The Runesmith

Chapter 700: Agni Evolves Further.

“Woof!”

“Awooo!”

“Woof!”

“Okay, okay, can you just stop jumping around? You’re going to crack the floor.”

Roland said to Agni, who was bounding through one of the corridors leading to the reinforced testing chamber. They had just returned from the dungeon through the teleportation gate and were only moments away from reaching a much safer environment.

The last time Agni had undergone an evolution had been quite some time ago, but the transformation had been extreme. The entire compound had been illuminated by the flames Agni produced, and his body had grown considerably larger. It had been a major structural and skeletal transformation that was quite volatile.

Compared to humans gaining new classes, monsters experienced far more drastic changes. If Roland received another class, his body would remain the same, and he certainly would not unleash powerful surges of mana like his companion. Agniʼs last evolution had been quite the spectacle, so this time Roland had made sure it would take place inside a heavily reinforced, bunker-like chamber.

‘I’ve heard that some evolutions can even cause powerful explosions and affect the surrounding environment.’

The massive door before them slowly slid open, its enormous weight making the movement heavy and sluggish. It was a reinforced vault plated with layers of specialized, high grade alloy that Roland had personally treated to withstand intense heat and devastating kinetic impacts. Large runic inscriptions lined the walls, glowing with a faint blue light that showed the defensive barriers were fully charged and ready.

He was not taking any chances and had already evacuated everyone from the compound. His wife was in the city running the school as its headmistress, the children staying in the dormitories were there as well, and everyone else, including Rastix, had been instructed to leave for the time being. There was no telling what a second legendary monster evolution might bring, and he had to make sure that any magical radiation remained contained within the facility.

Under normal circumstances, and just like previously, it would have been wiser to perform the evolution outside, where the heat could dissipate instead of building up enough pressure to cause an explosion. However, with so many eyes on him and the compound, he needed to ensure that no energy escaped. The chamber had been equipped with safeguards designed to contain the magical discharge while safely venting the superheated air.

‘How will the Solarian Church react to this evolution...’

Agni leaped into the center of the chamber, his paws clicking loudly against the dense metal floor. Despite the confined space, the massive wolf could barely contain his excitement. The air around him was already beginning to shimmer from the latent heat radiating from his fur as his anticipation continued to grow.

“Calm down, boy, or you’re going to set off the defensive sensors before we even start.”

Roland ran a hand through the flaming mane in an attempt to calm the wolf. Once Agni settled down, he finally turned his attention to the choices he had been given.

Wolf of Eclipse

[ Ice/Divine/Beast/ ]

A legendary creature that represents the cold, silent majesty of the moon and the cosmic void. It possesses silver and midnight blue fur along with deep blue eyes. Its body is surrounded by crystalline armor that resembles frost, and a soft chilling aura surrounds it at all times. It is believed to be the legendary companion animal of the moon gods and the bringer of night.

Blazing Alpha Volcanic Dire Wolf

[ Fire/Earth/Beast ]

A more evolved form of the Alpha Dire Ruby Wolf. Its body, which was previously transformed into a shell of volcanic matter, is now engulfed in a permanent blaze of crimson flames.

This monsterʼs body is rumored to be as hot as lava and burns perpetually. Its flesh is immune to all fire spells below Tier Three, and it is highly resistant to physical attacks.

Blazing Alpha Mystical Dire Ruby Wolf

[ Fire/Earth/Beast ]

A more evolved form of the Alpha Mystical Dire Ruby Wolf. The rubies covering its body become sharper and more durable than before. Its intelligence also continues to increase, allowing it to learn even more spells than its less evolved counterpart.

It possesses a more pronounced spiral horn on its forehead, and its body is perpetually engulfed in flames that radiate enough heat to affect its surroundings.

Solar Wolf [ Ruby Form ]

[ Fire/Divine/Beast ]

A legendary creature that was once the companion animal of the sun goddess. Its radiant form blinds all that is unholy, and it embodies the divine radiance of the holy sun deity itself.

This Solar Wolf variant still retains its ability to transform into a secondary form, one that resembles a lesser evolutionary stage with a large spiral horn protruding from its forehead.

Mystical Ruby Fenrir

[ Fire/Earth/Beast ]

A rare ruby variant of the legendary Fenrir wolf. It combines the massive frame of a Fenrir with the magical aptitude of a Blazing Alpha Mystical Dire Ruby Wolf. Larger than its lesser counterpart, its every movement is powerful enough to cause small tremors.

“The choice is kind of obvious... unless you wish to become an Ice Wolf, Agni.”

“Worf!?”

Agni snorted in response, making it clear that he had no desire to take that path. To Roland, after reading through the descriptions, it was quite a strange option to come across. It was a monster variant that seemed to be the complete opposite of the Solar Wolf Agni was meant to become. Instead of possessing an affinity for fire and the divine power of Solaria, it was aligned with ice and the divinity of Lunaria and Lunaris.

‘I wonder how those nutcases from the church would react…’

The image of Aurelia Valerian entered his mind. She was quite the zealot, and it would not be surprising if someone like her tried to put him on the chopping block for forcing a divine creature to transform into a beast associated with a rival deity.

The Sun and Moon elves had been competing for millennia. They were practically two sides of the same coin, yet they had been locked in an ideological struggle for as long as history could remember. Choosing the Wolf of Eclipse would practically be inviting a confrontation. Roland could already imagine the Moon elves showing up to inspect a companion beast connected to their god.

‘The last thing I need is a holy crusade in my backyard…’

The next two options were somewhat underwhelming. They were certainly powerful, but they lacked the unique divine aspect that Agni had already unlocked. Choosing either of them would mean abandoning all the rare traits he had worked so hard to cultivate throughout their previous adventures.

There was also the Fenrir variant, which appeared to be even larger than the previous one. To Rolandʼs knowledge, its next evolution would be a Greater Fenrir, a tier four creature capable of contending with dragons and growing just as large as some of them. That was not something he wanted Agni to become. A beast of that size would make dungeon diving with him practically impossible.

That left the final choice, the Solar Wolf with the Ruby Form included. It was the natural progression of Agniʼs current path, allowing him to retain his dual form while elevating his divine status even further. It was exactly what they needed, although Roland still was not entirely sure what the outcome would be.

“Alright, boy. Looks like weʼre sticking with the sun motif until we find something better.”

Roland reached out and patted Agniʼs snout.

“Are you ready?”

Agni answered with a low, resonant growl, his body tensing as he prepared himself for what would likely be a painful transformation.

“Donʼt worry, Agni. The array youʼre standing on has a pain-relieving function. Drink this as well. Itʼll numb your body, and it should make the process much easier.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Roland was not about to make Agni endure a bone-breaking transformation without doing everything he could to spare him the pain. He handed him a bowl filled with a potion Rastix had prepared specifically for this occasion. Once the wolf lapped up every last drop, it was finally time to begin the evolution. The last time, Agni had refused the pain reliever, but this time he seemed to know better.

Name :

Sunlight Wolf [Divine Form] [ L 250 ]

Type :

Fire/Earth/Divine Beast

HP

64375/64375

MP

58672/57621

SP

90383/90381

Strength

482

Agility

646

Dexterity

379

Vitality

559

Endurance

613

Intelligence

556

Willpower

540

Charisma

22

Luck

18

His level had reached the apex of two hundred fifty, and he had also learned another skill upon reaching it.

Holy Solar Regeneration

Passive Skill

When the Sunlight Wolfʼs health drops below 30%, it enters a regenerative state, rapidly restoring health. While in this state, incoming magical attacks are partially converted into healing. The regeneration continues even after reaching full health for a limited time. The effect is enhanced in direct sunlight and can only trigger once per day.

It was a skill that reminded him of his own ”Overlordʼs Indomitable Will,” which also triggered rapid health regeneration after suffering critical damage. There were some key differences. Agni did not gain any stat boosts or increased power, but this skill appeared to remain active for a while after it was triggered. That meant if damage kept coming his way, he would continue to heal, perhaps granting him a brief period of quasi-invincibility.

”Solar Wolf... I guess the skill names were foreshadowing the new class.”

He smiled before looking back at Agni, who was ready. The time for the transformation had finally come, so he selected the Solar Wolf option on the screen. Just like before, the change happened almost immediately. As expected, Agniʼs body began radiating solar energy, far more intensely than ever before.

The ambient temperature inside the reinforced vault spiked instantly. The heavy alloy plating covering the walls groaned as the intense heat made the metal hiss and glow red. Roland watched from within his most heat-resistant armor and quickly activated the rune arrays he had prepared in advance.

‘This is way more intense than the last one…’

Agniʼs body became enveloped in an almost perfect sphere of flames. It looked as though he had been swallowed by a miniature sun that expanded until it nearly touched the ceiling and the walls. At that point, the barriers sprang to life, along with the filtration system and the cooling runes Roland had installed specifically for this occasion.

The superheated air was rapidly drawn away, funneled out of the chamber, and carried upward through the specialized cooling shafts carved into the surrounding rock. Deep groans reverberated through the metallic floor as Agniʼs body began to shift. Roland could not make out exactly what was happening, but it was obvious that a profound transformation was underway. The wolf let out a muffled whine before the sound was drowned out by the sizzling alloy, which had begun to melt despite the immense magical protection surrounding it.

‘Iʼll have to reroute more power.’

Roland acted immediately, channeling his own mana along with the stored reserves to reinforce the defensive magic. Even though a legendary creature was being reborn before him, he still surpassed it by a few levels, and the runes he could craft were among the finest anyone at his level was capable of producing.

The chamber groaned as the flames intensified, but the structure held. The sections of metal that had turned red gradually shifted back to a deep orange as Roland brought the situation under control. The miniature sun filling the chamber stopped expanding, yet it continued to release bursts of scorching heat and divine energy far more powerful than anything Agni had been capable of before.

