Chapter 21 Wolf Riding Empowerment

"Awesome! Amazing!"

Nathan was really surprised by the status shown by his new pet.

"Master Nathan, Master Nathan… What I said earlier was true, wasn't it? I didn't disappoint you, did I?"

Nathan looked at Luna and smiled. "Yes, yes... It was not wrong to trust you completely, hehe. And-" He turned to the baby wolf, "This baby wolf is adorable too. He also has a combat mode? What is a combat mode?"

"Yes, yes, yes… You can try that skill. Fang will transform into a cooler form that would be stronger in combat."

"Huh, really?"

Nathan paid attention to Fang as it continued to sniff and lick his fingers.

"Hey... Do you like my fingers? Are you hungry?"

Fang had round eyeballs, which made him look very cute, even though his info showed otherwise.

"Would you like to show me your combat mode? Come, show me your combat mode."

Fang raised his head and looked at Nathan. He just tilted his head. His tongue stuck out, not responding to Nathan's words.

"Woof…. Woof…." Fang only growled softly.

Luna chuckled at what was going on. "Master Nathan, Master Nathan. See, see… Even if Fang is loyal to you, it doesn't mean he can easily understand what you're saying."

"Huh? Is this related to the Beast Tamer class? Do I need to create some skill to communicate with spirit beasts?"

"Hummu… Hummu…"

Nathan nodded. "It seems I have an idea of ​​what skill I should make. Okay, Luna, create a new skill."

"Yeah…. Let's go…."

As usual, the Create a New Skill digital screen appeared in front of Nathan.

He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. Then he typed using the digital keyboard.

"Okay, create the skill!"

[25 Skill Points spent to create a Tier 1 Skill]

[Analysis in progress...]

[..]

[Progress.. 100%]

[Analysis successful...]

[Route Quests Match: Beast Tamer]

[You've got 2 Skill Points Cashback]

[Skill created successfully]

[Beast Companion Connection Tier 1 - Lv. 1]

[The user and their beast of choice have supernaturally inseparable bonds so strong that they could communicate with each other]

[Level 1: Beast Companion Connection I]

[…]

[New Beast Tamer Skill created]

[Beast Tamer 1/10 progress: 1/2 Skills]

Nathan slowly read the description of the skill he had just created.

"Yes, as I imagined." He nodded.

"Woof… Woof…"

He turned to Fang, who still sounded the same. But somehow, Nathan seemed to understand what he was saying.

"Eat?"

"Yes, yes, yes… Master Nathan…. Little Fang must be starving since he was just born." Luna responded.

"What do spirit beasts eat? Meat?"

"Woof…. Woof…." Fang stuck his tongue out, looking at Nathan with his round eyes.

"It seems I need to raise the skill level to better understand this baby wolf. Okay, Luna, raise the level to the max!"

[…]

[Beast Companion Connection Tier 1 leveled up to Level 5]

[Level 5: Beast Companion Connection V]

[400 Skill Points spent]

"Woof… Woof…" Fang was still growling softly.

"Monster Cores? Spirit beasts eat monster cores?" Nathan turned to Luna, asking for confirmation.

"Hummu… Hummu…." Luna answered with her eyes sparkling.

Nathan then summoned all the monster cores he had and scattered them casually on the ground.

Fang wagged his tail and sniffed the monster cores.

Fang didn't even touch them and instead walked backward. His eyes looked frightened. "Woof…."

"You don't want to eat monster cores of your kind?"

"Woof… Woof…"

Nathan chuckled and kept the monster cores of the wolves, leaving only the rats and spiders from the previous dungeon.

"Woof…. Woof…."

Fang jumped for joy and immediately devoured one monster core. But he bounced back again and stuck out his tongue. "Woof… Woof…"

"Bitter? Sour? Not good? Smell?" Nathan chuckled at Fang's response. "Don't you like rat meat? How about this one? It's a rare grade and stronger than an ordinary monster rat. Even though this is still a rat, rat warrior!"

Fang slowly walked forward and sniffed the monster core in Nathan's palm. The little wolf immediately devoured it.

Fang wagged his tail and looked at Nathan with his round eyes. "Woooof…."

"Do you like it?" Nathan smiled widely. "Good, then…"

"Oooh… Cute little Fang…." Luna floated closer to Fang. "Now, I have a little brother."

"Stop this family role play, Luna."

Nathan stroked the fur on Fang's head. "Is it the time for you to show your Combat Mode, Fang?"

"Woof… Woof…"

Fang turned around and jogged. The little wolf raised his face to the sky and howled, although the voice still sounded cute. "Woooooof…."

An aura of energy radiated from the little wolf's body. And in an instant, Little Fang turned into a monster wolf with a height of 1.5 meters.

"Woah…." Nathan stood up and was impressed by Fang's transformation.

"Fang still looks like a baby wolf, but with a body many times bigger than before."

Nathan approached Fang, and the wolf responded by rubbing its jaw at Nathan.

"Show me your Status, Fang."

"Woof..."

