Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 158: Wolf?

Warning: Due to ritual corruption, the link is unstable. Overuse may result in side effects.

[Your Servant's Growth is Tied to Yours.]

__

He leaned back into the pillow, eyes narrowing.

Yeah, the origin was a cursed ritual. But if that wasn't enough, it was even a distorted version of that.

Moreover, its grade was Ancient too.

Not much was known about these cursed skills.

They were very rare. But according to what little information people had, they were mostly granted from cursed artifacts.

Still, they followed normal skill progression.

Trust increase? Emotional feedback?

That explained why she suddenly felt more… readable. And why she shared information about her Special Ability so easily.

Does this trust increase also affect me? But I don't feel anything different.

He quickly understood the reason.

Voidheart.

It safeguarded him against emotional manipulation…

Is that why I don't feel anything different?

The skill information did mention that it protected him even against soul damage.

Then, why didn't it completely cancel the ritual? Did that skill not recognize this as damage?

Whatever. No use in racking my brain.

He shifted his mind toward the active effect.

It looked really useful.

He felt curious.

Should I try activating it?

Alden hesitated.

Then sighed.

"Yeah, this is definitely a bad idea."

And then, like every protagonist with half a brain and zero survival instinct, he did it anyway.

He quickly got up from his bed and stood in front of the mirror.

He had already decided which skill he was going to borrow.

[Activating Linked Resonance – Level 1]

At first, nothing happened.

Then—

[SKILL – ANCIENT BLOODLINE IS BORROWED.]

[TRANSFORMING USER TO A BEAST FORM]

The power surged without warning.

Alden staggered, clutching his chest as a pulse of something primal ripped through him.

He dropped to one knee. His breathing became sharp and rough.

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An ancient mana channeled in his veins — something old, something primal.

He could feel it.

The shift.

His skin shimmered, then darkened — pitch black, like shadows made flesh.

His muscles tightened. Bones cracked and rearranged beneath his skin.

His teeth elongated. Claws tore through his fingertips.

For a single moment, Alden felt invincible — powerful, ancient.

A wolf. A creature of the dark.

Majestic.

Terrifying.

This was what he had transformed into.

Then he looked down.

And realized his paws were barely the size of a teacup saucer.

He quickly looked at the mirror.

"…Oh, come on."

His majestic fur glistened in the dim light, but instead of a beast that could make monsters tremble, he now looked like a glowing, glorified midnight puppy.

The kind that gets smuggled into royal beds by spoiled nobles.

He had thought Vanyaa only had some transformation skills which would turn him into a cat as well.

But when he saw the name of the skill [Ancient Bloodline], he understood—it was much more than just transformation.

So he was excited for his transformation.

But all he got was a wolf… which looked like a puppy.

Still, Alden wasn't disappointed.

At least, not much.

Does that mean the Draven family has some secret bloodline? Or is this just random because I didn't have any bloodline?

Alden found the latter to be most realistic.

I already knew the Draven family was nothing more than an entertainment program for Thaddeus. He had just established the family on whims.

Tch… remind me to never get excited again.

Still, he soon calmed down.

It was better than nothing at least. Now I have one extra hidden card.

But does this transformation have any effect, or is it just normal?

He didn't really feel different. If anything, he felt weak.

There was one noticeable difference.

He didn't feel his mana core.

That was strange.

He could use mana, but no mana core could be felt.

He tried to use his Shadow Steps.

It worked normally. But he felt nearly three times the usual mana consumption.

That's expensive.

He then tried to sense his mana using his [Monarch of Mana].

But from the outside, he didn't even feel like a mana user.

He just seemed like a normal puppy.

A smirk formed on Alden's puppy face.

Now this is useful.

Just thinking about its uses excited Alden.

Alden tried a few more experiments before his transformation ended.

It lasted a bit over half an hour.

His transformation back was normal and didn't hurt at all.

As soon as he transformed back, his body felt exhausted.

It seems the skill took a huge toll on me.

Alden walked back to his bed and just hopped onto it.

I'll think about other things tomorrow.

His eyes closed as soon as his head touched the pillow.

__

The next day arrived too soon.

Alden woke up, trying to defend his eyes which were being assaulted by the sunlight.

He lazily got up from his bed and stretched his body.

Stretching for a while, he dragged himself to take a cold shower.

After the shower, he got dressed and quickly cooked something for himself and Vanyaa.

From how peaceful it was looking, it was clear that she hadn't woken up yet.

Alden didn't have any intention of waking her up either.

He just left her breakfast inside the refrigerator.

He didn't forget to put a note on the table, informing her that he was going to class and her meal was in the fridge.

He exited the door.

The door locked behind him automatically.

Hmm, is it fixed already? When did they do it?

He had messaged the dorm authority last night and it was already fixed.

They were quick.

He didn't think much of it and just entered the elevator.

He soon arrived on the ground floor, and just like every other day, he expected it to be empty.

Aziel had been too fed up with Alden's late routine, so he didn't wait for him like before and just went with Cecilia.

That bastard. He just wanted to spend more time with Cecilia.

What he didn't know was that someone had been waiting for him.

__

Nyx stood alone in the dormitory's common lobby.

For the first time in… well, ever, she had gotten up early.

Earlier than everyone.

Hair tied neatly into a ponytail. Uniform crisp, every button aligned with near-military precision. Not a wrinkle in sight.

She even wore that dumb little pin the academy gave out for "spirit."

Whatever that meant.

It matched her pale skin and black attire, so she let it stay.

Her hands were folded behind her back. Expression calm. Collected.

Like she just happened to be standing there, coincidentally, at the exact time Alden usually walked out of the elevator.

In truth? She had been waiting there for fifteen minutes. No, twenty.

She had checked the clock three times already.

Once when she arrived.

Once after five minutes passed.

Then again after she nearly convinced herself to leave and pretend none of this ever happened.

But she stayed. Because today was important.

Today, she would walk with him to class.

Simple goal. Perfect execution. Step one of her not-so-modest plan: Conquer Alden Draven.

She had done her research. Hours of it.

Last night was a blur of glowing screens and half-baked internet guides.

"How to Get Your Crush to Notice You," "Charm Tactics 101," "Win Your Man Without Losing Your Dignity."

Useless. Most of them assumed the target had the emotional IQ of a walnut.

Alden was… well, not that.

Kind of dumb sometimes, yes. But not that dumb.

Still, she understood something: Men were vulnerable to sincerity… and chaos.

So today, she'd give him both.

When the elevator finally chimed and the doors slid open, she didn't move.

Didn't smile too quickly. Just kept her posture calm.

Waiting. Like she hadn't been planning this moment since midnight.

"~Hey Alden, good morning."

Her voice was sweet. A little too casual.

Her eyes — normally distant, cold — softened. Just slightly. Just enough.

The faintest trace of mischief hiding beneath her practiced smile.

After all, conquest was a long game.

And she had time.

Just then, she heard the sound of footsteps.

Someone was walking toward them with slow and deliberate steps.

Nyx slowly raised her head.

She saw her.

The one she was going to compete with — and the only one who seemed like a friend to her.

Amyra.

Her white hair flowed like threads of silk and her violet eyes seemed mystical.

She looked at Nyx, then at Alden, as a slow smile formed on her face.

"Hi Nyx. Hi Alden," she muttered. "Good morning."