about the system choosing a new master.”Ethan hesitated.“I don't know.”It was the truth.He barely understood his own system, and now powerful people seemed to know more about it than he did.Mira studied him.“You're hiding something.”“I'm hiding several things. Most of them, I don't understand myself.”“That isn't reassuring.”“I'm not trying to reassure you.”She gave him an annoyed look.Even in their current situation, Ethan almost smiled.Then Ash groaned behind them.Ethan immediately turned
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