As soon as he entered his owned dungeon, Peter immediately checked Ichiro’s status, worried that he might not have fully recovered. However, he was shocked by the unexpected sight before him.
...
Name: Ichiro
Race: wolf (possible to evolve)
Gender: male
Age: 1 year and 2 months
Lifespan: 3–30 years
Stats:
Strength: D
Resilience: D
Agility: D
Spirit: D
Ability:
Cockroach’s Tenacity
- Cockroaches possess incredible survivability. Whoever has this ability shares that same tenacity.
...
Peter rubbed his eyes several times. His eyes widened when he realized he wasn’t imagining things, what he was seeing was real.
“YES!” Peter shouted loudly. He jumped up and down several times in excitement. When the excitement subsided, he stopped, catching his breath, though the victorious smile on his face remained.
Ichiro and Iyashi’s eyes widened in shock at their master’s sudden outburst.
Peter returned his attention to Ichiro’s status and began examining it.
Hoping for something more, Peter pressed the “possible to evolve” option beside Ichiro’s race. His joy surged when it expanded into multiple options.
...
Glacial Wolf
Infernal Wolf
Tempest Wolf
Terrestrial Wolf
...
Peter stopped himself from pressing anything further, afraid he might make the wrong choice.
He turned to look at his wolf.
He began explaining the evolution paths to Ichiro.
As their master, not only to Ichiro and Iyashi but also to the future companions who would become part of his family, Peter wanted to give them the freedom to decide for themselves whenever possible.
“Ichiro, you can evolve. Do you want to evolve?” Peter asked.
“Gru?” Ichiro responded, confused.
“Yes. Actually, you have four choices,” Peter explained.
“Gru!” Ichiro replied.
“The first one is Glacial Wolf,” Peter began.
“Gru?” Ichiro asked curiously.
“I’m not entirely sure, but based on the name, you’ll likely gain ice-related abilities. You might be able to unleash extremely cold, solid ice or freeze your enemies. That’s my guess.”
“In fact, the remaining three also seem to be related to elements,” Peter added.
“Gru? Gru?” Ichiro asked excitedly.
“So which do you want: Glacial Wolf, Infernal Wolf, Tempest Wolf, or Terrestrial Wolf?” Peter asked.
“To be honest, aside from their names, there are no descriptions for these evolution options. So I’ll explain my assumptions.”
“First, Glacial Wolf, we’ve already covered that.”
“Second, Infernal Wolf. I think this gives you fire abilities, probably the highest offensive power.”
“Third, Tempest Wolf. I’m not entirely sure about this one. It might grant control over wind or enhance your speed significantly. It’s likely one of those.”
“Fourth, Terrestrial Wolf. This might give you control over earth or greatly increase your defense.”
Peter paused and looked Ichiro in the eyes.
“That’s everything. Which one do you want?”
“Let’s do this,” Peter said, coming up with an idea. “I’ll repeat each option. Nod or give me a sign if that’s what you want.”
“Do you want to become a Glacial Wolf?”
Ichiro simply stared at him.
Peter waited a few seconds to confirm there was no reaction.
“How about Infernal Wolf?”
Still nothing.
“Maybe Tempest Wolf?”
Peter started to worry they weren’t understanding each other. Nervously, he mentioned the last option.
“This is the last one, Terrestrial Wolf. Do you want this?”
Fortunately, his worry was unnecessary. He sighed in relief when Ichiro reacted.
“I’ll ask again, do you want to become a Terrestrial Wolf?” Peter confirmed.
“Gru!” Ichiro responded enthusiastically.
Peter felt secretly thrilled.
He hadn’t told Ichiro, but if it were up to him, he also preferred the Terrestrial Wolf path. If his assumption was correct, it focused on defense, which would greatly improve Ichiro’s survivability—and by extension, their own.
Unbeknownst to Peter, Ichiro had also considered his master’s safety in making his decision. Upon hearing that Terrestrial Wolf focused on defense, he immediately chose it. He was willing to take any lethal blow for Peter as gratitude for the second life he had been given.
“Understood,” Peter nodded.
He pressed the fourth option: Terrestrial Wolf.
...
Are you sure you want to evolve your wolf into a Terrestrial Wolf?
Yes 👈 or No?
...
Warning: Once you proceed, you cannot cancel.
Cancel 👈 or Proceed?
...
Peter moved the arrow from cancel to proceed and pressed it without hesitation.
...
As he did, Peter instinctively closed his eyes.
“Kyu?” Iyashi, the Regeneration Slime, reacted in surprise.
Ichiro’s body suddenly emitted a blinding light, a sign of his impending evolution.
After a few moments, the light faded. Peter heard Iyashi’s frantic voice.
“Kyu! Kyu! Kyu?!”
Though Peter could understand their intent through the Crest of Friendship, it was more of an instinctive comprehension rather than true understanding of their language.
“Who are you? Where is Brother Ichiro? What did you do to him?” Iyashi was actually saying.
Peter nearly jumped when a deep, booming voice echoed.
“Gra!”
He turned and realized the voice came from the newly evolved Ichiro.
