After a day of rest, Max stood in the serene quiet of his mountain house. His sharp eyes fell on the evergreen robe, folded neatly on the table. He picked it up, inspecting the damage it had sustained during his previous encounter.
Max was able to dodge most attacks, and for the simple few that hit him, he simply ignored them thanks to his strong body, but the robe wasn't as lucky.
"Hm,"muttered Max, fingers trailing over the intricate root patterns.
The damage wasn't enough to disable its skill, but it sparked an unexpected thought in his mind.
Max's gaze sharpened as a sudden inspiration struck. His mind raced through possibilities, and a sly grin spread across his face. "Why not use it for something entirely different?"
Without wasting a moment, he grabbed a notebook and began scribbling down ideas. His pen moved with fervor, sketching diagrams and jotting down calculations. For an hour, he worked tirelessly, running through the theory.
Finally, he leaned back, a rare glint of satisfaction in his eyes.
"It's doable," he said to himself, a rare flicker of excitement in his tone.
Still, the plan required any type of nature-imbued metal.
He quickly organized his thoughts and prepared for action. If this plan worked, Wood Crow Louh would evolve before Imlak, a development Max would welcome wholeheartedly.
Max called for his pets. And without anyone more nonsense he waved his hand pulling them inside the pet space.
After He stretched his wings and took off into the sky, cutting through the crisp mountain air with calculated precision.
The bustling streets of the closest city welcomed Max with a cacophony of sounds. Merchants shouted over one another, customers haggled, and the scent of grilled meats mingled with the earthy aroma of herbs.
Max's eyes scanned the street markets, searching for the metal he needed. After some inquiries, he found a small stall tucked away in an alley. The vendor, an elderly man with a long, braided beard, showed Max a piece of D-rank nature imbued metal.
"This should do," Max muttered, paying the man without hesitation.
As he turned to leave, Max had a strange feeling as if he was being observed, it was similar to the malice he can feel through his passive but much less intense.
Curious and intrigued, he used [Mystic eye] on a nearby wall to look behind him, exactly where that feeling was coming from.
Something unusual caught his eye, a group of three people walking together. Two women and a man, chatting animatedly.
What drew Max's attention, however, wasn't the people but the pigeon perched on one of the women's shoulders.
Its long tail feathers shimmered with a dazzling rainbow hue, making it stand out starkly against the drab market surroundings, and it was looking at himself with a puzzled expression as if trying to identify him.
Max paused, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him. He narrowed his eyes.
And then it clicked.
"That pigeon," Max said under his breath, his lips curving into a smirk, it should be the same one.
Max could remember Lucy taunting the pigeon before using it in one of her bizarre shenanigans. Max chuckled softly, shaking his head.
The pigeon's beady eyes stayed on hil, and for a moment, Max could swear it recognized him. But soon enough the pigeon moved its gaze, judging it recognized the wrong person.
Max was curious about the pigeons change but they were in the city, and he had better things to do, Max left the group behind and flew out of the city, heading back to his mountain refuge.
....
Back at his workshop, Max laid out his materials and prepared to begin the next phase of his plan.
The evolution route for Louh wasn't just any option; it was one Max had coveted from the moment he chose Louh as his pet. This route, obtained through his phone's extraordinary hacking capabilities, was not sold to Outsiders for a reason.
The resulting evolution, known as the Wood Crow, was a rare transformation. While the crow itself was not inherently powerful, its organs were highly valuable, used in Alchemy it was capable of producing luxury potions that could extend lifespan.
However, what made the Wood Crow truly special was its innate ability that gives it a much longer lifespan.
Though this ability was considered useless to most since having a pet that can live longer than you isn't the kind of thing a person would look for when picking a pet, But for Max, it was perfect.
Louh was ready for the evolution, it had already reached the peak of E-rank. But the process required specific steps, and none of them were easy.
First, Louh had to endure a week without food or water, relying solely on its rank to survive. While this was grueling, Max knew a peak E-rank could manage it.
The second requirement was more complex: Louh needed to consume a piece of supernatural wood. Not just any wood, but one of a precise grade, neither too high nor too low, to ensure optimal results.
The final step was the most difficult. Louh's heart would need to be heavily injured, requiring a potent recovery potion capable of mending even a broken heart. Unfortunately, such potions were not sold to Outsiders, and ordinary potions made for humans doesn't work for pets.
Max, however, had no intention of letting these obstacles stop him.
He turned his attention to the evergreen robe, now paired with the nature imbued metal he'd purchased. Using a Kraxtal Weaving, Max began the delicate process first turning the metal into liquid form.
He manipulated the molten substance, allowing it to flow seamlessly around the robe's vine-like roots.
The robe itself seemed to respond to the process, its natural energy harmonizing with the metal. Max added a chain that grew from the robe's neck region, designed to encircle Louh, this way it would as if he was using wearing the robe.
The process took hours, each step requiring meticulous precision. By the time Max finished, the modified robe was a masterpiece of both function and design.
He held it up, a satisfied gleam in his eyes. "This will work."
With everything prepared, Max turned his attention to the crows watching on the side specifically to Louh.
"Louh, it's your turn to be powered up! You can't have any food nor water for entire week."
Hearing the first part of Max's words most of the crows were jealous, while Louh was excited, but on the second part their expressions changed in confusion.
Craw!
"Don't give me that look, it's how you'll become stronger, you also need to get injured later but don't worry about it I would deal with everything."
Louh felt determination goes through him as he nodded confidently, after he saw his brothers and sisters gaining all kinds of powers, he didn't want to be left behind.
Craw! Craw! Craw!.
The crows had different reactions to the matter, but Sand crow Ramla on the side just gave louh a mocking glance, others get powers by being looked at by their pet master and this poor ghost need to starve and get stabbed for it.
It's better to wait for that dream whatever thing when Max just looks at them and then boom you reached a new level.
....
Max left his pets to their devices and went to his room to have some rest.