"It doesn't have a name? Why not?"

I wasn't sure how to explain my thought process to Violet. It had been made more than clear to me multiple times that I wouldn't have the wolf for long. That and I still wasn't all that comfortable myself around the beast. There were times when I couldn't help but rely on it, but every so often, I caught a glimpse of its inhuman eyes. Nothing but a black void with a small golden ring staring back at me.

It reminded me of those last days in Almire, where countless monsters had stood facing us, waiting for their chance to strike.

Violet's green eyes staring at me broke me from my depressing thoughts.

"Professor Wright said I wouldn't be controlling him for too long. By the end of the semester, I will have completely different monsters under my control."

Violet seemed to ponder that as we made our way through the campus. The fading light of the early evening lighting our way.

"That seems a little sad. It's the first monster you tamed. I think a name is only fitting. It should be something strong and noble. After all, you never know what could be written in the history books in the future."

That was something to think about. While I knew that it wasn't the first monster ever tamed. That monster was killed immediately after. Not many other people would know that.

If I were to make something of the Tamer class, there was no doubt that the wolf would be something people pointed to.

I pondered that as we walked in comfortable silence towards the stables.

The fading light basked the campus in a soft glow, along with my body feeling lighter than it had been in a long time made for an enjoyable stroll.

We soon came to the stables. I still hadn't figured out how to explain to her where the monster was kept.

It was as deserted as it had been days before. It seemed that as long as the monster was locked up, people did not need to pay too much attention to it.

Approaching the metal door, keeping the monster contained, it was clear they hadn't done anything to fix the stables. That confused me more than anything.

The broken wood of the walls was clear to anyone who visited the stables.

Violet ran her hands through the cracks that approached the metal door.

"Is that where they are keeping him? Behind that door, that's terrible. You have to do something about that."

I approached the door, the tether between me and the monster growing stronger as I approached. It felt slightly different than it had the day before.

That made me think to check my stats. I hadn't liked looking at them since I was bound. It had been a reminder that I was far behind the others.

Type: Tamer

Rank: C1

Special Attributes:

-Dominion: C1

-Control: C1

Physical Attributes:

-Strength: E2

-Constitution: E3 ⌃ 1

-Dexterity: E7

-Spirit: F3

User Attributes:

-Attack: E5

-Defense: E2

Skills:

-Tame (1/4)

That was not what I had been expecting, while neither of my special attributes had grown in strength. There had been a change to my physical attributes.

I wasn't sure how that had happened. As far as I knew, there was no way for a Terror Wolf to grow that quickly, especially in an attribute it usually lacked.

It could be a coincidence. That it was on the verge of raising its constitution anyway, but the time made me suspicious.

Violet continued to inspect the door that was locking the monster in as I thought about what had happened.

That was when I noticed a new addition to the door. A sigil that was similar to the ones on the doors of our dorms. That allowed people with the appropriate soul signature access.

I wasn't sure till I placed my hand on the sigil. Unsure of what to expect. The door creaked open slightly. Giving little space but allowing me to see inside the small room they had made for the monster.

I hadn't heard anything about them making such a change, but I wouldn't complain.

It wasn't well lit, the single mage light in the corner doing its best. But it was more than enough for me to see the wolf lying down in the corner where I had left it the day before.

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I couldn't open the door any more than that, but even that small viewing area was more than enough.

That was when Violet lightly pushed me to the side so she could get a chance to see the monster.

"Can you make him come closer?"

While I was loathe to reveal my lack of control in front of her. I was left with no choice but to use verbal commands.

"Here."

I could feel through the connection that the wolf had accepted my command, coming close to the door. Violet started smiling brightly as the monster approached. None of the fear I expected to see on someone's face. If she thought less of me for using verbal commands, then she didn't show it.

She bent down to look the monster in the eye, turning her head to look up at me.

"Is it okay if I pet it?"

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, as anyone else had far more caution in interacting with the monster. Even with its low ranking, its bite could still deal some damage to the unprepared.

After a few moments of silence, she ignored me and turned back to the wolf, sticking her hand through the small gap.

As her hand touched the top of the wolf's head, I could feel a slight tingle of energy through our bond. It grew slightly as the petting continued. Violet's cooing faded into the background as I looked inward.

I still had trouble visualising the bond between us. I had come a long way in the week since the soul binding. However, I still had little idea how to use the connection.

This was a new feeling. I had never felt anything from the monster's side before. The energy seemed to bounce between us, slightly increasing the strength of the binding.

"What's wrong? You look so serious."

Violet's laughing tone broke me from my introspection. Looking down at her smiling face, the energy seemed to grow even more.

"You must have pet it already right? Do you know where it likes it best?"

I could only shake my head at her. I never had the chance to be alone with the monster, so petting it had been far from my mind.

Her shocked face was her only reaction for a few moments. While I had certainly touched the monster. I hadn't gone so far as to pet it. Seeing it as anything but a monster was still hard for me.

