Chapter 32 : The Youngest of the Family, Choco

Brown fur with perky ears.

A wagging tail.

A puppy I had never seen before came bounding toward me, claws skimming over the ground.

But the situation was anything but normal.

The puppy was at least ten times larger than the Dudermoles, and as it ran wild, the area was completely trashed.

Fortunately, none of the Dudermoles seemed hurt, but their expressions were all exhausted.

Well, look at that.

When it jumped up with its front paws, two or three Dudermoles standing nearby were sent flying into the air.

When it spun its tail around, it lost balance and fell backward with a thud.

No wonder they asked for help.

A small puppy like this was just too much for the Dudermoles to handle.

There was no choice.

I reached out a hand on behalf of the Dudermoles.

Woof woof!

With a bright face, it raised its paw toward my hand.

Could it be?

“Shake.”

bow!

“Lie down.”

Bow.

“Bruwww.”

It rolled over.

A genius dog.

It performed tricks flawlessly without ever having been trained.

On top of that.

“Touch nose.”

It stuck its nose out.

“Fetch!”

Bow Bow!

It even did those hard commands with ease.

Soon, it looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if waiting to be praised.

Was it asking to be petted?

I stroked its head and chin.

A soft, happy sound came as it rubbed its face against my hand.

Then, the puppy’s status window appeared.

[ Fuko Dog ]

[ Rank ] E-D+

[ Preferred Food ] Bones, Meat

Fuko Dog.

Though it was a new name, it was clearly a puppy.

And it was absolutely adorable.

Compared to other beasts, it was on the larger side, but still, a puppy at heart.

Its fur was fluffy and seemed to like people.

It rolled onto its back, exposing its belly.

Then it wriggled around.

It wanted its belly rubbed.

I saw its pink belly.

How could I resist?

I rubbed its belly vigorously, and it pushed back happily.

Bbyak Bbyak!

Bbiee—

Pachi pachi.

It was even very friendly.

Before I knew it, the Samhyungje were all cuddled up with the puppy.

Should I start calling them the “Sam Four” now?

“Dusik, you did well too.”

Duda.

I didn’t forget to praise Dusik, who had played so well with the puppy until now.

The dried sweet potatoes I bought outside were set down as a treat.

Our Dudermoles must have been exhausted from digging so much, but they didn’t show any signs of displeasure and worked hard.

I had to reward them properly.

I wanted to give them the random drop food items, but the quantity wasn’t enough.

So I prepared some from the mart, and surprisingly, they all liked it.

Duda Duda!

Seeing the happy expressions of the Dudermoles as they crowded around and ate the sweet potatoes made me feel strangely proud.

I should’ve bought these earlier.

First, I installed an automatic feeder and water dispenser.

I filled them with plenty of food and water so they wouldn’t run out.

Next time I get Mana Stones, I should set up fountains in the mine as well.

That would boost work efficiency, right?

Bow bow!

It happened then.

As I was gazing at the mine and imagining plans in my head, the puppy sprang forward.

Then it eagerly rubbed its face against me.

Its face was already covered in drool.

It tickled between its ears, making me smile uncontrollably.

“Ahaha, alright. That’s enough.”

What a playful cutie.

I must have been chosen by fate.

Our new fourth beast.

It was none other than the Fuko Dog.

Its rank wasn’t high, but that didn’t matter.

It was cute enough.

That was all that mattered.

Now all that was left was to give it a name.

Just like before, never stopping to think.

Is this the fifth pet name I’ve made?

I should be used to it by now, but I couldn’t help but hesitate.

I had to be careful not to repeat the Bbyak incident.

When it comes to dogs, maybe Ppoppi? Baduki?

No.

Those would only bring curses.

What should I choose?

At that moment, a name flashed through my mind.

“Choco.”

It matched perfectly with the shiny brown fur, like milk chocolate.

Common, yet unpretentious.

“You’re Choco from today on.”

Bow bow!

Luckily, Choco liked the name.

And so, our new youngest member joined us.

Though the biggest in size, Choco was also the most affectionate.

***

[Entered Floor 18 of the Tower.]

Mission: Eliminate Strong Steel Male Mantis 0/5

Time Limit: 12 hours

I started climbing the tower, pushed by Dusik’s urgent request for help.

The enemies on floor 18 were the same male mantises I’d seen in the gate before.

They had front legs as tough as steel and were highly dangerous.

Any bone caught by those legs would shatter immediately.

Of course, they were no match for us.

Bbyak and Toto were basics.

Now Somi had powered up too.

With her small eyes narrowed, she fiercely shot her rifle, and everyone else matched her pace.

Doo doo doo doo.

Today, Bbyak and Toto were giving way to Somi.

Seeing them help each other so well was heartwarming.

Thus, two Bbyaks, one Somi, and two Totos took down the enemies one by one.

[Notice] The Black Tower Floor 18 has been cleared at SSS Rank for the first time worldwide.

[Reward] You have obtained a Golden Ticket.

[Reward] 72 kg Mana Stones

[Reward] 25 usable Mana Recovery Potions

[Reward] 25 usable Health Recovery Potions

[Reward] 2 Front Legs of Steel Mantis

The tower climb was over.

Recently, the rewards had been healthy.

But somehow, they felt bland.

[Front Legs of Steel Mantis] These front legs possess sharp cutting power.

The mantis legs I obtained looked creepy, even if it was just an extra item.

With such cutting power, I could make something decent, but it was still disappointing.

Maybe I’ll give this to Somi next time and call it a day for today.

