After observing the new creature's form—now at level 40—Logan found himself curious about what his next ta might be. He thought about asking Earl Rosengard, but before he could, sothing tugged at his leg.
So did Lisa and Rubina, who were just a few ters away. All three glanced down at their feet at the sa ti.
Four distinct arms—or rather, tentacles—had wrapped around Logan's legs. Whatever owned them wasn't imdiately visible, lurking just beneath the wooden harbor. Logan tried to pull his foot back slowly, eyes shifting to see how Lisa and Rubina reacted.
"Let guess... it's an octopus. And these are its tentacles," Logan muttered dryly.
Lisa's expression twisted with revulsion, but she didn't yank her leg away. She simply frowned and kept still, clearly not interested in hurting the creature. Rubina, on the other hand, crouched down and gently patted the tentacle around her ankle.
"It's friendly—and quite intelligent. Please forgive its... curious nature," Victor said with a chuckle from nearby.
"I don't mind it," Logan said, smirking. "But I'm starting to wonder if it'll turn into a kraken when it evolves…"
He reached down and let a few drops of blood fall onto the tentacle still gripping his boot. The mont the blood made contact, the appendage tensed. For a second, Logan braced himself, half-expecting the creature to retaliate—but then Victor stepped in, offering two crystals.
The response was instant.
The tentacles released Rubina's leg and then Logan's, retreating just enough for a small part of its face to peek out from between the wooden slats beneath the dock.
"You should've fed it the crystals first," Rubina said with a playful glare as she flicked Logan on the shoulder. "You could've made it mad."
"Sorry, I've just gotten used to taming aning a fight. Of course I was ready to use Darkness Arrow to teleport both Lisa and away," Logan said, feigning pain from the slap and rubbing his shoulder dramatically.
"Anyway, what's a kraken?" Rubina asked, tilting her head. "Is that so kind of monster from your world?"
"Ah, yeah. Squid-like creature from old myths," Lisa answered. "They say it could drag entire ships under the sea. Usually massive… terrifying, if you believe the stories."
She kept her eyes on the creature now tugging at Logan's foot again, its fascination with the crystals almost obsessive. It was clear that the glowing gems were the only thing keeping it calm, even as it resisted the taming bond.
"Well, we do have giant squids," added one of the nearby soldiers—one who had remained with Earl Rosengard and Logan to help with preparations and report to Lady Elara. "That's actually why we brought this guy along. He's ant to help protect us from them."
He pointed down at the octopus-like creature.
"We usually rely on water shields, and electric or wind-based magic when fighting at sea. If we co across one of those beasts, it's either run—or let the ship go. Rare as it is, it happens."
Logan looked the young man over. With erald eyes and wind-tossed green hair, the soldier's affinity was clear even before he spoke again.
"That's good to know," Logan said, offering a reassuring smile. "Actually, I hope we do run into one. I'd like to try taming it."
The soldier blinked, clearly caught off guard.
But Logan's words seed to calm him, despite the surprise. After all, it wasn't every day soone looked forward to eting a sea monster.
"Alright, well this kid is almost… there. He's been tad," Logan muttered, watching the creature closely. "Geez, just how many crystals did you feed him?"
The octopus-like beast gave no answer, but its body began to glow—just like the dolphin had before. As if it had only been waiting to be officially bound to evolve. The tentacles wrapped gently around both Logan and Lisa's legs uncoiled, releasing them carefully. It didn't want to harm them.
Then the pain of evolution hit.
The creature fell back into the water with a splash, its massive limbs twitching as light surged from within its form. Only its long tentacles remained above the surface, writhing as they began to grow—first doubling in size, then doubling again.
It had clearly been a juvenile.
Now, it was growing into its adult form and evolving.
"I think this one's going to be quite big," Logan said, stepping back toward the edge of the dock while the glowing light began to fade.
A shadow—huge and ominous—surfaced just below the water. A few thick tentacles rose slowly, testing the wooden dock with a cautious touch. They paused, hesitating as if instinct warned the creature it would break the structure if it pulled too hard. Instead, the beast slowly lifted part of its body above the surface, revealing a single curious eye focused on Logan.
"Well… it definitely grew," Logan muttered, impressed.
"The main body alone is probably two ters wide," Victor said, squinting as he gauged the creature's bulk. He glanced down, ntally calculating the length of its still-shifting tentacles.
"About seven to eight ters long in total… easily one of your largest beasts now. Probably not far from the kraken you ntioned earlier. If it really wanted to, this thing could sink a ship without much effort."
