Even if the sacred guardian is still in a cat form and doesn't transform yet, the ownership imprint is still there until the day the owner releases the imprint to return the beast to the prairie. It happens when the owner can't handle the beast anymore.
[What do you mean, though, uncle Godfather?] Ainsley tilted her head. Indeed, her people were powerful despite the family being a poor one on the brink of collapsing.
"Hummm, if you're curious, I'll tell you." The huge wolf spoke in a low voice. His voice sounded powerful and cool, but he couldn't hide the hint of teasing in his tone. "My lifespan is about to end, anyway. I need you."
Chi-Woo already threw away his plan to save up his merits and use it all for later. After seeing that his physical ranks didn’t go up even after training so hard, Chi-Woo realized how inefficient and wasteful he had been with his time. Furthermore, he could no longer ignore the perks of having abilities in his user information. Tiers not only expressed how strong an ability or person was, but they were also equated to influence in the hero world.
“I can’t help it! I didn’t change because I wanted to. Do you think I wanted to become servile? I want to be upright too. I want to act according to my ideals too. But you know better than anyone that business doesn’t always go the way you expect.”