After stuffing himself on the massive feast, the Zinogre's ravenous hunger finally eased.
A heavy, irresistible sleep rolled over him; his body surrendered to deep rest.
This is normal after an upgrade, Bai Chen thought.
Physical changes take time to settle.
Only at five in the evening did the beast stir—woken by the smell of roasting meat.
Grrrrumble… his stomach complained.
Bai Chen tossed a gleaming slab of roast the size of a bucket toward him.
"Eat up. It may not be the Head Chef's masterpiece, but there's plenty of it."
No more pride—no more hesitation. The Zinogre devoured it like a storm, shoveling energy into the hollows left by days of potions and hunger.
Bai Chen had gone all-out: raw meat by the cartload, bundles of vegetables and fruits for balance. After the roast, he lobbed corn, peppers, and other greens at the beast.
"Keep your nutrition balanced," Bai Chen said casually.
The Zinogre studied the strange vegetables—things his kind had never bothered with—and, after a flicker of doubt, ate them all.
Two hours later, the dinner ritual was finally done.
"Cooking is a real pain," Bai Chen complained to Nergigante and the Zinogre.
"The three of you eat like the moon's gonna fall tomorrow. Roughly eight hundred kilos a day now. Processing that takes time."
Technically, he could have fed them raw flesh directly, but Nergigante had been spoiled since hatchling days and expected higher standards; the Zinogre, having sampled cooked food a few times, now preferred it as well.
"Maybe our fifth partner should be a cook," Bai Chen joked, glancing at Tinkatuff sketching gear patterns on the ground.
Tinkatuff could handle logistics—and if she put her mind to it, she'd make a restaurant-grade menu—but getting her to make three daily feasts quickly? That was a different story.
"We'll cross that bridge later. At least we can eat at the Canteen when stationed at base," Bai Chen concluded, handing the dirty dishes to the smith.
Then he turned to the Zinogre.
"How do you feel? Notice anything different?"
The Zinogre nodded. He could feel it—his vitality had climbed to a level he'd only dreamed of.
Where once he held only a rarity-5 Monster Blood, it had now been transmuted into Elder Dragon Blood—a leap across an entire tier of existence.
"Now you see I can change fate," Bai Chen said softly.
The Zinogre kept silent.
Bai Chen picked up the Monster Ball that had sealed the beast, tossed it to the ground in front of him, and said:
"If, after all this, you still want to leave—smash this ball with your paw and go. I respect your choice."
The Zinogre stared at the orb.
Bai Chen had already proven his dominance. He'd given power casually; staying with this man promised a far brighter future than trudging back to the ruined forest alone.
Pride warred with reason. The Zinogre raised a forepaw and kicked the ball back to Bai Chen.
Bai Chen stooped, retrieved it, and clipped it to his belt with a small smile.
"Stick with me, and you'll eventually become a forbidden-level existence," he promised.
Securing the ball, Bai Chen continued:
"If you accept being my companion, it's time to remodel you."
A status window unfurled in Bai Chen's vision.
[Name]: Zinogre
[Species]: Fanged Wyvern
[Type]: Lightning / Wyvern
[Rarity]: 6
[Level]: 40 (823 / 18103)
[Trait]: Symbiosis — Can co-exist with other lifeforms; attributes and abilities influenced by symbionts.
[Skills]:
1. Overcharged State (Rarity: 7) — Proficient (9,932 / 17,500): Under electrical stimulation, all stats rise; higher voltage → greater buffs.
2. Elder Dragon Blood (Rarity: 7) — Proficient (10,200 / 17,500): Draws upon the boundless vitality of elder dragons; dramatically increases HP and endurance.
3. Monster Strength (Rarity: 5) — Master (2,100 / 62,500): Grants massive physical boosts.
4. High Voltage (Rarity: 3) — Master (19,520 / 37,500): Generates and stores lightning via specialized fats; charges capacitive carapace.
5. Lightning Palm (Rarity: 5) — Proficient (7,020 / 12,500): Devastating forelimb strike; gains lightning property while Overcharged. (Electric damage tied to current strength.)
6. Thousandfold Thunder (Rarity: 6) — Proficient (320 / 15,000): Releases all stored electricity to call down lightning; power scales with charge.
7. Lightning-Bug Barrage (Rarity: 4) — Proficient (3,600 / 10,000): Uses signal control to direct bioluminescent bugs for electric strikes. (Requires sufficient bug numbers.)
8. Falling Lightning (Rarity: 6) — Proficient (3,200 / 15,000): Summons localized lightning strikes while Overcharged.
Bai Chen read through the list carefully.
All his strengths are bound to charge and voltage. The stronger his stored electricity, the stronger he becomes.
That single observation resolved Bai Chen's plan in a flash: do anything and everything to raise his electrical capacity.
The gulf between an ordinary Zinogre and a Golden Thunder Lord lay in the ability to maintain Overcharged State indefinitely—maybe even exceed it.
From the rarity of his Overcharged State, Bai Chen guessed the apex version would effectively be a rarity-8 skill—on the same terrifying tier as Nergigante's Hyper-Regeneration.
"Your High Voltage is far too weak," Bai Chen told him frankly.
"Lucky for you, you met me. I'll find ways to graft more charge-storage skills onto you."
He looked over the worlds he knew. In the Pokémon side, living gods and legendary birds carried powerful innate Electric systems—Zapdos, Raikou, and Zekrom were electric-tinged. In Monster Hunter, electric monsters like Rajang, Kirin, and Valstrax held terrifying power.
"If I can graft the storage and discharge techniques from those existences onto you," Bai Chen mused aloud, "I refuse to believe anyone could outshine you as an electric-type behemoth."
He grinned at the Zinogre.
"We start with charge capacity. Then we refine conduction, storage shells, synchronized bugs, and finally, the ability to permanently sustain an Overcharged State."
The Zinogre's eyes flashed—hope and hunger now braided with a new, fierce determination.
Outside the tent, the campfires burned low and steady. Inside, bowls emptied, potion vials clinked, and the slow hum of plans—big, dangerous plans—took shape.
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