She quickly pulled me down to her level, holding my hand and bringing it into the room.

While I still couldn't see the wolf, I soon felt its soft fur. Violet pulled my hand to pet the beast. Starting from its head down to its back, repeating the motion a few times before I could react.

"Okay, now you have to give it a name. How about Goldy, because of it's eyes."

"Goldy, huh?"

With that, the energy seemed to surge once again.

The name and the petting fueled the energy far more than I had expected. It seemed to culminate for a moment, splashing against my soul in an unfamiliar way, before settling down once again.

I could now only feel tranquillity in my soul, but Violet gasped beside me.

"It just grew. What did you do?"

I didn't know how to respond to her accusing look. I could only guide her to the side and look through the door myself.

It took me a second to come to terms with what I was seeing. While it was still a Juvenile Terror Wolf. It was far closer to being an adult Terror Wolf than it had been moments before.

That was the second change that I had not been expecting that day.

"I don't know what happened. What did you see?"

I could only turn to Violet for answers. While I had felt what had happened, she had been the only one looking at the monster.

She looked baffled for a few moments, unsure of what to say.

"It was when you gave Goldy its name. He began to glow slightly, but it was hard to see with its fur. Then, there was a flash of black. Suddenly, the wolf got bigger. What happened?"

I still wasn't sure how to answer her, but I had first to make sure of one thing.

Looking back towards the wolf. I stared at the collar that was still attached to its body. The proof of my taming.

"Sit."

The brief moment it took before the wolf followed my command seemed to stretch for an age. I couldn't imagine what would happen to me if I lost control of the monster that quickly. My time in the Academy had only started after all.

Seeing the larger monster sit in front of me the same as before filled me with relief. I moved to touch the beast once again and was surprised with how quick I now was.

I opened my status once again. Hopeful about what I might see.

Rank: C2 ⌃ 1

Special Attributes:

-Dominion: C2 ⌃ 1

-Control: C2 ⌃ 1

Physical Attributes:

-Strength: E7 ⌃5

-Constitution: E8 ⌃ 5

-Dexterity: D1 ⌃ 5

-Spirit: F8 ⌃ 5

User Attributes:

-Attack: E9 ⌃ 4

-Defense: E7 ⌃5

Skills:

-Tame (1/4)

It took me a few seconds to come to terms with what I was seeing. A massive boost in every stat. Something unheard of. While my special attributes only went up by one. That put me firmly at C2, possibly the highest-rated first-year in the entire Academy.

Of my other stats, only my attack hadn't risen by 5. I suppose even the increases weren't enough to put my attack into the D ranks.

But seeing my now D rank speed made me feel a lot better.

While I still would fall to the weakest of the C-rankers, I now had some hope against the least of the D-rankers. That was a huge change.

I looked down at the wolf. At Goldy, the black eyes staring back at me were slightly different than before. A spark of intelligence looked back at me. That and the golden ring seemed to have grown slightly thicker. A slight difference from the unfeeling void that had been there moments before.

Violet took that moment to push me aside once again. This time giving me a little more space to look into the room myself.

Her mouth widened as she continued to look in at the beast.

"That isn't how monsters usually grow up, is it?"

That wasn't a question I was sure how to answer. But Professor Wright had said that it would take a lot longer for the wolf to grow up in any way. He had said that it would still be years before it grew into an adult Terror Wolf.

While it still lacked the size and power of an adult. It looked like it would grow up much faster than anybody had expected.

"I don't know. I have no idea what happened."

Violet turned to look at me with a slight look of annoyance.

"It's pretty obvious. You pet it and gave it a name for the first time, and it grew. Try it again. Quickly!"

I was sure that this time wouldn't have the same effect. The bond had felt strange ever since Ivan had knocked me out. Now, it was calm.

Nevertheless, I reached out to pet the monster once again. This time, there was a different reaction. Goldy angled its head slightly to allow me to pet it more easily. As I approached it, it pushed its body into my hand.

That was far from what I had expected to happen. It seemed like the wolf wanted to be pet now. Violet nearly squealed beside me as she reached out to do the same.

"Isn't Goldy the best little boy?"

While I still wasn't sure about the name or naming it in general. Violet didn't seem to agree.

I didn't want to think If I would have to call out its name in front of Ivan. It seemed I would have to put more effort into mental commands.

We spent the next few minutes petting the monster. It was quite content with it for a little while before groaning slightly, turning around, and lying back down in its quarter.

I hadn't seen it do anything of the sort. It seemed far closer to a mundane beast now than it had before.

It left quite a lot to think about.

After watching Goldy return to his corner, Violet turned to me with a large smile.

"Are you hungry? Cause I'm starving."

I could only nod as I followed behind her to the canteen, happy that I had found someone to have dinner with.

I would also have to get her to keep the secret about the change. While I was sure that Goldy's change would be discovered eventually, the longer I could keep that from happening, the better.