Cale put some stuff into a magic bag and headed to the arena. The residence’s underground arena. Count Henituse’s territory was famous for its wealth, but that wealth was supported by military strength. How would they be able to survive next to the Forest of Darkness and the dangerous monsters contained within it without a strong military strength?
That was why their residences had underground training arenas that were larger and better than most Duke or Marquis’s residences. Cale gave an order as soon as they entered the large underground arena.
“The two of you stay out of the arena as well. Secure the area, and make sure nobody comes in from the first floor.”
“Yes, young master.”
“I understand, young master.”
Cale had a bitter taste in his mouth at the fact that Ron had an extremely wide smile on his face, but Cale chose to let it go. After watching the two people go away, Cale carried the kittens and went to the corner of the arena. Naturally, he did not forget to motion for Choi Han and Rosalyn to go very far away.
“The two of you head to the center!”
Choi Han took Lock to the center of the arena. Rosalyn had a serious look on her face, as she got a bit farther away from Lock.
“Growl!”
Lock was shaking like he was having a seizure. His arms, legs, his entire body was shaking. However, neither Rosalyn nor Choi Han approached him.
It was because Lock was growing claws. Very sharp claws that belonged to a wild animal.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Lock’s body floated up in the air. It stiffened up like an arrow, before slowly starting to change. Cale verified that the large iron gate into the arena was closed tightly, before slowly heading farther into the corner with the kittens, On and Hong, also following him.
‘This is no joke.’
Cale could see the tall and weak Lock slowly starting to change.
“Grooooowl, aaaaaaaah!”
Lock now grew out some sharp fangs, before screaming in agony. He started to slowly get up and staggered a bit, before starting to frown and opening his eyes. He then looked toward the ceiling and let out a howl.
“Ahwoooooooooooo!”
In that instant, a half-transparent barrier appeared in front of Cale. It was a shield. While On and Hong looked around in shock, Cale just casually started to speak.
“Dragon, you really are amazing. Can you make it soundproof as well?”
Another shield overlapped the existing one. Rosalyn peeked over, and Cale could see her shock in seeing the two layers of shields in front of Cale. At that moment, the voice of the Black Dragon, that must be somewhere inside of this shield, filled Cale’s ear.
“You are very weak. That is why you need protection.”
On and Hong were excited to realize it was the dragon, but looked at Cale with pity after hearing what the dragon had to say. They seemed to agree with the dragon’s assessment. Cale ignored their gazes, and casually answered back.
“Do whatever you want.”
“I do not know why you are not using that power.”
“You don’t need to know.”
The power. The Black Dragon quickly realized that Cale did not want to show that ancient power to other people, and left it vague. Cale shrugged his shoulders and, in the end, a third shield was created for a total of a three-layered shield.
‘His skill is growing exponentially.’
Dragons learned magic differently than humans. Dragons controlled magic with their will. Cale thought that the Black Dragon’s speed of improvement was surprising, but that it also made it much more useful for him.
Cale could now peacefully watch Lock transforming into berserk mode down on the ground.
“Growl, aaaaaaah!”
Lock’s screams filled the arena. If it wasn’t for the soundproof and shockproof magic that was installed around the basement, the knights of the residence would have all quickly rushed down.
Lock’s body became larger every time he let out a shout. Muscles that weren’t there previously started to develop, and his eyes turned red. It was proof that he was losing his consciousness.
Why did that little boy from the Blue Wolf Tribe go berserk?
In the novel, Lock would experience his first berserk transformation one year later. The reason for that was the death of an individual.
‘Healer Pendrick.’
That elf ends up dying in battle. Pendrick was someone who reminded Lock of his dead uncle, the chief of the Blue Wolf Tribe. Seeing Pendrick dying makes Lock go crazy, wanting to kill everything and everyone in sight.
“On, Hong.”
Cale looked down toward the siblings who were huddled together inside the shield.
“The two of you haven’t experienced the berserk transformation yet, right?”
The kittens nodded their heads.
“Do you know anything about it?”
“Not really.”
“Nobody taught us about it.”
Cale knew this would be the case. Since On and Hong also seemed to be pure blooded, their berserk transformation would be rough as well. Cale looked forward once again, and started to speak.
“The Wolf Tribe, Tiger Tribe, Bear Tribe, and the Whale Tribe, these four tribes lose their rationality the most during the first berserk transformation. That is why we call these four tribes the Beast People closest to monsters.”
He did not know much about the Cat Tribe.
“I do not know how the beserk transformation will be for the Cat Tribe, but if you feel like you are going to go berserk or suddenly feel yourself heating up or hurting, immediately come to me.”
‘It would be bad if you caused an accident.’
Who would have to clean it up? Cale would have to clean up after them. Cale was someone who took full responsibility for things that happened in his territory, and the people he took in.
Cale turned to look at them after not hearing any response. The two pairs of golden pupils of the kittens were turned toward Cale, and they both quickly headed to his leg and started to rub their faces at his leg.
‘Why are they like this?’
Cale didn’t like how chummy they were being, and moved his leg slightly to the side. As he did that, Cale heard something that gave him the chills.
“Do dragons go berserk?”
“No.”
It would be crazy for dragons to have berserk transformations. If a dragon went berserk, multiple mountains would disappear in an instant. That was a very scary thought. Cale’s expression stiffened more than ever before, as he continued to look forward. It was his way of saying he did not want to hear anything more about it.
“Tsk.”
He could hear the sound of the dragon clicking its tongue in the air. While Cale was thinking about the fickleness of this dragon, Lock’s berserk transformation was finally completed.
Boom.
The werewolf standing on two legs stomped on the ground, making the entire arena shake.
The fur of the Blue Wolf Tribe was a dark blue color. The fierce werewolf, that could no longer be called a boy, became covered in that dark blue fur. Lock swung his arm that was now covered in muscles that were incomparably larger than Choi Han’s muscles, to attack with his extremely sharp claws.
“Lock!”
“Lock, snap out of it!”
Choi Han and Rosalyn tried to call out to him, but to Lock, who had lost his rationality, they were just lifeforms he needed to attack.
“Groooowl.”
A rough growl came out of Lock’s mouth. This wolf, that was at least 1.5 times Choi Han’s height, rushed toward him.
“Lock, snap out of it! It’s me! Choi Han!”
Choi Han could not attack his companion, and thus only defended as he called out to Lock. But would that do anything to make Lock return to normal? Of course not. Cale shook his head and continued to watch.
“Just smacking him on the head and making him faint would be the fastest way.”
Gasp. The two kittens gasped and crept away from Cale.
Although Cale was saying that, he had no intentions of making Choi Han do something like that. A Beast person who faints like that during their first berserk transformation would lose their rationality to the transformation once again in the future.
“Wow.”
The berserk werewolf’s attack was stronger than Cale expected. The fact that he was moving based on instinct made him utilize his muscles very efficiently.
“On, Hong.”
Cale called the kitten siblings over. There was a reason he had the two of them come with him.
“Watch that Wolf Tribe kid’s movements.”
He wanted On and Hong to pay close attention to the werewolf Lock. Lock was relentlessly charging toward Choi Han and Rosalyn. There was no retreating for Lock. That was the Wolf Tribe’s style. Cale spoke as if he was whispering to the kittens.
“That is the instinctual movements of a Beast person. The fact that they can move based on instinct, unlike humans, is one of the beauty and gloriousness of the Beast Tribes.”
Bang!
Lock’s fist smashed onto the ground and broke the marble floor. He was showing tremendous strength.
“You should not fear or dread going berserk. That is when Beast People are at their strongest.”
Pat.
Cale’s hand patted the two kitten’s heads.
“Although the Cat Tribe and Wolf Tribe are different, the two of you are Beast People as well. Watch him to learn the style of a wild animal, the style of relying on your instincts. And then-”
The two pairs of golden pupils made eye contact with Cale.
“Make it your own. Either that, or think of a way to kill those bears, tigers, wolves, the ones labeled as wild beasts.”
The kittens, the Cat Tribe children, immediately turned away from Cale to observe Lock. The kittens stood up on their hind legs and observed Lock’s every move. Silver and red, the two kitten’s furs stood up as they became extremely nervous.
