Leo hammered the swollen region again and again with [Critical Strike], each blow sharp and controlled. He never let it burst—no way in hell was he bathing in the boiling pus of a colossal beast.

At one point, the beast even tried to pull stone over the wound with its earth ability, but as Leo suspected, it was running on fumes. Its once-burning flesh had begun to cool, the heat fading with each passing breath—proof it no longer had mana to fuel that terrifying temperature.

That didn't mean Leo was unscathed. Blisters bubbled across his skin, burning, popping, and regenerating in a rapid, vicious cycle. Niri kept spamming her healing skill over him, the soft green warmth washing over his nerves again and again. Her own body mended even faster thanks to her trait, though she still winced every now and then when her body sizzled from the overheating surrounding.

His shirt had long since vaporised, but his pants had somehow survived. He had wrapped his lower body in an aura from the very beginning—no way was he letting certain irreplaceable parts get roasted off. If those started burning, he was pretty sure he'd die from pure agony before the flames even finished the job. Even his eyes were sheathed in a faint whitish aura, a thin veil against the heat.

He didn't use more than this bare minimum. Maintaining even this much aura drained on his stamina like a leech. The longer he held it, the faster it bled him dry. A trade-off, he guessed, for the tiny mana upkeep—only 400 mana per minute.

The beast's suffering reached its peak. Both front legs finally buckled, and it collapsed into the half-solidifying lava pool. The black crust shattered under its unimaginable weight. The colossus wailed, voice hoarse—each roar weaker, more strained, more desperate.

Its mana was gone. Its body was cooling. Someone was smashing its skull repeatedly. And it could do absolutely nothing.

Its brain throbbed with each strike, a stabbing, hornet-like sting threading behind his eyes till the beast grew more submissive—second after torturous second—until finally…

Ding!

"Let's fucking go!" Leo roared, voice cracking with exhaustion and triumph as the taming confirmation chimed.

[Tamed Beast Information]

Beast: Cragveil Colossus

Name: ?

Bond: Chain Bond (35%)

Current Rank: Low 3★

Beast Bloodline: Mortal Bloodline

Bloodline Potential: ★★★★

Current Status: In extreme pain, exhausted

Specialities / Traits-

Endless Growth:

It grows endlessly throughout its life, both in mass and height. Size increases through patient layering of stone, soil, and absorbed minerals. Even at Low 3★, its body already matches a small moving hill. Older members can rival peaks.

Controlled Weight Flow:

It redistributes its massive weight through spiritual resonance, allowing it to walk without crushing vegetation if willed. It also softens impact across its body.

Titanic Endurance:

With an enormous stamina pool and stone-like tissues, it survives extreme environments. Heat, pressure, elemental strikes, and heavy blows disperse harmlessly through its mass.

Geo-Resonance Sense:

It detects vibrations, movement, and mana flow through earth over vast distances, allowing navigation and avoiding life beneath its feet.

Natural Habitat Harmonisation:

Wherever it rests, flora thrives. Its body leaks life-rich minerals and gentle heat, forming micro-ecosystems of moss, vines, and small trees. Other creatures take refuge atop its back in exchange for food.

Skills

Earth Generation & Manipulation:

Generates stone and molds terrain—creating platforms, shields, or reinforcing its body. At higher ranks, it can alter entire landscapes.

Thermal Pulse (Heat Generation):

Releases deep-core heat to repel threats, melt obstacles, or fuse stone. At peak, it can superheat plating into magma. Extremely stamina-heavy.

Metal Manipulation:

Rare ability allowing extraction and shaping of metals from soil or stone—forming armour patches, ridges, or anchors, though only possible at high proficiency. Current levels only allow pure metal manipulation.

And again, the system chimed.

Stats Updated!(30% boost of stats from Cragveil Colossus; Low 3-star has 200 stats, so 30% is 60)

Vitality: 209 [339 → 399]

Strength: 203 [333 → 393]

Agility: 174 [304 → 364]

Stamina: 203 [333 → 393]

Intelligence: 287 [417 → 477]

Mana: 28,700 [41,700 → 47,700] {21,900 / 47,700}

Leo let out a long, trembling exhale. "Ahhh… finally…" he murmured, blissed out like he'd just achieved his life's greatest ambition.

"Five days… this bastard took five whole days to tame." He dragged a hand down his sweaty, blistered face that had healed.

"Haaaaaah…"

He couldn't even picture what killing one would take. His respect for the Emperor increased substantially—defeating a 6-star version of this thing? Insanity.

He trudged across the colossus's massive body in a daze as Niri healed the huge, rising bump on its skull. Then—

"Ahh, fuck it… I'm sleeping like this," he mumbled, and simply collapsed backwards onto the cooled volcanic ground. The subtle warmth beneath him mixed with the cold breeze above, making it absurdly comfortable.

He summoned Shyra and Nyxa next to meet their new giant companion, then let himself go limp—lying there like a corpse finally allowed to rest.

He didn't even bother worrying about danger. Who the hell would cross a lava lake? And even if the crust had cooled… a literal living mountain now stood guard.

At worst, Shyra would save him before anything stupid happened.

He lay dead to the world for nearly twelve hours before suddenly jerking upright,

"Yes! The extracted skills!"

The excitement burst out of him before his brain even caught up. With a single thought, he pushed the extracted skills into the Colossus.

Then he copied them for himself.

Skill copied!

[Earth Generation and Manipulation] – 89% (Intermediate)

[Thermal Pulse] – 77% (Low)

[Metal Manipulation] – 20% (Low)

[Golem Construct] – 1% (Low)

[Scream] – 1% (Low)

"Oh yes, scream you bastard," Leo muttered with an unholy grin. "Your roars were maddening enough already—now I get to see what you do with an actual skill."

A sudden thought made him snap his fingers. "Matter of fact, you're getting the name 'Howl.' Shout as much as you want." He huffed, clearly taking petty, satisfied revenge.

But—

[Cragveil Colossus]

Name: ? → Howl

Bond: Chain Bond (36% → 52%)

The Colossus accepted the name with a deep, rolling growl that vibrated—a resonant thrum passing through stone, skin, and air alike. Apparently, after Niri healed it and it communicated with its new companions, the beast was pleased to have a benevolent master who actually cared for his beasts.

Leo rechecked the proficiencies, and his smile flattened instantly.

Even at Low 3-star… this thing was basically a bum.

"I have to do all the work for this overgrown kid…" he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Then his gaze drifted sharply toward a distant direction—eyes narrowing as he sensed the soul connection.

"Lily's position changed abruptly. From one spot to another… Were they summoned back to the city?"

---

— Thalor City —

"What?!"

Lily shot to her feet, eyes widening. "Leo's dead!?"

---

A/N: Thanks for the GTs, Bonus chapters will be uploaded the moment 100 goal is reached!

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