As soon as he activated his ability, the color in the sky turned from blue to gray, and chaos energy emanated, flowing into the wolf's body. A huge gray magic circle-like thing formed beneath the wolf. The wolf started to vibrate, and after two minutes, its body began regenerating. Ren, with renewed hope, watched as the wounds closed, witnessing the wolf standing tall once again.
"Finally, success," Ren sighed with relief.
Unexpectedly, a voice pierced his mind: [HOW CAN I ASSIST YOU, MASTER?]
"What? Who's there? I don't sense any presence other than my own and my newly created being," Ren muttered in frustration, scanning his surroundings to identify the source of this mysterious sound.
Once again, that voice echoed within his mind. [IT'S ME, MASTER. I'M HERE.]
"What? You can talk? But how?" Ren asked with intrigue, his attention on his newly-formed creation.
Once again, the voice entered his mind. [I DON'T KNOW HOW, MASTER. I'M ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TELEPATHICALLY. I HAVE LIMITED KNOWLEDGE AS I WAS JUST CREATED. I ONLY KNOW THAT YOU'RE MY MASTER, AND I'M HERE TO SERVE YOU. I CAN ONLY GUESS THAT IT'S DUE TO OUR CONNECTION.]
"Hmm? Then how can you talk so human-like? Weren't you just a wolf in the forest before?" Ren asked curiously, as he wasn't expecting this wolf to talk at all.
[UMM. I AM NOT TOO SURE MASTER. IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE OUR SOUL IS KIND OF CONNECTED, SO I ACQUIRED SOME OF THE HUMAN TRAITS, WHICH HELPS ME COMMUNICATE LIKE THIS.]
"Ohh, so are you interested in getting back your old memories?" Ren inquired with curiosity.
[I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, AS I'M CURIOUS ABOUT MY PAST SELF TOO.] The wolf responded with a respectful nod.
"Okay then, brace yourself," Ren said, and suddenly, a surge of gray energy once again emerged, but this time it appeared even darker. The energy entered the wolf's mind, causing its body to tremble. After a while, the trembling ceased, and the wolf regained its composure.
"So, how are you feeling? Any changes?" Ren asked, his curiosity evident.
[NO, MASTER. ALTHOUGH I NOW REMEMBER EVERYTHING ABOUT HOW I LIVED IN THIS FOREST BEFORE, I DON'T FEEL ANY DISTINCT CHANGE. MY CONNECTION WITH YOU STILL FEELS AS STRONG AS BEFORE.]
"Hmm, by the way, do you have a status window like I do?" Ren inquired, curious about the wolf's abilities. The wolf nodded, indicating that it indeed has its system.
"Ah, so you do have one. I suppose in this tower, everyone has a system. And because you possess a soul, that's likely why your status didn't disappear after death," Ren speculated, addressing the wolf.
[YOU ARE RIGHT, MASTER. AND BECAUSE OF OUR CONNECTION, I THINK YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE MY STATUS AS WELL.] the wolf replied in a thoughtful manner.
"Really? I can do that?" Ren wondered aloud, moving closer to the wolf to get a look at the holographic window that had materialized before him.
[STATUS WINDOW]
[NAME: ????]
[AGE: 19]
[RACE: CHAOTIC FENRIR (new)]
[SEX: FEMALE]
[KARMA: 10,000]
[LVL: 10]
[EXP: 0 / 51,200]
[STRENGTH: 81]
[SPEED: 85]
[STAMINA: 89]
[MANA: 71]
[LOYALTY: MAX (lock)]
[INNATE ABILITY: COSMIC HUNGER (new)]
[ABILITY: CHAOTIC WIND CONTROL (new), ETERNAL HOWL, RENDING CLAWS, BERSERKER CHARGE, IMMORTALITY (new), HIDE (new).]
"What? You're a female, and what's with your species? I thought Fenrirs were creatures that typically reside on the 50th floor. How can there be a Fenrir on the first level?" Ren exclaimed in astonishment.
[SORRY, MASTER, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT MY SPECIES AS WHEN I FIRST OPEN MY EYES I FOUND MYSELF IN THIS FOREST, I HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT WHO I WAS AND HOW I GOT HERE.] The wolf said apologetically.
"Huh, regardless, don't you have a name?" Ren inquired curiously.
[THIS... MASTER, I DON'T HAVE ONE.] she replied this time a bit sad.
"Well then, how about I give you a name?" Ren suggested nonchalantly. And she wagged her tail and nodded her head, seemingly content, though her demeanor reminded him of a dog.
"Alright, let's go with 'Luna,'" Ren proposed, receiving an affirmative nod from the wolf.
[THANK YOU, MASTER. I WILL HONOR THE NAME YOU HAVE GIVEN ME.] Luna expressed with full of gratitude while wagging her tail.
Subsequently, Luna's form began to glow, the brilliance prompting Ren to close his eyes due to dizziness; it felt like all his energy was suddenly sucked out.
After a few seconds, the light subsided, revealing a stunning naked woman with a perfect oval face, milky white skin, long black hair, red eyes, and fox-like ears on top of her head. Ren was taken aback by the unexpected transformation. Seeing such a beautiful woman for the first time, on top of that, she was naked, made Ren's nose bleed.
"What in the world is happening?" Ren asked weakly as he struggled to regain his composure.
"Master, it's me, Luna," the naked woman spoke.
"What? But how? Anyway, just find some monsters so I can replenish my mana," Ren requested weakly, seating himself on the ground to steady himself.
Instantaneously, ten LV:4 monsters appeared before him. Without hesitation, Ren activated his ability, causing the monsters' bodies to vanish, and his mana reservoir to refill.
"Huff! Now, could you explain this transformation?" Ren inquired, rising to his feet. He sensed the same connection he had with Luna, which indicated that she wasn't an impostor.
"I don't know, Master. When I accepted the name you gave me, I felt an influx of energy, and my body started glowing, resulting in this form," Luna replied verbally, not through their mental link.
"Hmm, that energy was likely my mana. Somehow, you must have evolved. But how's that possible? Just by giving you a name I lost almost all my mana, and you gained it and then evolved. Was it some sort of ritual?" Ren contemplated aloud, attempting to decipher the phenomenon. Then he again noticed Luna was completely unclothed, causing his nose to bleed once again.
Quickly using his hand to staunch the flow, Ren handed her his coat. "Here, wear this. It'll help you cover up."
"What should I do with this, master?" Luna asked naively, as she was unfamiliar with clothing sense.
"Just put it on, or others will look at you inappropriately," Ren suggested, flinging his coat toward her. She complied, wrapping herself in the coat, which concealed her body due to the coat's long length.
"I'll buy you proper clothes once we reach the city," Ren promised, starting to extract the abilities of the slain monsters. Afterward, they returned to the city, Ren altering his appearance to that of a random stranger he'd encountered before entering the tower.
[TO BE CONTINUED]