[Status]

[Name: Fang (Combat Mode)]

[Race: Elite Guardian Spirit Wolf]

[Level: 19]

[-]

[Strength: 29]

[Dexterity: 17]

[Agility: 37]

[Magic: 7]

[Constitution: 21]

[Stamina: 43]

[Skills:]

[Powerful Bite: Because of its sharp fangs and strong jaw muscles. It has a particularly powerful bite. Apply 170% physical attack on biting.]

[Enhanced Speed: Move several times faster than the peak member of their species, making it very difficult for one to react to them. Enhance the movement speed by 30%.]

[Enhanced Stealth: Possesses a camouflage skill with their bent to their environment ability, incredibly extensive knowledge, and skill in stealth tactics, enabling it to easily slip in and out of areas undetected. Its proficiency in all manners of stealth is so refined that it appears as mere illusions to those who are lucky to spot it.]

[Enhanced Durability: Possesses physical durability. Its ability to withstand damage is extremely high, allowing it to take many blows of internal or external assaults before succumbing to the effects. There is a chance of nullifying a normal attack, allowing it to move like nothing happened.]

Nathan slowly read the descriptions of all of Fang's skills. He skipped some to avoid a wordy description that put him more in confusion.

"Who designed this system? Why do they like to make long descriptions like this?"

Nathan looked back at Fang's new form. "Your stats have increased drastically compared to your normal mode. And why, from this stats combination, do you seem more like a ride than a fighter, Fang?"

Luna immediately floated up to Nathan. "Master Nathan, you can ride Fang. Isn't this a lot of fun? Fight while riding a wolf?"

"Is that true?" Nathan then stroked the fur on Fang's neck. "Do you mind if I ride you, Fang?"

"Woof… Woof…."

Nathan smiled, then he jumped onto Fang's back.

Nathan felt nostalgic, as sitting on something to move around reminded him of when he had depended on a wheelchair to do that for the past 10 years.

"It seems that I can fight well while riding Fang like this. This is probably because I used to spend a lot of my time practicing swordsmanship in a wheelchair." Nathan smiled widely.

Nathan lightly patted the wolf's jaw. And Fang immediately responded by walking.

"It seems Fang can easily understand what I mean without even needing me to say a word."

"Let's try to take a walk for a bit, Fang?"

Fang slowly quickened his pace. And in no time, he was running at his full speed.

"Master Nathan…. Wait for me…."

Fang jumped into the forest, jumping between the trees with great agility.

Nathan laughed out loud at the excitement of sitting on his new pet. "Good Fang… Good… Run faster... Faster!"

Fang kept running through the trees, pursuing Nathan's instructions.

After some time. "Enough, Fang."

They stopped at a fairly spacious clearing with fewer trees.

"Woof… Woof…"

"Tadaa…" Luna reappeared with a tired look on her face.

"Luna, let's create a new skill."

"Ouch, really? Another skill? Yes, yes, yes."

"Looks like I'll be riding Fang more often in the future, so I'd better make a skill that can increase Fang's potential while I'm riding it. And for that, I thought of a new skill. Okay, create the skill now, Luna."

"All right, let's go…."

[25 Skill Points spent to create a Tier 1 Skill]

[Analysis in progress...]

[..]

[Progress.. 100%]

[Analysis successful...]

[Route Quests Match: Beast Tamer]

[You've got 2 Skill Points Cashback]

[Skill created successfully]

[Wolf Riding Empowerment Tier 1 - Lv. 1]

[The user and their wolf beast of choice are empowered by each other's presence. Their strength, speed, and durability are greatly amplified by riding as one. ]

[Level 1: Share 10% of the user's Physical Attack, Movement Speed, and Physical Defense to the steed.]

[…]

[New Beast Tamer Skill created]

[Beast Tamer 1/10 progress: 2/2 Skills]

[_]

[Congratulations, the 1st Beast Tamer Route Quest Cleared]

[You've got a reward of 50,000 Skill Points]

[You've got a reward 1 New Skill Slot]

[Beast Tamer Route Quest 2/10 opened]

Fang immediately shook his head when Nathan managed to create a new skill for him.

"Agh-Whoooooo…" Fang raised his head to the sky and howled loudly.

"Are you happy, Fang?"

"Master Nathan, I see you purposely made this skill only usable for wolves even though there is a possibility that you will ride another type of pet in the future?"

"I realized that the more specific the skill,, the more effective the results will be. I have to keep thinking logically while keeping greed from completely overpowering me." He grinned.

Nathan read the description of his new skill. "10% stat sharing on Physical Attack, Movement Speed, and Physical defense?" He then nodded.

"Yes, this way, Fang will be more comfortable fighting with me. He can move faster and with stronger defense. Okay, raise the level to the max, Luna!"

"All right…."

[…]

[Wolf Riding Empowerment Tier 1 leveled up to Level 5]

[Level 5: Share 30% of the user's Physical Attack, Movement Speed, and Physical Defense to the steed.]

[400 Skill Points spent]

"30%! With Fang's current base stats, he could become a monster stronger than the average hunter of the same level. Are you happy, Fang?"

"Agh-Whoooooo…"

"Okay, I think it's time we continue our hunt."

"All right. Let's go!"