Brando concentrated and created a new sphere of ice, this time consciously trying to replicate that different sensation he had felt before. The ice materialized with the characteristic dark streaks. The differences were obvious: while normal ice was transparent and inert, this new type pulsed like a hungry creature.
"Now," Brando murmured, "let's see if I can use what you've eaten."
He concentrated again, but this time thinking about rust, corrosion, metal deteriorating. The ice responded immediately. A new sphere formed, apparently normal but with reddish veins.
"Rust Ice," he whispered. "Level one."
Brando threw the Rust Ice sphere against the metal edge of the bed. The impact produced no visible effect.
"And this is supposed to be the ability? Are you kidding me?"
He moved closer to examine the impact point. The metal looked exactly the same as before. He was about to create another sphere when the KryoWatch beeped.
[Experience gained: Rust Ice]
[Progress to next level: 2%]
"Wait a minute..."
Brando bent closer to the metal. A barely visible spot of rust was beginning to form where the ice had struck. As he watched, the stain imperceptibly widened.
"It's slow," Brando murmured. "But it works."
The KryoWatch emitted another beep.
[Corrosion speed proportional to ability level]
[Continue using the ability to increase its effectiveness]
"So it improves with use." Brando scratched his chin. "Like a muscle that trains."
He created a new sphere of Predator Ice. This time, instead of trying to control it completely, Brando observed the ice as it seemed to react to the environment. It was unstable and curious, moving like an animal sniffing the air, looking for something interesting.
"Let's see what you like," Brando said.
He brought the sphere close to the small gas stove in the corner of the room. The Predator Ice immediately retracted, as if burned. The dark veins contracted, making the sphere more compact.
"You don't like heat, huh?"
He tried with an old book on the nightstand. The ice completely ignored it. The same happened with a wooden chair and some clothes.
"Okay, so not everything is edible."
The KryoWatch flashed.
[Predator Ice can only devour objects with assimilable properties]
[The complexity of assimilable objects depends on the Bearer's level]
Brando frowned. "The point is, how do I know what's assimilable and what isn't? And what do you mean by 'the complexity of objects depends on the Bearer's level'? Do you mean my [Violet One Stage]?"
The display remained silent this time, as if confirming what he had said. Brando sighed. He was a Zeta Rank; it wouldn't be so simple to increase in Level, let alone Stage.
"I need to try something more interesting."
Brando guided the sphere toward a broken old radio in the corner. The ice showed no interest. The same happened with a burnt-out light bulb and a pair of dead batteries.
"So it's not just the material," he reasoned. "It must be something more specific."
He created a new sphere of Rust Ice and threw it at the metal edge of the bed, right where he had hit before. The metal immediately began to oxidize, just like before.
[Experience gained: Rust Ice]
[Progress to next level: 4%]
"Slow but steady," Brando murmured. "Like leveling up." Then he stopped abruptly, a thought had just crossed his mind.
"If Predator Ice can devour things and gain abilities, and abilities can be enhanced, is it possible that you're alive?" he wondered. "You're not just ice. You're something more."
The puppy approached, curious about his tone of voice. Its three eyes followed the movements of the sphere with almost scientific intensity.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Brando asked. "That there's something different about this ice?"
The puppy nodded. Brando put his hand under his chin, thoughtful. It was time for a more serious experiment. Brando created two spheres of ice and made them float in front of him. One of basic ice and one of predator ice, the one with dark streaks.
"If it can eat a metal teapot, who knows what happens if I do this."
He pushed the spheres toward each other. The Predator Ice vibrated and the dark streaks moved faster, as if hungry. But when it tried to devour the other sphere, it stopped.
The KryoWatch sounded.
[Object too complex for current level]
[Required: Violet Three Stage minimum]
"Wait a second," Brando stared at the two spheres. "Ice devouring other ice?"
He ran a hand through his hair. The concept itself was absurd. Could Predator Ice really acquire the properties of basic ice? It was as if his power could cannibalize itself.
"So it's not only compatible, but it's predicted by the system itself."
He created two more spheres and tried again, more to confirm what he had just discovered than anything else. The result was the same.
"I wonder what kind of ice would emerge," he said to the puppy. "Ice that devours other ice... sounds like complete bullshit."
