The other four hunters stood frozen, as if rooted to the earth.
Their eyes were locked on the headless corpse of their colleague.
Then—
The corpse shifted.
Bones cracked. Flesh twisted.
It reverted into its original beast form… still headless.
Silence fell.
Both sides were stunned.
James swallowed hard, his gaze trembling as it landed on the creature.
Isn't that… the same beast Uncle Marcus described? The one that saved him when we were hunted by the Blood Monkeys…?
But this—
This was far worse.
Golden reptilian eyes.
Glass-like fur layered over hardened scales.
And that presence…
That suffocating, crushing aura.
The hunters instinctively stepped back.
This kind of beast… shouldn't exist in the outer region of the Black Mountain Range.
It belonged to the core.
"Be careful!" Ralph shouted.
"That thing is a Rank 5 beast—but with that aura… it can fight a Rank 6. And it won't lose easily!"
The hunters exchanged glances.
No more words were needed.
They understood.
A flare shot into the sky.
Then—
They attacked.
All at once.
As they transformed into their beast forms and rushed forward—
Drakey moved.
Or rather—
He disappeared.
Shadow Hunt.
He blended into darkness right in front of them.
Gone.
Then—
He reappeared above Ralph.
Descending.
Death itself.
Shit—!
Ralph's thoughts screamed.
It targeted me first—!
"SHIT! How is it this fast?!"
But he didn't retreat.
He was ruthless.
He was daring.
He chose—
To trade injuries for death.
"I don't believe your body is that tough!"
His spider limbs surged forward to block—
BOOM!
Drakey's strike shattered all of them instantly.
At the same time—
Ralph's scorpion stinger shot forward.
Straight for Drakey's neck.
BOOM!
The recoil blasted Ralph backward.
He crashed several meters away—broken, bleeding.
Drakey didn't move.
Not even an inch.
But when the dust cleared—
A massive dent.
Shattered scales.
Right at his neck.
If not for his abnormal defense…
That strike would have killed him.
And in that moment—
Something awakened.
Not power.
Not rage.
Fear.
The fear of death.
Inside Drakey—
Something snapped.
Something fused.
His bestial instinct—
And Raqin's split soul—
Collided.
Not gently.
Not willingly.
They devoured each other.
His eyes shifted.
Red-gold.
Lightning began to crawl across his body.
Far away—
Raqin coughed blood.
"What… is this?"
/Host, unknown soul mutation detected/
/Foreign instinct merging with split consciousness/
/Classification… failed/
Deep within—
A gray spiritual seed trembled.
Then—
It absorbed everything.
Nanites.
Beast essence.
Soul fragments.
It turned—
Black.
A violent will pulsed from it.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Alive.
/Host… new paradigm created/
/New soul detected/
/Choose default instinct/
Raqin's lips curled.
"Bestial."
/Bestial instinct set as primary/
A new existence was born.
Cold.
Logical.
Predatory.
Drakey howled.
It was not a single voice.
It was many.
Layered.
Monstrous.
The sky darkened.
Spiritual energy spiraled downward.
Drawn into him like a vortex.
Then—
CRACK.
Like glass shattering.
Drakey broke through.
Rank 6.
Silence followed.
He lifted his head.
His eyes—
Calm.
Too calm.
"This people… are under my protection."
The hunters froze.
Ralph trembled.
"Why?" he shouted. "You're a Rank 6 beast! They're food to you!"
Drakey replied—
Without emotion.
"Because… someone told me to."
Silence.
Then—
A voice echoed.
"What if I refuse?"
A man appeared like smoke.
The hunters' hope rose—
Then shattered.
Their "leader"—
A Rank 7 Mortal Realm cultivator.
"I'll give you two options," the man said coldly.
"Submit as my mount…"
"Or die."
Drakey didn't react.
"If I submit… what happens to them?"
The man smiled mockingly.
"They're irrelevant."
Drakey stepped forward.
Shielding them.
"When the fight starts… capture the one escaping."
Then he turned.
"If you can beat me… I'll submit."
A pause.
Then—
"I doubt you can."
The man exploded with rage.
The battle began.
Instinct Override.
Drakey disrupted the attack before it landed.
But the cost—
Massive.
Phantom Hunt State.
His body turned ethereal.
Void-eyed.
Untouchable.
The three hunters attacked—
Their strikes passed through him.
Drakey didn't stop.
He tore them apart.
Blood painted the earth.
Then—
Danger.
He vanished just as—
A massive crater formed.
A four-armed cyclops gorilla stood there.
"You will die."
The true battle began.
Blow after blow.
Shockwaves tearing the land apart.
But something was wrong.
Drakey realized—
His attacks pass through… but his opponent's attacks damage his consciousness.
A dangerous opponent.
The leader grinned.
Pulled out gauntlets.
His aura surged.
Pseudo—
Rank 8.
Drakey felt it.
Death.
Then—
Inspiration struck.
Energy gathered in his throat.
Lightning.
Nanoblade Qi.
Compression.
Fusion.
A new technique—
Born mid-battle.
The leader charged.
Drakey retreated.
Buying time.
Then—
They met.
Face to face.
"Die!"
Sky Breaking Fist!
Lightning Beam!
BOOOOOOM!!
The world exploded.
When the dust cleared—
The leader stood.
Half gone.
Disintegrating.
Drakey walked forward.
