บท 19: Fight With Doggo

As Jamie faced the imposing figure of Cerberus, the three-headed hound, a mysterious mirror suddenly materialized before him. The reflective surface glowed with an otherworldly light, displaying an unexpected message:

[System]

[Special Quest: Defeat Cerberus for final evolution]

[Accept] or [Decline]

Jamie's mind raced, considering the implications of this quest. He had believed he'd reached his limit, unable to level up despite his relentless training. Yet, this quest promised a final evolution. Without hesitation, he accepted the challenge, his eyes scanning Cerberus for any potential weakness.

The massive creature, noticing Jamie's scrutiny, puffed out its chest in a display of pride. Jamie, seizing the opportunity to unsettle his opponent, called out mockingly, "Is your strength just for a pageant?"

Cerberus bristled at the insult. "What? How dare you insult me, you puny creature," it growled, its three heads snarling in unison.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Jamie taunted, maintaining his bravado.

"I'll f*cking dismantle your head from your body," Cerberus threatened, its patience wearing thin.

Jamie, unfazed, continued his provocation. "Oh! Is that so?"

"Yup, I'll do it if you don't fall on your knees and beg for mercy right now," Cerberus snarled, its massive form looming over Jamie.

With a smirk, Jamie retorted, "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm not a beggar, so it's better to forget about it since it will never happen."

A tense silence fell over the Colosseum as a strong wind whipped through the arena. The crowd held its collective breath, eagerly anticipating the first strike. Both combatants circled each other warily, searching for the perfect moment to attack.

Jamie, deciding to seize the initiative, unleashed his Deathly Howl skill, immediately following up with Grave Claws. The combination struck Cerberus, but to Jamie's dismay, the beast remained standing, seemingly unfazed. Uncertain of his skills' effectiveness, Jamie retreated to reassess his strategy.

Cerberus, enraged by the attack, charged at Jamie with frightening speed. Jamie attempted to leap away, but one of Cerberus's heads managed to clamp its jaws around his leg. With a violent swing, the beast hurled Jamie across the arena, sending him crashing into the Colosseum's cage with bone-jarring force.

"Did you feel that?" Cerberus taunted, its three sets of eyes gleaming with malice.

Jamie, struggling to his feet, managed a defiant response. "Ooh boy! I surely felt that," he said, his body aching from the impact.

Cerberus's maws twisted into a nasty grin. "And I thought I finally found an unbreakable toy to play with," it sneered.

As Jamie fought to regain his composure, a familiar voice echoed in his mind—the Nandy Bear. "Did that damage you more than you thought?"

Jamie, responding internally, admitted, "Well, to tell the truth, it kind of did a number on me."

Cerberus, noticing Jamie's apparent distraction, growled, "Who are you mumbling with?"

Ignoring the beast's question, Jamie continued his internal dialogue with the Nandy Bear. This perceived disrespect infuriated Cerberus, who charged at Jamie once more, ramming into him at full speed before retreating.

The Nandy Bear's voice rang out in Jamie's mind again. "You should have just told that three-headed doggo that you have a beast pact and you were talking with the monster of the pact."

Jamie, exasperated, thought back, "Yeah, tell him like an idiot that hello, I'm a monster talking with my inner monster."

"That's why I hate you," the Nandy Bear grumbled.

"Well, thanks. At least now I know that I have a hater," Jamie retorted mentally.

"Are you being proud of this fact?" the Nandy Bear asked, incredulous.

"No, I'm not," Jamie replied. With that, he activated his Shadow Merge skill, attempting to fuse with Cerberus's shadow.

After a tense moment, Jamie successfully merged with the beast's shadow. Cerberus, bewildered by his opponent's sudden disappearance, began frantically searching the arena.

"So, what's the plan, Mr. Smartypants?" the Nandy Bear inquired.

"There's no plan," Jamie responded calmly.

"What do you mean by that?" the Nandy Bear pressed, confused.

Jamie's mental voice took on a philosophical tone. "If you plan in life, it will bang you later like karma as it will get spoiled, so no planning is the best planning."

"Now you're talking crazy. I shouldn't have formed that pact with ya," the Nandy Bear groaned.

"Well, that's not my beef," Jamie quipped back.

