He reached into his system storage and pulled out Permafrost's core.

The Enraged Nightmare-rank crystal pulsed with malevolent energy, frost spreading across Jack's palm where he held it. He tossed it toward Corvin.

"Eat," Jack commanded.

Corvin caught the core mid-air, his beak crushing through the crystalline surface.

Dark energy exploded from the broken core, flowing into the raven's body like smoke.

Corvin's form shuddered, his feathers standing on end as the Nightmare-rank essence integrated into his being.

[Corvin Evolution Progress: 50%]

Jack nodded, then pulled out the two earth Nightmare cores from Gravok and Terrak. He tossed them one after another, and Corvin devoured both without hesitation. More energy flooded into the raven, his body growing slightly larger with each core consumed.

[Corvin Evolution Progress: 70%]

"Almost there," Jack muttered. He reached back into his storage and withdrew a massive pile of Dread cores—300 of them, their combined weight enough to crush a normal person. He spread them across the ground in front of Corvin.

Corvin hopped down from his perch and began eating. Each core crunched between his beak, releasing bursts of power that the raven absorbed hungrily.

"Interesting," S's voice said from beside Jack, making him jump slightly. The guardian deity had been so quiet that Jack had almost forgotten he was there.

"You're trying to force an evolution. Ambitious."

Jack shot him a glance. "He deserves to be stronger. He's fought beside me through everything."

"Admirable sentiment," S agreed, his red eyes tracking Corvin's feeding with obvious interest. "But you're going to run into a problem."

"What problem?" Jack frowned.

S just smiled enigmatically and gestured toward Corvin. "Watch."

The great raven consumed the final Dread core, and power exploded around him. Dark energy swirled in a vortex, Corvin at its center, his form writhing as the evolution tried to take hold.

[DING!]

[Corvin Evolution Progress: 100%]

[Initiating transformation to Nightmare Rank...]

[ERROR]

[Evolution requirements not met]

[Corvin must be level 50 minimum]

[Corvin must undergo an elemental transformation]

The energy dissipated. Corvin stood there, unchanged except for looking slightly larger and more powerful than before.

He cawed in confusion, turning his head to look at Jack as if asking what had gone wrong.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jack muttered, pulling up Corvin's status again. The evolution progress bar was still at 100%, but it wasn't triggering. "System, what's the problem?"

[Nightmare Rank evolution requires two conditions]

[1. Minimum level 50]

[2. Elemental transformation to stabilize the rank increase]

[Both conditions must be met simultaneously]

Jack's jaw clenched in frustration. He'd been so close. One more level and an elemental transformation was all that was required.

His gaze drifted to his remaining cores. He had options for the elemental transformation.

The dark core, the deathfrost cores, the hellfire cores, and the strange light-dark fusion core from Luminarch.

But which one would be best for Corvin?

S must have noticed his puzzled expression because the guardian deity stepped closer. And began to speak like a mentor does to their student.

"You're trying to decide which element to fuse with your companion."

"Yeah," Jack admitted. "I've got four options, but I don't know which one would make him the strongest."

"May I offer some advice?" S asked, though his tone suggested it wasn't really a question.

Jack gestured for him to continue.

"Hellfire," S said simply. "Fuse the hellfire core into him."

Jack's brow furrowed. "I was told earlier that hellfire and dark don't mix well. The combination would be volatile."

"Volatile, yes," S agreed, his smile widening. "But also incredibly powerful. The issue isn't that they can't mix, it's that they need a binder. Something to hold the two opposing forces together and prevent them from tearing your companion apart from the inside."

Jack's stomach dropped. "Tearing him apart?"

"Metaphorically speaking," S clarified, though he didn't sound particularly concerned.

"When you combine opposing elements without proper stabilization, the result is... unstable. The creature gains enormous power but loses control. Eventually, the conflicting energies destroy them."

"That's not exactly selling me on the hellfire option," Jack said flatly.

S chuckled. "I'm not finished. You need a binder, specifically, a Dark Prism Crystal. It's a rare material that can stabilize elements, allowing them to coexist within a single being."

He paused, studying Jack's face. "With a Dark Prism Crystal, Corvin could wield both darkness and hellfire without the instability."

A dual-element familiar would be unprecedented. The combination of shadow and flame would give Corvin versatility that single-element creatures couldn't match.