“Gra! Gra?! Gra!” the Terrestrial Wolf growled, sounding irritated.
“Kid! Are you blind?! The one you’re looking for is right in front of you! It’s me!” Ichiro meant.
“Kyu?” Iyashi replied, confused and shocked.
Looking up at Ichiro, Peter couldn’t help but be amazed.
Ichiro had changed drastically.
There was one thing Peter could immediately say, his new voice matched his appearance perfectly.
Deep, low, powerful, and intimidating.
Just like his current form.
A Terrestrial Wolf was massive.
Two meters tall while standing on all fours.
Its body was broad, almost as if every inch of it was made of solid rock.
Its fur was a mix of chocolate brown and mossy green.
Peter gulped as he realized the creature before him was now truly monstrous.
“Are you really Ichiro? My companion?” Peter asked in disbelief.
“Gra!” the wolf replied proudly.
Peter quickly opened his status again.
...
Name: Ichiro
Race: Terrestrial Wolf
Gender: male
Age: 1 year and 2 months
Lifespan: 30–300 years
Stats:
Strength: D
Resilience: D+
Agility: E+
Spirit: C-
Abilities:
Cockroach’s Tenacity (passive)
Meteoric Drops (new!)
- Creates small, sharp chunks of earth in midair and drops them rapidly with force.
...
Peter was overjoyed.
Ichiro’s overall strength had increased significantly.
“His average stats are probably around D. Two stats remained at D. His agility dropped to E+, but his spirit improved to C-,” Peter analyzed with a smile.
Ichiro also gained a new attacking ability, which delighted Peter even more.
He did wonder, however, why the word “normal” had disappeared beside Ichiro’s race, but he quickly brushed the thought aside.
“Hmm… the sun is setting,” Peter muttered as he looked up at the dungeon sky.
Over the past few days, he had realized that time and weather inside the dungeon mirrored the outside world.
He decided to test Ichiro’s new abilities the next day instead.
Whistling casually, Peter exited the dungeon.
...
“Thank you for lending me these clothes, Mang Richard,” Peter said as he received a set of medieval attire.
He only had one set of modern clothes, the ones he wore when he died on Earth. He couldn’t wear those every day, so he often borrowed from the farmer.
“When I finally have a stable harvest, I’ll repay your kindness properly,” Peter promised himself.
...
At dawn, the entire Village of Beginnings buzzed with activity.
Peter stepped out of Richard’s house.
From a distance, he saw a crowd gathered at the village plaza.
Everyone was full of energy, some even pushing each other.
Curious, Peter approached.
Even before reaching it, he smelled something in the air.
At the center of the crowd, Thomas was busy attending to customers.
Peter squeezed through the crowd.
“Thomas!” he called.
“Oh, it’s you, Peter!” the peddler said, slightly surprised before quickly returning to his work.
Peter examined the goods on display, cooking utensils, pans, and various kitchen tools.
But one product stood out: salt.
Many customers were buying it, yet Thomas never seemed to run out.
Peter also noticed fish, the source of the strong smell.
They weren’t fresh but were well-preserved and still cold and firm.
“What’s he using instead of a refrigerator?” Peter wondered.
Interestingly, transactions were done through barter, villagers traded crops like wheat and barley.
Tempted, Peter decided to buy.
“Thomas! I’ll take some kitchen tools, and salt too!” he shouted over the noise.
“Just a moment!” Thomas replied.
After waiting, Peter received his items.
“Do you need help carrying those?” Thomas offered.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll come back for them later. I still have something to do,” Peter said.
“Alright! I’ll keep them safe,” Thomas assured.
“How much?” Peter asked.
“Nine silver for the tools, one silver for the salt, ten silver total.”
“Salt is that expensive?” Peter exclaimed.
Thomas laughed. “It’s normal. Supply is limited.”
“I see… makes sense in a medieval world,” Peter muttered.
“Do you have potion bottles?”
“Yes. How many?”
“Ten.”
“One hundred copper.”
“Here, eleven silver,” Peter said.
As Thomas counted the change, nearby women began glancing at Peter.
He grew uneasy.
Being stared at by a group of gossiping women felt more terrifying than any horror movie.
“Here’s nine hundred copper,” Thomas said—
—but Peter snatched it quickly and hurried away.
...
The women watched him leave, puzzled.
“Do you know that strange guy?” one asked.
“No,” the others replied.
“I think he’s staying with Richard,” one timid woman said.
“Just because he shares a name with Richard’s son?” another scoffed.
They began speculating, forming theories about Peter’s identity.
Nearby, Thomas observed them with amusement.
“Women, really…”
But then—
A chill ran down his spine.
He turned.
His face paled.
Multiple gazes filled with bloodlust were locked onto him.
He gulped.
“Goddess of Goodwill… please guide me…” he muttered.
“Tell us… you know that Peter, don’t you? Who is he?”
Thomas froze in terror.
“…Damn it, Peter!”
His eyes widened.
“They’re here…”
His throat bobbed rapidly.
Then—
A piercing scream echoed, louder than any thriller movie.
Birds scattered into the sky.
...