Wasted!

"I'm waiting."

Christopher said, his gaze unwavering, fixed directly on Leyla.

"Well... I'm here to check if you have any laundry or things I can do," Leyla replied, her voice slightly strained.

"Laundry? Or things you can do?" Christopher repeated her words, a skeptical eyebrow raised. "Why can't I believe you?" he added, his tone laced with suspicion.

"What? Why do you think I'm here? Or check if you're back?" Leyla retorted, her voice rising in exasperation.

"Quiet down..." Christopher cautioned, then continued, "Ok, if you're here for laundry and 'other things,' why are you doing it in darkness?"

"You?! I just entered the room and saw you entering... no, sneaking inside through the window," Leyla countered, her eyes flashing with indignation.

"Ok, ok... Thanks for caring, but you need to go. I have something to do," Christopher said, his tone dismissive.

Leyla stared at him for a few seconds, her expression a mix of frustration and concern. She sighed and turned to walk towards the door.

"Oh, Leyla?" Christopher called out.

She stopped and turned back to face him.

"No one should know I'm here... I'll follow the entrance when I'm done," Christopher instructed, his voice low and serious.

Leyla raised her eyebrows, her mind churning with questions. She knew Christopher was concealing something, something he didn't want anyone to know. Despite her curiosity, she decided to remain silent. She nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

'Is she to be trusted, Master?' Reaper, the wolf now resting on the bed, asked, its crimson gaze shifting from the door to Christopher.

"Leyla? Yes," Christopher replied, a faint smile playing on his lips. "She is just like a sister to me... and she saved me more than once. I was just too foolish to recognize it," he added, his voice tinged with regret. He stood up and walked towards the cupboard.

Christopher pulled out the cauldron and a bag filled with beast cores. He carried them back to the single-seater sofa, placing everything on the table before it, then sat down.

"One more thing," he murmured, rubbing his ring. Three lights emerged from the ring, coalescing into the forms of Lucas, Lazarus, and a powerful skeleton wolf with a LV8 combat strength.

"I now have two types of wolves. At least Reaper can be taken around openly, but Skeleton-and-flesh guy can't. He'll only give nightmarish dreams to anyone who saw it... Wait, I haven't given you a name. You're the leader of the five skeleton wolves, so I'll name you..." Christopher paused, his brow furrowed in thought. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Yes, you'll be Nightmare. A suitable name for a darkness bloodline beast... What are your skills again? [Death Howl], which instantly kills any target whose health points are below 20%. [Immortality], even if shattered, you'll be able to rejoin, can only be used twice a day... So when shattered for the third time, you're dead. [Eyes of Horror], inflicts fear on your opponent, reducing their stats to 30%. And [Claws of Death], slash with claws covered with deadly poison... I was lucky, I didn't have to upgrade you to unlock all these skills, but I know this isn't your full potential," he muttered.

"Two of my skills are still locked," Nightmare responded, its voice a low growl.

"Same," Lazarus and Lucas grumbled in unison.

Christopher chuckled. "That's on my part. I need to enter the Supreme Level... then I'll be safe, and you guys will gain another skill... Reaper and Nightmare only have four skills, but with their stages, they're required to have five... And you guys only have five, when you should have seven... Well."

Christopher snapped his fingers, and more than ten cores appeared on the table, joining the ones he had hunted from the cave.

"With these, we'll gain our full powers," he declared.

The four beasts, two Divine stages and two Legendary stages, exchanged glances and silently nodded.

"This is what you need to do," Christopher instructed, raising his head to address the four beasts. "Reaper, use [Wolf Shield] and shield me from you guys. Nightmare, connect your life force to mine, same with you three... Lazarus, [Earth Defense] around me, and Lucas, [Light Barrier] around me."

'Why so much defense?' Reaper asked telepathically, its eyes filled with confusion.

Christopher turned to the cub. "I'm planning on entering the Supreme Level... and this is just for protection," he explained.

"I'm confused here," Lucas interjected, jumping onto the bed and causing Reaper to bounce into the air before landing on the sofa mattress. "What about the humans in this building?" she asked, sitting on her legs.

"Yeah! The high amount of life force will surely cause some destruction," Lazarus nodded in agreement.

"Not when I have this," Christopher replied, pointing to the cauldron. "With my past memories, I know how to reduce the energy flow, and also... everyone who's a Tamer in this building will benefit from my upgrade."

He took out a green leaf he had picked in the forest, a small amount of vermilion flower, and the last of his tears. He poured everything into the cauldron and pointed a finger at it.

The beasts watched as Christopher channeled his life force into the mixture. The last time he had tried this, it had taken him hours, but now, in just a minute, he was done cooking the ingredients.

"I really need to thank Murphy for this cauldron," he said, making a silent promise.

The beasts watched with wide eyes as Christopher took the still-hot cauldron and drank all of its contents.

"Did he just?" Lazarus asked, speechless.

"Now!" Christopher commanded.

The three beasts quickly created three layers of defense around Christopher, linking their life force with him.

Christopher closed his eyes and began absorbing the cores on the table, starting with Golem's core.

Leyla walked towards the stairs leading to the ground floor and stopped when she saw Sarah and her friend approaching.

"Where are you coming from, if I may ask?" Sarah said, folding her arms and stopping in front of Leyla.

"What are you doing, Sarah... She is the headmaid," her friend whispered, her voice filled with mild shock.

"Headmaid, whose plan is to have Master Christopher," Sarah said, her expression dark.

"A dog only knows how to bark in its life," Leyla retorted, walking past them.

"Did! Did you just call me a dog?!" Sarah turned around, her face contorted with rage.

"Calling you a dog would be me showing you mercy," Leyla replied, continuing to walk. The two girls stood frozen, her words echoing in their minds.

"You slut! How dare you!" Sarah yelled, pointing at Leyla's back.

"At least Christopher sees and takes me as a friend and sister... You're just a mindless fool who's thinking she's someone else, when she's just a lonely and lost dog," Leyla added, still walking, her words cutting through the air like a sharp blade.

"...."