Chapter 605: Familiar
The silence stretched longer than either of them expected, the monster didn’t move an inch. Mina slowly lowered her daggers even though her body remained tense. Her eyes stayed locked on the massive molten creature in front of them.
It still hovered above the lava with its head lowered. Its entire posture no longer radiates hostility.
"This... doesn’t make sense," she said quietly.
Her brows furrowed as she tried to understand what she was seeing.
"A moment ago it was trying to crush us and drown us in lava and now it’s just..." She hesitated, searching for the right word. "...giving up?"
Clyde remained still, his grip on the Demonic Sword steady. But he didn’t attack.
Mina glanced at him, then back at the creature. "Do you think it’s because of the damage? We pushed it that far so maybe it felt the difference in power."
Her voice grew more certain as she continued. "Hmm... maybe it realized it couldn’t win. So instead of dying it chose to stop."
She narrowed her eyes at the creature. "Or, it wants something."
Clyde didn’t respond. Instead, he moved. He stepped forward toward the molten beast.
Mina’s eyes widened slightly. "Clyde—"
He raised a hand to signal her to stop.
Then he continued walking until he stood directly in front of the creature’s lowered head. The heat was intense, enough to distort the air around him, but he didn’t flinch.
His gaze remained calm and sharp.
"What do you want?" Clyde asked.
The molten beast did not lift its head.
Instead, a low sound of rough and strained groans came from deep within its body. It wasn’t loud or threatening like before. It sounded... weak. Almost submissive.
Mina blinked again, her confusion deepening.
But Clyde’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he understood something beyond the sound.
The groan came again but softer this time. Its massive body dimmed, the glow of its molten core stabilizing instead of flaring violently like before.
It wasn’t anger or resistance anymore. But it was like an answer.
Clyde sighed slowly.
"You want to serve me?" he said under his breath.
The moment the words left him, a faint shift passed through the air.
Then a translucent screen appeared in front of him.
[Target Identified: "Infernal Core Beast – Vulkrath"]
[Status: Subjugated]
[Condition Met: Overwhelming Force + Submission Trigger]
[The creature has acknowledged you as its superior.]
[Do you wish to accept this entity as your Familiar?]
[YES] / [NO]
Mina stared at the screen, her confusion turning into shock. "It seems like you... tamed it?"
Clyde shrugged at her and didn’t hesitate. He said, "Yes."
The moment he answered, the screen changed again.
[Familiar Contract Established]
["Infernal Core Beast – Vulkrath" is now bound to you.]
[Loyalty Status: Absolute]
[Condition: Stable]
The notification then faded. The air returned to normal even though the heat of the chamber still lingered.
Clyde lowered his sword. For the first time since they arrived at this nest a faint smile appeared on his face.
"This will be useful," he said.
Behind him, the massive molten beast—Vulkrath—remained still, its presence no longer oppressive but controlled.
It had become a weapon. No... more than that, a reliable n ally.
Clyde turned back toward Mina.
"It submitted after recognizing the gap, I think," he explained simply. "The system acknowledged it. It’s mine now."
Mina stared at him for a moment, then let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.
A relieved smile formed on her face.
"That’s actually insane. But... yeah. That’s really good for us." She glanced at Vulkrath again, then back at Clyde. "We just turned a boss-level monster into support."
Clyde nodded. The tension in the chamber finally eased.
"We need to rest first," he said. "We’ll need it after all that happened."
Mina didn’t argue about that.
Both of them moved away from the edge of the lava pool, putting some distance between themselves and the heat. The battle had taken more out of them than they showed.
Behind them, Vulkrath remained where it was, silent and unmoving, like a guardian watching over the nest.
—
Not far from the nest, two figures moved carefully through the jagged terrain.
Sean and Connor stopped at the edge of a rocky incline. Both of them lowered their presence as they looked ahead. The entrance to the nest loomed in the distance, heat faintly radiating outward even from where they stood.
Connor narrowed his eyes. "They went in there."
Sean didn’t answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the dark opening, as if trying to see through it.
"Yeah," he said after a moment. "No doubt about it."
A faint tension settled between them.
Connor crossed his arms, his expression uneasy. "That thing inside you felt it too, right? There is a strong monster there. If they’re fighting something like that in there-"
"They are," Sean cut in calmly.
Connor clicked his tongue. "Then this might be our chance. If they come out weakened—"
"No."
Sean’s response came instantly.
Connor looked at him, frowning. "No?"
Sean shook his head slightly, his eyes still locked on the nest.
"Going in now is stupid. We don’t know what’s happening inside." He paused, then added, "We don’t take risks we don’t understand."
Connor exhaled, clearly annoyed but not arguing further. "Alright. So we wait."
Sean nodded. "We wait."
He stepped back from the edge and glanced around the area, scanning for a suitable position.
"Find a place to hide," he said. "Somewhere we can watch the entrance without being seen."
Connor followed his gaze, then moved without another word.
It didn’t take long.
They found a cluster of broken stone formations not too far from the nest, jagged enough to conceal their presence while still giving them a clear line of sight. Both of them settled into position, keeping low.
From there, the entrance to the nest remained visible.
Time passed in silence for a while.
Then Connor spoke again, his voice quieter.
"You know, hunting those two is turning into more trouble than it’s worth."
Sean let out a faint breath, almost amused. "Yeah. They’re not normal."
Connor leaned back slightly against the rock. "Every time we think we’ve got a read on them, they do something else. First that fight... now this."
His eyes flicked toward the nest again. "If they come out alive after whatever’s in there, I don’t know, man. That’s not good."
Sean’s expression didn’t change.
"That’s exactly why we keep going," he said.
Connor glanced at him. "What?"
Sean finally shifted his gaze, looking at Connor directly.
"They’re strong. Unpredictable. That makes them dangerous." His voice remained calm, steady. "But it also means they’re valuable targets."
Connor frowned slightly but didn’t interrupt.
Sean continued, "The harder they are to hunt, the more it proves they’re worth it."
A faint smirk formed on his face.
"And eventually... they’ll slip."
Connor was quiet for a moment, then asked. "You really think we’ll get them?"
Sean turned his gaze back toward the nest entrance.
"We will," he said. It’s just a matter of time."
—