Chapter 14 - New Dog

No matter how noble and powerful a wolf may be, in the end, it is still just a wolf. And no matter how arrogant and savage a wolf is, it could eventually be tamed. And no matter how sharp its teeth or noble its eyes, it could become a dog.

Neonidas instructed his guards to place a large piece of deer meat in front of the magnificent wolf. The wolf, with its wild eyes, was staring at the small human, Neonidas, who stood fearlessly in front of it. When it caught the scent of the delicious meat in the air, its pupils instinctively widened. Hungry and injured, it began to act on impulse.

As for the wounds on its body, one might wonder how such a divine creature had become so weak, but these wounds were inflicted by the most powerful dragon that lived in the northern mountain ranges decades ago, and they never healed. Once, this wolf, who had once sat at the top of the food chain, found itself fighting the second strongest being in these mountains, a dragon, many years ago. It had, of course, sustained permanent wounds, but it eventually succeeded in killing the dragon. Yes, the mighty dragon, who could fly and breathe fire, was torn into hundreds of pieces by this wolf's teeth.

This is the tale of the magnificent wolf!

But now, it was a pitiful wolf, on the verge of death, starving. Even though it had lived for decades with its wounds, they eventually wore down its spiritual strength. It was still strong, but not strong enough. Now, it could no longer use its other abilities, only its incredible mana. It was so weak that it could no longer catch even a stupid deer.

"Come and eat, magnificent wolf. No one will harm you," Neonidas said, kicking the deer meat toward the wolf.

The wolf lowered its head and began sniffing the meat, but it never took its eyes off Neonidas. When it sensed there was no poison in the meat, it tore a piece off and started eating it. Its pupils expanded from the dopamine, and it growled as it ate the meat hungrily, like a starving dog.

Meanwhile, Neonidas began to approach the great wolf. The wolf, having devoured the meat, was busy cleaning the blood from its mouth. When it saw how close Neonidas had gotten, it began to growl.

"Come here, little one. Daddy will feed you," Neonidas said, placing his hand on the wolf's head. Despite the wolf's enormous size, its head was now under the small hand of Neonidas, and its growls slowly subsided.

This magnificent wolf, in its smallest form, was still enormous compared to Neonidas. Of course, the wolf also had a human form, and according to the original story, it was supposed to be found dying during the academy competitions in a month. And, yes, as you may have guessed, this wolf would become the first female character in the protagonist's harem. However, Avelina was not a furry enthusiast; her romantic relationship with the wolf had only developed while it was in human form.

Anyway, another important character was about to be taken away from Avelina forever. Neonidas brought the sedatives to the wolf's mouth and whispered into its ear.

"Eat these, little dog, and allow me to make you stronger," Neonidas said.

The great wolf, slowly getting used to Neonidas, first sniffed the sedative plants, and realizing they weren't poison, took them from Neonidas' hand and ate them.

"Good job, my girl, good job."

Neonidas' hand gently moved across the wolf's head. His arrogant, ruthless, and self-satisfied demeanor suggested that he was completely in control of the wolf. This ancient being, who had once torn apart a dragon with its teeth, was now weak, injured, and staring at Neonidas' hand. Despite its weakness, there was still a sense of nobility in its eyes, but hunger and pain prevented it from rejecting Neonidas' offerings.

"Power is such an interesting thing," Neonidas muttered. "Once at the top, now you've turned into a dog, kneeling on the ground. But don't worry, I will raise you again. You'll just have to obey my commands."

Though the wolf did not understand Neonidas' words, it could sense the victory and arrogance in his voice. The sedatives had begun to take effect, and the wolf had softened.

As Neonidas petted the wolf's head, he was formulating a plan. Once the wolf healed its wounds, it could be as strong as before. Restoring it to its former glory would not only give Neonidas a powerful ally but also grant him stat points. But Neonidas was thinking beyond that.

When Neonidas saw the wolf now curled up almost like a silent baby, he felt the time had come. Earlier, the Duke took out the white stone he had taken with him from the treasure chest. The stone was rare and incredibly valuable, as it could bond one soul with another.

Neonidas first cut his palm with a knife and let a few drops of his blood fall onto the white stone. The stone began to turn slowly from white to red. Neonidas, calmly approaching the wolf, called to his guards.

"Hold her down all of you. Don't worry, with this body, it couldn't even catch a rabbit right now," Neonidas said, and the guards bravely stepped forward.

Neonidas had brought his best guards with him. The Duke's guards held the wolf firmly, but the wolf, too weak to resist, could only growl and show its sharp teeth. Neonidas glanced at the eight guards holding the wolf and slowly grabbed one of wolf legs. After creating a small wound, he placed the stone under the blood flowing from it.

When the wolf's blood touched the stone, it began to turn from red to a deep black. As the veins on the stone darkened, the wolf's eyes opened. Even under the sedative's effect, its anger flared up again, but its body betrayed it, and it couldn't find the strength to move. Neonidas watched, smiling triumphantly, as the light from the stone began to glow around the wolf like an aura.

The soul bond was nearly complete. This special bond would force the wolf to obey Neonidas. His commands would echo in the wolf's mind, and its thoughts and desires would fall under his control. The stone, while binding the souls, also allowed Neonidas to absorb part of the wolf's mana. But she shared with Neonidas not only her Mana power, but also some of her other useful attributes in battle. This would make Neonidas stronger and more dangerous, adding power to his own. But as Neonidas grew stronger, so would the wolf.

The wolf felt the stone's effect, slowly binding its soul. Now, it closed its eyes, not with internal fury, but with deep submission. Its weakness had made it Neonidas' plaything. However, deep inside its mind, it still held onto hope for revenge. Perhaps one day, it would regain its former strength and unleash its wrath on this arrogant human. But for now, it had no choice but to be Neonidas' slave.

Neonidas carefully removed the stone from the wolf's wound. The bond was complete. This wild wolf was now his most loyal guard. Turning to his guards, he spoke with pride,

"I have a new dog now."

Neonidas then took out a small mirror from his pocket and activated the system.

_______________________

Name: Neonidas

House name: Oreoned

Age: 21

Intelligence: 4(?)

Strength: 2 (+8)

Agility: 3 (+12)

Mana: 1 (+25)

Mentality: 3(?)

Charisma: 8

Special powers: The collar of the great wolf

Passive abilities: Immunity to poison, Some of the Great Wolf's passive abilities

Bloodline: (?)

System comment: ... Yeah, it's not bad, not bad but you still better find a pink graveyard for yourself. .....

_______________________

Neonidas made sure his guards kept an eye on the wolf before stepping away to speak quietly to the systemWalking toward the temple entrance, he activated the system again.

"How many stat points do I have now?" he asked.

[Total stat points: 47(94)]

This... This was the reward for turning a divine wolf into a dog!

As Neonidas began preparing to heal the wolf's wounds, he knew that with the soul bond, he could exert even greater control over it. Everything had gone according to plan. This rare white stone had not only given him control over the wolf but also allowed him to absorb a part of its stats. Now, this mighty being was fully his to command.

Looking at his new stats in the system, Neonidas began to plan on how to strengthen the wolf even further. Specifically, he was thinking about how to use the wolf's mana to gain more magic and combat power. If the wolf's internal power was properly harnessed, it could become an insurmountable obstacle against Neonidas' enemies.

______

There may be some grammatical mistakes in this chapter too! Sorry again