> [SYSTEM INITIALIZING...]
[HOST COMPATIBILITY: 98.7% — SYNCING WITH ENTITY: KAN SHA...]
[SUCCESSFUL LINK ESTABLISHED]
[MAD DOG SYSTEM — ONLINE]
> [SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS]
Gain the trust of the MAD DOG GUARD OF THE STAR VAIL DUNGEON — KAN SHA.
Trust Level Achieved.
Link Complete.
EVOLUTION PROTOCOL : ACTIVE.
> [TRANSFORMATION AVAILABLE]
MAD DOG: HYBRID FORM — Part-wolf, part-human combat form unlocking enhanced strength, reflexes, and beast-driven instinct.
> [TRANSFORMATIONS LOCKED]
MAD DOG: BEAST MODE — Requirements not yet met.
MAD DOG: KING FORM — resonance required.
FURTHER TRANSFORMATIONS CLASSIFIED.
[SPECIAL CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO UNLOCK]
> [ACTIVE ABILITIES ACQUIRED]
MAD DOG HOWL — Emit a devastating roar made of energy that shreds through enemies within range with ease.
ECHO STEP — Short-range teleportation burst with afterimage trails. Confuse and outmaneuver foes.
MAD BEAST CLAW — Transform your limbs into razor-sharp claws. Shred through magical and physical defenses alike.( while in mad dog transformations coats claws in a blue and black energy)
---
> [PASSIVE ABILITIES AWAKENED]
REGENERATION — Rapid healing over time. Accelerates in combat or when enraged.
PHYSICAL BOOST — All physical stats enhanced based on transformation tier.
ENERGY REGENERATION — Stamina and arcana recovery increased significantly during battle.
---
> [WARNING: Transformation Overuse May Trigger System Instability]
[Host Mentality Sync: 64% Stable]
[MAD DOG PATH BEGINS...]
Nova looked around, eyes darting from wall to wall, confusion etched across his face. "Wait, who spoke? And where is Kan Sha?" he shouted, his voice echoing into the empty air.
A familiar voice echoed in his mind. "Nova, hold your palm in front of you."
Nova froze. He recognized that voice—it was Kan Sha's. But the towering boss monster had vanished moments ago. Cautiously, Nova raised his palm.
A soft light pulsed from the center of his hand, and in a blink, a miniature holographic Kan Sha appeared, floating above it.
"He's... kinda cute," Nova thought before shaking his head. "Wait, how did you become so small? And why can I hear your voice in my head?"
Kan Sha smirked. "I thought the glowing screen of information might've tipped you off, but since you're a bit slow, I'll spell it out. We merged. You can use my power now. In return, I get to live in your body—since mine was destroyed by that delightful poison your so-called leader used."
Nova's expression twisted into sarcasm. "Oh, right. Because clearly, when someone charges at me and a random screen pops up, that's obviously them giving me power."
Kan Sha chuckled. "Traveling with you is going to be fun." He floated a bit higher, voice light. "Relax, kid. I was messing with you. Here's the deal: you can absorb the arcana of any person or monsters you defeat now. No more limit of three. That means your potential? Is Basically unlimited."
Nova's eyes widened. "Wait… more arcana? Does that mean… I could get strong enough to take on the Bluestones?"
He turned to the projection. "Why are you helping me anyway? Aren't you a boss monster? Don't you guys hate humans?"
" Wow! Your really dense? I just explained this. Okay, quick summary my body is destroyed, so I moved into yours. And giving you my powers is basically me paying rent. You get it now, pinhead?" Kan Sha exclaimed.
"You know, you don't have to be such a jerk while explaining these things," Nova replied, attempting to flick the tiny Kan Sha—only for his finger to pass right through him.
Kan Sha gave a small giggle, then replied, "You really didn't think that through, huh? Anyway, follow the instructions given to you by the system to get stronger. When you reach the right level, I'll release you from the dungeon and we'll go get your sister."
"How do you know about my sister?" Nova asked.
Without missing a beat, Kan Sha answered, "Because we merged. So anything you know, I know. And what I know, you know. Now begin your training."
Kan Sha disappeared like a flame going out in the wind as another holographic screen appeared:
> [ACTIVATE BEAST SENSES AND LOOK FOR PEOPLE KILLED BY KAN SHA TO CLAIM THEIR ARCANA]
"Activate Beast Sense? Ha, how do I do that?" Nova replied to the system.
> [CALL OUT THE ABILITY'S NAME IN YOUR MIND TO ACTIVATE THE EFFECTS]
"Ah, like this," Nova said out loud, then called out the name of the ability in his head. Beast Sense.
A white, flame-like aura radiated from his eyes as he began to see different colored auras surrounding everyone.
[AURA COLOR CATEGORIZATION]
RED AURA: Weak — Common Arcana
BLUE AURA: Moderate — Rare Arcana
GOLD AURA: Powerful — Extremely Rare Arcana
"Huh. So gold means something like gravity or dark matter arcana, right?" Nova asked, eyes narrowing as he analyzed the glowing system display hovering before him.
