One wolf slammed into a clone—
POOF!
It vanished like smoke.
Another wolf bit into a different clone—
POOF!
Gone.
The beasts froze, confused for a split second.
Mike used that moment.
He appeared behind the closest wolf.
"Right here."
SLASH—!
Abyss Soul cut straight through its back.
The wolf yelped once before bursting into blue particles.
The others turned on him instantly.
Too slow.
Two clones struck from the sides—
their blades slicing across another wolf's legs.
The real Mike finished it with a quick stab to the neck.
SHING—!
Two down.
A wolf fired a mana blade from behind.
Mike didn't even look.
He stepped left—just a tiny movement—
and the blue blade sliced through empty air.
A clone jumped in and stabbed it through the head.
POOF— the clone disappeared—
but the wolf collapsed too.
Three down.
The remaining four wolves backed away for a moment, growling. Their markings glowed brighter, gathering mana for a big attack.
Mike sighed.
"I don't have time for a charge-up move."
He lifted Abyss Soul.
"Mind Cleaver."
BOOM—
A wave of shadow pressure blasted from his sword.
All four wolves flinched—
their legs trembling—
their eyes wide from the sudden mental shock.
Mike moved.
He dashed into the first wolf.
SLASH!
He cut it cleanly in half.
A clone struck the second wolf from the side—
STAB!
It collapsed instantly.
The third wolf tried to run.
Mike tossed Mirage Soul like a spear.
THUNK!
The blade pierced its back, dropping it.
The last wolf, the biggest one, roared in panic and fired a massive mana blade at Mike.
Mike didn't dodge.
He whispered:
"Solid Step."
His body locked into the ground, solid and unmoving.
The mana blade hit him—
CLANG—!!
It shattered like glass against steel.
Mike grabbed Mirage Soul from the air as it flew back to him and rushed forward.
"You're the last one."
The wolf leaped—
Mike crossed both swords.
X-SLASH—!!
Blue light burst everywhere as the leader wolf was cut cleanly apart.
It dissolved into glowing particles and scattered across the wind.
Silence returned.
Mike stood alone in the tall grass, breathing lightly.
"Heh… not bad."
He looked at his swords, then at the fading blue motes.
"This world really is perfect for leveling."
Then—
A deep, earth-shaking roar echoed across the plains.
Mike froze.
"…Okay. Maybe a little too perfect."
"Really don't want to die yet," Mike muttered as he crouched lower in the tall grass. "Let's first see what you are…"
He carefully peeked over the blades of grass.
What he saw made him stop breathing for a moment.
It was an Etherfang Wolf—but not like the others.
This one was massive, easily three times larger, its muscles coiled with raw mana. A cerulean mane ran along its entire spine, glowing like liquid sapphire. Its paws were wreathed in blue fire, crackling and hissing with every step it took. And above its head floated a three-pointed cerulean crown made of condensed mana.
Mike's eyes widened.
"Damn… is that the Legendary-Class Etherfang Wolf King?" he whispered, swallowing hard.
He wasn't staring at the beast because of fear.
It was excitement.
Pure, stupid, dangerous excitement.
"My first mount is right here," he said with a grin creeping across his face.
He cracked his knuckles and tightened his grip on both swords.
"Let's see how my new skills work now."
The Legendary Lich Summoning Skill he once owned had now evolved into a Mythical-Class Eldritch Lich Summoning Skill.
Aside from its original arsenal of curses, necromancy, soul manipulation, and death magic, it now wielded Chaos Magic, Dimensional Magic, and Void Magic as well.
But that wasn't the only skill Mike relied on.
Solid Step, originally a rare-rank skill, had been upgraded to Epic quality.
Every one of his previous abilities had also ranked up to the next grade—
and because of his broken talent Midas Touch, anything he possessed could be upgraded by one rank.
That included his Knight Mount Exclusive Skills, which not only ranked up but also had their debuffs removed.
The former -50% combat effectiveness penalty was erased, and instead, the skills granted a new buff:
He could select any single attribute from his mount—whether a talent, skill, or even bloodline—and integrate it into himself.
And as if that wasn't already insane, the capacity had also doubled.
Instead of one mount, he could now have two.
Mike smirked.
And honestly?
Etherfang Wolves were the best partners anyone could ask for.
These beasts weren't just creatures—they were living mana, as if raw magic had decided to take the shape of a wolf.
And the King variant?
That was like giving wings to a tiger—
something already terrifying becoming something unstoppable.
A perfect mount.
A perfect partner.
Mike scrolled through his inventory and pulled out a one-time-use skill book.
It was a Rare-grade consumable called Rite of Companionship.
Normally, this ritual bound a human and a beast inside a battle dome.
If the human won, the beast became their partner.
If the beast won… the human became lunch.
But in Mike's hands, nothing stayed normal.
Thanks to Midas Touch, the Rare consumable had become Epic grade, gaining a powerful new effect:
• Whoever initiates the ritual gains a 100% increase to all combat stats for the first ten minutes.
A massive boost—especially for a fight against a king-class monster.
Mike also swapped out Abyss Soul, replacing it with his newly upgraded Epic-quality Scarlet Flame Sword.
What used to be just a red flame blade was now a blazing weapon wreathed in scorching scarlet fire.
And his original Crimson Sword Art?
Also upgraded to Epic.
Now it held five offensive techniques, one movement art, and two defensive forms—all far stronger than before.
"Okay… I'm ready now," Mike muttered as he stood up from the grass.
The Etherfang Wolf King instantly noticed him and rushed at him, jaws wide open.
Mike dodged him easily and then raised the consumable.
The moment he poured mana into it, the book ignited with blue and red light, flew out of his hands, and unfolded in mid-air.
A ritual dome snapped into existence, bursting outward in a shimmering wave and forcing the other Etherfang Wolves away.
They growled and backed off as the barrier sealed shut.
Inside the dome, only Mike and the Etherfang Wolf King remained.