The gates of Oakhaven Academy felt different to Elian as he walked through them. A week ago, he was a ghost in the hallways. Now, with Ignis trotting beside him, he was a lightning rod.
The fox had changed. Its fur was no longer the dusty gray of a dying fire; it was the matte black of high-grade charcoal. Faint, rhythmic pulses of orange light rippled through its ribs with every breath, and its eyes had sharpened into burning embers. Even its posture had shifted from a submissive scavanger to a patient predator.
As they crossed the central courtyard, the whispers started.
"Is that... Voss? And what happened to that fox?"
"Look at the mana signature. It's dense. That's a Bronze-rank pulse."
"Impossible. You can't force a breakthrough in an Ash Fox. Its heart should have exploded."
Elian ignored them, heading straight for the Silver-Class dormitory. But he was intercepted at the fountain by a group of students wearing the gold-trimmed capes of the Elite Class. At their center was Lady Seraphina, the top-ranked student of the year, flanked by two guards. Beside her floated a Frost-Eagle, its wings shedding crystalline ice that melted before hitting the stone.
"Stop right there, Voss," Seraphina said. Her voice was like velvet over cold steel. She peered down at Ignis, her eyes glowing with a faint blue light—an Appraisal skill.
"A mutation," she murmured, her brow furrowing. "But it's too stable. There's no sign of the chaotic mana typical of illegal stimulants. Tell me, Elian, which noble house is backing you? Who gave you the 'Sun-Drop' elixir to catalyze this?"
"No house, Lady Seraphina," Elian replied, his voice calm. "Just a lot of time in the Iron Woods and a bit of luck."
Seraphina's eagle shrieked, sensing the heat radiating from Ignis. "Luck doesn't crack a Bloodline Shackle. You've stumbled onto something, or someone has invested in you. The Academy doesn't like 'unknown variables.' If you can't explain your beast's sudden evolution, the Council will seize it for 'safety inspection.'"
The threat was clear: Give us your secret, or we'll take your beast.
"I'll be sure to submit a full report during the year-end trials," Elian said, stepping around her. "Until then, my beast's growth is my own business."
The Elite students gasped at his boldness, but Elian was already moving. He didn't have time for their politics. He needed to shore up Ignis's defenses before the Council actually made a move.
Back in his room, Elian locked the door and pulled out the twenty Metallic Beetle Cores from his bag. They were small, pea-sized spheres that felt like cold lead.
"Ignis, we're a glass cannon," Elian said, laying the cores out in a geometric pattern. "If Seraphina's eagle hits us once with a Frost-Bolt, it's over. We need to fuse the beetle's durability into your spirit."
[System Matrix Initialized...]
[Current Objective: Integrate Defensive Property.]
[Primary Skill: Scratch (Common)]
[Catalyst: 20 Iron-Rank Metallic Beetle Cores + 1 Bronze Core.]
[Analysis: Fusing 'Scratch' with 'Metallic Hardening' will lose offensive power but create a Body-Refinement layer.]
"Do it," Elian commanded. "I don't need Ignis to scratch enemies. I need him to survive them."
[Synthesis Beginning...]
The room grew heavy. The metallic cores began to melt, but instead of turning into liquid fire, they turned into a swirling, silvery mercury. This liquid didn't enter Ignis's forehead; it sank into his skin, coating his bones and the underside of his fur.
Ignis let out a low, vibrating growl. His body stiffened as the metal essence fused with his cellular structure.
[Synthesis Complete!]
[Skill Removed: Scratch (Common)]
[New Passive Skill Acquired: Obsidian Plating (Rare)]
[Effect: Converts 20% of the beast's Fire-element mana into a physical 'Kinetic Shield.' Reduces incoming physical and ice-based damage by 30%.]
Elian reached out and tapped Ignis's side. Instead of the soft give of flesh, his knuckles met something that felt like reinforced leather-covered steel. The fox looked the same, but beneath the fur was a suit of living armor.
"Now," Elian whispered, "let them try to 'inspect' you."
As Elian rested, he didn't notice the blue flicker in his peripheral vision. The System was still processing the data from the Iron Woods.
[Log Update: Data Analysis on "Twisted Rock-Rat" Complete.]
[Conclusion: The 'Void' energy is not just mutating beasts; it is 'Harvesting' them. The energy acts as a beacon.]
[Warning: The Host's high-frequency synthesis has been detected by the 'Warden' network. Detection Probability: 88%.]
Elian's eyes snapped open. He realized that his "Slow Path" was about to get much faster. The Academy's scrutiny was the least of his problems. Between the Wardens and the extraterrestrial invasion, his only hope was to keep fusing—faster, deeper, and more dangerously than any Beastmaster in history.
"System," Elian asked, "what's the next step?"
[Requirement: To reach Silver-Rank, the Host must find a 'Spatial-Type' beast. The Matrix requires the ability to store fused skills in a sub-dimension.]
"Spatial-type..." Elian sighed. Those were the rarest and most expensive beasts in the world. He was going to need a lot more than twenty beetle cores. He was going to need to go where even the Wardens feared to tread.