Chapter 207: Domain of Shadows

The massive shadow wolf lay sprawled across the dirt, its fur soaked in its own blood and its ribs shattered from the charge. Its red eyes, which had once burned with the hunger of an apex predator, darted with panic. It looked between the imposing bull snorting feet away—eager to crush its skull with a single stomp—and the human standing before it with a cold aura.

The beast was not stupid. It understood the situation: if it did not submit to this human’s will, the man would take half a step aside and let the horned monolith finish the job.

Kellar walked toward the creature and extended his hand, a magical light blossoming over the predator’s snout.

[A Dark-shadow wolf requests to become a slave of the Overlord Tribe][Accept] / [Reject]

"Subdue," muttered Kellar without blinking.

The shadow wolf offered not the slightest spiritual resistance. Instead of fighting the contract, the creature whined weakly and pressed its snout flat against the dirt, surrendering its mana core to the interface. The beast’s survival instinct overruled its pride; it preferred being a warhound a thousand times over to being turned into tenderized meat beneath Bighorn’s hooves.

A dark blue runic brand flared for a second across the wolf’s forehead before sinking into its skin.

[Taming Successful!][The Shadow Wolf has joined your domain.]Status: Loyal / Terrified

The moment the bond sealed, Kellar pressed his hand against the gashes on the beast’s flank and cast [Healing]. A golden light wrapped around the ten-foot monster; its broken bones snapped back into place and the deep gouges carved by the horns closed at a breathtaking pace.

The shadow wolf rose onto all fours, shaking its thick black coat. Despite regaining its strength, the creature cowered low, flattening its ears and letting out a submissive whine as it crawled toward Kellar’s boots to lick his gauntlet.

"From this day forth, your name is Fenrir," declared Kellar, stroking its head with authority.

A few paces away, Bighorn, Daisy, and Misty released heavy snorts of rage, glaring with resentment as the executioner of their herd not only kept its life, but received a name and the direct protection of their lord. Yet, none of the three dared defy Kellar’s command.

"It is done," said Kellar, turning toward the bull and his mates with a cold gaze. "Fenrir is now part of our vanguard forces. If you attempt to kill or harm him behind my back, I will treat it as an act of treason against me. Is that clear?"

"It is clear... my Lord," said Bighorn, lowering his head with a clenched jaw and a voice shaking with anger.

"Good. Lennis, take the three cattle to the main barn and have the healers give Misty a full checkup," ordered Kellar. "And secure Fenrir at the front lines. The tide from the Ash Valley won’t take long to arrive, and we’re going to need every claw we can get."

"My Lord... do you think a separate barn could be built for us?" asked Bighorn, lowering his ears as Misty and Daisy looked hopefully at Kellar. "A place where the herd can rest and be at peace..."

Kellar offered a slight smirk and nodded.

"Fair enough, you’ll have your own space. But you have work ahead of you, Bighorn. I expect to see calves soon to grow the tribe’s herd," told him Kellar, meeting his eyes.

The massive bull puffed out his chest and stamped his hoof hard against the soil.

"I will give it my all, Great Lord! I won’t disappoint you!" declared Bighorn with resolve.

Beside him, Daisy and Misty let out deep huffs and turned their heads away, a flush creeping across their snouts that looked remarkably like a blush to Kellar.

"Lennis, take them. They’ll be helping us from now on," continued Kellar, turning toward his quartermaster. "Adapt the haul wagons—make them larger so Bighorn and his mates can pull them. They’ll be immensely useful for hauling more Wind Stones down from the peaks. However, make sure to give them enough time alone; I don’t want them neglecting their primary mission, which is breeding."

Lennis let out a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Understood, Great Shaman. I’ll get right on it," said Lennis, guiding the three cattle toward the barn district.

Meanwhile, Fenrir watched everything around him with curiosity. The air here had a cleaner scent than the frozen wastes he came from. He didn’t sense immediate threats; instead, his nose picked up dozens of prey miles away, abundant and seemingly easy pickings. Yet, the shadow wolf didn’t dare entertain a thought of hunting on his own. He belonged to the tribe now, and his terror of Bighorn was fresh. To make matters worse, just a few paces away he spotted an even more dangerous runic bear—Ignis—while high in the sky a massive shape, Green, kept its burning eyes locked onto him without blinking.

Kellar turned toward the dark-furred canine and gestured with his head.

"Come, Fenrir. I want to see what you’re capable of," said Kellar.

Kellar stepped forward and extended his hand toward the wolf’s head, bringing up the interface to inspect its attributes. The shadow canine’s status window appeared before his eyes:

[Fenrir’s Stats]STR: 50DEX: 150REC: 10INT: 20

Upon seeing his stats, Kellar was pleasantly surprised. The wolf had decent strength, but nothing overwhelming; compared to Ignis’s staggering 250 STR, 50 was practically negligible. However, his dexterity was on a different level: he sat at 150 DEX, matching the small feline’s speed when Kellar first met her—a stat that made him lethal.

"Looks like you’re not that strong, but you’re certainly not weak either," said Kellar, eyeing the monster’s frame. "It’s a shame I don’t have any more scrolls left; if I could get a female for you, it would be perfect for you to start a pack."

The wolf locked eyes with him and answered through the bond:

"A female? Do you mean her?"

The shadowy gray aura swirling around Fenrir split away from his body. The mist coalesced beside him, taking the form of another gargantuan wolf, though her fur was not jet-black, but a softer gray.

Upon seeing her materialize on the grass, Kellar was stunned.

"How is that possible?" asked Kellar, taking a step closer.

"When our race chooses a mate, our union becomes total," explained Fenrir respectfully. "We can merge our bodies to multiply our power."

"That’s incredible... what a spectacular species," exclaimed Kellar.

Realizing he had hit the jackpot with a single scroll, Kellar felt overjoyed.