For nearly ten minutes, the vault remained a roaring furnace of white-hot light and crackling divinity. Roland kept his eyes fixed on the diagnostic monitors and was forced to burn through a massive reserve of runic batteries just to keep everything stable. The structural integrity of the room continued to fluctuate, but eventually the mana radiation began to subside, and the golden sphere of fire before him gradually diminished.

Slowly, the miniature sun collapsed inward, drawing the scattered flames back toward the center of the room like a black hole. The blinding light faded into a soothing golden radiance that washed over the chamber, and from within it, the figure of a wolf emerged.

Agni stood at the center of the cratered room, transformed. His divine form was roughly the same size as before, but his frame was sleeker and far more regal. Previously, it had looked as though his body was engulfed in flames. Now, it seemed as if he was the divine flames themselves. Only his paws still appeared to be made of flesh.

The most striking change was his flaming horn. It now appeared to be formed entirely from fire, its golden flames brighter and more distinct than the rest of his body. His mane had grown thicker, beginning with a radiant golden pattern near its base before gradually shifting into a blazing crimson hue toward the ends. Flickering embers drifted into the air before fading away.

His paws were still gently enveloped in flames, revealing dark reddish fur that gradually gave way to living fire farther up his legs. Then his eyes opened, revealing a white blue glow as though an even fiercer flame burned within them, the fire of a white sun.

”You certainly look more majestic than before...”

Roland checked every sensor one last time before approaching. Now that Agniʼs transformation was complete, the overwhelming heat had faded. Just as before, the divine flames radiated very little warmth and could even be touched by ordinary people, provided the wolf allowed it.

”Awwwwoooo!”

A long howl echoed through the vault, producing a surge of divine mana that swept across the room. Roland felt a strange tingling sensation spread through his body. His stamina was instantly restored, and his mana began regenerating at a remarkable pace.

”Another buffing howl?”

As he approached Agni, Roland examined one of the new skills the wolf had acquired, the very one he had just used.

Howl of the Solar Wolf.

Active Skill

Releases a howl of divine energy that alleviates fatigue, restores health and mana, and cleanses various adverse status effects, as well as some curses.

It was somewhat similar to the previous skill, Solar Howl. However, it was more focused on sound and lacked any offensive power that could target enemies. Instead, it provided several beneficial buffs while also cleansing debuffs and certain curses.

‘I wonder if he can use both howls at the same time...’

The glowing, whitish eyes that blinked open looked remarkably clear. Roland knew that yellow was not the hottest color of flame. White burned even hotter, while blue and violet marked even greater temperatures. Faint glints of blue shimmered within Agniʼs eyes, perhaps indicating what the future held.

”Woof!”

Agni looked down at his paws, lifting one up and down as if he were a person trying on a new pair of shoes. His form was similar to his previous one, but there were a few noticeable changes. He trotted around the chamber several times and seemed much lighter on his feet, likely because his body was now partially composed of divine energy.

Tier 3 ( High Divine Beast)

Trait

Adds a multiplier of 3.999 to all of the basic stats with the exception of luck and charisma

His evolution also brought another bonus by increasing his stat multiplier even further. While it appeared to be only a small improvement, the increase across every applicable stat made Agni significantly stronger and faster.

Name :

Sunlight Wolf [Divine Form] [ L 250 ]

Type :

Fire/Earth/Divine Beast

HP

72428/72428

MP

69920/69920

SP

99229/99229

Strength

497 [+15]

Agility

666 [+20]

Dexterity

394 [+15]

Vitality

574 [+15]

Endurance

628 [+15]

Intelligence

576 [+20]

Willpower

560 [+20]

Charisma

24 [+2]

Luck

20 [+2]

There were also changes to some of his previous skills and abilities. Divine Element Affinity had been upgraded to High Divine Element Affinity.

High Divine Element Affinity L1

Passive Skill

Allows the caster to infuse spells with divine energy. Increases the probability of learning higher divine elemental spells and lowers the failure rate when casting any divine spell.

The same was true for Advanced Destruction Magic related to fire and earth, which had evolved into High Advanced Destruction Magic. It was still within the limits of Tier 3, but its effectiveness would certainly be much greater, making more advanced spells both stronger and easier to cast.

”You seem happy, Agni.”

”Woof!”

Agni stepped closer, and his large flaming tongue landed across Rolandʼs face. Somehow, despite being engulfed in flames, his saliva still managed to coat Rolandʼs visor.

”...Letʼs just finish this. Try transforming into your ruby form.”

There was only one thing left to test: the appearance of his other form. The description for the Blazing Alpha Mystical Dire Ruby Wolf mentioned several things that seemed potentially problematic, but there was no way to know for certain until they tried.

”Awoo!”

The transformation began, and just as Roland had expected, the temperature inside the chamber started to rise once more…