"As far as race goes… well, it looks like it evolved into more of a squid now," Victor noted, folding his arms. "Seems like it accommodated itself to your preferences, Logan."
He was about to continue when flickers of electricity arced across the creature's massive tentacles—thin lines of light leaping from one limb to another in rhythmic pulses.
"Interesting," Victor murmured, eyes narrowing. "It's developing as a dual-elent creature. The electrical affinity is becoming more defined. It already showed signs of it before—but now it's solidifying."
"That's actually why I wanted you to ta it," he added, glancing at Logan. "It had the potential, and I figured with your bond it might push even further."
The group fell silent for a mont, watching the evolved creature as it surfaced once more. Its massive head slowly rose above the waterline, revealing a subtle crown-like ridge atop its head—faintly glowing and regal in its own strange way.
Logan smirked.
[Sea-King, huh?] he thought, the na settling naturally in his mind through the bond. It had earned it.
Logan interested in the creature brought up its status page within his mind began analyzing it.
─────────༺༻─────────
Na: Sea-King / Species: Crowned Stormsquid / Level: 67 / Blood Mark: Tenticle / Loyalty: 12/100
────༺༻────
Str: 78 / Agi: 76 / Dex: 88 / Con: 73 / Int: 68 / Char: 61
────༺༻────
Skills:
Arc Glyphs: The glowing circuits on Sea-King's tentacles channel electricity and elental magic. The patterns shift to match its current mana type, empowering strikes and spell-like effects.
Abyssal Grasp: Long tentacles lunge from below, binding enemies with imnse force. This attack stuns and suppresses magic briefly on contact. Especially dangerous underwater.
Stormcurrent Veil: Sea-King cloaks itself in a charged barrier of water and electricity, boosting defense and zapping nearby attackers. The veil enhances underwater movent and can act as reactive armor.
Crown Discharge: From the subtle crown on its head, Sea-King releases a pulse of lightning mana, dealing area damage and causing montary paralysis to enemies within range.
Inkseal Array: Sprays a charged ink cloud that obscures sight and disrupts detection spells or tracking mana. The fog also reduces electric resistance of those inside it.
Arc Rending Strike: Sea-King channels raw electricity through a tentacle for a devastating cleave, bypassing armor and barriers with shocking precision.
Royal Ascension (Passive) : While subrged or near large bodies of water, Sea-King gains slow HP and mana regeneration. Its electric abilities beco empowered in storms or magical seas.
Neural Surge Whisper: Sea-King can emit minute, controlled pulses of electricity that carry thoughts or emotional impressions to bonded allies. This form of communication bypasses language and works through direct nervous-system resonance.
─────────༺༻─────────
Logan nodded thoughtfully as he reviewed Sea-King's stats and abilities through their link. It was even stronger than the newly evolved dolphin in so ways. Both would have their roles, no doubt about that. The dolphin—intelligent and social—felt like a natural candidate for a Monarch title, soone who could lead others. But Sea-King… Sea-King was different.
It was a solo powerhouse—one that could dominate the battlefield without needing a pack.
As he mulled over these thoughts, one of Sea-King's tentacles began to rise again, slowly reaching toward him like it wanted to say hello.
Logan didn't flinch.
He already knew he could shield himself from most electric attacks if needed, and more importantly, he wanted to understand this creature better. Sea-King clearly enjoyed contact—sothing about it craved interaction.
The mont the tentacle coiled gently around his forearm, Logan felt the cool, slick texture of its skin. It pulsed faintly with power, but the electricity remained controlled—held back with surprising finesse.
"Well done," Logan said, offering a small smile. "I expect you to protect our ships."
He gave the limb a firm shake, like closing a deal, that was when sothing unusual happened, the creature communicated using very small jolts of electricity.
[I will work hard to protect.]
Sea-King responded by extending another tentacle, this ti toward Lisa and Rubina. It moved slowly, almost shyly.
"Wow, it spoke to … this is new." Rubina spoke out in amazent.
Logan took the opportunity to strengthen their bond.
He reached into his special ring and pulled out several electrical crystals—ones he'd originally set aside for Stormwing. The thunderbird was too far away to use them now, and Sea-King could use them to strengthen himself.
"Here," Logan muttered as he tossed the first crystal toward the water. "Let's give you a proper welco."
The glow of the crystals reflected in Sea-King's large, watchful eye as it gently caught each one in joy.
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