CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54

Still anxious, Clayton forced himself to calm down and began thinking of a solution. After a few moments of silence, he decided to dig into the ground. Without wasting time, he pulled out his farming tools and prepared to start digging with his skeleton crew.

But before he could begin, Dingo suddenly leapt out of the ground with surprising agility.

Clayton immediately brightened and rushed over. Dingo curled up on the ground, whining weakly. Ignoring the dog’s protests, Clayton examined him thoroughly. After a while, he let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank goodness you’re okay!" he said, genuinely grateful.

After all, the dog had been swimming through the earth for nearly ten minutes. Clayton figured that the ability to breathe underground might be a new evolutionary trait.

Relieved, he lightly slapped the yellow dog—more out of frustration than punishment.

Dingo looked unimpressed, though he understood his master hadn’t meant to hurt him.

"Grrrr..." he growled softly.

Clayton ignored him and gave another playful slap. But this time, as his hand made contact, he felt a sharp, primal sense of danger.

Instinctively, he pulled his hand back and stared at Dingo with suspicion. Yet the dog showed no signs of aggression, nor any behavior typical of a rabid or sick animal. Most importantly, there were no signs of illness or infection.

Clayton frowned. Was he just imagining things?

But when he slapped Dingo again, the sensation returned—stronger this time. That’s when he knew: it wasn’t his imagination. Something had definitely changed.

He stared deeply at Dingo but found no visible anomalies. Maybe the issue wasn’t with Dingo—maybe it was with him

. His body had reacted as though it were facing a predator far higher up the evolutionary chain. A primal instinct.

To test it, Clayton slapped Dingo a little harder. The dog stumbled back, staring at him with wide, watery eyes as if to say, "How could you do that to me?"

Clayton felt a bit guilty... but also amused. Still, that slap confirmed it—his fear was real.

He began to wonder: had Dingo’s bloodline evolved? Had he advanced into the mid-tier of a one-star monster?

But Clayton had no idea how to test a dog’s blood purity. If Dingo had leveled up, his mana aura should be unstable—but the dog seemed calm, fully in control.

In the end, Clayton let it go. To make up for the slaps, he offered snacks and gentle belly rubs. Dingo happily accepted the peace offering.

Yet even while pampering him, Clayton couldn’t shake the chills running down his spine. Then, faintly, he sensed a powerful aura radiating from Dingo.

"Dingo... did you level up?" he asked, staring in disbelief.

Dingo didn’t seem to care—he just wanted more attention. But to earn extra pats, he proudly revealed his true aura.

Sure enough, the aura of a mid-tier one-star monster surged from his body.

Clayton was stunned—and thrilled. A dog with power equal to a fourth-to-sixth star mage apprentice was a massive asset!

Moments later, the aura vanished as if it had never existed. Clayton was even more impressed. The ability to suppress your aura had to be another result of Dingo’s evolution.

With renewed affection, Clayton resumed petting him. But when he saw Dingo’s smug little face, he couldn’t resist giving another playful slap. Dingo huffed in protest, and Clayton quickly switched back to gentle strokes.

And so began their playful cycle: slap, growl, cuddle. Eventually, Dingo had enough and tackled his master. Clayton, laughing uncontrollably, ran around the house as Dingo chased him, turning the entire home into a playground.

...

The next morning, Clayton was busy packing up the house, assisted by his mini skeletons. He gathered everything—food, traps, outdoor gear, and more.

Despite being a man, Clayton had a knack for organization. Once everything was ready, he set off with his skeletons and Dingo.

Along the way, they passed several acquaintances who greeted them warmly. It didn’t take long to reach the familiar lakeside.

As usual, the skeletons were instructed to set traps. Meanwhile, Dingo—this being his first outing since evolving—went completely wild. He dashed around, sniffing flowers and trees, marking territory everywhere he could.

When he finished, he stood tall and proud like a king surveying his realm.

Clayton shook his head. "That dog is beyond saving..."

Once the traps were set, Clayton called four skeletons to stand beside him.

He raised his hands as though preparing for a ritual. The skeletons mirrored his movements as he chanted a spell. A radiant light formed. The lake water began to swirl, slowly forming a whirlpool that spiraled into a massive underwater tornado.

Clayton smiled in satisfaction. He had learned during the Academy conference that spells could be cast by multiple spellcasters working together. But due to the difficulty of synchronizing their magic—caused by individual differences—such collaborations were rare, and typically only used for basic spells to enhance their power.

But now, Clayton had successfully cast a forbidden spell—Abyssal Vortex—with the help of his skeletons. Since they were his own summons, they synchronized perfectly.

"All right—now!" he shouted.

They released their mana in perfect unison. The lake erupted. A loud boom followed. Water and mist exploded outward, even damaging the shoreline and expanding the lake’s perimeter.

Clayton stood in awe. "Finally... I’ve got a real trump card!"

Since he could only cast the spell once for now, Clayton took a short break before practicing other spells until lunch. After eating, he continued training until late afternoon.

As the sky began to darken, Clayton decided it was time to head home. Dingo, still full of energy, didn’t want to leave. Clayton gently put him in a headlock and dragged him back. Dingo curled up in defeat, sulking.

They were nearly home when they entered the farming district—and that’s when Clayton noticed a crowd gathering.

He approached, only to be shocked by the sight of several people—some lightly injured, others badly hurt.

"What happened to you guys?" he asked, worried.

The people around him looked on in silence, unsure of what to say. Some wore expressions of sadness and helplessness.