The afternoon sun was baking the terracotta walls of the Marrakesh Medina.
Elias Thorne wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, gripping the heavy-duty leather leash in his right hand. Beside him walked Bruno, a hundred-and-sixty-pound mantle Great Dane. The massive dog's black-and-white coat gleamed in the sunlight, his tongue lolling happily as he sniffed a discarded spice cart.
It was a normal Tuesday. A perfectly ordinary, suffocatingly hot afternoon.
Until the sky shattered like cheap glass.
CRACK.
The sound wasn't just loud; it vibrated in Elias's teeth. He stumbled, dragging Bruno closer to him. Above the bustling marketplace, the brilliant blue Moroccan sky splintered. Massive black fissures tore through the clouds, revealing a swirling, violent vortex of purple and crimson energy.
The busy souk fell dead silent. Tourists dropped their cameras. Merchants stared upward, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
Bruno didn't look at the sky. The Great Dane's hackles raised, a low, rumbling growl vibrating from his deep chest. He was staring down the narrow alleyway.
Then, the blue screens appeared.
Millions of them, popping into existence in front of every single human on Earth simultaneously.
[Dimensional Convergence Initiated.]
[Planet: Earth has been classified as a Tier-1 Resource Zone.]
[Mana integration complete. Commencing the Tutorial Phase.]
[Survival rate estimated: 4.2%. May the strongest thrive.]
Elias blinked at the glowing text hovering inches from his face. Before he could process the sheer absurdity of the floating blue box, the screaming began.
From the black fissures in the sky, things began to fall.
They plummeted into the crowded marketplace like meteors of flesh and bone. One of them crashed through the canvas roof of a nearby ceramics stall, sending clay shards flying like shrapnel.
It pulled itself from the wreckage. It was roughly the size of a large chimpanzee, but its skin was the color of bruised meat, stretched tight over jagged, protruding bones. It had no eyes, just a vertically slitted maw filled with needle-like teeth.
[Scavenger Imp - Lvl 1]
The Imp let out a piercing shriek and lunged at the nearest tourist, a woman frozen in shock. Its claws tore through her throat in a spray of crimson.
Total panic erupted. People shoved, trampled, and fought each other to escape the narrow alleyways. More Imps rained down, crashing onto rooftops and diving into the fleeing crowds. It was a slaughterhouse.
"Bruno, move!" Elias yelled, snapping the leash.
He didn't freeze. He didn't scream. Years of writing apocalyptic fiction kicked in, overriding his panic with a cold, desperate pragmatism. The Medina was a death trap. They needed an open space, a wall to put their backs against.
He dragged Bruno toward a heavy wooden door set into a stone archway, kicking it open. It led to a small, enclosed courtyard.
THUD.
An Imp dropped from the tiled roof directly in front of them, blocking the entrance to the courtyard. It hissed, tasting the air, its blind head snapping toward Elias.
It sprang forward, claws extended.
Elias raised his arms instinctively, bracing for the agony.
It never came.
With a roar that shook the dust from the stone walls, Bruno surged forward. The leash snapped taut, nearly dislocating Elias's shoulder, and the massive Great Dane collided with the Imp mid-air.
A hundred and sixty pounds of muscle slammed into the monstrous scavenger. Bruno's jaws locked around the Imp's throat, pinning it to the cobblestones. The monster thrashed wildly, its razor-sharp claws raking across Bruno's flank.
The dog let out a yelp of pain but refused to let go, shaking his massive head and snapping the Imp's neck with a sickening CRUNCH.
The monster dissolved into a flurry of gray ashes, leaving behind a glowing white orb.
Bruno stumbled back, panting heavily. A deep, jagged gash ran down his black shoulder, blood matting his fur.
"No, no, no, Bruno," Elias dropped to his knees, pressing his hands against the wound. His heart hammered in his chest. The bleeding was fast. Too fast.
A new blue screen materialized in front of him.
[First Blood Drawn.]
[Initializing Player Status...]
[Scanning soul aptitude...]
[Class Assigned: Beast Tamer (Rank: F)]
Elias gritted his teeth, ignoring the screen as he stripped off his shirt to press against Bruno's wound. The dog whimpered, licking Elias's chin.
