Assimilate All Talents

Far west of Initium lay a rocky and mountainous region known as the Jagged Peaks, a natural barrier separating Crestelia from Sylmasera. For the average traveler, the region was treacherous and nearly impossible to traverse, making the only viable route to Sylmasera further north through Kerman City. Almost nothing lived in the region due to its scarce resources and difficult terrain, but it hadn't always been this way.

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Thousands of years ago, before even the war against the Outer Gods, the Jagged Peaks were home to an unknown race. Little was known about them, as there were almost no remnants of their civilization. Scholars speculated that they passed down their knowledge solely through oral tradition. However, from the few ruins they uncovered, one thing was certain, whatever race once inhabited this region had the ability to fly.

Whether through wind magic or literal wings remained a mystery, but based on the structure of the ruins, scholars deemed it impossible to traverse from one to another without some means of floating or flight.

It was an intriguing subject of debate, as no one could truly prove it. Over the years, it became a popular thesis topic among young scholars. Some even proposed more outlandish theories such as an intricate infrastructure of space magic connecting the ruins, or that the race possessed powerful psychic abilities, using telekinesis to achieve flight.

Speculation aside, after the scholars and explorers combed through the region and took anything of value, it was once again abandoned. It remained that way for many years, until recently.

High atop one of the Jagged Peaks, nestled within a crumbling ruin carved into the mountainside, a thundering roar echoed through the air, followed immediately by a triumphant yell.

"Hahaha! And they said it couldn't be done!" A man with messy green hair and tanned skin threw his head back in laughter, his voice ringing through the ancient stone corridors. "Get bent, Tamer's Guild!"

The man celebrating was Varek Drayden, an ex-member of the Tamer's Guild.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Varek paced around the restrained beast before him, his eyes gleaming with manic excitement. The runic formation pulsed with power, holding the creature in place as it let out a low, distorted growl. Its proud form had been reborn—sleek white fur streaked with black, jagged stripes, and arcs of lightning dancing through its coat. An unmistakable mark of an ancient lineage long thought extinct.

It was no ordinary wolf, it was a Raijin. The Raijin snarled at him, its golden eyes filled with defiance. Sparks of crackling electricity flickered along its fur, but the beast remained bound within the shimmering rune circle. Varek stepped closer, his heart pounding with excitement.

He had done it. He had brought back a creature lost to history, an apex predator from a forgotten era.

Seeing the Raijin triggered memories of his first experiment years ago, when he had successfully revived an extinct species. At first, the guild had celebrated his work, granting him funding and resources to continue his research.

But Varek wasn't content with mere revival. He wanted more. Much more.

Why stop at simple resurrection when he could evolve these creatures beyond their natural limits? Combining the strengths of different ancient beasts, fusing their abilities to create the ultimate lifeform—one more powerful, more intelligent, and more resilient than anything the world had ever seen.

That's when the murmurs of doubt began within the guild.

At first, they were just concerned voices questioning tampering so drastically with nature. But unease turned into opposition when he proposed pushing the boundaries even further, fusing beasts with humans.

"Fools!" he spat, his voice echoing through the ruins as he recalled their accusations calling him a madman. "Can't they see the possibilities?" His eyes burned with fervor. "Taming as we know it would be obsolete! We wouldn't need to bond with beasts! We could become them!"

But his enthusiasm had been met with disgust and alarm. The council's decision was swift and absolute—his research was shut down, his beasts seized, his funding revoked, and his reputation shattered.

Yet Varek refused to give up. Not when he was so close.

He escaped the persecution from the guild and had eventually wandered through Direwood Forest. And that was when he had found it—the corpse of a Thunder Wolf King. He could tell from a single glance that such a creature had a powerful ancestor. Fate itself had presented him with the perfect opportunity, and he seized it without hesitation. He smuggled the body away and resumed his experiments in secret, refining his methods, perfecting his techniques.

And now, here he stood. Before the first successful revival of the legendary lightning wolf, the Raijin.

The beast growled lowly, arcs of lightning crackling through the air as it struggled against its restraints. Its body still bore signs of strain from the revival process, muscles twitching and eyes flickering with confusion and rage.

Varek smirked, unfazed by its defiance. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you? No matter." He ran a hand through his greasy unkempt green hair, wondering how long it had been since he last bathed.

Before his exile, Varek had been one of the best tamers in the guild—an A-Ranker, renowned for breaking even the wildest of beasts. He wasn't just a mad scientist; he was a master of his craft. And with the power of his law technique, [Beast Domination], no creature could resist him.

Before the Raijin fully recovered from the disorientation of being reborn, he used his law technique, causing an invisible force of authority radiated from him.

The Raijin snarled as it felt the oppressive weight of Varek's will pressing down on it. Unlike the Thunder Wolf Kings he had created before, which had immediately submitted to his commands, the Raijin resisted. Even if it was just reborn, its instincts and its very essence fought back, unwilling to bow before anyone.

Varek's smirk widened. "Yes, that's it. Struggle all you want."

The beast's muscles tensed, sparks igniting along its fur as it attempted to shake off the invisible shackles. The air grew thick with static, but Varek remained unfazed, his focus unwavering. He applied more pressure, his will becoming an ironclad force that bore down on the Raijin's consciousness.

Seconds dragged into minutes, the wolf's fierce defiance beginning to falter. Its legs trembled, its breathing grew ragged, and slowly, reluctantly, its head lowered in submission.

Varek exhaled slowly, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "There we go... knew you'd see reason."

With a flick of his hand, the runic formation dissipated, and the Raijin collapsed to the stone floor, exhausted but no longer hostile. The beast's golden eyes remained locked onto Varek. It had accepted him as his master but it was an unwilling acceptance.

"You and I are going to do great things together." Varek whispered, crouching beside it and running a hand through its fur, feeling the static beneath his fingertips.

Turning toward his makeshift laboratory, he glanced at the scattered notes detailing his next project—something even more ambitious than the Raijin. A fusion of beast and man.

His lips curled into a grin as he whispered, "It's time to head out. With you and the other Thunder Wolf Kings, I'll be able to get all the humans I need for testing."

Though the Tamer's Guild called him mad, even he wasn't insane enough to attempt fusion on himself without some experimenting. That's why he had sent all his previous failed experiments to encircle the nearest town. It not only had a plethora of humans he could use for testing, but even an A-Ranker which would make an excellent ingredient.

As he and the Raijin made their way to the exit, Suddenly, the Raijin stepped in front of him, letting out a deep growl as it stared toward the exit.

Varek's eyes narrowed. He could feel it through their connection with the beast, someone had found his location.

A slow, deliberate voice echoed from the entrance of the ruin.

"So... this is where you've been hiding."

Stepping into view, cloaked in shadows, stood Sol. His expression was unreadable, his eyes glowing faintly with psychic energy.

Varek's smirk faltered for just a moment before returning in full force. "Well, well... looks like the Tamer's Guild sent someone after all."

'Tamer's Guild?' Sol wasn't sure what he meant by that but it didn't matter to him. Instead, he lifted his hand, and seven floating hands materialized beside him, glowing faintly with their respective chromas.

"I'm not from the guild." Sol said coldly. "You just messed with the wrong town."

The air crackled with tension as the Raijin bristled, electricity dancing along its fur once more.

Varek's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Bring it on, then."