2026-09-29 05:11:45The second howl faded into the distance.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Even the Razor Rats seemed insignificant now.
Ethan stared toward the black smoke rising above the trees.
Ash remained perfectly still.
Its golden eyes were fixed on the ruins.
Mira tightened her grip on her weapon.
“We're leaving.”
Ethan turned toward her.
“What?”
“We're going back to the city.”
“But the ruins—”
“Are no longer safe.”
Her voice was firm.
Ethan looked at Ash.
The wolf growled softly.
He understood.
Ash wanted to go there.
Not because Ethan told it to.
Because something inside the ruins was calling to it.
“I have to go.”
Mira's expression hardened.
“You heard what I said.”
“I did.”
“Then why are you still standing here?”
Ethan pointed toward the ruins.
“My beast is reacting to that place.”
Mira frowned.
“That doesn't mean you should walk into danger.”
“It might be the reason it survived.”
She went silent.
Ethan continued.
“Ash wasn't supposed to survive. The system detected something strange inside its bloodline. Then we encountered the Bloodmoon Wolf, and now the ruins are producing the same energy.”
Mira stared at him.
“You're saying they're connected?”
“I don't know.”
Ethan looked at Ash.
“But I'm going to find out.”
One of the men laughed.
“You're insane.”
Ethan ignored him.
Mira stared at Ethan for a long moment.
Finally, she sighed.
“Fine.”
The man beside her immediately turned.
“Mira!”
“We're going.”
She looked at Ethan.
“But we're going together. Nobody separates from the group.”
Ethan nodded.
“Deal.”
---
The closer they got to the ruins, the stranger the forest became.
The trees were twisted.
Some had completely black bark.
Others had glowing red veins running across their trunks.
The air smelled metallic.
Ethan activated Beast Insight.
[Ding!]
[Environmental anomaly detected.]
[Warning: High concentration of Beast Energy.]
Ethan frowned.
“This place is saturated with energy.”
Mira nodded.
“That wasn't here the last time.”
“You've been here before?”
“Once.”
She looked at the ruined structures ahead.
“Three years ago.”
Ethan stared at her.
“What happened?”
“We came looking for beast cores.”
“And?”
“We found nothing.”
Mira's expression became serious.
“Except bodies.”
Ethan stopped.
“Bodies?”
“Researchers.”
“How many?”
“Too many.”
A cold feeling ran down Ethan's spine.
“What killed them?”
Mira shook her head.
“We never found out.”
They continued walking.
Soon, the research facility came into view.
It was enormous.
Most of the buildings had collapsed, but one structure remained almost completely intact.
A massive metal door stood at its entrance.
Strange symbols covered its surface.
Ash suddenly stopped.
Its golden eyes began glowing.
Ethan looked at the door.
“What is it?”
Ash walked forward.
The moment its paw touched the ground near the entrance—
CLICK.
The metal door unlocked.
Everyone froze.
Mira stared.
“That door hasn't opened in years.”
The door slowly moved upward.
A cold wind rushed out.
It smelled of blood.
Ethan swallowed.
“Everyone ready?”
Weapons were drawn.
They entered.
---
The inside of the facility was almost completely dark.
Emergency lights flickered along the walls.
Red.
Then darkness.
Red.
Then darkness.
Ethan followed Ash.
The wolf seemed to know where it was going.
They passed several rooms.
Broken laboratory equipment lay scattered across the floor.
Glass containers had shattered.
Strange bones were piled against one wall.
Mira picked up a small piece.
“This isn't human.”
Ethan activated Beast Insight.
[Unknown biological material detected.]
[Origin: Beast.]
[Age: Approximately 17 years.]
Ethan's expression changed.
“Seventeen years?”
Mira looked at him.
“What?”
“This facility hasn't been abandoned for seventeen years.”
Mira's eyes widened.
“Then how old is this?”
Before Ethan could answer—
THUMP.
Everyone froze.
A sound came from deeper inside.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Something was moving.
One of the men whispered.
“Did you hear that?”
Ethan nodded.
Ash lowered its body.
Mira raised her weapon.
“Stay together.”
They moved forward.
The sound became louder.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Then they reached a large laboratory.
At the center of the room stood a massive glass chamber.
Something was inside.
Ethan slowly approached.
The chamber was filled with dark liquid.
A shadow floated within it.
A beast.
But it was unlike anything Ethan had seen before.
It had the body of a wolf.
Six legs.
Two long horns.
Black scales covering parts of its body.
And a faint golden mark on its forehead.
Ethan's heart stopped.
Ash suddenly howled.
The creature inside the chamber opened its eyes.
Golden.
Just like Ash's.
[Ding!]
The system appeared.
[Ancient Beast detected.]
[Scanning...]
[Species: Unknown.]
[Rank: Unknown.]
[Bloodline: Ancient Wolf King.]
Ethan's eyes widened.
“Wolf King…”
The creature suddenly moved.
CRACK!
A fracture appeared across the glass.
Mira stepped backward.
“Everyone get back!”
CRACK!
Another fracture.
Ethan stared.
“Ash…”
The wolf was trembling.
Its golden eyes were glowing brighter than ever.
The system flashed.
[Ding!]
[Bloodline resonance reaching critical levels.]
[Host's contracted beast is attempting to awaken its bloodline.]
[Warning.]
[Forced bloodline awakening may cause death.]
Ethan's face changed.
“Ash, stop!”
But it was already too late.
Golden energy exploded from Ash's body.
The entire laboratory shook.
The glass chamber shattered.
BOOM!
Dark liquid flooded the floor.
The ancient beast crashed onto the ground.
Everyone raised their weapons.
But it didn't attack.
It stared at Ash.
Then it lowered its enormous head.
Ash slowly stepped forward.
The two wolves stood face-to-face.
The ancient beast opened its mouth.
But instead of a roar, a strange sound emerged.
A voice.
“Finally…”
Everyone froze.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
The beast could speak.
Its golden eyes shifted toward him.
“The bloodline has returned.”
Ethan stared.
“What bloodline?”
The ancient beast looked at Ash.
Then back at Ethan.
“The bloodline of the…”
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The entire facility shook violently.
The ancient beast's expression changed.
“It has found you.”
Ethan's heart raced.
“What found us?”
A terrifying roar echoed from outside the facility.
The walls trembled.
Mira's face turned pale.
“No…”
Ethan looked at her.
“What?”
She stared toward the entrance.
“That sound…”
Another roar shook the building.
The ancient beast slowly stood.
Its eyes became cold.
“The Bloodmoon Wolf.”
Ethan's expression hardened.
The C-Rank beast had found them.
And this time…
It wasn't leaving.
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Latest Chapter
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
Chapter 15 — The General Who Feared No Beast
The moment General Kael Voss raised his spear, the entire chamber seemed to shrink.A suffocating pressure descended upon everyone.Mira's knees nearly buckled. One of her teammates dropped his weapon, while another stumbled backward and grabbed the wall to keep himself standing.Even the Bloodmoon Wolf lowered its head.Ethan felt the pressure pressing against his chest.His instincts screamed at him to run.But he couldn't.Ash was standing beside him, still recovering from his incomplete bloodline awakening.And the general was looking at them as though he had already decided their fate.“So,” Kael said calmly, “you are Ethan Vale.”Ethan forced himself to stand straight.“And you're the man who sent that masked coward after us?”A faint smile crossed the general's face.“Commander Riven was acting under my authority.”Riven.So that was the masked commander's name.Ethan filed the information away.Kael continued, “You have caused considerable trouble. You destroyed one of our res
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