[CONFIRMED — DARK MATTER CLASSIFIED AS EXTREMELY RARE ARCANA]
With confirmation from the system, Nova turned his gaze toward Reginald's lifeless body. A grin tugged at his lips.
"Guess it's mine now."
He stepped forward, boots crunching against the scorched ground, and stood over the corpse. As he did, the system interface blinked back into view.
[ABILITY "DEVOUR" ACTIVATED — TARGET: ARCANA ABSORPTION]
Nova stood over Reginald's broken body, a smirk playing on his lips. He looked down at the fallen foe like he was nothing more than a whimpering mutt.
He spoke the word in his mind :
"Devour."
A massive spectral hound, forged from blinding white aura, burst from Nova's chest. It lunged into Reginald's corpse, shifting from white to radiant gold, then returned to Nova, merging back into him.
[ARCANA ACQUIRED: DARK MATTER]
[ABILITIES UNLOCKED]
— SHADOW SPEAR
A spear formed from condensed dark matter. It adapts to an enemy's defenses, becoming stronger the longer it's used.
— SYMPHONY OF THE NOCTURNAL NIGHT
Unleashes a swirling barrage of dark matter orbs. The target becomes trapped in a closing net of energy before being bombarded in a relentless storm of strikes.
— BLACK HOLE
Creates a miniature black hole that consumes arcana and physical matter indiscriminately.
* ABILITIES NEED TO BE MODIFIED TO BE USED BY THE SYSTEM*
[SYSTEM INITIATING ABILITY MODIFICATION]
Modification Progress: 10%... 34%... 78%... 98%...
MODIFICATION COMPLETE — 100%
[UPDATED ABILITIES UNLOCKED]
— DARK MATTER FANGS (formerly SHADOW SPEAR)
Dark matter-infused fang replace the spear. Each strike increases in power with consecutive bits, tearing through magical and physical defenses alike.
— HOWL OF IMPERIAL DEMISE (formerly SYMPHONY OF THE NOCTURNAL NIGHT)
A terrifying, echoing howl summons a storm of dark matter, warping space around the target and unleashing a symphonic barrage that seals their fate.
— SINGULARITY (formerly BLACK HOLE)
Generates a controlled singularity that draws in ambient energy, compressing it before violently releasing it in a catastrophic area-wide explosion.
"Wait, that's it? I'm sure he had more abilities! Hey, System! What the hell is going on?" Nova shouted, expecting to inherit all of Reginald's powers.
Instead, he only received a portion—and to make matters worse, they'd been modified, leaving him even less familiar with how to use them.
> [LEVEL UP REQUIRED FOR MORE ABILITIES]
> [WOULD YOU LIKE TO BEGIN LEVELING UP?]
[YES] [NO]
"Of course I want to level up!" Nova jabbed the YES option without hesitation, eager to unlock everything as quickly as possible.
> [LEVEL UP STAGES ACTIVATED. ALL ITEMS AND DEAD BODIES WILL BE DISPOSED OF.]
"Wait—! I forgot to loot the items! Don't dispose! Don't dispose—!"
Nova screamed in panic as a black and purple aura swept through the area, vaporizing every corpse and item into thin air.
> [FIRST ENEMY MONSTER SUMMONED: SHADOW GOBLIN. DEFEAT TO GAIN EXP AND LEVEL UP.]
"Oh, it's just a goblin. This should be easy!" Nova said with a grin.
A summoning circle flared in the middle of the ruined chamber. What stepped out was anything but easy.
A hulking goblin—six-foot-four, 260 pounds of pure muscle—emerged. Its long white hair flowed like a mane, and it casually swung a five-foot cleaver in one hand like it weighed nothing.
A single tear rolled down Nova's cheek.
"…That's not a goblin. That's an orc," he whimpered.
> [CORRECTION: THIS IS AN UNUSUALLY BUFF SHADOW GOBLIN. CHANCE OF THIS ENCOUNTER: 0.000000000000001%.]
"So you're telling me I got the one-in-a-trillion nightmare goblin?! No way!" Nova protested.
> [BEGINNING BATTLE.]
The goblin roared and charged, cleaver raised high. It swung directly at Nova's neck.
"Shit—!"
Nova barely managed to dodge, hurling himself behind a pile of rubble. The cleaver carved through the stone floor like butter, gouging out a chunk of wall and leaving a gaping hole big enough for a person to crawl through.
"Okay. He's faster than he looks…" Nova muttered, steadying his breath. "Let's see what these new abilities can actually do."
He activated Echo Step. His body flickered—and in an instant, he teleported to the far side of the room, behind a large rock, leaving behind a flickering afterimage.
The goblin's cleaver cleaved straight through the ghostly image, the sheer force of the blow shaking the ground.
Nova didn't wait.
"Time to go all in."
He activated Mad Dog: Hybrid Form.
Nova's body began to change—his frame growing from 5'6" to a towering seven feet. His limbs stretched, muscles bulging unnaturally. White, scale-like plating formed over his skin, red fur burst out around his neck like a mane, and four twitching tails lashed behind him.
A low growl rumbled in his throat. His eyes gleamed crimson.
"This… feels insane," he muttered, voice distorted by his new monstrous warewolf-like form.