Chapter 133: The Purification Choker

"You two arrived right on time."

Kei placed the choker onto the table.

"This is the equipment I’ve crafted."

Hwang Do-Hyun gazed at the item, but his attention was instantly hijacked by a sweet fragrance that flooded his nasal passages, causing his canines to start itching once more.

Lucas leaned in closely, observing it with eager eyes.

"This is..."

"A Purification Ring altered into a different shape," Kei explained. "I transferred the magic array onto an item that can be worn around the neck. When you transform into a Lycan, you can still utilize it without needing to wear a ring on your finger. And above all... it can expand and shrink based on the morphological shifts of your beast form."

Hwang Do-Hyun remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, he reached out and picked up the choker. The transparent stone embedded in it immediately began to glow softly. A wave of cleansing energy radiated outward, washing away the heavy, lingering fatigue of sleep deprivation from his body.

Hwang Do-Hyun’s blue eyes lit up; he loved this style of design. It looked genuinely cool and suited a Lycan’s beast form to perfection!

Kei watched his reaction and let out a quiet sigh of relief internally.

"This is the Purification Choker."

"For now, it’s merely an E-rank piece of equipment. I still need to conduct further testing before releasing the official blueprint. After that, you’ll just need to bring it back for the Zootopia Guild’s Craftsmen to produce higher-rank versions."

Hwang Do-Hyun clenched the choker tightly in his hand.

"That’s enough. This is precisely what I need."

He looked at Kei, his gaze completely devoid of the indifference he’d shown upon their first meeting. This time, it held distinct amusement, simply because Kim Kei had brilliantly fulfilled what had seemed like an impossible demand in such a short span of time.

"I’ll test out the effectiveness of this item myself."

Hwang Do-Hyun stepped out into the middle of the backyard.

Kei and Lucas followed behind him. The backyard wasn’t particularly large, but Kei had reinforced it with several layers of basic defensive magic arrays within his current capacity, temporarily enough to withstand a minor test.

Holding the Purification Choker in his palm, Hwang Do-Hyun smirked.

"Don’t get too scared by my majestic beast form, now."

"Just try it out," Kei replied, completely unbothered by the man’s boastful tone. Having lived as a mage for so many years, Kei had seen plenty of wolves; this was just one more arrogant wolf to add to the pile.

Hwang Do-Hyun grasped the choker and fastened it around his neck. The transparent stone instantly flared with light, and the magic power within the accessory quickly surged across his entire body.

The very next second, Hwang Do-Hyun’s frame began to transform.

A rapid succession of cracking sounds echoed from his bones. His nearly two-meter-tall body ballooned at a terrifying speed, his skin covered in a coat of silver-white fur as his arms lengthened into razor-sharp claws. Within mere seconds, a colossal Lycan materialized right in the backyard.

Its towering body reached nearly ten meters high, its wolfish head poking high above the roof of the adjacent neighboring building. Cold blue eyes stared down at Kei, while rows of sharp, white teeth parted in a faint grin.

Hwang Do-Hyun’s current form towered well above Kei’s roofline, meaning anyone outside could plainly see the giant white wolf’s head.

Immediate exclamations of shock erupted from the surrounding streets.

"What on earth is that?!"

"There’s a giant wolf inside that shop!"

"Could it be a hunter with a powerful beast form?"

Several passing hunters bolted over, congregating outside the shop to buzz with frantic discussion. In the blink of an eye, a crowd packed the street out front.

Lucas buried his face in his hand.

"I just *knew* this was going to cause a commotion..."

Hunters belonging to the Crying Ghost Guild quickly picked up on the abnormal situation. Upon spotting the massive white wolf, they immediately hurried off to report back to Moon So-Yeon.

Inside the shop, Kim Sora was busy rearranging a few items. Hearing the chaotic noise outside, she rushed over to take a look, her jaw dropping open.

"This is..."

She tilted her head back to look up at the giant wolf, taking a few seconds to recognize its identity.

"Hwang Do-Hyun?"

Sora immediately whipped her head around to look at Kei. "Kei, there’s a massive crowd gathering outside. I’ll go handle it first!"

Without waiting for his reply, she hurried outside.

Kei paid the crowd no mind whatsoever. He lifted his gaze upward, locking onto the Purification Choker fastened around Hwang Do-Hyun’s neck.

The choker, which had initially been only slightly larger than a finger, had magnified alongside the Lycan’s body scale, resting snugly around Hwang Do-Hyun’s thick neck. The intricate floral patterns carved into its surface glowed with a steady, uniform light, showing zero signs of cracking or instability.

Kei breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

As expected, he had succeeded.

Hwang Do-Hyun lowered his head, his deep, resonant voice rumbling down like thunder.

"How is it? Not bad, right?"

"Operating stability is optimal," Kei replied, his eyes still glued to the collar. "Try activating the purifying energy."

The Lycan King fell silent for a few seconds before triggering the equipment.

A wave of pristine white light instantly radiated from the choker, coursing through his silver coat. The heavy, sluggish sensation clogging his body vanished rapidly. The aggravating itch along his canines faded noticeably as well.

Hwang Do-Hyun’s blue eyes gleamed.

"It works even better than I anticipated."

Lucas watched him, growing considerably more at ease upon seeing Hwang Do-Hyun’s satisfaction.

Hwang Do-Hyun compressed his frame, shifting back into his human form. The choker around his neck shrank instantly in tandem, returning to its original size.

He unclasped the collar, but this time, instead of placing it on the table, he gripped it tightly in his hand.

"I’ll be taking this piece. As for the blueprint, hand it over to the Zootopia Guild promptly, I’ll pay you a price that’s well worth it."

Hwang Do-Hyun laughed heartily.

"I’ll still need more time to refine the manufacturing process. This is merely a prototype version, and I wish to conduct further durability tests."

"Three days," Hwang Do-Hyun stated. "I’ll be back in three days."

Hwang Do-Hyun had never been a man blessed with an abundance of patience.

Kei looked at him, and before he could formulate a response, Hwang Do-Hyun leaned down, bringing his face dangerously close to Kei’s as he whispered,

"This transaction has been fantastic. I’m certain I’ll be back to ask you to craft a few more interesting items in the future. Moreover, once you rank up, you’d better make sure you upgrade my choker, too!"

Hwang Do-Hyun flashed an arrogant grin before turning on his heel and striding away.