Chapter 6: Infernal Abyss Wolf
With his mind filled with information that didn't belong to him, Mateo opened his eyes, only to be met with an extreme close-up of an incredibly handsome guy.
This handsome guy had long white hair and exquisitely perfect features that exuded a sense of heroism.
His eyes were a golden color, and Mateo was surprised to find that the combination of white hair and golden eyes looked stunning.
The handsome guy also had a pair of slightly longer and sharper canines than usual, dressed in a tight-fitting white V-neck T-shirt and deep blue fitted trousers that highlighted his perfectly sculpted body.
To top it off, he even had white wolf ears and a tail.
Wait a minute!
White... and gold?
Wolf ears and tail?
Mateo exclaimed, "Landon?!"
Landon snorted, "Of course it's me. How do you feel now? I miscalculated; I didn't expect that transforming into a human form would trigger your ancestral memories."
Mateo furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before asking, "Ancestral memories? Do you mean those bloodline-related things? And... I'm not a Gale Wolf, am I?"
Landon nodded, "Mm, you're not a Gale Wolf, but an Infernal Abyss Wolf. However, the young wolves of Infernal Abyss and Gale Wolves look quite similar, and when they grow up, the only difference is their fur color. So People often mistake them."
Seeing Mateo's hesitant expression, Landon explained, "I had my suspicions, but I only confirmed it when I saw that you had both the Wind and Fire elements. I wasn't planning to tell you since you wouldn't know what an Infernal Abyss Wolf is, anyway. I intended to wait until your ancestral memories kicked in."
Mateo shook his head, "I didn't want to ask about that... I wanted to know what an Infernal Abyss Wolf actually is."
Landon gave him a look that said "I knew it" and continued, "An Infernal Abyss Wolf is a dual-element spirit beast, specializing in Wind and Fire. It's a unique kind of spirit beast. The fire of an Infernal Abyss Wolf has a dark magic effect, resulting in both corrosive and burning properties. Moreover, they possess a potent innate ability. When they reach adulthood, around the ninth level, their fur turns into flames of a dark blue color. That's when their innate ability activates."
"However, after the leader of this race tried to challenge a god and got killed by accident, everyone who holds a grudge against or desires the magic core of Infernal Abyss Wolves has been hunting them down."
"When the Legendary Beasts who oversee spirit beasts found out about this, they helped transport the Infernal Abyss Wolves to Inferno Realm."
"Why do you know all this so clearly? And how can you transform into a human form? What's your true identity? Are you a Legendary Beast?" Mateo pondered for a moment before asking.
Landon reached out and tousled Mateo's head, "A Legendary Beast... well, not exactly, but you could say something similar. I'll tell you everything you want to know when you reach the ninth level."
Mateo gave a skeptical "hmph" and reluctantly accepted Landon's explanation.
Mateo stared at Landon and suddenly asked, "Why do you still have wolf ears and tail when you're in human form?"
"Don't talk nonsense, you have them too." Landon hand, which had been caressing Mateo's head, suddenly grabbed his left wolf ear.
Mateo winced in pain and touched his ear in surprise.
"Regardless of the form we take, a part of our best self remains. When we go to human cities, we can pass as Beastman since they look somewhat similar."
Landon threw a set of clothes and a mirror at Mateo, saying, "Put these on."
Mateo blushed slightly, completely unaware that he had been naked and that Landon had seen everything.
The clothes were similar in style to Landon's; the T-shirt was black.
Mateo looked at his reflection in the mirror, and his features were the same as when he was on Earth, except... he was handsome.
His canines were sharper, and his originally black medium-length hair had turned a deep blue, matching the color of his ears and tail fur.
Landon took the mirror from Mateo's hand and tossed it aside. He then grabbed Mateo's hand and slipped a cold, icy ring onto his finger.
As soon as the ring was on, it felt as though a small mouth with sharp teeth had bitten into his flesh, causing a shock of pain.
He was tempted to yank his hand away from Landon's grip, but Landon's strength was unexpectedly overwhelming, leaving him unable to break free.
After a while, Landon released his hand and seemed to speak with a hint of gentleness, "It's done. It was just acknowledging you as my master. Look."
Mateo lowered his head and saw a silver ring on his finger.
Strangely, the protrusion on the ring split open from the middle, revealing a blood-red eye with a slit-like pupil.
"This...?!"
Mateo looked at Landon in astonishment.
"This is a spatial ring, but instead of using magic cores like others, it's made with a dragon eye. It's already a divine artifact called the Eternal Bond Dragon Ring. Since it has another eye, it can sense the whereabouts of the other one. Its capacity can hold a large city, and it has two additional functions. It increases the owner's resistance to magic and physical defense by 40%, and once a day, you can use Dragon Clan's innate defense, Dragon Shield, which can withstand attacks from beings three levels higher than you."
Landon raised his hand, showing a ring similar to Mateo's.
The ring blinked at Mateo, seemingly winking at him. "But never mind that for now. What kind of weapon do you want?"
Mateo thought for a moment before answering, "A short sword. Yeah, I'm more skilled with short swords."
Other than a spear, he mainly used short swords.
Landon nodded, and the ring emitted a red light.
Suddenly, Landon held a pitch-black short sword in his hand.
Swiftly, he used his nails to draw a small bloodstain on Mateo's finger, and a drop of blood fell onto the sword.
For an instant, a red line appeared on the blade.
Mateo instinctively took a step back and emitted a low growl of warning.
Landon quickly explained, "I was just helping you establish a connection by dripping blood. It's called Blood Edge. While it's only a lesser divine artifact and lacks the soul of a divine artifact, it's incredibly sharp. Once it wounds someone, the bleeding won't stop unless it's treated by a light element mage superior to your level."
Mateo accepted Scarlet Abyss Blade, his expression slightly complex.
Why was Landon being so good to him?
Both Eternal Bond Dragon and Scarlet Abyss Blade were divine artifacts, and Landon was more aware of their rarity. Yet he gave them to Mateo so casually, along with his training.
Why?
Could Mateo really trust Landon?
But had Mateo ever considered what it would mean if he didn't trust Landon, treating him as an outsider?
How could he let his guard down then?
Mateo opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
He managed to force out, "And you?"
Landon glanced at Mateo and said, "I'll show you when the time is right."
"Oh, right. When we're in human countries, don't use magic casually. Also, don't mention dark magic randomly. It's taboo in human countries. Hey, you know how many people in the Temple of Celestial Sovereign had been brainwashed? The Inferno Realm is our enemy? Ha," Landon sneered.
"Uh..."
Their identity when going out was as Beastman, so using magic carelessly could be troublesome.
Mateo was also curious—Landon seemed to really dislike the Temple.
Landon pretended not to notice Mateo's curiosity.
"Have a spar with me in human form, and then we'll leave."
Mateo responded with two dismissive sounds, his fingers fumbling with the area on the Eternal Bond Dragon Ring that should be the eyelid.
His finger stung, and when he looked down, he saw a mouth full of sharp teeth on the ring that seemed to be biting him.
Casually, Landon commented, "You're making it uncomfortable; divine artifacts are sentient, especially this one—it bites."
Um, could you not?
Mateo's mouth twitched.
Landon added, "Once you put it on, you can't take it off unless you die."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone