The pain became absolute.
Instinct’s fingers dug into the stone beneath him as another wave tore through his body.
His back arched involuntarily, a strangled gasp escaping his throat.
His skin felt too small.
No— wrong.
It wasn’t that his skin was too small.
Something was changing beneath the surface.
Something had awakened.
A pulse of golden energy spread from his chest, traveling beneath his skin before reaching the tips of his fingers.
Wherever it passed, his skin seemed to tighten and contract.
Nyx’s voice was unusually serious.
” DON’T FIGHT IT.
THE TRANSFORMATION ISN’T DESTROYING YOU.
IT’S REBUILDING YOU.
LET IT HAPPEN.
”
Easy for you to say, Instinct thought through clenched teeth.
” I LIVE IN YOUR SOUL.
TECHNICALLY, I DON’T EVEN HAVE A BODY TO SUFFER.
”
There was a brief pause.
” YOU’RE WELCOME TO BE JEALOUS.
”
Instinct almost laughed.
Almost.
Another surge hit him.
His skin began to crack.
Thin lines appeared across his arms, glowing faintly beneath the surface.
For one terrifying moment, it looked as though his flesh was splitting apart.
Then— the old layer began to peel away.
Instinct screamed.
It wasn’t blood beneath the broken skin.
It was light.
Golden-white energy poured from the cracks as the old outer layer separated from his body like an ancient shell.
Beneath it, new skin emerged.
Smooth.
Dense.
Under the golden light, it seemed almost deeper in appearance than before.
The process continued.
Across his chest.
His shoulders.
His stomach.
His back.
His legs.
Everywhere the old skin separated, something new replaced it.
The sensation was unbearable.
It felt as though his skin was being forged rather than healed.
Every square inch subjected to pressure, heat, and magic simultaneously.
⸻
Near the cave entrance, Kyra’s ears twitched.
She glanced over her shoulder.
“That sounded painful.”
Her nine tails shifted uneasily.
Deeper inside the cave, Arwen remained near the secondary tunnel, her compact elven bow ready.
“Very.”
Another scream echoed through the stone.
Kyra grimaced.
“Should we check on him?”
“No.”
Arwen’s answer came immediately.
“He told us not to interrupt.”
Another scream.
Kyra’s tails bristled.
“I really hope he knows what he’s doing.”
Arwen’s emerald eyes moved toward the chamber where Instinct was undergoing the transformation.
“So do I.”
⸻
Inside, Instinct barely heard them.
His world had narrowed to pain.
Nothing else existed.
Then— something changed.
The agony vanished.
Not gradually.
Completely. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Instinct collapsed forward, catching himself against the cold stone.
His breathing came hard and fast.
For several seconds, he simply remained there.
Alive.
Finally, he slowly raised one hand.
His skin looked normal.
Almost.
There was a subtle difference he couldn’t quite explain.
It looked smoother, but that wasn’t it.
It seemed…
denser somehow.
As though every layer of his skin had been compressed and reforged into something stronger.
He clenched his fist.
The muscles in his arm tightened.
Instinct stared at his knuckles.
Nyx spoke.
” TRY SCRATCHING YOURSELF.
”
What?
” YOU HEARD ME.
SCRATCH.
”
Instinct hesitated.
Then dragged one fingernail firmly across the back of his opposite hand.
Nothing.
Not even a mark.
His eyes widened.
He tried again.
Harder.
Still nothing.
Instinct looked around and grabbed a small stone from the ground.
He found its sharpest edge and pressed it against his forearm.
Then pushed.
The stone scraped across his skin.
Nothing.
He pushed harder.
Crack.
The edge of the stone broke.
Instinct stared at the shattered piece in his hand.
That’s new.
” OH, VERY.
”
Nyx sounded unbearably pleased with herself.
” CONGRATULATIONS.
YOUR SKIN IS OFFICIALLY HARDER TO DAMAGE THAN MOST CONVENTIONAL ARMOR.
”
Instinct looked at his arm again.
How hard?
” CONVENTIONAL STEEL?
FORGET IT.
MOST ORDINARY BLADES WON’T EVEN PENETRATE THE SURFACE.
”
A pause.
” BUT BEFORE YOU GET ANY STUPID IDEAS—YOU CAN STILL FEEL IMPACTS.
”
Instinct’s smile faded slightly.
” NEARLY IMPREGNABLE SKIN DOESN’T MEAN YOUR BONES AND ORGANS HAVE SUDDENLY CAUGHT UP.
SOMETHING HITS YOU HARD ENOUGH, THE FORCE STILL HAS TO GO SOMEWHERE.
”
Level sixty.
” EXACTLY.
LOOK AT YOU, REMEMBERING THINGS.
I’M SO PROUD.
”
Instinct slowly stood.
His body felt different.
Not stronger.
That wasn’t quite it.
More complete.
As though another piece of himself had finally fallen into place.
His control felt sharper.
His movements more certain.
He flexed his fingers, then rolled his shoulders.
Everything felt precise. Get faster updates on g.com.
Natural.
Then— the System appeared before his eyes.
[FIRST PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE]
[THE ABSOLUTE TAMER HAS SUCCESSFULLY EVOLVED]
[SKIN REINFORCEMENT: COMPLETE]
[RESISTANCE TO CUTTING: GREATLY INCREASED]
[RESISTANCE TO PIERCING: GREATLY INCREASED]
[RESISTANCE TO HEAT AND PHYSICAL ABRASION: INCREASED]
[EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION: UNLOCKED]
Instinct stared at the final notification.
Evolutionary Adaptation?
Nyx answered immediately.
” THAT… IS THE INTERESTING PART.
”
Instinct waited.
” YOUR BODY ISN’T SIMPLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT TRANSFORMATION ANYMORE.
IT NOW RECOGNIZES THE PROCESS.
”
Meaning?
” MEANING EACH TRANSFORMATION PREPARES YOUR BODY TO ACCEPT WHAT COMES NEXT.
SKIN.
BONES.
ORGANS.
BLOOD.
”
Her voice carried that familiar hint of mischief.
” YOUR BODY IS LEARNING HOW TO BECOME WHAT YOUR CLASS EXPECTS IT TO BE.
”
Instinct looked down at himself.
And what exactly does my class expect me to become?
Silence.
For just a moment—
Nyx didn’t answer.
Then:
” YOU’LL FIND OUT.
”
Instinct narrowed his eyes.
Nyx.
” ANYWAY!
CONGRATULATIONS, LEVEL FORTY.
YOU’RE NO LONGER JUST A GUY WHO CAN TAME CREATURES.
”
Instinct raised an eyebrow.
What am I now?
Nyx answered immediately.
” SOMETHING THAT MONSTERS ARE GOING TO HAVE A MUCH HARDER TIME KILLING.
”
For the first time since the transformation began, Instinct smiled.
He looked down at his hands.
The pain had been terrible.
But somehow— he knew it had been worth it.
From near the entrance, Kyra’s voice suddenly echoed through the cave.
“Instinct?”
He turned toward her voice.
“I’m fine.”
Footsteps followed.
A moment later, Kyra appeared.
Arwen followed shortly after.
Both women stopped.
Their eyes moved over him carefully.
Nothing looked dramatically different.
Yet both could sense it.
Something about Instinct had changed.
His presence felt heavier.
Denser.
Dangerous.
Kyra’s ears lowered slightly.
“What happened to you?”
Instinct looked at his hand.
Then back at her.
“I think…”
He smiled.
“…I got harder to kill.”
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