Beastbound: Awakening the Hunter

The edges of the forest grew quieter under the night sky, the only sound the persistent patter of rain.

Around them, darkness enveloped the land as the forest's creatures took shelter, hiding from the downpour.

Oliver was nearby, having found a spacious cave to take refuge in, the perfect shelter from the rain for him and his companions. Finding a cave large enough to fit both the wild boar and the giant cat was no easy task, and it had taken some time.

Once they were settled inside, Oliver lit a fire, and the group—himself and his three pets—gathered around it for warmth.

The wild boar and the giant cat were too large to fit around the fire comfortably, so they could only bring their heads close, seeking warmth from the flickering flames.

The large tiger, drenched from the rain, shook itself violently, tossing its head back and forth in an attempt to rid itself of the water. In the process, it nearly extinguished the fire—a small price to pay for its size.

To dry them off more thoroughly, Oliver occasionally conjured magical flames in his hands, adding warmth to the fire as it danced.

The Shatterbeast pup, on the other hand, was full of curiosity, its eyes darting from one corner of the cave to the other.

After a while, Oliver and his companions were finally dry—his clothes and the animals’ fur now completely free of water.

Comfortably settled, the group stretched out in the cave, content with their temporary shelter.

"All set," Oliver murmured to himself, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It’s time for the wild boar to evolve."

With a deep breath, Oliver placed his hand gently on the wild boar's head. He focused, gathering the 52 points of Life Essence he had accumulated, and began transferring it into the creature.

As his magic core began to pulse and glow, the Life Essence flowed through his arm, surging into the wild boar's body.

The wild boar let out a triumphant howl, its massive body trembling with excitement as its hind legs kicked the air.

The rush of Life Essence coursing into its rough hide caused the boar’s skin to redden, radiating an intense heat. The air around it shimmered as steam billowed from its nostrils and mouth, swirling in the cave like a storm.

Then something strange began to happen.

The wild boar’s already massive form started to swell, expanding outward for a moment. But then, to Oliver's surprise, it began shrinking rapidly.

It wasn’t just the boar’s size that changed; even its bones seemed to contract. Within a few breaths, the boar's length shrank from an impressive seven meters to five, then four—almost halving in size.

After it had shrunk, the boar’s skin became taut, but it appeared tougher than before, glistening with a faint metallic sheen. Perhaps now, even ordinary blades wouldn’t be able to pierce it.

The most striking transformation, however, was the horn that had sprouted from its head.

It was a creamy white, spiraling outward in beautiful, concentric rings. It resembled the horn of the mythical unicorn, and it radiated a magical glow that hinted at a tremendous power.

The process, though it seemed long, had only taken a few hours—nearly the entire night.

[Evolution Complete!]

[Your pet, the Wild Boar, has evolved into a Unicorn Boar. For more details, please check your panel.]

Oliver felt a surge of joy upon hearing the system notification. He had finally acquired his second magical creature!

Eager to see the details, he quickly opened his new panel.

Switchable Form: Unicorn Boar Form

Captured Creature: Unicorn Boar (Orange), Fusion Level: 100%

Evaluation: A rare magical creature found in forests, the Unicorn Boar possesses immense brute strength and remarkable resistance to damage. Its horn, imbued with Light magic, can unleash devastating attacks.

A light-elemental Unicorn Boar?

This was an incredibly rare attribute!

Typically, when regular creatures evolve into magical beasts, their elemental affinities are random. But Light magic? That was a very rare and highly sought-after element!

Just this attribute alone would make the Unicorn Boar a coveted creature in any town. Magicians would fight to claim it!

With a growing sense of excitement, Oliver scrolled down for more details.

Unicorn Boar (Orange): Increases Strength by 800kg

Special Abilities:

-Super Adrenaline: Temporarily triples strength, allowing the creature to ignore pain!

-Light Enchantment: Imbues physical attacks, including punches and blades, with Light magic. This enchantment possesses purifying and dispelling abilities.

Consumes 1500 Life Essence to upgrade both the form and the creature.

The next evolution required 1500 Life Essence? That was quite a hefty demand.

Oliver blinked in surprise but then refocused on the incredible gains the boar’s evolution had granted him.

During the boar's transformation, Oliver could feel his own strength surging. Now, seeing the details on his panel, he understood just how much power had been added.

The Unicorn Boar's strength boost of 800kg had brought his total strength up to a staggering 900kg. That was the level of a fully-fledged knight!

The Super Adrenaline skill hadn’t changed, but when activated, Oliver’s explosive strength could rival even the most seasoned knights, making his combat prowess terrifying.

As for the Light Enchantment ability—it might have sounded simple, but it was incredibly powerful. It essentially gave Oliver’s physical attacks magical properties, a skill often associated with magic warriors, or warlocks. Only an orange-tier war core could bestow such an ability.

Oliver chuckled softly to himself, feeling satisfied with the results.

The Unicorn Boar, too, seemed thrilled by its new strength. It let out a joyful cry, clearly aware of its newfound power. But with the excitement of evolution fading, a wave of exhaustion overcame it. It curled up in the cave, falling into a deep sleep to let its body adjust.

The giant tiger, envious of the boar’s transformation, paced around it restlessly, occasionally reaching out to touch the Unicorn Boar's horn with its paws. Every time it looked up at Oliver, its eyes were full of longing.

The big cat was definitely becoming more expressive.

Oliver laughed softly and patted the tiger’s head in reassurance. “Don’t worry, next time, it’ll be your turn.”

By the time dawn began to break, Oliver felt satisfied with the night's events. He gathered a few small animals he'd hunted earlier and headed back toward the village.

The rain had finally stopped. Normally, the weather in these parts would have meant days of continuous rain, but this time, it had cleared up after just one night. It struck Oliver as odd.

He couldn’t help but wonder if the storm had something to do with the battle between the Fire Serpent and another magical creature, one that might have caused the rain.

“Oliver, you—you’ve returned from hunting already?”

A villager spotted him and waved eagerly, clearly curious.

“Last night’s storm was intense! Some even heard the roar of a beast god. Did you see anything in the forest?”

Many villagers had been too frightened to sleep the previous night, some even taking refuge in their cellars to escape the noise.

Oliver gave a wry smile. “I saw two monstrous beasts fighting in the distance…”

The villagers gasped in awe, “Stark, you were close enough to see that clearly?”

“You actually came back alive?” one exclaimed. “You’ve really become something else after studying at the academy!”

“You probably don’t know yet, but Lord Stark has become a core apprentice at the academy!As a core apprentice, it's only natural for him to return alive from the forest.”

One voice stood out among the crowd—one that Oliver found oddly familiar.

“Stark... Lord?”

“Core apprentice... What does that mean?”