Chapter 18

“A pet?”

Suho stared in bewilderment at the message that had suddenly appeared.

[“A pet?”]

Beru was just as puzzled.

LAP, LAP, LAP.

A name tag had appeared above the wolf pup as it lapped up the seaweed soup.

[?? Lv.1]

Fang Wolf

Right on cue, the system sent a message.

DING.

[You can give your pet a name.]

[Please choose a name for your pet.]

“It says to name the pet.”

Suho looked at Beru, who had fallen deep into thought.

[“Hmm? There was nothing like this before.”]

“Nothing like what? Pets?”

[“Indeed. Back when my liege was still leveling up, there was no such feature.”]

Beru explained. The leveling system now applied to Suho had originally been used by the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo, and passed down to him.

Of course, it had undergone some improvements since then, but those amounted only to removing the “malice” embedded in the system.

“Malice?”

[“Yes.”]

The system’s original purpose had been to force the human named Sung Jinwoo to grow stronger so he could serve as a vessel for the Shadow Monarch.

The moment that purpose was fulfilled, Sung Jinwoo’s human soul was meant to cease to exist.

[“But through one thing and another, Lord Sung Jinwoo ultimately defied the system’s purpose and became the Shadow Monarch himself. He became a great being who no longer needed to level up.”]

And Suho was the one who had now inherited that system.

“Then why has a pet system appeared now when it didn’t exist back then?”

[“Hmm. Perhaps it has been there all along, rather than appearing just now.”]

Beru narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.

[“We were not the ones who designed the leveling system in the first place. It was a shaman of the Illusion Realm who dreamed of eternal life.”]

“A shaman of the Illusion Realm?”

[“Yes. Only he would know exactly what features the system contains.”]

Long ago, the shaman of the Illusion Realm had wished to escape his fate as a finite creation and become an eternal being in his own right.

To that end, he had made a pact with the angels of God and created the leveling system.

[“But the system’s only purpose at the time was to complete a vessel for the Shadow Monarch, so there would have been no need for pets. He could simply kill everything and turn it into shadow soldiers. Your system, however, serves an entirely different purpose now, Young Monarch.”]

Suho looked puzzled.

“You mean the system isn’t meant to turn me into the Shadow Monarch?”

[“Correct. You cannot become the Shadow Monarch in any case, Young Monarch.”]

Beru spoke with absolute certainty.

[“There is only one Shadow Monarch in this world.”]

In short, Suho would only have a chance to become a Monarch if Sung Jinwoo died and left the position vacant.

But Sung Jinwoo was the Monarch who ruled over death.

He would never die, for all eternity.

[“In truth, he is the one who is truly eternal and immortal.”]

“Okay, I get how amazing my dad is.”

But Suho had a question.

“Then what is my system for?”

At that question, Beru smiled faintly and met Suho’s eyes.

Born of a marriage between the Shadow Monarch and an ordinary human, Sung Suho was an unprecedented being across all dimensions.

Not even the Architect who had created the system could dare guess what he would grow into.

Would he simply live as the Young Monarch who had inherited the Shadow Monarch’s skills, as he did now?

Or would he... break free of his destined fate and find his own path, just as Sung Jinwoo had long ago?

[“Whatever path you take, Young Monarch, the system will merely serve as a guide suited to it. If a feature has appeared that was not there before, it must surely be something that will help you.”]

Already, in Suho’s face, Beru could see the face of a man who had walked a lonely, arduous road long ago, fighting everything the world threw at him.

That man... had survived through ceaseless struggle, closer to death than anyone else in the world.

And in the end, he had claimed even death itself as his own power.

The peace Earth now enjoyed was a noble one, built upon his sublime sacrifice.

Yet lately, that peace was once again under threat.

By the gods of the outer universe.

“Status window.”

After listening to Beru, Suho suddenly opened his status window.

[Status Window]

Name: Sung Suho

Level: 16

Class: None

Title: Wolf Slayer

HP: 2,350/2,350

MP: 235/235

[Stats]

Strength: 35 Vitality: 25

Agility: 25 Intelligence: 25

Perception: 25

(Available Stat Points: 0)

[Skills]

Passive Skills: Toughness Lv.2, Dual Swordsmanship Lv.1

Active Skills: Ruler's Authority Lv.1, Shadow Extraction Lv.1, Storm Slash Lv.1

After hearing Beru’s explanation, he understood why his class was still listed as “None.”

“Shadow Monarch” would probably never appear in that field.

Rather than his class, Suho focused on the other values beneath it.

‘This is where I stand right now.’

His stats had risen tremendously compared to when he was level 1, running from the Mist Burns.

He had already gained this many useful skills, too.

But...

‘I’m still weak.’

Suho never overestimated his own strength.

That was a fact, not modesty.

He had already reached level 99 several times in the dreams of his adolescent years. Recalling how that had felt, his current power was utterly insignificant.

Even in this latest battle, he would never have put up such a good fight against Broki if the Wolf Slayer title hadn’t appeared at just the right time.

Suho also checked the new skill he had gained during the battle.

[Skill: Dual Swordsmanship Lv.1]

Passive skill.

No mana required.

Allows you to wield two swords more proficiently.

Deals 33% additional damage when using two swords.

(Also applies to weapons other than swords.)

‘Dual Swordsmanship...’

