The floating stone began to shudder, thin cracks spreading across its surface like veins of light. Each fracture pulsed white until a sharp, deep crack split the air. A blinding flash exploded outward, swallowing the entire street. The ground trembled, the air reeked of ozone and hot dust, and energy rippled through the broken walls around them. Vibrations ran across the shattered cobblestones, lifting small spirals of grit into the air. The light refracted off the uneven ruins, warping the world as if the air itself had grown heavy. Out of that radiance, a massive silhouette began to take shape.

The brightness swelled, and the figure grew so vast it filled the street, the outline unmistakable. The Beast Lord.

He was being reborn as a familiar. Energy wrapped around the creature's colossal form, shadows and light weaving together in an unstable pattern. Metallic scales shimmered, pulsing faintly as though they breathed. For one brief instant, the very air seemed to bend under the weight of its presence.

Heat washed over him like a living wave. The pressure of the light was so intense he had to shield his eyes.

"I'm alive again!" The serpent's deep voice echoed through the street.

The glow began to fade. The last remnants of shadow twisted violently, as if the light itself were fighting to erase something too dark to exist. The heat receded, leaving only a trail of sparks hanging in the still air.

"I can't believe it, Mr. Shitpants!" Artemis blurted, caught between laughter and disbelief. "You're actually going to help!"

When the light finally vanished, Luke looked up, scanning the street for the serpent, but confusion furrowed his brow.

"Where's the snake?" he asked.

"Hey! What happened to me?" came a voice from below, far lower than he expected.

When Luke glanced down, he froze. On the ground, a tiny, dark-green snake, so dark it was almost black, was coiling and thrashing in frustration. Its golden eyes gleamed with fury.

"What the hell did you do, human? What did you do to me?" the little snake shouted.

"Wait… that's you? You're the snake?"

He tried, and failed, to hold back a laugh, his lips twitching.

Artemis didn't even try. The moment she saw Luke's bewildered expression and the furious little serpent squirming on the dirt, she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Stop laughing at me!" the snake screamed.

"Man, and here I thought you might actually be useful in this battle," Luke said, crouching to meet it at eye level.

"I'm a rat!" the serpent yelled, staring down at its own shrunken body. "My majestic size, gone! What did you do?"

"Hey, you think I planned this?" Luke shot back. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

[A familiar has been bound to your soul.]

A translucent screen unfolded before his eyes, lines of blue energy twisting together into glyphs that spun before solidifying into words. A new tab appeared beneath Servant, this one labeled Familiar.

When Luke tapped it, a new window opened.

[Familiar: Frankzaroth] Race: Jormungandr Rank: F

Familiar Skills: [Serpent's Leap (Rare)], [Corrosive Venom (Ultra-Rare)], [Acid Jet (Epic)]

[Evolution to Rank E]: To evolve from Rank F to Rank E, the familiar must consume Magic Beast Cores of Rank E. E-Rank Cores (0/100)

Unlock another evolution option?

It was quite a lot of information. While Franky complained, Luke tapped on the skills to read them in detail.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

[Serpent's Leap (Rare)]: The Jormungandr coils its body like a living spring and releases it in a powerful jump, covering long distances in a single motion. The impact of landing can cause small tremors in the ground and knock down nearby enemies.

[Corrosive Venom (Ultra-Rare)]: The Jormungandr releases a controlled venomous fluid from its fangs, capable of coating a target without corroding it immediately. The venom, thick and adhesive in texture, clings to the surface for a few moments before triggering its corrosive effect.

[Acid Jet (Epic)]: The Jormungandr concentrates toxic energy in its stomach and fires a pressurized liquid stream of acid, capable of piercing armor and dissolving rock. The impact leaves behind a contaminated area that continues to corrode the ground and anyone who touches it for several seconds.

"I don't believe this. I'm a snake! A tiny little snake!" Franky hissed, his scales a dark green that was almost black.

"You were born that size?" Luke asked.

"Yes! I regressed! I reverted to my newborn form!" the snake snapped, voice sharp with outrage.

