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Chapter 36: The Pack That Follows

Elric's eyes snapped open.

He was back in the chamber.

The Echo Stone pulsed once, then dimmed.

Riven stood nearby, silent.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Then Elric looked down at his hand—his palm glowed faintly. The touch of the other world still lingered. But something else had changed too.

He could feel them.

Not just through the System's links.

Not like tools or minions.

He felt them as companions. As family.

His pack.

Rocky was the first.

The stone wolf wasn't just a summon anymore. He had grown—not in size, but in soul. His once-cracked stone skin now shimmered faintly with natural magic, especially near his spine, where tiny moss and roots had begun to sprout.

He had become a creature between worlds. Born of stone, fed by bond.

At night, Rocky no longer slept.

He stood beside Elric's door like a silent guardian, eyes glowing dimly in the dark. Sometimes, the village kids left offerings of flowers on his back, and he never moved until the last child left safely.

The villagers called him "The Guardian of the Path."

But to Elric?

He was just Rocky—the first to answer his call.

Hiss was always nearby.

Not in a flashy way.

He preferred Elric's sleeve, scarf, or shirt collar—coiled and hidden. But Hiss had changed too. His scales shimmered with a faint silver sheen now. When Elric focused, he could even see through Hiss's eyes.

Sometimes, when danger crept near the village, Hiss hissed low and sharp—before anyone else noticed. He was a silent alarm, a whisper in the wind.

Hiss also had a strange habit: sleeping beside Elric's little sisters when they had nightmares.

They never saw him.

But they always woke up calm.

Then there was Boneclaw.

Missing for two days now.

But Elric felt him.

Boneclaw wasn't like the others. He was older, more complex—something between a summoned beast and a free will creature. His bond with Elric was deeper, rawer, like two old spirits recognizing each other.

The System had stopped tracking Boneclaw the moment he vanished.

But Elric knew.

He was hunting something.

Something that knew Elric's name.

That night, Elric sat on the roof of his home, watching the stars rise. Rocky lay beside him like a boulder. Hiss was curled in his hood. Feli and Yui's laughter echoed from the lower floor, where Ma was still cleaning dishes.

And for the first time in weeks, Elric breathed.

Despite the visions, the monsters, the dungeons, and the growing whispers in the forest… this moment was calm.

He was not alone.

His pack had become part of his world.

They weren't tools.

They were echoes of his soul.

Each born from something inside him—his need to protect, his fear of loneliness, his curiosity for the unknown.

He wondered what the next summon would be.

Not because he wanted more power.

But because he was beginning to understand…

These weren't just beasts.

They were parts of him he hadn't met yet.

[Main System Menu]

— Core Class: Legendary Shepherd

— Summons:

— Rocky (Stone Wolf, Guardian Nature)

— Hiss (Silver Serpent, Silent Watcher)

— Boneclaw (Wandering Revenant – Status: Hidden)

— Pack Link: Stable

— Summon Slot: Available

— Skill Unlocked: "Echo Forge"

Craft companions using materials found across realms. Each forged beast reflects your heart's state.

— Dungeon Status: Activity Increasing in Outer Zone

System Note: "Your pack is your power. Protect them, and they will shape the world beside y