Chapter 17 : Toto the lightning

A Strange Standoff Unfolds Between the Snack Boxes

Between Bbyak, Somi, and the unidentified squirrel that appeared, neither side gave an inch.

I feel sorry for our earth rabbit Somi, but from the squirrel’s point of view, Somi is definitely ignorable.

An E-rank, small and fragile.

But Bbyak is undeniably a Phoenix.

Not just an S, but an S+ rank.

Yet, it doesn’t back down at all.

On the contrary,

Pachi Pachi!

It raises yellow sparks in warning.

Why is it acting like that?

Could it be hungry?

“Hey guys, it’s okay. Come out for a bit.”

Now that I think about it, there was a food item from the random monster food draw that squirrels would like.

It was the savory King Almond.

[King Almond] A very savory King Almond. Rodent-type monsters love it.

Opening the wooden box, I handed over the almonds.

Pachi!

It made a startled face.

Could it be that it never expected to be given almonds?

Moved, it had tears welling in its eyes, then tightly clasped the almond with its small hands.

And then.

Pachi Pachi!

It acted all cute.

No wonder it’s loved by all monsters.

Being too popular can be tiring.

A sharp prick on the back of my head.

Bbyak and Somi glared at me.

Could it be they’re jealous right now?

***

[Lightning Squirrel]

[Rank] S-SSS

[Preferred Food] Top fruits, sweet berries, nuts

The Lightning Squirrel had already grown close.

It’s an S-rank, just like Bbyak.

Of course, it can’t beat the current Bbyak who’s leveled up, but it’s still impressive.

To be on par with legendary monsters in rank.

“Hmm, I should give it a name.”

This was already the third time I had to name a pet.

Naming is never easy.

Unlike game characters, you can’t just change the name anytime if you don’t like it.

It’s a new youngest member, so I couldn’t just slap on any random name.

What’s a name that’s cute but also sophisticated?

Since it’s a Lightning Squirrel, maybe something with “Bun”?

Nope. Doesn’t roll off the tongue.

Not cute either.

Hmm, what would be good?

Lightning always reminds me of Thor, the god of thunder.

So then?

How about Toto?

Pachi Pachi!

Toto looked satisfied.

I think I named it well.

The sound fits and the name suits a squirrel perfectly.

I feel like my naming skills are improving day by day, and it makes me proud.

Alright, I’m counting on you from now on.

When I stretched out my hand, Toto happily extended its short paw.

At that moment,

Zzap.

A sharp static shock hit me.

I flinched and jumped back without realizing it.

Pachi, pachi.

It looked very sorry.

Its big tail drooped down to the floor.

Look at how helpless it looked from feeling guilty.

The grumpy squirrel I saw at first was nowhere to be found.

“It’s okay.”

I smiled brightly, trying to reassure it not to worry.

Then Somi suddenly came over and patted the new youngest Toto’s shoulder.

Bbiee—

What? Is Somi playing the big brother now?

Well, Somi is the second oldest brother after all.

Look at how it carefully gave dried mango, saved especially for taking care of the younger sibling.

It’s too cute to resist.

“Alright, come here, all of you.”

I hugged Bbyak, Somi, and little Toto, rubbing cheeks.

Everyone let out a satisfied purring sound.

That was when.

Ding dong—

Someone came to the door.

Peeking through the intercom, it was Seo Rin with a tired face.

Oh right, she mentioned wanting to buy a large amount of magic stones.

Did I bring it up for nothing?

Seeing her tired expression made me feel bad.

“Ahaha, you must be really tired.”

“No, it’s fine.”

She forced a smile, but the dark circles under her eyes told a different story.

She must be overwhelmed with association work and tower class battles—definitely not an easy job.

“Thanks to you, I could leave work while others worked night shifts, so I’m the one who should be grateful.”

Indeed, being an association employee isn’t easy.

High salary?

Without any rest time, what’s the point of a paycheck?

Work-life balance matters the most.

I can’t let it go.

For Seo Rin, who always gives her best to help, I need to do something.

“Please, lie down here for a bit.”

“Huh?”

Seo Rin tilted her head at my sudden request.

She had brought a whole stack of documents related to bulk magic stone transactions—is this really okay?

But I gave up thinking further.

Woo Min always surprises me with the unexpected.

“Is this okay?”

She lay down like she was at a massage parlor.

I propped her chin on a soft pillow.

“Yes, please wait a moment. It might get a little cold. Don’t be alarmed.”

Bbyak and Somi immediately jumped up to relieve tension.

They climbed onto her back, kneading her shoulders.

Seo Rin couldn’t help but let out a small moan.

Those tiny paws massaging firmly were surprisingly skillful.

Meanwhile, I pulled out the Slime Trinity lotion Somi made.

A new invention combining the king’s symbol, a slime protective shield, and a slime summoning staff.

[Slime Staff Blessed by the King’s Grace] The three sacred relics possessed by the Slime King unite to unleash true power. All existing effects are doubled.

All existing effects doubled.

Slime summoning is doubled, too.

Starting with five green slimes that are great for fatigue recovery.

Pop—

The slimes appeared with a green glow.

They immediately began massaging Seo Rin’s entire body.

“Th-this is—”

She looked surprised at the sudden situation, but soon fatigue washed over her, and her body relaxed.

I understand that feeling well.

At first, it’s suspicious, but then you surrender your entire body to the slimes.

Squirm squirm.

Her body slowly melted away.

It felt like the fatigue vanished in an instant.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Swinging the staff again.

