For several seconds, Koga did not move. Then the corner of his mouth slowly rose.
"Transform..."
He whispered the word again, almost afraid that saying it too loudly would somehow make the ability disappear. He knew that ability. He knew it very well.
Back in his old world, inside the Game, Transform was one of the reasons Fenfyr had been considered such a troublesome Spiritual Beast. In a one versus one battle, Fenfyr could transform into its opponent and copy the opponent’s appearance and moves. In a battle involving two Spiritual Beasts on each side, however, the ability became even more ridiculous because Fenfyr could transform into either the enemy or its own subordinate.
Koga’s eyes began shining.
"That means..."
He quickly looked at the sky screen. The villagers were still discussing the Ultimate Mission. The Ninja were arguing about Inuzuza Kiza’s mysterious love life. Even the Clan Heads were distracted by their own conversations that didn’t dare say anything in the Overlord Chat.
Perfect.
Koga lowered his voice.
"Fenfyr."
The dark Spiritual Beast looked toward him.
"I need you to transform."
Fenfyr’s ears moved. Koga pointed toward one of the ordinary Inuzuza wolf cub resting nearby that didn’t seem to sense him.
"Transform into that."
The connection between them made words almost unnecessary. Fenfyr immediately understood what Koga wanted. Its dark body shimmered. The black fur disappeared beneath a wave of pale light. Its white cloud markings vanished. Its shape became smaller. Its legs shortened. Its ears changed. Its tail became fluffier.
Within seconds, the terrifying creature that had looked like the guardian of the Sky Palace was gone.
In its place sat an ordinary gray wolf cub.
Koga gazed at it with intensity.
The little wolf blinked up at him.
"Rrr?"
Koga’s mouth fell open. Then he laughed. "Hahahaha!"
He quickly covered his mouth.
"Sorry, sorry."
He crouched and looked the transformed Fenfyr over.
It was perfect. The color was right. The body was right. Even the little facial expressions looked like those of an ordinary Inuzuza wolf cub.
Koga opened the status screen again. His eyes immediately widened.
"Chakra?"
The transformed Fenfyr possessed chakra. Not a strange foreign energy. Not Spiritual Beast energy. Actual chakra.
Koga almost grabbed the little wolf’s face in excitement.
"You have chakra!"
Fenfyr looked confused.
Koga laughed again.
"This solves everything."
The biggest problem he had been worrying about since receiving the legendary beasts was not their strength. It was their lack of chakra. If someone saw a strange beast without chakra wandering around the Inuzuza Clan, they would immediately become suspicious. But Transform did more than change appearance.
It copied the target’s physical properties. Even the chakra signature.
Koga had just found the perfect disguise. He looked toward Ignilion.
"Your turn."
The tiny Flame Spirit Beast trotted over.
Koga pointed toward a slightly larger Inuzuza wolf cub.
"Fenfyr, transform Ignilion into that."
Fenfyr barks at Ignilion, and Ignilion’s body instantly shimmers. Soon, the flames disappeared.
Its strange legendary appearance vanished. A moment later, another ordinary wolf cub stood beside Fenfyr.
Koga stared at the two of them.
One gray wolf. One slightly larger gray wolf. Nothing about them looked strange.
Koga smiled.
"As long as you don’t use your unique abilities..."
He gently patted Fenfyr’s forehead.
"And you don’t use fire..."
He patted Ignilion.
"...nobody will know."
Fenfyr wagged its tail.
Ignilion copied the movement.
Koga laughed softly.
"This is perfect."
Fenfyr’s transformation would remain active until Koga ordered another transformation. It was not something that would suddenly disappear after a few minutes, which meant Koga did not have to constantly worry about his disguise failing at the worst possible moment.
He finally felt his shoulders loosen.
"My two legendary beasts are hidden."
He looked at the two wolf cubs.
"Now I can finally live normally."
Then he heard a chorus of excited barks from the nearby feeding area. Koga immediately remembered why he had come here.
"Oh, right."
He stood.
"I still have work."
The Inuzuza Clan had assigned him to help care for the wolves, and today was feeding time. A large wooden bowl sat near the feeding area, already filled with prepared food from the clan kitchens.
Koga carried it over.
The moment the newcomer adult wolves saw him, several began approaching.
"Easy."
He crouched.
"One at a time."
The mother wolves gathered first, followed by the younger cubs. Some pushed their noses into the bowls immediately, while others sat patiently and waited.
Koga began distributing the food.
"Here."
He placed one portion down.
"And this one is yours."
A large wolf gave a satisfied growl.
"Don’t look at me like that. You already got yours."
The wolf continued staring.
Koga sighed.
"Fine. You can have a little more."
The wolf happily lowered its head.
"You’re shameless."
Several cubs began wrestling nearby.
"Hey, stop fighting."
One cub rolled over another.
Koga pointed at them.
"I said stop."
The two froze.
Then one immediately tried to bite the other’s ear.
Koga stared.
