Ryker's eyes fluttered open to the sound of rhythmic dripping. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, but the hard, jagged stone he expected to feel beneath him was gone. Instead, he felt a smooth, firm, and surprisingly cool surface supporting his weight.
"Ugh... my head," he groaned, wincing as the memory of the impact flashed through his mind.
Then, it hit him. The light, the drain on his soul, the contract. He sat up abruptly, his heart racing. He looked down and realized the "bed" he was lying on was actually the coiled body of the Great Rock Python. The jagged metal hoist was gone, and the massive wound in the snake's underbelly had closed into a faint, silver scar.
"I actually did it... I fucking made a snake my pet!" Ryker let out a jagged, disbelieving laugh that echoed through the chamber.
He turned to look at the massive head of the creature. For a second, his eyes grew dark with a lingering trace of fear, his muscles tensing for a strike. But instead of bared fangs, the python leaned forward and flicked its long, forked tongue against Ryker's cheek.
"Huh?" Ryker blinked, wiping the moisture from his face. "I mean... you're actually pretty cute when you aren't trying to end my life."
The blue screen shimmered into existence, pulsing with a celebratory gold light.
[Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!]
[User Ryker: Level 4]
[Pet Slots Increased: 1/3]
[Title Attained: Beast Novice]
[New Feature: Evolution Path Mapping Unlocked]
[Would you like to name your pet?]
"A name?" Ryker looked at the serpent. Its scales were the color of deep obsidian, and its eyes held an intelligence that hadn't been there before. It was terrifying, yet elegant. "You're fast, and you move through the dark like a phantom. I'll call you... Jormun."
The snake let out a low, vibrating hiss and licked his cheek again.
"I think he likes it," Ryker chuckled. Then he looked at the massive size of the python, which took up half the corridor. "But ghost thing, there's a problem. How am I supposed to move around with Jormun? He's the size of a house."
[Feature: Beast Realm Unlocked. Contracted beasts can be stored in a sub-dimension until summoned.]
"Perfect," Ryker said, a grin spreading across his face. "This changes everything. Elara won't believe this."
He walked toward the dungeon exit, feeling a surge of confidence he had never known. But as he stepped through the portal and out into the open air, he stopped dead. The sun was high in the sky, and the morning bustle of the city was in full swing.
"Wait... fuck! It was midnight when I went in. Did I sleep that long?"
He sprinted toward the slums, his boots pounding the dirt. He burst through the door of his shack, gasping for air. "Elara! I'm back, I—"
He was cut off as a small blur of silver hair slammed into his chest, sobbing. Elara clung to his tunic, her small hands shaking.
"Brother! Where have you been? It's been two weeks!" she cried, her voice raw.
"Two weeks?" Ryker froze, his blood turning to ice. "Elara, what are you talking about? I was only gone for a night."
"No! Everyone said you ran away because of your class! I've been waiting every day!"
(The dungeon... does time moves differently inside?)
Ryker's eyes widened as he looked at the rusted clock on the wall. Today was the first day of the Academy.
"Shit! I'm late!"
He scrambled to find his frayed academy uniform, throwing it on with trembling hands. He gave Elara a quick, fierce hug, his mind spinning. "I have to go! I'll explain everything tonight, I promise! Have a good day at school!"
He bolted out the door, sprinting toward the upper district. The two-week grace period was over. He was a Level 4 Beast Tamer with a secret monster in his pocket, and he was currently an hour late for the most important day of his life.