Jamie remained merged with Cerberus's shadow, using the time to recover from his injuries. Once he felt sufficiently healed, he emerged from the shadow realm.

Cerberus's eyes lit up with realization. "So you were inside my shadow?" it said, its three faces beaming with the satisfaction of solving the puzzle.

Seizing the moment, Jamie unleashed his Deathly Howl skill once more, but to his dismay, it seemed to have no effect on the beast.

Cerberus, noticing Jamie's confusion, explained with a smug grin, "I think you're confused right now about why it's not working. To tell the truth, I have a skill that protects me from heavy damage skills."

Undeterred, Jamie switched tactics. He activated his Bone Rush skill, which proved effective, breaking one of Cerberus's necks. As the beast reeled in pain, Jamie pressed his advantage, unleashing his Fire Crusher skill. Massive boulders of fire rained down upon Cerberus, leaving significant burns across its body.

The injured head of Cerberus cried out to its siblings, "What are you doing? Kill him already! He rendered one of our brothers in a neck-broken situation!"

Another head responded, "Aaah! I'm trying, can't you see?"

Jamie, observing this exchange, realized with surprise that all three heads could communicate independently.

In a desperate move, Cerberus activated its Hell's Door skill. A portal materialized, unleashing a horde of monstrous minions that swarmed towards Jamie.

Recognizing the dire situation, Jamie summoned the Nandy Bear. The majestic creature appeared in a flash, stunning the crowd into awed silence. As the Nandy Bear engaged the horde of monsters, Jamie focused his attention on finishing off Cerberus.

Jamie activated his Grave Claws skill, poisoning Cerberus and gradually depleting its health. Seizing this opportunity, he lunged for another of Cerberus's necks, clamping down with all his might and activating his Mega Bite skill. With a sickening crack, the second head was severed.

Backing away slightly, Jamie unleashed another barrage of Fire Crusher, the flaming boulders crashing down on Cerberus's remaining neck. The beast let out an agonized howl as the flames seared its flesh.

"How did that feel, doggo?" Jamie taunted as Cerberus's massive body finally collapsed to the ground.

Suddenly, a system message appeared before Jamie's eyes:

[Congratulations]

[You defeated Cerberus]

[Final evolution commencing]

An overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over Jamie, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Two hours later, Jamie stirred, finding himself in an unfamiliar bed with an ornate canopy. Srides sat beside him, her face etched with concern. "How are you feeling now?" she asked softly.

Jamie attempted to respond with his usual bark, but to his astonishment, words flowed from his mouth instead. Glancing down at his body, he realized with shock that he was no longer a wolf. Human flesh had replaced his fur, and he was completely naked. Embarrassed, he quickly wrapped himself in the bedsheets and asked Srides to bring him some clothes.

After Srides returned with clothing and left him to change, Jamie dressed himself and stepped out to speak with her. An awkward tension filled the air as Srides studied his new form.

"How are you feeling right now?" Srides asked hesitantly.

"I'm feeling good, never better," Jamie replied, trying to sound confident despite his confusion.

Srides's gaze intensified. "How did you become human? Or were you human from the beginning?"

Jamie shook his head, uncertain. "I don't know what happened to my body, but I'm still the friendly neighborhood wolf. Aawoo!"

"Aawoo? Why are you making weird noises?" Srides asked, perplexed.

Embarrassed and equally confused, Jamie began searching the room for a mirror. Finding one, he stood before it, taking in his human appearance for the first time. To his surprise, he found himself quite attractive.

As he admired his reflection, a familiar voice echoed in his mind—the goddess who had first reincarnated him. "How do you like your new self?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"I'm feeling great," Jamie admitted. "Is this your idea?"

The goddess's voice took on a self-satisfied tone. "Of course, it was my idea to reincarnate you as a demigod in this world from the very beginning, but you still behaved so badly with a good lady like me."

Feeling a pang of guilt, Jamie murmured, "I'm sorry, I guess."

As he stood there, marveling at his new form and contemplating the implications of his transformation, Jamie realized that his journey was far from over. This final evolution marked not an end, but a new beginning—one filled with untold possibilities and challenges. With his newfound demigod status, he wondered what adventures awaited him in this ever-surprising world.