Cats were weak compared to these wild beasts. It was because they were a tribe that relied on stealth that they clearly understood Cale’s intent. Cale watched the kittens for a while, before calling out to the dragon.
“Hey.”
The Black Dragon revealed itself in the air. Rosalyn and Choi Han did not have time to look toward them. They had to put their full attention on Lock. Cale pointed to the two people as he continued to speak to the dragon.
“Look at how Rosalyn uses her magic to not hurt the opponent. Also look at how Choi Han is using his aura not to attack, but to protect himself while not harming that wolf child.”
Tang, tang, tang!
Lock’s extremely quick fists were trying to break through Rosalyn’s shield. Rosalyn desperately called out to Lock while watching him attack.
“Lock, you remember me right? I said you were part of my family now. Hurry up and snap out of it!”
Choi Han turned Lock’s gaze over to him. He raised his murderous aura to the maximum to get Lock’s attention.
“Lock, attack me. I am the one who will protect you.”
Lock responded to the murderous aura by swinging his claw toward Choi Han. Even though Lock’s attack did not have any aura in it, his full physical strength was behind that attack.
Cale was watching that scene from far away while continuing to speak to the dragon.
“It is harder to not hurt something than it is to hurt something when you have immense strength. But I know you will be able to quickly pick it up, since you are a dragon.”
The dragon responded to Cale.
“I am a dragon. There is nothing I cannot do.”
“Correct. So watch them and make your own judgment.”
The dragon flew down and landed next to the kittens before turning invisible once again. Cale presumed the dragon would take in Rosalyn, Choi Han, and Lock’s movements like the kittens were doing.
‘Should I have brought some wine with me?’
Cale lamented the fact that he had no wine, as he continued to watch this boring battle. Two hours. For the duration of a typical movie, these three animal children kept their eyes on the battle, while Choi Han and Rosalyn started to get exhausted.
“.. Huff, huff, huff.”
But the one who was the most exhausted was the werewolf.
“Huff, huff. Hyung-.”
“Lock!”
Choi Han reacted to the word, ‘hyung,’ and rushed toward the staggering werewolf. Although he was not completely out of the berserk mode, Choi Han’s reaction made Cale stand up.
“Noo, noona-.”
Lock was able to recognize Rosalyn as well.
“Ah, Lock!”
Rosalyn rushed over as well to hug Lock. Lock was still covered in the dark blue fur, but his eyes were starting to become focused. Lock was not hurt at all, while Rosalyn and Choi Han had small injuries on their bodies.
The two of them protected Lock like he was family.
“So, huff huff, sorry.”
His rationality had returned. It was a perfect first berserk mode transformation, where he was able to overcome all issues. Lock put his head on Rosalyn, who was half his height, and then this 13 year-old boy started to cry. An animalistic noise was mixed in with his crying.
“Lock!”
Lock then slowly turned back into his human form, before starting to fall. The berserk mode transformation was over. Choi Han quickly approached him and prevented him from falling over. Lock was doing his best to not faint, as he was worried that he would return to his berserk state.
At that moment, a man carrying two kittens arrived in front of this boy who was trying his best to keep his eyes open.
‘Uncle.’
It was the man who said the same thing as his uncle. The man started to speak.
“You can rest now.”
The man smiled, and made Lock close his eyes like before.
“It is all over now.”
Lock finally relaxed and closed his eyes after hearing the man’s words. Lock leaned on Choi Han and fainted. Choi Han carefully laid Lock back down on the stretcher.
Cale, who had been watching this, took a potion out of the bag and threw it toward Rosalyn. Rosalyn caught the potion bottle and asked.
“Potions don’t work on Lock?”
Cale looked at Rosalyn in a way that seemed to be asking why she was saying something that was so obvious, and answered the still confused Rosalyn.
“Why would I give a potion to someone from the Wolf Tribe? It’s for you. You struggled quite a bit.”
Rosalyn stared at Cale. She had seen an amazing sight of a three-layered magic, and had many things she wanted to ask Cale. However, she said something else.
“Thank you very much.”
This had to come first.
“No need for thanks.”
Cale casually responded and turned away. He could see Choi Han who was already looking at him.
“Choi Han.”
Just how did this happen? He needed to figure out what happened.
“We need to talk.”