"Well, you were always a baby, weren't you?" Artemis said with a laugh.

Luke stared down at the serpent as it had what could only be described as a full-blown mental breakdown.

"So, you reached that size by ranking up, or just by aging?" he asked.

"Both! I was over a thousand years old, you idiot! I grew naturally! Humans grow even at Rank F, don't they, you moron? It's the same for me!" Franky bit his own tail in frustration, practically vibrating with rage.

"Alright, alright, I get it. No need to throw a fit. I just wanted to be sure. I'd consider delaying the war if you told me you could get huge again in two days, but I doubt anyone here wants to wait a thousand years," Luke said, laughing under his breath at the end.

"It's a shame we used up all the cores—even the ones Anne was collecting. At least you could've unlocked more skills at Rank E," Luke added.

"And how exactly am I supposed to help in the castle fight now that I'm a damn worm? I'm useless! I don't want to be stuck with you!" Franky yelled, slithering in frantic circles on the ground.

"I keep my word, man. I'll still set you free once we're back on Earth. Besides, you can still be useful. Can you spit acid?" Luke asked.

The snake froze, narrowing its tiny eyes. It made a strange gargling sound, its small body puffing up as if building pressure. A grin spread across its scaled face.

"Behold! My mighty acid jet!" Franky declared, turning dramatically—and then… a thin, pitiful stream splattered onto the dirt.

"That's the mighty acid jet?" Artemis asked dryly.

The snake froze mid-pose. "No, no, that was just a warm-up! My mighty jet! Even that's gotten weak!"

Franky spun in circles, muttering in despair, while Luke crouched to inspect the tiny puddle on the ground. The soil sizzled faintly. He touched it with his finger—nothing. No pain. Just damp.

"At least I'm immune," he said.

"I'm a rat! I've turned into a damn rat!" the snake muttered to itself, slithering in small, miserable loops.

Luke ignored the Beast Lord's complaints and turned his focus back to the familiar's system interface. A new prompt had appeared just below the menu:

[Unlock another evolution option?]

Luke tapped the icon, and a new window spread open across the interface.

[Dark Lord's Familiar Evolution]: As the familiar of a Dark Lord, Jormungandr qualifies for a unique evolutionary path. This special evolution requires the familiar to absorb the core of a creature at the peak of Rank E. [Peak Rank E Core (0/1)]

Peak Rank E. That meant the core of a beast between levels 90 and 99.

He frowned at the glowing text. That was stronger than the original Beast Lord itself.

With a quiet exhale through his nose, Luke closed the interface. He'd rather fight a hundred Forest Minotaurs for their cores than face something that strong. Not that it mattered—both were impossible right now. The tutorial had been picked clean; there weren't any living magical beasts left to hunt.

Would he delay the war just to chase one down, if he could? Maybe. If it meant restoring the Beast Lord's full power. But unlike humans, monsters didn't just level up—they matured, evolved with time. And time was the one thing he didn't have.

"At least that's one problem off my list, little snake," he muttered. "Once we reach my world, it'll be easy. I'll just toss you in a toilet and flush."

He glanced down. The snake was biting its own tail, twisting itself into an angry knot.

"Oh, stop being dramatic." Luke crouched and scooped it up.

"Don't pick me up! Put me down right now!" the snake hissed.

"Quiet. You're small, slow, and loud," Luke said, walking faster. A few people were emerging from the fortress, drawn by the flash of light from Franky's release. Luke could already feel the stares and hear the murmurs.

"Put me down! I don't want them to see me like this—I'm embarrassed!"

"Embarrassed? What are you, three?"

"Not even that," Artemis laughed behind them.

Luke rolled his eyes and lifted the snake onto his shoulder. "Fine. Wrap around my arm and stay hidden under the clothes."

His assassin's gear made it easy—Franky wasn't big enough to be noticed. Luke felt the cool slide of scales as the snake coiled around his arm, slipping beneath the fabric until only its head peeked out.

"I can't believe this," the snake grumbled. "I'm a damn hatchling again…"

Luke smirked and looked down at him. "You've always been a hatchling."

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