Soul Pet System

Lord Damian's castle could be described as a haven by some, hell by others. It all depended on who was telling the story. But one thing that would be similar in both versions would be the lush grain fields and the well-maintained corals that surrounded the castle as far as the eye could see.

The corals were filled with either azul pygmies or white hollsteins. They were reared for their milk. But unlike regular milk, this one was used to brew magical potions.

The grain too was not just regular grain. It used the sun's energy to produce a special type of grain, which could be used to cook magical food.

In the serene night, the wind whistled through the field, causing the stalks to sway. The yellow luster glowed under the bright moonlight, making it seem like a sea of gold.

Anyone who would look at this serene and beautiful picture would feel at peace and be appreciative of such beauty. Not many would be able to imagine the grotesque scene happening just outside the sight of the castle.

A group of wolves were growling at each other while devouring a piece of corpse. This would not be cruel if the corpse hadn't been human-like. A nearly-severed head laid half-eaten near the corpse. Considering the features one would easily be able to guess that the person had been very beautiful when alive.

The wolves didn't really live according to the beauty standards of humans. They were hungry and the corpse was their meal for the night. And they were really enjoying it. The fatty meat around the chest had disappeared at first, followed by large parts of the body.

As the wolves enjoyed their meal they were unaware that a pair of eyes was observing them, hidden on top of the branch of a large tree.

This was of course Erick, who was using wolves to erase tracks of his involvement in her death. He was still sifting through the memories of the former occupant of this body. He had not quite understood his situation yet, but he was sure that silence was gold in any world.

I don't even know her name, but she had to die. She might not suspect anything for now but sooner or later she would expose his secret. She might not do it knowingly but why take the risk. The only secrets that remained a secret were the ones never told. And as far Erick knew, only the dead could truly remain silent.

There was another reason to dispose of her body in such a manner. If the thing he had was really similar to a RPG, would hunting beasts provide exp? If so, wouldn't it mean that he could level up as many times he wanted?

As he watched he could see some of the wolves have text above their head. There were some in between with nothing above their head. This made Erick nervous at first, but after some time observing, he had discovered only the young or weak ones not having anything written on top.

The pack seemed to consist of six wolves. Two had no level indication and were still pups. Two were at level 1 and one was level 2. But there was one which was bigger and oozed bloodthirst, a level 4 beast.

He must be the alpha, thought Erick. Will I be able to take it down? There was no way it would keep looking and he finished his pack. Let me check my current stats.

*Strength 5.0

*Endurance 3.5

*Agility 4.2

Yes, his stats increased a bit. Killing the Incubus did provide some serious exp gain. Although the exp had never been his goal when killing her, no one would dislike having more than one benefit from a single action.

There was not a level difference but level and stats were not everything. The wolves had numbers in their favor for one and they were equipped with sharp teeth and claws. He, on the other hand, had neither any help or decent weapons. Hell, he didn't even have proper clothes.

He was sitting here, wrapped in an old blanket he had found in the barn. His only piece of equipment was a rusty crowbar. He had no idea where that demoness had hidden or thrown his clothes.

If I attack the alpha first, the rest will be easy to finish off. But none of the wolves would sit still while I attacked the leader. On the other hand, if I am slow the slightest bit when attacking the easy fries, the alpha will be at my throat.

He decided to observe a bit longer. He had never been one to act on a whim. He needed to be in control when entering a fight. He had been in too many fights, so he knew more than strength, patience and information decided the flow of combat.

Not long after, his patience seemed to finally pay out. The pups were playing around after having their fill. As the place was deserted, with no other predators in the vicinity and no humans attacking them, they played happily.

One of the pups was jumping everywhere, sniffing everything. It was too inexperienced to notice a dark shadow approaching it. Suddenly his ears perked up. He heard a sound in the bushes. Excited to have discovered another prey, he jumped in, disappearing from the view of his pack.

A few moments later, the alpha noticed one member less. He immediately growled softly, alerting his pack. He remained standing while the two level 1's spread out. The alpha remained at his place to observe the surroundings.

