Chapter 1017 - 1015 Mutated Animals Acquired 6

The moment the mutated black wolf reached the chicken, it stopped hesitating.

Although the chickens raised inside Kisha’s territory space were far larger than those once sold in ordinary markets before the apocalypse, the wolf itself was enormous. It swallowed the entire chicken in a single bite.

It didn’t even chew.

The meat disappeared almost instantly.

Yet the moment the chicken touched its mouth, the wolf’s eyes sparkled with delight. It quickly looked up at Mike, its gaze almost pleading, as if asking for more.

But this time, Mike remained silent and firm.

"No," he said calmly. "Unless you promise to behave and be obedient... there will be no more."

"Whine..." The mutated black wolf let out another pitiful whine, clearly dissatisfied. But no matter how much it complained, Mike didn’t budge.

Meanwhile, the mutated porcupine was having an entirely different experience.

It was slowly savoring the crisp cabbage as if it were the greatest meal it had ever tasted, almost like a condemned prisoner enjoying its final feast before ascending to heaven.

"Squeal!!!" The mutated porcupine squealed excitedly as it devoured the cabbage piece by piece. Before long, nothing was left.

Once it finished, the creature immediately turned toward Mike, clearly expressing its willingness to submit.

Thanks to his natural affinity with animals, Mike could easily understand what the porcupine was trying to convey.

"Alright then," Mike said with a satisfied nod. "You’ll be on a trial period. Behave well and stay obedient, and I’ll give you more delicious food later."

Hearing this, the mutated black wolf’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It clearly hadn’t expected the porcupine to surrender so quickly.

The wolf snorted disdainfully, almost as if it were rolling its eyes at its rival.

After all, the two had once fought fiercely over territory.

Seeing their reaction, Mike couldn’t help but laugh.

For some reason, the two mutated animals reminded him of Sparrow and Vulture, who also loved bickering with each other just like this.

After confirming that the two mutated animals had submitted to him, Mike immediately arranged for them to stay in a separate enclosure away from the livestock. After all, it would be disastrous if they suddenly jumped over the fence and started attacking the animals he was raising.

Since the two mutated animals were originally mountain creatures, Mike decided it would be best to build their pen near the mountain area of the territory.

Once they had submitted, Mike began the difficult task of removing the thick ropes that bound them. The ropes were incredibly heavy, each one as thick as his leg, and loosening them took a tremendous amount of effort.

By the time he finished untying them, Mike was already drenched in sweat.

Fortunately, despite their mutations, animals were still animals. They weren’t as scheming or deceptive as humans. Once they had submitted to him, the two mutated animals truly remained obedient and made no attempt to attack him.

After being freed, the mutated black wolf and the mutated porcupine even worked together to drag the unconscious mutated rhinoceros across the ground as they followed Mike toward the forested area.

When they finally arrived, the wolf dropped the massive rhinoceros onto the ground. Even for the two mutated beasts, dragging such an enormous creature had been difficult.

To reward them for their effort, Mike gave them food again, a whole chicken for the mutated black wolf and another crisp cabbage for the mutated porcupine.

After finishing their meal and resting briefly, the mutated wolf even began helping Mike with his work.

Using its ’Wind Blade skill’, it cut down the trees that Mike pointed at, making the work far easier than Mike could have done alone. The wolf even helped slice the fallen trees into manageable wooden planks that Mike could use to build the enclosure.

Meanwhile, the mutated porcupine helped by dragging the cut logs toward the construction area.

Each time they completed a task, Mike rewarded them with more food.

Seeing how eagerly the two mutated animals worked for their rewards, Mike couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

It seemed his approach had been correct; the two mutated animals were now working hard, motivated by the promise of their next reward.

Meanwhile, Kisha and Ethan were now facing a massive mutated Golden Eagle.

It seemed that most mutated animals and insects shared one common change: their bodies had grown tremendously larger, and with that size came overwhelming power and an intimidating presence.