"Hold on, buddy. Just hold on," Elias whispered, panic finally clawing at his throat.
[Warning: Bonded target is experiencing fatal blood loss.]
[Detecting anomalous soul resonance.]
[Error. Error. Soul capacity exceeds standard parameters.]
[Re-evaluating...]
The blue screen violently glitched, turning a brilliant, blinding gold.
[Hidden Condition Met: Unwavering Bond.]
[Class Upgrade Triggered!]
[Class Assigned: Mythic Tamer (Rank: SSS)]
[Talent Unlocked: Mythic Lineage Awakening (SSS)]
Elias froze. SSS-Rank? Before he could process the notification, another screen flashed, demanding his attention.
[Your companion is dying. Would you like to use your innate talent: [Mythic Lineage Awakening] on target: 'Bruno'? Y/N]
"Yes!" Elias screamed, his voice raw. "Yes, do it!"
A pillar of absolute, blinding darkness erupted from the cobblestones beneath Bruno. It consumed the massive dog, swallowing him in a vortex of black flames that emitted no heat, only a bone-chilling cold.
Elias was thrown backward, skidding across the stones.
Above them, the sky pulsed. Three more Imps dropped into the courtyard, drawn by the commotion. They hissed, circling Elias, smelling the blood on his hands. He was cornered. Unarmed.
He didn't care. He kept his eyes locked on the pillar of black fire.
The flames began to dissipate, drawn inward as if being inhaled.
A low, resonant growl echoed through the courtyard. It didn't sound like a dog anymore. It sounded like a geological event. It sounded like an earthquake.
The shadows cleared.
Standing in the center of the courtyard was a nightmare of beauty and terror. Bruno had grown. He was now the size of a lion. His mantle coat had darkened to an abyssal black, save for the stark, glowing white markings on his chest and face that now pulsed with arcane energy. Armor made of dark, crystalline bone protruded from his joints and spine.
His eyes, once a soft, dopey brown, were now burning pits of violet wildfire.
[Awakening Complete.] [Target: Bruno has evolved into an Abyssal Hellhound (Mythic Variant).] [Current Level: 1]
The three Imps froze. Their predatory instincts overriding their hunger. They tried to back away.
Bruno didn't let them.
He moved with a speed that defied his massive size. He was a blur of black shadow. He didn't just bite the first Imp; his jaws snapped shut, and a burst of violet flames erupted from his mouth, incinerating the monster instantly.
He swiped a massive, bone-plated paw at the second. The impact shattered the Imp against the stone wall like a balloon filled with red paint.
The third Imp tried to leap over the wall to escape. Bruno opened his maw, and a localized gravity well of dark energy pulled the screaming monster backward, right into his waiting teeth.
Three seconds. Three dead monsters.
Elias sat on the ground, his jaw slack.
Bruno turned toward him. The violet fire in his eyes softened. He trotted over, his massive, armored paws clicking heavily against the stone, and gently nudged Elias's chest with his giant snout, whining softly to ask if his human was okay.
Another screen popped up.
[Passive Skill: Soul Link activated. Player receives 50% of bonded beast's stats.]
Elias felt a surge of raw, terrifying power flood his veins. His vision sharpened. His muscles coiled with explosive energy. The fatigue of the hot Marrakesh sun vanished entirely.
He opened his status window.
[Player: Elias Thorne]
[Class: Mythic Tamer (SSS)]
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 45] (Average human is 10)
[Agility: 50] [Vitality: 60]
He was Level 1, and his stats were already five times that of a normal human. And that was only half of Bruno's power.
Before Elias could celebrate, a deafening siren echoed across the entire globe, shaking the very foundations of the city.
A blood-red notification bathed the courtyard in ominous light.
[Regional Alert: A Level 15 Vanguard Boss has breached the Marrakesh Medina zone.] [Quest: Survive for 24 hours. Reward: Tutorial Completion.]
A roar that sounded like grinding metal tore through the city, and a massive shadow fell over the courtyard.
Elias stood up, the raw power thrumming in his blood. He looked at his giant, demonic, tail-wagging dog.
"Well, Bruno," Elias said, a dangerous grin spreading across his face. "Looks like we're not running anymore. Let's go get some loot."