Brando let all the spheres he had created so far melt. A Bearer could use willpower to maintain ice in solid form, and clearly this cost energy. Brando had already generated about ten spheres and was beginning to feel fatigued. He released his willpower and all the spheres dissolved into the air as if they had never existed. But he left one active.
A sphere of Rust Ice had been forgotten in a corner. It wasn't corroding anything because impact was required for the ability to activate. This one was melting more slowly. The puppy, which until that moment had been watching Brando's experiments, suddenly became alert. Its three eyes fixed on the melting sphere, following it with an almost maniacal intensity.
"Hey, what's gotten into you?"
The puppy lunged toward the sphere as if attracted by something in it. Brando had a bad feeling.
"Wait, don't—"
The puppy then opened its jaws wide and swallowed what remained of the Rust Ice sphere in a flash. Too late to stop it.
"No!" Brando lunged forward. "Spit it out! We don't know if it can harm you!"
But the KryoWatch exploded in a series of frantic beeps.
[Synchronization with Pseudo-Glacial Detected]
[Temporary Ability Acquired: Rust]
[Level 1]
[Estimated Duration: 30 minutes]
"So we can share powers? You can use the abilities I create?"
He observed the puppy carefully. Its fur had begun to change. Patches of a brownish-red, similar to rust stains, had spread across its coat in what appeared to be a completely random pattern.
"You're changing color?" Brando asked it.
[Aesthetic mutation detected]
[Temporary effect linked to acquired ability]
The puppy then approached a metal leg of the bed. It touched it with the tip of its nose, and a small rust spot formed on the metal.
[Shared ability use detected]
[Experience gained: Rust Ice]
[Progress to next level: 6%]
Brando stared at the KryoWatch display. "Wait a minute. When he uses the ability, I gain experience?"
[Confirmed: experience is shared]
So Brando created a new sphere of Rust Ice and threw it against a metal part of the bed.
[Experience gained: Rust Ice]
[Progress to next level: 8%]
Immediately after, as if wanting to follow his lead, the puppy approached and touched the same spot hit by the Rust Ice with its nose.
[Experience gained: Rust Ice]
[Progress to next level: 10%]
"This is it!" Brando knelt beside the puppy. "I don't just have to feed you ice to eat. We can also use abilities together."
The puppy wagged its tail, its third eye glowing in response to his enthusiasm.
"If I level up by using the ability, and you simultaneously enhance the same ability..." Brando stood up and started walking again. "The progress adds up. It's like having two people training instead of one."
This discovery was truly sensational. By doing this, Brando could accelerate the growth of his abilities. "I wonder..." he murmured, "does this also work for improving my stage and level?"
The KryoWatch emitted a different sound than usual, as if indicating something negative.
[Insufficient data]
[Unable to determine effects on Stages and Levels]
[Further testing needed]
"You don't know either, huh?" Brando smiled. "I guess we'll have to find out on our own."
Brando sat on the bed, and the puppy jumped up beside him. It wasn't just about sharing powers. They could train together, grow together. While he could experiment with new abilities, the puppy could strengthen those they already had. Or they could strengthen an ability together. Both would grow together as a team. Brando would have his abilities leveled up more quickly, and the puppy, on the other hand, would become even stronger by leveling up Brando's abilities.
A symbiotic relationship—that's what the communion between Brando and the puppy had become. As one powered up, so would the other. Brando had acquired a significant advantage and was already thinking about how to optimize it.
"A true combat companion," he said, scratching behind its ears. "You're not just any puppy."
Brando looked at it carefully. Since he had saved it from those bullies, he hadn't had a moment of peace. First admission to the Academy, then Esposito, Ripa's beating, Jason's Chamber... there hadn't been time to think about giving it a real name.
"Puppy" was no longer appropriate. Apart from being awful, it wasn't suitable for an animal that could synchronize with his ice and grow stronger alongside him.
"You know," he said, looking at the creature, "I've never given you a name. Not a real one."
The puppy raised its head with all three eyes fixed on him. He carefully observed the red patches on its fur, and that's when inspiration struck.
"The first ability we shared..." A smile creased his lips. "What do you think of Rusty?"
The puppy seemed to like it, since it had started wagging its tail. So it was decided: Rusty it was. And there was the KryoWatch chiming in as if to butt in.
[Name Registered: Rusty]
[Pseudo-Glacial synchronized with Bearer Brando Casadei]
[Affinity with Predator Ice confirmed]