The eagle before them was no exception.

Its wingspan was enormous, each wing easily longer than a car. When it spread them wide, its shadow alone could cover a huge stretch of ground. Its talons were thick and terrifyingly sturdy, strong enough to snatch up something as heavy as an elephant. And its eyes...

Its eyes were frighteningly sharp.

In fact, it had likely spotted Kisha and Ethan miles away while they were still walking through the forest. The eagle had silently stalked them from the sky, patiently following until they reached a wide grassland, an open area where they would have nowhere to hide or run.

But how could someone like Kisha, with her powerful mental senses, fail to notice such a pursuer?

She had noticed it long ago.

Instead of avoiding it, she had deliberately lured it out into the open.

Even so, seeing the creature in person still made her skin crawl.

In her previous life, she had never personally encountered a mutated Golden Eagle. However, she vividly remembered a piece of news that had once spread among the survivors.

A single mutated Golden Eagle had eradicated an entire human base.

The reason?

The base’s leaders had stolen one of its eggs.

They had planned to hatch the egg and raise the chick themselves, believing it would be the best way to obtain a loyal mutated animal. After all, raising a creature from birth was often the only reliable way to make a mutated animal submit to humans.

But obtaining a cub, or worse, stealing an egg, was incredibly dangerous.

Mutated animals became far more aggressive and protective when it came to their offspring. Their strength would spike dramatically, and most would rather die fighting than allow their young to fall into human hands.

Because of this, less than one percent of the remaining human population had ever managed to obtain a mutated animal companion.

Among those rare cases was a famous animal tamer who led one of the larger human bases.

Even then, that powerful base possessed fewer than twenty mutated animals in total.

And the cost to obtain them had been horrific.

To capture even a single cub or egg, they would send out hundreds of fighters. When the expedition returned, sometimes only a dozen survivors would come back, most of them severely injured, carrying a single prize.

The base that had stolen the Golden Eagle’s egg had tried to imitate that powerful faction.

They wanted to climb the ranks among the strongest human bases.

But instead...

They were completely annihilated.

Even the powerful base that had an animal tamer knew just how dangerous mutated Golden Eagles were. Because of that, they did everything they could to avoid provoking such a terrifying creature.

Unfortunately, not everyone was that cautious.

Someone in that smaller base had made the fatal mistake of stealing one of its eggs.

The result had become a harsh lesson for all survivors.

After witnessing the complete destruction of that base, no one dared to recklessly imitate the methods of the larger factions anymore. Everyone had come to understand one simple truth: mutated animals were generally far stronger than awakened ability users at the same level.

And now...

The very same menace that had once been infamous in her previous life was hovering above her and Ethan.

Worse still, she had unknowingly lured it out into the open, into a wide grassland where there was nowhere to hide.

Kisha couldn’t help but feel a slight wave of regret.

She had known they were being stalked by a flying mutated animal with extremely sharp eyesight. Because of that, she had assumed it was merely a mutated eagle, something she believed she could handle.

But this...

This was a mutated Golden Eagle.

A creature far more terrifying, almost like three mutated eagles combined into a single monstrous body.

Kisha felt her palms grow clammy.

For the first time since arriving here, genuine nervousness crept into her chest.

And what made the situation even worse was the fact that the mutated Golden Eagle was now a Level 3 mutated animal...

The same level as Zeus.

...

[Mutated Golden Eagle (Unique Grade)]

Level 3 (Exp: 1000/5000)

Strength: 250

Stamina: 250

Defense: 250

Agility: 250

Mental Capacity: 250

Charm: 250

Leadership: 250

Skills: Armor Skin Level 2, Whirwind Level 1, Battle Cry Level 1, Wing Blade Level 2

Description: A mutant animal from Earth a lower realm, it survived the mutation unscathed, breaking free from the virus’s control. Unlike corrupted mutants, its temperament and memories remained intact, retaining its intelligence and gaining formidable strength.

...