Time for the real reward.
He activated
[Congratulations! You have advanced: 9th Tier of the Novice Realm]
Good. Now for the main course.
He absorbed the last of them, the 9th Tier alpha wolf. The energy it released was a tsunami compared to the previous rivers. It crashed into his meridians, filled his core to bursting, and then…
A sensation of a profound, internal snap. A shackle he hadn't even known was there shattered. His body expanded, his bones humming, his muscles reforging themselves with denser, more potent fibers. His senses sharpened to a painful, glorious degree. He could hear the heartbeat of a beetle on a leaf twenty metres away.
He knew what it meant before the notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You have advanced: 1st Tier of the Student Realm]
Finally! Student Realm. He'd achieved in three days what might take years for others. He had no frame of reference for the absurdity of his progress, and thus felt only a fierce, righteous pride.
He looked toward the bushes. Faye—he decided that was her name now—was still there, watching with wide, unblinking eyes.
A name. And… speaking. I reached the Student Realm. My vocal cords should have remolded. Can I…?
He tried. A rough, unused sound came out. "Ahem." He focused, shaping the air. "I—I really can speak again. Haha!" The sound was deeper, raspier than his human voice, but it was speech. A profound relief washed over him.
He padded over to the bushes. "I don't know if you can understand me," he said, his new voice strange in his own ears. "But from now on, I'll call you Faye." Loyalty. It fit.
The tiger—Faye—looked at him, and he could have sworn she dipped her head in a tiny nod of understanding.
"Follow me. We need a proper home."
They marched for half an hour, deeper into the territory he had just claimed, until they found a spacious, dry cave hidden behind a waterfall of vines. "Our home. For now," Thiago declared, inspecting the interior.
Faye immediately padded over and rubbed her belly with a paw, looking at him pointedly.
He chuckled, a rough sound. An idea formed. A test of the shop's limits. He opened it.
[System Shop] -- [15 Points]
[General Search: Steak]
It worked. The list populated. He scrolled past 'Basic Steak' (5 points) and selected:
[Mana-Imbued Steak - 10 Points]
[Will increase the mana for anybody under the Student Realm]
He bought it. A plate holding a perfectly cooked, faintly glowing steak materialized in the air.
Faye's nose twitched violently. She stared at the steak, then at him, a clear question in her eyes.
"Yes. It's for you."
She needed no further encouragement. She devoured the steak in moments. As she swallowed the last bite, a visible pulse of energy washed out from her small body, stirring the dust on the cave floor.
She had stepped onto the path.
1st Tier of the Novice Realm.
"Congratulations, Faye." She walked over to him, purring deeply, and rubbed her head affectionately against his in clear thanks.