"Where do I find this Dark Prism Crystal?" Jack asked.

S smirked. "If Malakai's castle is still functional, he grew all the materials needed to stabilize his creatures. The Soul Warden specialized in creating hybrid beings, creatures that combined multiple elements to devastating effect. He would have maintained a garden of sorts, cultivating crystals and reagents specifically for that purpose."

The Soul Warden's Castle. Jack had a quest objective to visit it anyway. If it also contained the materials he needed to properly evolve Corvin, that made the journey doubly important.

"How far is the castle from here?" Jack asked.

"Not far," S replied. "It's down one floor. We'll need to reach the floor's exit and face whatever field boss guards it."

Jack looked at Corvin, who was still standing there with his evolution frozen at 100%, waiting for the final push to Nightmare rank.

Then he looked at his own stats, at the power he'd gained from the battle, at the 13 stat points still waiting to be allocated.

"Let's go," Jack decided. "The castle might have other resources too. Information about the Soul Warden, maybe some gear or skills I can use."

S's expression brightened with obvious approval. "Excellent. Decisiveness is a valuable trait." He turned toward Fluffy, who had been watching the entire exchange with patiently. "Fluffy, if you would?"

The massive Cerberus rose to its feet, all three heads turning to regard Jack.

The creature was even more intimidating up close, each head was the size of a large truck, and when Fluffy's jaws opened slightly, Jack could see rows of teeth that looked like they could bite through steel.

"Get on," S instructed, gesturing to Fluffy's back.

Jack stared. "You want me to ride the hellhound."

"How else did you expect to travel?" S asked, genuinely puzzled. "Walking would take a long time. Besides, Fluffy is perfectly safe as long as I'm here."

The 'as long as I'm here' part didn't exactly inspire confidence, but Jack didn't have better options.

He approached Fluffy slowly, one hand extended in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture.

Fluffy's center head leaned down, sniffing Jack with obvious curiosity.

Then, apparently satisfied, the head pulled back and all three mouths opened slightly.

Jack grabbed a handful of Fluffy's dark blue fur and pulled himself up onto the hellhound's back.

The fur was surprisingly soft, though it radiated heat like a furnace. He settled himself between Fluffy's shoulder blades, trying to find a comfortable position.

S vaulted up beside him with impossible grace, landing on Fluffy's back without even disturbing the creature's fur. He settled in as if riding a three-headed monster was the most natural thing in the world.

"Corvin," Jack called to his familiar.

Corvin transformed into his smaller self and perched on Jack's shoulder.

S leaned forward slightly and patted Fluffy's nearest head. "To the floor exit. Full speed."

Fluffy didn't growl or bark. The Cerberus bolted instantaneously

One moment they were standing on the scorched battlefield. The next, they were in motion.

The ground blurred beneath them, the crimson sky streaking overhead as Fluffy moved with speed that should have thrown Jack from his back.

But he didn't fall. Something about the hellhound's movement kept him perfectly balanced, as if gravity itself was adjusting to ensure his safety.

Jack gripped Fluffy's fur tighter, his heart pounding as the tower's environment rushed past. Stone formations, rivers of lava, crystalline structures, and screaming.

All of it became a blur as they raced toward their destination.

S sat beside Jack, completely relaxed, his eyes scanning the horizon as if this were merely a pleasant afternoon ride.

[Status Update]

[Jack Kaiser: Level 20 (29,910/35,000)]

[Class: Arc Mage (MAX), Soul Warden (MAX), Lightning Apostle (level 1), Spearman (MAX), Lightning Mage (MAX)

[Strength: 100 (+30)]

[Stamina: 60 (+25)]

[Agility: 110 (+25)]

[Vitality: 110 (+25)]

[Endurance: 60 (+30)]

[Magic: 140 (+40)]

[Mana: 400]

[HP: 3,375]

[Skill Points: 5]

[Stat Points: 13]

[Reputation Points: 326,096]

[Magic Talent Rank: S]

[Martial Talent Rank: S]

[Affinity: Lightning]

[Demonic Essence: 58]

[Blessings: Draven's Pendant (Level 2), Soul Warden (Level 1)]

[664 Dread Cores]

[6 Nightmare Cores]

[482,250 Death Tokens]

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