I Can Copy Curses

His face darkened as he watched the golden wolf take its last breaths. All his plans depended on Carl, but it seemed he had misjudged him—or so he thought.

"Look! What's happening to the wolf?!" one of the iron rank experts shouted, drawing everyone's attention to the wolf.

Orion's eyes remained fixed on the wolf, witnessing the extraordinary events unfolding before him.

When the golden wolf appeared to be close to dying, its body started floating in mid-air. Slowly, a glowing golden orb enveloped the creature, surrounding it in a sheltering cocoon.

Only the shining golden sphere could be seen from the outside, peacefully hovering in the air, showing no signs of the previously dying wolf inside. The sphere emitted such bright light that it concealed all details of the changes happening within, creating a feeling of deep power and secrecy.

A smile appeared on Orion's face as he witnessed the golden wolf's unexpected transformation. Though he didn't fully understand what was happening, he knew it was advantageous as long as the battle continued. He only needed Carl to act quickly; only then could he execute his plans effectively.

"It's upgrading to diamond rank," the silver-haired man said in shock, staring at the shining golden sphere.

Emily nodded. "The sphere enveloping a monster only appears when it's about to upgrade."

"It seems, at the last possible moment, it broke through its limit," said the middle-aged man who fought alongside Emily and the silver-haired man.

"It will be a little difficult to kill it if it successfully upgrades," Ethan said with a frown. However, nobody noticed the cunning look in his eyes.

"We can't do anything about it," the silver-haired man said with pity. "The sphere enveloping the monsters during upgrades is nearly impossible to break. At least, I've never heard of someone breaking the sphere."

Every platinum rank expert nodded in agreement. None of them had ever heard of anyone breaking through the protective cell during a monster's upgrade.

"But it's good," Ethan said, smiling as he looked at the other platinum rank experts. "I know none of us here have used our full power during the battle with the golden wolf, but if it successfully upgrades, then we will have to unleash our full strength."

"That is if it successfully upgrades," the middle-aged man replied.

"There are only 30% chances for platinum rank monsters to upgrade to diamond rank, so the chances are slim. But let's see what happens," Emily added.

Orion's ears perked up as he listened to their conversation, finally understanding what was happening to the monster.

'So, it's going to upgrade,' he thought, but something seemed suspicious. 'Why is no one questioning how it suddenly started upgrading? Is this normal?'

Not knowing much about dungeons or monsters, Orion realized that there were many things that seemed commonplace to others but were foreign to him.

'Looks like I'll have to read some books on dungeons and monsters when I get back home,' he mused.

Orion then turned his gaze to Carl and noticed that he was looking at the golden sphere with a crazed expression on his face.

"Is the upgrade his doing?" he wondered. The last hit to the monster had been Carl's, and seeing his crazed expression, Orion suspected that it might be his doing. But at the same time, it could all be a coincidence.

Crack!—

At that moment, a cracking sound drew Orion's attention back to the golden sphere.

Crack—

He saw the sphere begin to fissure from all sides, little by little.

"Hahaha, it's successfully upgraded!" Ethan laughed.

But not everyone shared his enthusiasm. The middle-aged man looked worried. He understood that even though they hadn't used their full strength against the peak platinum rank boss, the upgraded diamond rank boss would be in a different class altogether.

"It will be very difficult," he thought.

As time passed, the cracks continued to spread across every part of the sphere until it completely shattered into pieces and fell to the ground.

CRACK!—

A dazzling blue wolf appeared from the broken sphere, its fur shining with a supernatural light. Golden bands decorated its smooth physique, following elaborate designs that appeared to shine with each motion.

Despite the clear aura of power emanating from its body, the wolf had surprisingly decreased in size. It appeared almost like a regular wolf now, its earlier impressive size transformed into a sleeker and more nimble form.

Nonetheless, its eyes continued to shine with the same powerful fervor, showcasing the immense strength it had acquired from its change.

The wolf's transformation shocked everyone. Its former golden coat had changed to a dazzling blue hue, while its once big body had reduced in size to that of a regular wolf. Although smaller in size, the creature still managed to captivate the attention of everyone who observed its presence. Many had their first experience of seeing a diamond rank monster, and may never see one again.

The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation, filled with wide-eyed amazement at the astonishing scene in front of them.

Nevertheless, this moment was not enjoyed by all. The less experienced iron ranked experts had a hard time coping with the strong pressure coming from the blue wolf. They broke out in a heavy sweat, their bodies shaking uncontrollably while trying to resist the immense strength of the changed creature.

"Let's attack and kill this thing quickly before it gets accustomed to its new powers!" Ethan shouted.

Emily and the others nodded in agreement. They understood that if the blue wolf became familiar with its newfound strength, it would become significantly more challenging to defeat. Determined not to give the wolf any more time to adjust, they prepared for their assault.

However, just as they prepared to attack the wolf, it vanished from its location, reappearing instantaneously in front of Carl, a lightning bomb clenched in its maw.

Carl was caught off guard but managed to react swiftly. He brought his massive black sword in front of him, and with a surge of his talent, he increased its size even more. Bracing himself, he held on tightly, knowing that this was all he could do in that critical moment.

The wolf released the lightning bomb from its mouth, sending it hurtling straight at Carl. It collided with his sword, and in an instant, a sphere of lightning enveloped him. Carl screamed in agony as electricity surged through his body, wrapping around him like a relentless storm.

Everyone watched in stunned silence—everyone except the platinum rank experts, who had already sprung into action.

Ethan appeared beside Carl, his hand glowing with a purple light. With a swift, decisive movement, he plunged his hand into the lightning sphere, gripping Carl and yanking him out of the electric onslaught.

Almost instantly, Emily and the silver-haired man launched their attacks on the wolf.

Emily, moving like a blur, appeared in front of the wolf and swung her sword. To the onlookers, and even to the wolf, her strike seemed slow and easily avoidable. The wolf dodged to the side, but surprisingly, the sword still connected with its calf. A deep scar appeared on its body, and the wolf howled in pain.