Just as I was about to leave the tower,

Suddenly, Choco wagged its tail and started barking.

Then it darted off somewhere.

Bow bow!

After running for a while, it stopped.

Panting and sniffing, it suddenly began digging the ground.

Dig dig dig.

With its small front paws, it worked hard at the soil.

What could possibly be down there?

Curious, I glanced over and saw a small gap with a tiny stone emerging.

Ding—

At that moment, a system message appeared before my eyes.

[You have discovered a buried treasure.]

[Reward] Rune of Skill Enhancement

Jackpot!

I never expected to find a Rune of Skill Enhancement here!

Every player coveted it.

Known simply as the Rune of Enhancement,

it boosts a player’s abilities.

Just one use could make you far stronger than before.

The prime example was Long Wei from China.

His skill was the incarnation of Lu Bu from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

He was famous for overwhelming strength and slicing enemies to pieces with his spear.

By using the Rune of Skill Enhancement, he obtained none other than the Red Hare,

significantly upgrading Lu Bu’s unique ability.

Thanks to this, Long Wei maintained his No. 1 ranking in China.

That’s how priceless the Rune was.

Including those discovered so far, there were just over ten in existence.

They went for astronomical prices.

Five thousand tons of Mana Stones might not even cover it.

What should I do?

Sell it safely?

After all, I didn’t really need it myself.

My four beasts could take care of it easily.

I might get Mana Stones by handing it over to Dohyun.

But…

“It’s a tough choice.”

Selling a Rune I might never get again felt too regretful.

I decided to just use it.

Who knows?

Maybe I’d meet even more beasts.

Closing my eyes tightly, I used the Rune of Skill Enhancement.

With a blue glow, my power surged.

Ding—

[You have used the Rune of Skill Enhancement.]

[The love of your beasts has been strengthened.]

[Love of Beasts] You gain the absolute love of all your beasts.

[Beast Attraction has been enhanced.]

[Beast Attraction] The probability of befriending high-rank beasts has greatly increased.

[Petting skill has been enhanced.]

[Petting Skill] Your beasts like it very much.

[Beast’s Favor has been strengthened.]

[Beast’s Favor] Beasts grown to the highest rank grant favors to the player. Growth to the highest rank is accelerated.

All skills were enhanced.

Compared to before, not much changed at first glance.

Maybe just a few extra words.

But looking at the contents, it was incomparable.

Previously, Love of Beasts applied only to beasts you personally raised, but now it applied to all beasts.

Beast Attraction greatly increased the chance to encounter higher-rank beasts.

Petting Skill now included the adverb ‘very.’

Especially Beast’s Favor,

the growth speed to the highest rank was significantly increased.

Definitely worth using.

Speaking of Mana Stones, that’s another story.

More importantly, our Choco had already done a great job.

How did it find the buried Rune of Enhancement?

Truly remarkable.

“Choco, come here.”

I lifted it up with both hands.

Choco wagged its tail happily with a bright face.

A genius dog isn’t just about rank.

Choco, the scent-hunting prodigy.

With the new youngest member joining us who could auto-hunt, invent items, farm, mine Mana Stones, and now even find hidden treasures, our group had truly grown stronger!

***

Near the Seoul Association Branch.

A pale-faced man dressed in a black suit was patrolling the area.

His name was Seijiro.

He was a hitman hired by the Seryu Group from Japan.

He was different from ordinary thugs.

A naturally skilled individual,

he had flawlessly carried out every mission assigned to him.

Not only that.

He was Takehiko’s left-hand man and was even a level S player.

The recent gate collapse incident was also his doing.

He was ordered by Takehiko to turn the heart of Seoul into a bloodbath funeral.

But suddenly, a woman and a red bird appeared and ruined everything.

Was he punished for that?

No.

On the contrary, Takehiko was pleased.

Because they had found the whereabouts of the Phoenix.

However, this incident had left a major stain on his record.

He couldn’t just let it slide.

This time, no matter what, he would find the Phoenix before anyone else and dedicate it to Takehiko as if it were his own father.

So he relentlessly searched the area around Seolha.

Tracking her movements and waiting for the red bird to appear.

But for several days, there had been no sign of the Phoenix.

“Helpless.”

The only method left was to lure her inside the gate.

It was a risky tactic, but for a specialist in assassination like him, kidnapping her and extracting information would be a piece of cake.

He took out a glass vial filled with a red liquid from his pocket and dropped a single drop.

Since he wasn’t aiming for a gate collapse this time, he didn’t need a large amount.

Soon, the air shimmered, and a blue gate appeared.

He entered before Seolha and hid his body.

This place, the real danger, was when Seolha appeared nearby.

Normally, he would defend using a golden gate, but when a gate appeared right beside him, he acted first regardless of rank.

Seolha, drawing a staff, began skillfully dispatching the monsters.

One by one, until only the final boss monster remained.

It was then that Seijiro, hidden in the shadows, finally revealed himself.

His ability was sniping.

Using mana bullets, he boasted a 100% hit rate.

He had implanted a tracking device on Seolha and aimed his gun.

Holding his breath, he pulled the trigger.

Pshh—

The bullet flew silently.

It was done.

If it hit her head, she would lose consciousness and collapse.

But—

Pat—

Suddenly, a green barrier appeared, blocking the bullet.

Seijiro, usually poker-faced, frowned at the unexpected situation.

This was serious.

If his identity were revealed, it would be over.

Seijiro hurriedly left the scene.

Only the bullet casing he fired remained on the ground.