Wounded.
But alive.
"What… are you…?"
Those were his last words.
He turned to dust.
Drakey roared.
Then—
Collapsed.
Moments later—
James and the others arrived.
Dragging Ralph.
No mercy.
They beat him.
Again and again.
Then—
Jill stepped forward.
She knelt.
Gently cleaned Drakey's wounds.
"Thank you… big brother beast."
A pause.
Drakey grunted.
"Call me… Big Brother Drakey."
A faint smirk.
"This king… has a name."
As the battle ended, both Raqin and Drakey had already made prior arrangements.
Their consciousnesses appeared within Raqin's newly formed Soulspace.
One stood in human form.
The other… was a floating sphere of crackling lightning, arcs dancing like living veins across its surface.
They stared at each other in silence.
Then Raqin spoke.
"Are you still Drakey… or should I call you something else?"
The lightning pulsed once.
"I am still Drakey… yet I am not."
A pause.
Then—
"And I know who you truly are… Raqin. The corporate slave."
Raqin's pupils shrank.
Shock rippled through his soul.
Drakey laughed.
"Relax. Even though my consciousness is new, I can see enough… understand enough. I know why I matter to you."
Raqin narrowed his eyes.
"Then why call this meeting?"
"Because," Drakey replied calmly, "you won't be able to enter my consciousness anymore. Not after the mutation. You can only observe… and connect—if I allow it."
A faint pause.
"And because you never treated me like a pet."
The lightning dimmed slightly.
"You treated me as an extension of yourself. For that alone… you have my loyalty."
Raqin said nothing.
Drakey continued.
"Also… due to your soul, I am neither fully beast nor human. Technically… I am still you. I have access to fragments of your memories… and those inherited from both my bloodlines."
Raqin's mind spun—
Then suddenly—
A realization struck.
He looked up sharply.
"You called this meeting because… you're afraid I could detonate the soul fragment within you."
Silence.
Then—
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you."
The lightning flickered.
"So what do you say? We become official partners."
"You help me… I help you."
"And we let that thing act as the middleman."
Raqin frowned.
"That thing?"
Drakey pointed upward.
A streak of light had been circling above them the entire time—like a silent observer.
Raqin squinted.
The light slowed… revealing its form.
A mechanical horse, forged from interlocking gears—its body transparent yet infinite, as though its internal structure extended beyond reality itself.
"…The system?" Raqin muttered.
"Yes."
Drakey's tone turned serious.
"And that's the real reason I called you."
Raqin crossed his arms.
"Go on."
"From my inherited memories… both my dragon and wolf lineages speak of a treasure."
"A treasure hidden within the River of Time, concealed by space and causality itself."
"One capable of rewriting the foundational laws of existence."
Raqin's expression hardened.
"And you think the system is that treasure?"
"Yes."
Drakey's lightning flared.
"Think about it. Since you obtained it… nothing has made sense."
"You rewrote your body for cultivation."
"You created nanites that fused with your dantian."
"You absorb the soul power of beasts without traditional cultivation."
Raqin fell silent.
He couldn't deny any of it.
Drakey continued.
"That treasure… was said to be formed from the sacrifice of twenty-four Chaos Beings, before even the Primordial Gods existed."
Raqin's breath slowed.
"And its appearance means only two things…"
"Balance… or total annihilation."
Silence fell between them.
"…Then whatever required such a thing…" Raqin said quietly, "…must be far worse than anything we've seen."
"I don't know," Drakey replied. "Which is why getting stronger is our only option. The more I evolve, the more memories I unlock."
Raqin exhaled slowly.
Then nodded.
"Fine."
He stepped forward slightly.
"Regardless of what you are now… you're still Drakey."
A pause.
"Let's build something of our own."
His gaze sharpened.
"Because out there… we're still just fish on a chopping board."
Drakey crackled in approval.
"Then start with the ones you told me to watch. They'll make a good first batch."
Raqin smirked.
"I like that."
Then his expression darkened.
"But first… I need to escape this facility."
Drakey's voice cut in—
"You still have one nanite left, don't you?"
Raqin nodded.
"I used one for evolution… another for creation—my sword. I kept the last one unused."
"Nanites can deconstruct and reconstruct matter, right?"
"…Yes."
"Then use it to assimilate the entire facility."
Silence.
Then—
Raqin's eyes widened.
A grin spread across his face.
Then he laughed.
A low, unhinged laugh.
"…Why didn't I think of that?"
Raqin's eyes snapped open in the real world.
"I almost wasted it on brute force…"
He stood up slowly.
"System. Map the entire facility. Locate the optimal starting point for nanite assimilation."
/Acknowledged./
/Power source identified./
/Assimilation must begin at the central reactor./
Raqin slapped his forehead.
"When did I start thinking like an idiot…"
Moments later, he stepped into the power station.
His steps slowed.
"…Solar… and an arc reactor?"
His eyes lit up.
"This is technology from my era…"
"And it's still running?"
A faint smile appeared.
"Ivan… you were a genius."
Raqin extended his hand.
The final nanite rested in his palm—silent… waiting.
He placed it onto the reactor.
A blue interface appeared.
/Nanite Assimilation… 0.1%/
/Estimated Completion Time: 25–30 Days/
Raqin turned away.
A cold smile forming.
"Good."
"I'll turn this prison… into my weapon."