Pop—

This time, blue slimes appeared.

Cold compresses.

Her mind sharpened.

“Ahhh, this feels amazing.”

It was the first time I saw Seo Rin express such happiness.

She usually kept a polite smile, but it was purely business.

No personal feelings allowed.

But now?

She was completely disarmed.

“Okay, this is the last one.”

The final step was a warm compress.

I summoned the red slimes with a swing of the staff.

Their round bodies squirmed and soaked Seo Rin’s whole body in soothing warmth.

It was beautiful.

From head to toe, there was no trace of fatigue left.

“How is it?”

It was pure bliss.

Less than thirty minutes, but it felt like she’d seen a whole new world.

“The fatigue disappeared completely. My condition feels so much better. Even my cold symptoms seem to have gone.”

She twisted her shoulders in disbelief.

Slimes summoned from outside the tower?

It’s no longer surprising.

After all, the summoner is Woo Min.

An SSS-rank player.

The one raising the Phoenix, the earth rabbit, and the squirrel.

“Oh, that, that is—”

Seo Rin suddenly noticed Toto and jumped in surprise.

It was a monster she’d never seen before.

A squirrel, no less.

“Oh, he’s the youngest I met today. A Lightning Squirrel, and his name is Toto.”

He’s not just any squirrel.

He’s the Lightning Squirrel.

Even Somi accepted that easily.

The earth rabbit was just a normal monster after all.

But Bbyak?

A Phoenix.

But Toto was a species of monster never seen before.

Not even in the illustrations.

A squirrel that controls lightning.

“Do you know his rank?”

“Same as Bbyak. No, since Bbyak leveled up, he’s one below Bbyak.”

Wait, so that means a rank S?

Bbyak is an S+ who just leveled up.

In just a few days, it’s become an untouchable presence.

Are all rank 5 monsters usually this cute?

Pachi Pachi!

Look at that friendly greeting.

Impossible to believe it’s an S-rank.

“Uh, nice to meet you.”

I cautiously stretched out my hand for a handshake.

Pachi!

Toto shook it with its tiny front paw.

Not even a bit inferior to Bbyak and Somi.

Deadly cuteness.

I’m glad I came.

Where else can you get healing like this?

Getting a slime massage surrounded by cute monsters—

This is true healing.

But that little acorn hanging on Toto’s neck, I’ve seen it somewhere before.

A smooth surface with a lightning symbol engraved on it.

“No way, could it be—”

Carefully touching it, just in case,

[Lightning Dotorri] –

A status window appeared in front of me.

It’s the Lightning Dotorri, that’s right.

A legendary-level item recently procured by the Association.

But why is it here?

“Uh, Woo Min?”

“Yes?”

“You said Toto was a monster you just met today, right?”

“Yes. We just became friends.”

Things are getting complicated.

My head is pounding.

Looks like I’ll be working night shifts for a few more days.

***

Thump thump.

Late at night. Dohyun was still working overtime at the Association when his phone rang sharply.

He took a sip of mixed coffee and answered the call.

“Hey, what’s up?”

– Senpai, do you know about that legendary item auctioned recently?

“Of course. It’s a huge mess because of that.”

– Why? What happened?

There was hesitation in the voice on the other side.

This doesn’t sound good.

“Someone’s stolen it. Both CCTV and the security measures failed. Since the whole September server was leaked, we don’t even know who hacked in.”

• Stolen?

“Yeah, I’m going crazy. Looks like I’ll be pulling more night shifts for days.”

• I think we found it.

“What?”

They found the stolen legendary item?

Seo Rin must have gone to see Woo Min.

“Where?”

– Uh, Woo Min tamed a new monster, and that monster has it.

A brief silence followed.

I doubted my ears.

“Woo Min has it?”

– No, the monster tamed by Woo Min does.

“The Phoenix?”

– Um, no. It’s the squirrel.

What on earth is going on?

The squirrel stole the Dotorri?

I’d rather hear the Phoenix bit Mr. Park in half.

“You expect me to believe this?”

– Of course. I’m telling you because you’re the senior. What should we do?

I’m losing it.

What should I do?

If I knew, I wouldn’t be standing here like this.

“Wait a minute. Let me think.”

It had been a long time since I felt so parched after hanging up.

If the stolen Dotorri is with Woo Min’s SSS-rank monster, this is going to get complicated.

What to do?

Retrieve it secretly and pretend it never happened?

Impossible.

Even just the broken facilities would cost hundreds of millions.

I can’t just let this slide.

At that moment,

A perfect solution flashed through my mind.

“The association freely lends legendary items to special players, right?”

– Yeah. The association actively recommends lending legendary items whose uses are unknown.

A good idea came to me.

I’ll just say I lent it out.

To no one but an SSS-rank player.

“Wait for me. I’m coming now.”

Checking the time, Dohyun realized it wasn’t too late.

This was a perfect time to use his team leader authority.

“Everyone, go home. Overtime is over for today.”

The stolen Dotorri must have been found by now. No need to stay any longer.

It’s not because I want to go home.

Cheers spread around the office.

Dohyun pushed past the staff and quickly left the office.

I have to hurry. I felt bad for not giving Woo Min a proper reward.

Now’s the time to make it up to him.

Getting a legendary item and losing the magic stones too—double win.

Who cares if I overstep my team leader authority?

I might as well use it to the fullest.

Having pulled all the charts of tradeable magic stones, Dohyun hurried off to Woo Min’s place.