The glow around Grim intensified, spreading across its body as the light pulsed like a heartbeat. Gabriel took a step back, shielding his eyes as the energy grew brighter, wrapping Grim like a cocoon.
It howled—a sound that sent a shiver down Gabriel's spine. The wolf's howl seemed filled with pain as its body started to change, slowly expanding in size.
Gabriel watched the transformation intently as the glow faded slowly, his eyes glued to every detail.
Moments later, the glowing light faded, and the wolf's form became fully visible. Its appearance had changed. The wolf's body had grown taller, standing at three meters in height. Its teeth grew sharper and its claws elongated.
Its fur was a deep metallic gray, threaded with shifting silver patterns beneath its surface, like liquid metal flowing silently under its coat. The silver patterns glowed with a brighter aura, and its eyes turned pale silver.
Once the transformation was finished, Gabriel couldn't hide his shock. Right now, the evolved wolf made the hounds they fought look like puppies in front of it.
Before Gabriel could fully process the change of his wolf, several notification panels popped up before him.
[Your beast has successfully evolved
Silver Rank potential → Gold]
[Your beast has advanced to Peak-10 Iron]
[Your beast has gained the skills: Metal Control, Ironhide Body]
[Your beast has gained a new talent: Titan Frame]
[Your beast has gained an affinity: Metal]
[You have received feedback from your beast evolution]
[Your Strength stat has increased significantly]
[Your Agility stat has increased significantly]
[Your Endurance stat has increased significantly]
[Your Awareness stat has increased significantly]
Immediately, Gabriel felt a powerful wave of energy rushed through his entire body, starting from his chest and spreading outward to his limbs. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and even his breathing felt different—lighter, stronger.
Feeling the newfound strength coursing through him, his eyes lit up with pure excitement.
Status
Name: Gabriel Vale
Title: Harbinger Tamer
Level: 2
Exp: 30/500
Strength: 15
Agility: 13
Endurance: 14
Awareness: 13
Attribute Points: 3
Talent: Authority
Evolution Points: 0
EP: 150/150
Skills: Beast Sovereign, Beast Storage, Beast Resonance, Sovereign Hand, Regeneration
Beast Slot: 1/2
Tamed Beast
Titan Steel Wolf — Peak-10 Iron
All his stats, aside from agility, increased by five points, while agility increased by two.
A total gain of seventeen stat points.
This boost came directly from Grim's evolution feedback. Clutching his left hand as he felt the energy settled in his body , the shock on his face slowly turned into a grin.
"This feels amazing… I feel like I can lift a car."
It wasn't just a feeling—it felt real.
For a moment, his mind drifted.
He had always wanted to build his body, to become stronger, to stop feeling weak. He had thought about going to the gym countless times, but between his family situation and working part-time jobs just to support them, he never had the time—or the chance.
Now—
That strength was just… there.
His focus turned to Grim as he opened its panel.
[BEAST STATUS]
Name: Grim
Race: Titan Steel Wolf
Rank: Peak-10 Iron
Potential: Gold
EXP: 200/2500
Bloodline: Sealed
Loyalty: Absolute
Talent: Devour, Titan Frame
Affinity: Metal
Skills:
[Passive]
Titan Fang, Ironhide Body
[Active]
Iron Flash Dash, Savage Devour, Metal Control
Evolution: Available
Gabriel looked at the panel in shock. 'It became much stronger,' he thought. He focused on the new skills, his curiosity rising.
[Ironhide Body (Passive)]
Defense increases further when HP drops below certain thresholds]
[Metal Control (Basic Mastery)]
Allows the user to manipulate metals within their surroundings using energy
At its current mastery, the skill had a range of ten meters (fifteen meters boosted by metal affinity)
His focus stayed on Metal Control more than others he expression slowly twisting.
'It can actually control metal now,'
He felt a slight irritation rise inside him as screamed in his mind.
"You are my tamed beast, so it's okay," he said out loud as he forced himself to calm down, even though his thoughts said otherwise. 'Still…Wish I had it.'
Shaking his head, he focused on the other skills.
[Iron Flash Dash]
The wolf bursts forward in a blast of metal-infused speed, leaving behind faint silver afterimages]
[Savage Devour]
A brutal bite infused with metal essence that deals high physical damage, applies bleed and armor break, with small health restoration]
[Titan Fang]
Infuses fangs with condensed metal energy, causing penetration, shattering defense, and releasing a short impact shockwave on hit
'So they are upgrades of Dash, Savage Bite, and Iron Fang,' Gabriel thought as he studied the skills.
He walked toward Grim and raised his hand. Grim lowered its head slightly, brushing against Gabriel's palm.
"Not bad," he said quietly, he voice calmer now as he looked over its body again. "Now you can protect both of us better."
His gaze lingered on the shoulder that was now completely healed.
Grim let out a low growl in response, then suddenly stuck out its tongue, licking Gabriel's face repeatedly.
"Okay, okay, that's enough—fuck… when did you become a dog?" Gabriel chuckled as the wolf tilted its head slightly with a soft growl, and somehow Gabriel understood what it meant.
Gabriel shook his head and sighed. The evolved wolf had clearly become more intelligent. A beast like this wasn't something you would see on a normal day.
'And now it's mine.'
A small smile appeared on his face as he looked at the new tab on the wolf's screen.
[Titan Frame:
Talent Type: Growth Talent
Increases body size as level increases, boosts strength and defense based on size, slight reduction in speed and agility]
[Metal Affinity:
+15% Defense
+10% Physical Damage
Increases metal-related skills]
Gabriel was surprised by the new talent and affinity "With all these combined , you're a growing to a walking fortress."
He said, rubbing Grim's fur, and surprisingly, it was soft and comfortable despite it metallic appearance.
After a moment , he walked over to the broken lobby desk, picked up the mountain bag he had dropped earlier while running from the hounds. He grabbed a bottle of water and a snack, leaning his back against the wall as he took a moment to breathe.
Grim walked over, dragging one of the dead hound lay down beside him, Tearing through ot without hesitation
Gabriel turned, watching for a second at it. "Yeah… that's still disgusting."
Grim paused ,lifting its head slightly with a low growl.
"Alright, alright ….enjoy your meal." Gabriel said shacking his head.
As both of them rested,
The world was still collapsing
The campus felt like hell had fully descended on earth.