After a period of time he knew something was wrong. The other two wolves hadn't returned either. The level 2 wolf had also noticed it. She wanted to run inside the forest, but was immediately stopped by her leader. She growled and obeyed, but was clearly unhappy.

The alpha ignored her. He was quite experienced and knew by now that he had made a mistake by letting the other two wander around alone. He decided to search by himself, a big mistake. All his experience didn't change the fact that he still was a beast.

He walked towards the trail the other two had followed. He had barely stepped on it when it happened. A shadow emerged from behind the bushes of the level 2 wolf and pierced her neck from behind. The wolf had barely enough strength left to utter a low howl.

As soon as the alpha heard the howl he knew he had f*cked up. His entire pack had been wiped out by now. He sprinted towards the area the growl had come from.

When he reached the clearing, he saw the bodies of the other pup and of the female wolf. There was somebody standing at their side, holding some sort of a weapon.

Drip! Drip!

Blood dripped from the edge of the crowbar as he stood there waiting for him, the last wolf of the pack. The view of the corpses and the blood drove the alpha crazy. He howled loudly as his body started to grow.

The figure obscured by the shadow was surprised as he saw the wolf transform. He was of course Erick, who had used the playfulness of the pups to his advantage. Everything had gone according to his plan, but despite his planning, he discovered that he still had underestimated the alpha.

The level indication above his head was glowing blood-red as he finished his transformation. He had grown over two meters high and at least four meters in length. His claws and teeth were glistening with a dangerous gleam under the moonlight.

Erick too turned serious. This would be his first real fight in this world. The one against the Incubus had been truly one of luck. A level one being had no business killing a level 4 one. But due to sheer luck and timing he had turned the tables without even trying something.

The wolf pounced suddenly towards Erick. His speed was at least double of what Erick would have been able to handle if he hadn't leveled up. Now he was barely able to evade the wolf's frenzied attack.

The alpha jumped again as soon as he landed. It was clear, he was going all out, without any regard for his own life. Erick tried his best to evade and counter attack but it required every bit of focus he had. One mistake and he would have his head bitten off.

The worst part was that the wolf's transformation had not ended yet. Erick could feel the build up it was experiencing.

Suddenly the alpha stopped. He stood there with his eyes fixed on Erick. Erick could feel all the hairs on his body raise. He knew, it was the calm before the storm. His ultimate attack. He had known it was coming. Every maneuver Erick made before this was in anticipation of this.

The wolf lifted his front paw. And then slowly put it down again. At least it felt as if it was done slowly, but the moment his paw landed on the ground, he disappeared.

Erick was not surprised nor afraid. He knew it was coming. He was unable to see the wolf but there was no need. It was coming for his neck. Just a second before the wolf reached him, he felt a putrid smell slam in his face. The wolf was here…his maws open wide, ready to rip this foul human's head off.

Just as he was about to grab his neck, Erick moved. He was not fast as the alpha, but he didn't need to be. He had led the fight to the bushes the first young wolf had disappeared into.

At that moment, Erick pulled a string and made something fly in the path of the maw.

Kacha!

The maw closed, ripping the thing that had flown towards him.

Splash!

Blood spattered everywhere. Even the berserk wolf knew it had ripped something off. But the fiend in front of him still had his head.

He looked at the thing he had bitten. Not much was left. But no matter how badly mutilated, every father would recognize his son. Yes, his son. He had killed his own son.

He looked in horror at what he had done. He had ended his own family! His legs trembled and his body was shaken. If it was due to the pain, shock or the berserk state wearing off, no one knew. And no one would know.

Right at that moment, where the alpha was grieving his son, Erick appeared in front of it. He held his crowbar and shoved it inside the alpha's throat. The alpha didn't even react. Maybe he had died the moment he realized he had ripped the body of his son?

Erick looked at the carnage around him. Well, at least I survived. Just at that moment the pop-up window appeared.

[Leveled up!]

[Level 5]

[New feature opened: Soul Pet]

[Gained one soul: Wolf]

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