I Am a Hero With A Hundred Abilities-Chapter 15: Ch 14. Evolution Begins

[Companion Information]

Name: [Unregistered]

Species: Duskfang Lupir

Age: 3 Months

Current Strength: Stable

Position in Food Chain: 4th (Above Horned Skervel, Below Grave Mawler)

[Evolution Pathway Available]

Evolution Requirement: 0/600,000

Evolution requires allocated points.

Unique Traits and Abilities may manifest upon evolution.

Bond Strength Affects Growth Potential.

[Traits: None]

(To Be Unlocked)

Ethan's eyes flickered over the companion status screen, analyzing the information before him.

The cub—no, the predator—was no longer weak.

Where its strength rating had once been "Extremely Weak," it had now become "Stable."

The evolution process must have corrected all its deficiencies, transforming it into a true apex hunter.

Ethan's gaze then moved to the evolution pathway.

[Evolution Requirement: 0/600,000 Points]

A hefty price. But if this evolution was anything like the first transformation, the power gain would be more than worth it.

Ethan nodded. "Expensive, but worthwhile." His fist clenched slightly but it wasn't noticable.

His gaze then shifted to the name section.

[Name: Unregistered]

Right. It needed a name.

Ethan frowned slightly, rubbing his chin as he examined his new companion.

Calling it "little fella" felt... wrong.

The beast was already over two meters tall, its sleek grey fur rippling over solid muscle.

There was nothing "little" about it.

After a moment of thought, Ethan smirked.

"From now on, you'll be called... Gray."

The Lupir's ears perked up, amber-red eyes locking onto Ethan's.

It didn't speak, but the look it gave him... almost felt like approval.

A moment later, the name section changed

[Name: Gray]

Ethan grinned. "Alright, Gray... Let's see what you can do."

****

One month later...

Time had passed, and Gray had become an invaluable partner in Ethan's hunts.

Together, they had perfected their synergy, with their teamwork honed through countless battles.

But along the way, Ethan had discovered something crucial—

The Sanctum did not follow conventional logic.

Here, strength was determined by one thing:

Position in the Food Chain.

When Ethan first arrived, he had been at the bottom, weaker than even the most feeble creatures.

But through adaptation, equipment upgrades, and relentless hunting, he had begun climbing the chain.

Currently, he had reached 4th place, surpassing both the Horned Skervel and the Duskfang Lupir.

However, the most interesting part was Gray's position.

Gray's strength was tied to Ethan's.

Unlike other beasts, Gray did not rank separately—his status as Ethan's companion meant his power was linked to Ethan's standing and vice versa.

And since Ethan had climbed to 4th place, Gray had surged to 3rd place in the food chain.

Because Ethan had not been included in the chain for Gray since Ethan was his master and not his enemy.

That is why the moment Gray ascended the chain, something within him awakened.

[New Trait Unlocked: Predator's Dominion]

As a natural alpha, Gray could now lock down enemies, forcing them into submission.

Ethan wasted no time in exploiting this new power.

Their strategy became flawless:

Ethan would snipe the Alpha first, killing it instantly.

Gray would then activate Predator's Dominion, freezing the rest of the pack in place.

Ethan would move in for the kill.

It was absolute domination.

But good things never last forever.

After weeks of hunting Lupir packs, the system stopped awarding points and ability fragments.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have exceeded the threshold for hunting lower-ranked prey. No further rewards will be granted for killing Duskfang Lupir.

It was time to move up the chain.

Ethan opened his system interface, checking his accumulated resources:

[System Interface]

Points Available: 149,000

Ability Fragments: 0.56

He was more than halfway there.

Ethan smirked. "I can practically taste the ability."

Without hesitation, he turned away from his former hunting grounds, setting his sights on the next beast in the chain.

****

The Graven Mawler was a nightmare in the shadows.

Ethan had faced many predators, but none were like the Graven Mawler.