Come to think of it, he had been fighting with a weapon in each hand all along.

Axes at first.

Swords this time.

The skill had probably developed from the way he had fought up to now.

“Then I should keep using two swords if I want to get stronger.”

“...?”

Suho’s gaze settled on Rakan’s Fang.

Having used it in battle, he was quite satisfied with Rakan’s Fang’s attack power. Whenever it connected, the heads of Gwanaksan’s magic beasts went flying.

To keep both hands balanced, he would need another sword of a similar caliber.

‘I’d better earn some money. Weapons for hunters are ridiculously expensive.’

Then Suho looked down.

“And as for this little guy...”

“Whine...”

The wolf pup had finished its seaweed soup, and its belly was bulging. But it still seemed too weak even to crawl, lying listlessly on the floor.

“You’ll need a lot more growing before I can use you in a fight.”

[Please choose a name for your pet.]

The system message had been prompting him for a while now.

Suho chose a name without hesitation.

“You have gray fur, so Gray.”

[Would you like to use ‘Gray’?]

“Yes.”

The moment Suho finished speaking, the question marks above the wolf pup’s head vanished, replaced by its new name.

[Gray Lv.1]

Fang Wolf

“Whiiine...”

Now officially Suho’s pet, Gray lifted its head, eyes unfocused, and sniffed the air. It seemed to be smelling Suho.

Tapping its nose with a fingertip, Suho asked Rakan’s Fang a question.

“Hey, let me ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“How do I raise this thing into something useful?”

“What else is there to raising a child? Feed it well, let it sleep well, and let it play.”

“Not the obvious stuff. It’s a descendant of the Monarch of Fangs, after all. Isn’t there some special method?”

“Food truly is important. The reason this child became so weak in the first place must be that Broki kept starving it, fearing its growth.”

Remembering the things Broki had done made anger surge through Rakan’s Fang once more, even though Broki was already dead.

Had a child of the Fang Clan been allowed to grow normally, it could never have remained a prisoner of the likes of Broki.

“So feed it, and feed it some more. Give it plenty of sleep and let it run and play to its heart’s content, and it will grow into a predator far stronger than the likes of Broki.”

“Really? What should I feed it?”

“Magic beasts, of course. Better still if it hunts them itself. The children of our clan play by hunting from the moment they are born.”

“So they play at hunting. Hmm.”

That was absurd.

It wanted him to send a pup hunting when it didn’t even have the strength to walk on its own.

[“Good grief. You lot are even more ruthless than ants. At least we leave our larvae alone.”]

Beru’s remark gave Suho an excellent idea.

After all, who had carried him around and raised him when he was a baby?

“Beru, you’re in charge of this little guy from now on.”

[“Why so suddenly?”]

“Because you’re the best nanny I know.”

[“Heh heh heh. Such praise from you leaves me quite overwhelmed, Young Monarch.”]

Beru squirmed bashfully.

“Shall we go, then?”

[“Skree? Where are we going all of a sudden?”]

Beru looked bewildered.

Suho picked Gray up by the scruff and inserted the Key to the Shadow Dungeon into his own shadow.

[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?]

“Where else? In here.”

CLICK.

[Entering the Shadow Dungeon.]

WHOOOOSH!

* * *

Once inside the Shadow Dungeon, Suho promptly set Beru on Gray’s back.

“From now on, you two are a team.”

[“Skree?”]

Small as Gray was, the pup was twice Beru’s size. Of course, even together, they were still small enough to cup in both hands.

“Could this place be...”

Having been brought along before it knew what was happening, Rakan’s Fang felt a strange sensation as it surveyed the Shadow Dungeon.

“The Shadow Monarch’s world?”

[“More precisely, the world the Young Monarch inherited. Though it was neglected for so long that wild magic beasts have crept in.”]

Beru’s eyes gleamed as he realized why Suho had brought them here.

Hostile eyes were glaring at them from all around the dungeon.

[“Wild goblins, eh? The perfect opponents for training a pet.”]

Grinning, Beru patted the rump of the pup beneath him.

[“Now rise! Descendant of the Monarch of Fangs! Show those puny creatures your ferocity!”]

“Whiiine...”

FLOP.

[“Hmm?”]

But Gray seemed to have no desire to fight at all.

No, it seemed unwilling even to stand, curling up flatter against the floor.

At the sight, Rakan’s Fang could not contain its anguish.

“Argh! Captivity has robbed it of all its innate fighting instincts! Whatever shall we do?”

“What do you mean, what shall we do?”

[“Precisely.”]

Suho and Beru, however, remained unperturbed.

Beru’s skill was Gluttony.

It allowed him to absorb a portion of the power and memories of the magic beasts he consumed.

[“Rise, young warrior.”]

Beru, the best nanny Suho knew, patted Gray’s rump once again.

Harshly.

[Beru uses ‘Skill: Harsh Command.’]

[‘Skill: Harsh Command’ increases Gray’s stats by 50%.]

[As a side effect of ‘Skill: Harsh Command,’ Gray is afflicted with the Curse of Madness.]

“... Grrr!”

In that instant, the look in the utterly unmotivated pup’s eyes changed completely.

Beru grinned wickedly and kept patting its rump.

[“Good! That’s the spirit! Let’s go, Growly!”]

“Grrrowl!”