An hour later, Jayden stood on the sleek, slanted glass roof of the highest corporate skyscraper in Ruby City.

The view was breathtaking. The metropolis stretched out for miles in every direction, a sprawling grid of crimson neon, winding mag-lev highways, and towering spires piercing the low-hanging clouds. He had spent the last hour actively patrolling the lower districts, dismantling two more gang-operated chop-shops.

He stood near the edge of the roof, the cold wind whipping his jacket, admiring the quiet beauty of the city. Satisfied with the night’s work, he prepared to leap off the ledge and begin the high-speed trek back to Emerald City. But suddenly

BOOOM!!!

A massive explosion erupted from the forest miles away on the very outskirts of the city. The blast was so incredibly powerful that a visible ring of displaced air expanded outward into the sky, and a second later, a deep, rumbling shockwave swept over the city, lightly rattling the glass panels of the skyscraper beneath Jayden’s boots.

[What was that?] Luna’s voice chimed in his mind, laced with genuine surprise.

Jayden’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the rising pillar of smoke illuminated by the moonlight. "It came from the deep forest. It has to be some sort of beast fight."

He contemplated the situation for a fleeting moment. An explosion of that magnitude meant massive EXP, and possibly high-tier beast crystals. And maybe, just maybe, the chance to take a powerful beast.

Without another thought, Jayden leaped off the hundred-story building. He plummeted for several seconds before angling his body, utilizing his Agility stats to flawlessly parkour down the sheer face of the skyscraper. He bounded from a lower corporate roof to an advertising blimp, to a transit rail, and finally hit the ground running.

He tapped into his top speed, accelerating to Mach 1. The city blocks blurred into streaks of light. Thirty seconds later, he skidded to a halt at the edge of the dark, towering tree line.

He instantly triggered his invisibility, melting into the foliage, and pushed deep into the forest, heading straight for the epicenter of the blast.

As he navigated through the dense, charred underbrush, his sense flared violently. He could feel an incredibly powerful, suffocating aura permeating the very air. The closer he got, the colder the temperature became. Frost began to coat the leaves and tree bark around him. Even the ground seemed to be freezing up.

When he finally reached the source of the explosion, the sight before him left him completely shocked.

He had been right about it being a beast fight. But it wasn’t beast versus beast. It was beast versus humans.

A massive crater had been carved into the forest floor, the surrounding trees either shattered or completely encased in thick, jagged ice.

Spreading out in a tactical formation around the crater were five humans. They were clad in sleek, advanced black combat armor, wielding heavy plasma cannons. Stenciled in stark white across their shoulders was the undeniable insignia of the EVA.

And trapped in the center of the crater, furiously fending them off, was none other than... the Winter Wolf.

Jayden’s eyes widened behind his mask. She looked vastly different from the last time they had crossed paths. She was significantly larger, standing almost twelve feet tall at the shoulder, her fur a pristine, glowing white that seemed to absorb the moonlight. The aura she was exuding was absolutely terrifying—vastly more dense and oppressive than the Sabertooth Flare he had faced weeks ago.

But despite her majestic, terrifying power, she was visibly struggling. She was panting heavily, her flanks heaving. Deep scorch marks and plasma burns marred her beautiful white coat, and she moved with a sluggish, exhausted desperation, as if she had been fighting for her very life for hours.

Jayden’s tactical mind raced, quickly piecing the clues together. The massive increase in physical size, the terrifyingly potent aura, her severe exhaustion, and the sudden, highly coordinated attack. It could only mean one thing.

She had just ranked up.

Jayden immediately activated his Dragon Eye to confirm his theory.

——————

*Name: Winter Wolf

*Rank: B

*Ability: Cryokinesis

*HP: 10,000 / 10,000

——————

He was right. The Winter Wolf had crossed the threshold and moved to the next tier. She was now a B-Rank beast.

That was exactly why the EVA agents were here. Their satellite grids must have detected the massive energy spike generated during her rank-up. And whenever a beast evolved to a higher tier, the biological metamorphosis left them temporarily drained, weakened, and highly vulnerable. The EVA capitalized on this exact window of weakness to eliminate high-level threats before they could fully recover, effectively ensuring that no beast could survive long enough to reach the catastrophic A-Rank tier.

But as Jayden watched the desperate battle, he noticed something strange; The Winter Wolf was far weaker than she should be, even for a post-evolution B-Rank.

Through his Dragon Eye, Jayden could literally see the ambient energy in the environment. The wolf wasn’t just releasing cold energy; she was actively, desperately absorbing it from the surrounding forest in massive, swirling vortexes. Her internal core was violently fluctuating, entirely unbalanced.

This implied that her evolution wasn’t complete. She was still growing stronger.

"Luna," Jayden whispered mentally, utterly shocked. "How is this possible? Is she actually trying to rank up again?"

[Negative] Luna replied, her voice thrumming with analytical fascination. [She is not initiating a double rank-up. She is currently undergoing a Universal Evolution]

"What does that mean?" Jayden asked, watching as an EVA agent fired a concussive blast that sent the massive wolf staggering.

[Recall when I told you that certain beasts are granted a special classification by the Universe. The Winter Wolf was classified as a ’Rare’ beast, granting her a higher baseline of power than her peers]

"Yeah," Jayden nodded, gripping the bark of the tree he was hiding behind. "I remember."

[Well, her current biological metamorphosis is not merely a tier progression from C to B] Luna explained. [She is simultaneously evolving her universal classification from ’Rare’ to the next existential tier: ’Ancient’. If she successfully completes this transition, her baseline stats and elemental mastery will multiply exponentially. She will become almost as powerful—if not more powerful—than a standard A-Rank beast, despite remaining in the B-Rank tier]

Jayden’s eyes glistened under his mask. To a normal human, or an EVA operative, an Ancient-class B-Rank beast successfully completing its evolution would be an absolute disaster.

But to Jayden, it was a once-in-a-lifetime, golden opportunity.

If she successfully evolved, and he could manage to tame her and integrate her into his Pack, he would have an unprecedented, mythical powerhouse at his absolute command. He would be practically unstoppable. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He looked back at the crater. The five EVA operatives were advancing, coordinating a relentless, overlapping barrage of heavy plasma fire that was tearing through the wolf’s hastily constructed ice shields. She was taking severe damage, her HP bar beginning to drop rapidly. She was simply too exhausted from the ongoing evolution to fight back effectively.

Jayden furrowed his brows. He

could not let them kill her. She was worth more to him alive.

[What do plan on doing?] Luna asked quietly in his mind.

Jayden clenched his fist, the leather of his gloves creaking as a surge of protective instinct washed over him. The EVA had already taken enough from him. They weren’t taking this, too.

Then he made up his mind on the spot.

"I’m going to save her."