Gabriel and Grim's hunting became much more efficient as they went down floor by floor. Making use of the bat, he distracted the zombies while Grim finished them, and sometimes he killed some alone. So far, they had killed 8 zombies from the moment they left the room, four for him and five for Grim.
A blur of a dark body moved across the hallway as Grim's claw pierced a staggering zombie's skull, causing its body to fall and stop in place.
[Your tamed beast has killed a Level 3 Corrupted Human (Zombie), gaining 50 EXP]
[Your tamed beast has leveled up]
Name: Grim
Rank: Mid-5 Iron
EXP: 30/1000
Reading the message flashing on his retina, Gabriel let out a sigh of relief. He lowered the bat covered in black blood.
Looking at his own growth,
[180/200]
"…Just 20 more," he muttered, glancing at Grim, who was already eating the zombie's head.
Ding
[Your tamed beast has devoured Zombie Essence, 50 EXP gained!]
"That talent of yours is basically a cheat," he said,shaking his head slightly while looking at the message
When they finally reached the lobby, Gabriel's footsteps stopped as he looked at the creatures blocking his path in shock.
The creatures before him were dogs the size of an adult tiger with razor-sharp fangs, claws that could rip through steel, and muscles bulging. Their tails were covered with spikes, and they were tearing through a corpse.
His shock was because he recognized them based on the collars on their necks. They were the dogs of the security guard that guarded the male dormitory, and the corpse they were feasting on was the security guard. He remembered bringing food for the dogs on his way back from classes.
The dogs slowly lifted their heads, sniffing around. Their gaze fixed on Gabriel and Grim standing at the stairway as they moved toward them.
"Hey… guys…" Gabriel said, stepping back slightly, panic creeping into his voice. "You remember me…?"
The first dog lunged forward, Gabriel quickly moved sideways as Grim attacked from behind, intercepting the dog mid-air as they crashed onto the ground.
The impact cracked the ground hard. The dog shrieked, twisting violently, its claws raking across Grim's side, leaving shallow marks that sparked faintly against its iron-like fur.
Gabriel stepped to help, but the second dog blocked his way. Its glowing red eyes fixed on him, with blood and saliva dripping from its mouth. It growled toward him and then turned back toward Grim and the first dog, as if sensing Grim was the real threat.
Seeing the dog ignoring him, Gabriel gritted his teeth in annoyance. He stepped forward, his hand raised as he swung the bat down on its head. "Take this!" he shouted.
The bat strike landed against the dog's skull. The impact shattered the bat as wood scattered across the floor, but the dog's head didn't budge.
Gabriel's gaze fixed on the broken bat, his eyes widening in shock. The dog slowly turned back, growling. Gabriel turned toward it, still in shock.
"Okay…," he said, slowly backing toward the broken lobby desk"I was joking ..don't mind me"
Then he turned and ran toward it. "HELP!… Grim, help!"
Hearing its master shouting for help, Grim broke free from the fight. Its gaze shifted from the first dog to Gabriel's running figure. Seeing the opportunity, the first dog lunged forward, and blood splashed.
Its jaws sank into Grim's shoulder. Pain shot through Grim's body as its eyes turned wild. Its head snapped toward the dog, its fangs clamping down on the dog's neck with Iron Fang, and with Savage Bite it ripped through the dog's neck as blood poured out.
The dog growled weakly, its eyes turning lifeless as it fell down. Grim turned and bolted toward Gabriel and the second dog.
Gabriel ran desperately forward trying to flee from the dog, but his foot tripped against a broken chair, sending him crashing down. He hurriedly turned, grabbing a broken chair leg and placing it in front of him as the dog jumped, its body piercing through the broken chair leg.
During the struggle, its jaws caught Gabriel's hand, biting down hard in its last moment. His bone broke as pain flooded his mind and he screamed. His left hand released the broken chair leg and grabbed the broken bat nearby, striking the dog's eye again and again until the dog went lifeless.
Gabriel pushed the dog's body off himself as he held his hand in pain, with Grim standing in front of him.
[Your tamed beast has killed Mutated Hound (Lower Iron)]
[+100 EXP]
[You have killed Mutated Hound]
[+100 EXP]
[First Beast Kill Reward Granted]
[+100 Evolution Points]
[New Skill Unlocked]
[Level Up]
[You have reached Level 2]
[+3 Attribute Points]
[New Skill Acquired]
He struggled to stand up. "Fuck… I'm so weak," he thought as pain shot through his hand. He found a nearby torn curtain and wrapped it around the broken hand to stop the bleeding as he opened the system panel.
[New Skill gained]
[Sovereign Hand (Level 1): The user can create a hand of energy to move objects and attack enemies
Cost: 2 EP/min]
[Regeneration (Level 1): The user can slowly heal wounds
Cost: depends on injury]
"Finally… some skills," Gabriel said as he read the messages.
[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Gabriel Vale
Level: 2 [30/500]
Title: Harbinger Tamer
Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Endurance: 9
Awareness: 8
Free Points: 3
Energy: 120/120
[Talent:]
Beast Authority
[Evolution Points: 200]
[Skills:]
Beast Sovereign, Beast Storage, Beast Resonance, Sovereign Hand, Regeneration
[Beast Slot: 1/2]
[Tamed Beast:]
Iron Wolf — Mid 5 Iron (Tap to Expand)
'My energy has increased, and I have 3 points to use,' he thought, looking at his panel. He focused on the skill Regeneration, then looked at his hand. "Activate regeneration."
Suddenly, he felt movement in his broken hand. He removed the cloth to see his bones slowly healing, and he watched in silence as it worked.
[Tamed beast devoured Mutated Beast Core ×2]
[+100 EXP]
[Evolution points sufficient. Do you wish to evolve your beast?]
The sudden message made him turn toward Grim, who was walking back toward him after eating the cores. He looked at its injured shoulder and remembered the evolution notification.
"…Let's see if this heals your wounds," he said as he instructed the system to evolve.
A sudden glow surrounded Grim…