Bald.
Truly bald.
Not a single hair…
Ten minutes later, Huai Shi, sitting by the lake, raised his paw to scratch his face, feeling sparks fly amidst the grating noise.
A pebble was thrown into the lake, causing ripples to spread and instantly blurring that massive reflection.
It had grown bigger again.
Now, Huai Shi's shell had once again grown a size larger. If originally it was barely comparable to a sedan, now it was as big as an ambulance.
The once graceful fur had vanished without a trace. It was replaced by a mix of cyan-grey and streaks of bright yellow hard scales and carapace. Many of his body tissues were now covered with sharp, hard chitin.
Including his claws, even his chin bore sharp angles, like a Sharp Blade, sharp enough to fatally stab someone.
Not a trace of skin was exposed anywhere on his body. And when he opened his mouth, beneath the sharp carapace, two rows of hard, sharp Teeth were revealed; sparks flew when they rubbed together.
Even if Fu Yi were to use all her strength to shoot out spikes with her Ability, she wouldn't be able to shatter Huai Shi's thick shell and scales.
Huai Shi was certain that even among the Obsidian Relic Bones, famed for their material strength, none were as hard as his own.
And that wasn't all.
Whether it was muscular strength, stamina, explosive power, or speed, all had entered the realm of monsters, no longer comparable to the Erha he once was.
Should he be called a wolf or a dragon? He was neither, yet he wasn't entirely one or the other. But he seemed to have a bit of each.
The only problem was that he still seemed to lack any flashy Skills to show off… It seemed only his defense had been boosted.
Besides that, there was the hunger.
Immense hunger.
Insatiable hunger.
He was so hungry that, while explaining his Transformation to Fu Yi, he couldn't help but bend down and pluck some weeds from the lakeside to eat. As he ate, he started to think the taste wasn't bad—sweet and delicious. He wanted more…
Thus, under Fu Yi's stupefied gaze, the giant Wolf Beast bent down. It voraciously grazed the lawn, pulling the grass up by the roots, stuffing it into its mouth, chewing twice, and swallowing.
Then he discovered… The taste of dirt wasn't so bad either. Somewhat like an Oreo.
He sniffed. The aroma was appealing. Yes, definitely edible. Then he started to heartily eat the soil. Occasionally, small stones sparked as they grated between his Teeth.
"Hey, are you alright?" Fu Yi was astonished. "Did something go wrong with the Metamorphosis?"
"Nothing's wrong, just lacking some… nutrients… Yes, nutrients…"
In the pit, Huai Shi ate soil with focused determination, panting as he answered. In just a few minutes, he had dug a gigantic hole in the ground and consumed at least a ton of soil.
Yet, his stomach didn't feel the slightest bit swollen; he hadn't even farted once.
Soon, still unsatiated, Huai Shi lifted his head from the enormous pit that nearly buried him, looking around. "Is there anything else to eat?"
Fu Yi instinctively flew a bit higher, afraid her good friend might accidentally make her part of his meal. Then she lifted her paw, pointing towards the lakeside not far away.
Huai Shi's eyes brightened. He leaped with all his might, but because he'd dug himself in too deep, he couldn't get airborne. He scrambled forward, leaving a deep trench in the ground, and plunged straight into the lake. He opened his mouth wide, searching for small fish and shrimp, and to gulp down some water. He was parched.
"Hiss, that's refreshing."
Huai Shi's sharp Teeth plunged downwards, snagging a fish as big as a table and lifting it up. He looked towards the White Weasel in the air, asking indistinctly, his mouth full, "Do you want to come down? There are so many fish down here, and it seems there's even…"
BOOM!
A massive tentacle suddenly shot up from the deepest part of the lake, breaching the surface. It swept across, grabbed one of Huai Shi's legs, and yanked fiercely.
SPLASH.
The huge Wolf Beast disappeared from the lake's surface.
In mid-air, Fu Yi was shocked speechless.
The Third Question surfaced in her mind. What the heck is this? What's going on? What should I do now… Wait, there's a Sea Monster hiding in this lake? What do I do if Huai Shi's been pulled down? I don't seem to have any aquatic combat Abilities.
She opened the map and carefully followed Huai Shi's ID downward. She noted the depth dropping all the way to the edge of the map before it stopped, then it started to fluctuate erratically.
It looked like a fierce struggle.
The intense battle at the lake's bottom stirred up roiling undercurrents, even causing ripples on the lake's surface. From above, looking through the constantly shifting dark shadow, one could faintly discern the violent skirmish.
But Fu Yi felt that Huai Shi's struggle seemed to be getting weaker and weaker.
Suffocating slowly in the deep lake water...
Until at last, a terrifying flash of bright light suddenly erupted from the dark depths of the lake. It was followed by chaotic currents rising up, breaking through the restraints of the lake surface. Along with a thunderous boom, they shot up into the sky, splashing in all directions.
Fu Yi, drenched from head to toe, froze in place.
What the heck? Is someone dynamiting fish?
Then, amidst the surfacing scent of blood, a Wolf Beast emerged from the water, as smug as an Erha. Holding a large chunk of tentacle in its mouth, it returned to shore, shook its body, and flung off the water droplets.
Almost forgot, I have Skills too.
Licking the char marks from the Alchemy Bomb on his shell, Huai Shi bowed his head and gleefully devoured his hard-earned prize.
Actually, the taste was quite good, and the texture was excellent.