Chapter 2

  Now that my new identity is settled I turned my attention back to the skill.

  [Monster Maker] was it?

  I mean, that sounded pretty badass, right?

  I focused on the skill name, squinting at it like that would somehow make it explain itself. And holy shit, it actually worked. The moment I concentrated on those two words, more text started appearing below them, like the system was reading my mind.

  [MONSTER MAKER - UNIQUE SKILL]

  Each day you gain a certain amount of wild power. You can use wild power to create non-humanoid/humanoid monsters. When you create a monster you get to design it and give it beneficial perks, abilities etc which costs wild power. Generally the more wild power you spend on a monster the more powerful it will be.

  For reference: 1 day's worth of wild power would allow you to create a pack of wolves or 1 giant spider, 4 days for a hellhound, 7 days for a hydra, 10 days for a great wyrm and 14 days for a mature dragon.

  By default your monsters will be neutral towards you. If you want them to follow your commands you will either need to tame them naturally or spend 25% more wild power to make them permanently loyal towards you.

  You can store a maximum of 20 days worth of wild power.

  I just stood there, reading that description over and over again, my mouth hanging open.

  Are you kidding me?

  I can make... monsters? Even actual fucking dragons?

  I mean yeah sure the name kinda gave it away but still knowing I could was different.

  This wasn't just some lame starting skill. This was the kind of overpowered bullshit that main characters got in those stories where they became demon lords or whatever. I could literally create an army of monsters. Hellhounds, hydras, giant spiders - the works.

  But wait, hold up.

  If I could only store 20 days worth of this "wild power" stuff, and it took 14 days just to make one dragon... that meant I couldn't exactly spam them, could I? I'd have to be smart about this, plan things out.

  And what about that loyalty thing? So by default, anything I made would just... not give a shit about me? That seemed like a pretty big fucking problem.

  What was the point of making a hellhound if it was just gonna run off and do its own thing? Or worse - what if it decided I looked like a tasty snack?

  Anyways, how does this even work?

  Do I just think really hard about wanting a monster and poof, it appears?

  The moment I thought about actually using the skill, everything went dark, like sinking into a warm bath. When I opened them again, I wasn't standing in the forest anymore. I was in some kind of void, floating in empty space with nothing but stars scattered around me like glitter.

  What the hell?

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  I spun around, but there was nothing to see except more darkness and those distant points of light. Then, right in front of me, screens started popping up. Dozens of them, all glowing with that same blue light as my status screen.

  It looked exactly like a character creation screen from a video game, filled with everything you could possibly want to build the perfect killing machine.

  "This is insane," I breathed, reaching out to touch one of the screens. It responded to my touch, cycling through different options like I was browsing a catalog.

  I had one day's worth of wild power to work with - I could feel it, sitting in my chest like a warm ball of energy. According to the description, that was enough for a pack of wolves or one giant spider.

  But I didn't want a whole pack right now, as I need to allot some wild power for its loyalty.

  One big wolf. A bit weaker than the giant spider. This will do for starters.

  I started with the basic wolf template, watching as a model appeared in the center of the void. Then I got to work, making it bigger, stronger, more intimidating. Thicker muscles, sharper teeth, eyes that glowed like embers, I also made sure to make it a male one.

  Each modification cost a bit of my wild power, the warm feeling in my chest slowly draining away.

  By the time I was done, I'd used up about 75% of my power, and the wolf looked absolutely badass. Easily the size of a small horse, with midnight-black fur and intelligence gleaming in those eyes.

  But I wasn't finished yet. I took that remaining 25% and spent it on the loyalty upgrade, because I wasn't about to create something that might try to eat my face off the second it appeared.

  Can't have my first monster killing me before I even got started. That would be a pretty shitty way to end my isekai adventure.

  The moment I confirmed my choices, everything went white . Blinding, overwhelming white that made me squeeze my eyes shut and cover my face with my hands. Then I felt that familiar sinking sensation, like dropping through water, and suddenly I was back in the forest.

  But I wasn't alone anymore.

  Standing right in front of me, close enough that I could feel its breath on my face, was the wolf I'd just created. And holy shit, it was even more impressive in person than it had been in that weird mindscape. The thing was absolutely massive - easily coming up to my chest even with its head lowered. Its fur was so black it seemed to absorb light, and those ember-like eyes were fixed directly on me with an intelligence that made my skin crawl.

  For a split second, I panicked. This thing could rip my throat out before I could even blink. Those jaws looked like they could snap a man in half, and those claws... Jesus Christ, those claws were the size of kitchen knives.

  But then something amazing happened. The wolf's tail started wagging, like a happy little house dog And then, to my amazement, the massive creature lowered its head and actually nuzzled against my hand.

  "Holy shit," I whispered, my voice all shaky with awe.

  The wolf made a soft rumbling sound deep in its throat - not quite a growl, more like a purr if cats were the size of small cars.

  I could feel its loyalty in that simple gesture. This thing genuinely cared about me, like I was its pack leader or something.

  "You need a name."

  I reached out to scratch behind one of its ears. The fur was surprisingly soft, despite looking coarse and wild.

  Hmmm.

  “Blacky?”

  The wolf immediately let out a low growl, pulling its head back and giving me a look that clearly said 'are you fucking serious right now?'

  "Okay, okay, I get it," I said, holding up my hands.

  "That was lazy as hell. What about... Fenrir?"

  Its ears perked up at that one, but then I shook my head. "Nah, that's too generic. Every story uses that name for their big scary wolf. You're better than that, aren't you?"

  The wolf huffed, like it was agreeing with me.

  I stared into those glowing ember eyes, trying to think of something that actually fit. This wasn't just some regular wolf - this was my creation, my very first one. It deserved a name that meant something.

  "What about... Nox?"

  The wolf tilted its massive head, considering then its ears shot up, its tail started wagging faster, and it let out this pleased rumble.

  Looks like he likes it.

  “Nox. It is then.” I grinned, giving him a solid pat on the side.

  "Welcome to the family, buddy."