"You know what? Fine. I’ll pretend I didn’t see that."
Fenfyr and Ignilion followed him closely, still disguised as ordinary wolf cubs.
Koga did not notice a mother wolf approaching them.
The large Inuzuza wolf lowered her head.
She sniffed Fenfyr.
Koga froze.
His heart jumped.
Oh no.
The wolf sniffed again.
Koga’s palms became sweaty.
Inuzuza wolves were not ordinary animals. Especially the adults. They were trained partners of the clan, used for tracking, guarding, and detecting strangers. Their sense of smell was extraordinary. If Fenfyr’s disguise was flawed, this wolf would notice. They are done for if that happens.
The mother wolf moved toward Ignilion. She sniffed him. Then she sniffed Fenfyr again.
Koga held his breath.
Fortunately, the wolf simply turned away.
Koga’s eyes widened.
It worked. The transformation had copied everything. Not only their appearance. Their scent too.
Koga quietly released his breath.
"Thank goodness."
Fenfyr looked at him.
Koga smiled.
"You’re amazing."
The wolves finished eating and began leaving the feeding area.
Then several cubs stopped.
They looked at Fenfyr. Then at Ignilion. Then back at the other cubs. Their tails rose. Their ears pointed forward.
Koga frowned.
"What?"
One of the cubs stepped closer to Fenfyr.
It stared directly into Fenfyr’s eyes. Then it gave a sharp bark.
Fenfyr looked at Koga.
Koga looked at the cub.
"What does that mean?"
The mother wolf behind the cub suddenly made a low sound.
Koga slowly turned toward her.
The wolf looked at Fenfyr. Then at her cub. Then back at Koga.
Koga’s expression became uncertain.
"You want your cub to fight Fenfyr?"
The mother wolf nodded.
Koga blinked.
"You’re serious?"
He was met with another nod.
Koga looked at the little wolf cub that had issued the challenge.
The cub looked confident.
Koga crouched.
"What happens if my wolf kills your cub?"
The mother wolf stared at him without hesitation. Then she made another low sound.
Koga understood.
"So you’ll accept the result?"
The wolf nodded.
Koga’s expression became stiff.
"And if your cub loses its life?"
The mother wolf looked at Fenfyr. Then she looked at Koga. She made another sound.
Koga slowly translated it into his mind.
She would simply adopt Fenfyr.
Koga’s face twitched.
"You’re going to replace your own cub with mine?"
The mother wolf stared at him as if that were the most normal thing in the world.
Koga swallowed.
Right. He had forgotten. Inuzuza Wolves were not gentle pets. They were Ninja partners. They respected strength. They tested their young through combat.
Koga looked at the cub again.
It was tiny. Its paws were small. Its teeth had barely grown. Fenfyr was technically an ancient legendary Spiritual Beast capable of transforming into almost anything.
Koga suddenly felt guilty.
"This feels unfair."
Fenfyr gave him a look that seemed to say it was ready.
Koga sighed.
"Fine."
The cub lowered itself. Its muscles tightened.
Fenfyr stepped forward. The surrounding wolves moved aside.
Even some of the mothers watched with interest.
Koga looked at the strange scene.
"I came here to feed wolves."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Now I’m apparently arranging a death match between wolf cubs."
The little Inuzuza cub barked.
Fenfyr answered with a quiet growl. Then a translucent screen suddenly appeared above Fenfyr.
Koga’s eyes widened.
The villagers were too far away to notice. The nearby wolves could not see it. Only Koga and Fenfyr seemed able to interact with it.
A familiar game interface spread on top of it.
BATTLE REQUEST
OPPONENT: INUZUZA WOLF CUB
LEVEL: 3
REQUESTING BATTLE
ACCEPT?
Koga eyed it meaningfully.
"Could it be that this game interface was the same in the game?"
Fenfyr looked at him.
The cub barked impatiently.
Koga laughed.
"Alright."
He reached toward the glowing option.
"Let’s see what you can do."
His finger touched the confirmation.
ACCEPTED.
The screen changed.
BATTLE COMMENCING.
Koga’s smile disappeared. The two wolf cubs lowered their bodies at the same time. The mother wolves stepped farther away. The surrounding cubs began barking excitedly.
Fenfyr’s eyes sharpened.
The Inuzuza wolf cub showed its teeth.
Koga watched the two creatures prepare to attack.
He suddenly realized something. He had spent so much time thinking about hiding Fenfyr and Ignilion that he had forgotten one very important detail. The two legendary beasts were not simply strong.
With this game interface, they could level up, they could learn new moves, they could grow. And now, for the first time since arriving in this world, Koga smiled.
He smiled.
"Fenfyr."
The transformed wolf cub looked back.
"Don’t hurt it too badly."
Fenfyr wagged its tail.
Koga sighed.
"Actually..."
He looked at the confident wolf cub standing opposite them.
"Whatever... Just win."
The foe wolf cub suddenly sprang forward.