A quadrupedal beast, its body was covered in armored scales, making it nearly impervious to most attacks. But its true terror lay not in its defense—

—but in its jaw.

The Graven Mawler was named for its massive, crushing maw, capable of snapping bones like twigs. And it was extremely territorial, meaning it always moved alone.

But the worst part?

It had an affinity with shadows, blending into its surroundings so seamlessly that it might as well not exist.

It was a predator that attacked when you least expected it.

For two whole months, Ethan suffered.

His usual tactics of stalking a creature, learning its habits and weaknesses, were useless against a beast he couldn't even see.

And every time he failed, he was met with death.

But there was one small mercy—

Whenever he respawned at the Altar of Rebirth, Gray was always right there beside him.

That was the one thing that kept him sane.

But after two months of endless suffering, Ethan finally managed to kill one.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have obtained 0.001 ability fragments.

You have obtained 50,000 points.

Ethan stared at the notification.

Then, slowly, he grinned.

"I don't believe it worked."

Ethan's breakthrough came when he realized something critical:

Every time he died, his corpse never disappeared.

His plan was built around three crucial factors:

The Mawler was a carnivore—all high-ranked predators ate their kills.

Ethan's corpses remained after every death, meaning they could serve as bait.

Gray had an incredible sense of smell, allowing him to detect which Mawler had eaten Ethan's body.

So instead of trying to fight the Mawler head-on, Ethan did something insane:

He poisoned himself.

Every time he entered Mawler territory, he would ingest poison, ensuring that when the Mawler killed and ate him, it would unknowingly ingest the poison as well.

Since gaseous poison had already proven ineffective, the poison had to be ingested directly.

And what better way than through his own corpse?

The cycle repeated:

Ethan dies.

His corpse is left behind.

A Mawler eats him, unknowingly ingesting poison.

Gray tracks the poisoned Mawler.

Ethan respawns and finds the poisoned beast.

Ethan feeds it more poison.

Repeat.

It was a war of attrition—Ethan's sacrifice for victory.

And finally, after countless deaths, he had his first kill.

But the Hunt was Far from Over

He patted Gray's side, climbing onto his back.

"Hope I get poison immunity after all this"

He joked.

Then, with a sharp command, he and Gray left the altar, heading back into the Mawler's hunting grounds.

He still had more Mawlers to kill.

****

Ethan's hunt had finally reached its turning point.

For months, he had sacrificed, died, and adapted, all for this moment.

After another successful kill, he respawned at the Altar of Rebirth, greeted by the now familiar system notification—

—

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[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have obtained 0.001 ability fragments.

You have obtained 50,000 points.

—

Ethan exhaled, feeling the exhaustion of hundreds of deaths weighing on him.

But this time, his suffering had brought results.

He opened his Companion Interface, his gaze locking onto Gray's stats.

—

[Companion Information]

Name: [Gray]

Species: Duskfang Lupir [Alpha]

Age: 8 Months

Current Strength: Stable

Position in Food Chain: 3rd

(Above Duskfang Lupir, Below Graven Mawler)

—

[Evolution Pathway Available]

Evolution Requirement: 580,000/600,000

Evolution requires allocated points.

Trait:Predator's Dominion

Traits and Abilities may manifest upon evolution.

Bond Strength Affects Growth Potential.

—

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

He was only 20,000 points away.

And he had more than enough points now.

Without hesitation, Ethan allocated the remaining 20,000 points.

[EVOLUTION COMMENCING]

A sudden pulse of energy erupted from Gray's body.

The ground rumbled beneath them.

Ethan stepped back, watching as Gray's form began to distort, his body trembling as the evolution began.

A blinding crimson light engulfed the Duskfang Lupir, turning the surrounding air dense with energy.

Gray let out a deep, guttural growl, his muscles twisting and expanding as his body began to change.

Ethan clenched his fists.

This was it—

Gray was evolving.