Free Web NovelChapter 13: Chapter 13: [Unique Skill - Bond]
"Then I claimed the prize," the wolf said
"It was the red crystal legacy you saw. It was a rare treasure meant to evolve a creature, but it came at a price. The price was losing my freedom."
"Freedom?" Night asked.
"To get things beyond your station, you need enough Records to handle it."
"I am not sure what exactly Records are, but apparently, I didn’t have enough. In order to use the crystal despite my lack of Records, I paid the price."
She paused, her golden eyes reflecting the his face.
"The price it asked was to be bonded to another being. The first being I touched after the evolution would become the one I bonded with."
" At first, I was resentful, but after some time, I chose to accept my situation. So, I decided to actively find a being to bond to."
"The bond will be permanent, and my rank and levels will reset to the exact level of that being if they happen to be weaker than me."
Night listened intently.
"So I had much more to think about," the wolf continued. "I had reached Level 60 immediately after
consumption. I managed to remain unbound by simply not touching another being."
"It was pretty easy considering my strength. I then went to take a tour around the world, and with my speed, it only took three years."
The beast let out a soft huff.
"In that time, I realized that even though I sought power, I had no interest in being; essentially a slave to someone just because they had the possibility to become really strong in the future."
*I also came to terms with the fact that I would lose my ranks after being bonded anyway, so what was the difference between dropping to Level 20 or dropping to Level 30?"
"What truly mattered more was *who* I bonded to. Even if the person is weak or does not have much talent, it is fine as long as that person is... you know... good."
The wolf looked down at him.
"That is something I found to be very lacking in people. So, I decided to set up a test of illusion. If you managed to prove yourself, regardless of who you are or what your strength is, I would bond to that person."
"So that forest... was a test?" Night asked.
"Yes," the wolf replied.
"So I passed?"
"Yes."
"And you chose me?" Night asked, pointing a small finger at his chest.
"Yes."
Night smiled brightly. "So you want to be friends with me?"
The massive wolf just stared at him with a completely flat expression. "-_-"
"But even if that is true," Night pointed out logically, tapping his chin, "isn’t it better to just wait until I get stronger, and *then* bond? If you are already pretty strong, it would be a total waste to lose all that strength by bonding right away."
"Yes," the wolf agreed again.
"But you still seem to want to bond right now."
The wolf looked mildly surprised by his quick deduction. "Yes."
"Why?" Night asked, now completely confused.
"I also received a temporary Divine Skill which allows me to know about a person before I choose to bond with them," the wolf explained.
"Temporary?"
"Yes. A mortal doesn’t have enough strength to survive holding a Divine Skill permanently." freeweɓnøvel.com
"But since I meet the required strength, and the crystal is acting as a medium to help, I got temporary access to it. That is what the System said, anyway."
"It will be gone once I bond with someone."
"So what does the skill say?" Night asked curiously.
"It says that you will die today."
Night froze. "How come? I get that I am physically weak, but I have a lot of energy. I don’t see myself dying unless someone actually kills me."
[Energy Value (EV) - 271]
He checked again just to be sure.
The wolf looked deeply amused.
"Even newborn cubs have a stronger physique than you."
"But the skill says the reason you will die is because of your Karma. For some reason, you don’t have much, and whatever Karma you do have is dissolving incredibly fast. How you will die, I do not know, but you will die for sure once no Karma is left. You will simply cease to exist and turn to dust."
Night grew very still, a cold spike of genuine fear hitting his chest.
"The skill recommends bonding right now, as waiting any longer is not wise," the wolf said gently. "My massive Karma will stabilize yours. I am sure you must feel it, even if you have very low perception. I am sure you are feeling weaker and more hollow by the moment."
Night gulped and nodded. "Yes."
"But isn’t it too much of a loss for you?" Night argued, his voice shaking slightly. "I am just Level 2. You will lose all your ranks if you do it."
"Like I said, it doesn’t matter," the wolf replied in a calm tone. "While I may have accepted my future, I still chose to decide my own fate in the end. It may be a stupid choice." The wolf let out a low, rumbling laugh. "But I was never smart to begin with. So... are you ready?"
Night wiped his face and gave a firm, determined nod.
The small wolf moved close to him and gently raised her tiny black paw. Night smiled, bent down, and gave the deadly predator a cheerful high-five.
Ding!
[Soul bond initiated.]
[Accept? Y/N]
He immediately chose yes.
[You have received a Unique skill.]
[Bond - Creates a permanent soul link with other life forms.]
[Bonded - Fenrir]
The majestic wolf, now named Fenrir, instantly felt herself lose all her overwhelming strength as she became lvl.2.
Simultaneously, Night felt his hollow soul suddenly become heavy and incredibly stable as the agonizing drain on his existence stopped completely.
His erratic beast instincts also finally calmed down.
As if perfectly on cue, three dark portals swirled open in the air. Eve, Lilith, and Death stepped out of the Nightmare Domain and immediately formed a tight circle around their new tiny companion, aggressively scanning the newly depowered wolf.
