31. Cubs, Cart, and Cooking Chaos
Chapter 30 – Cubs, Cart, and Cooking Chaos
The days had passed slowly.
Not because time moved sluggishly, but because everyone was waiting for Moon to regain consciousness. And during this waiting phase… one little wolf cub had somehow become the main character of their small group.
The tiny balck-furred creature had only four things on his daily to-do list:
1. Lick Moon.
2. Sit on Ruby's shoulder and look around like a curious king.
3. Eat.
4. Sleep.
In that exact order. Every. Single. Day.
And yet—despite his devotion to Moon and an appetite that could put a teenage wrestler to shame—the cub had not grown even an inch.
He had eaten seventy Taurus.
Yes, seventy.
And still looked like a chubby baby pillow with legs.
---
"Where the hell is it going?"
Kai stared at the cub, utterly confused.
"Seriously… where the hell is all the meat going?" he asked aloud, hands on hips.
James, who was sharpening a dagger nearby, glanced at the puffball currently chewing on a Taurus tail like it was spaghetti.
Minji shrugged. "Maybe he's using it all to power up inside. Like… stockpiling energy or something. Beast metabolism is weird."
Kai tilted his head, still unconvinced.
"I swear if he evolves into a wolf the size of a planet, I'm suing."
---
The cart rattled lightly as it moved along the dirt path.
A large, muscular bull had been attached to it earlier that morning. It wasn't their first choice of transportation, but considering Kai had slaughtered over 120 Taurus that night, they had plenty of raw material lying around.
One of the Taurus Kai had killed even given him a Fighter-level beast echo—a rare find. Along with it came a rookie-grade spear and a nunchaku .
Moon lay still in the cart, his body covered with white linen from inside breathing soft and steady , and he was wearing a full black t-shirt and black trousers.
The wolf cub was currently sitting on the bull's back, looking proud and royal. Next to him was the new addition—a lion cub with golden fur and intense red eyes.
Ruby had named him "Leo" earlier that day.
When Kai had asked about it, Ruby had placed her hand on the lion cub's tiny head and said, "Leo. That's his name."
Kai had nodded and immediately turned toward the lion cub.
"LEO!!" he shouted dramatically, pointing like he was summoning a beast in battle.
The lion cub paused… blinked once… and then let out a tiny "rawrrr," so ridiculously soft that even the bull twitched in confusion.
Everyone burst out laughing.
Even James who was sharpening his dagger started laughing , wiping tears from his eyes. "Bro… that was NOT a roar. That was a squeaky yawn!"
---
"What'll Moon Name the wolf cub?"
Later, as the cart creaked forward under a sky painted orange by the setting sun, Kai looked over to Minji.
"So… ruby had named the lion cub Leo. But what about this little monster?" He pointed to the wolf cub, who was now asleep with a Taurus bone as a pillow.
Minji smiled. "Let's wait. Moon should name him once he wakes up."
James, now resting his feet on a barrel, leaned in with a smirk.
"Okay, okay… fun game. Let's guess what Moon will name the wolf cub."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Oh no."
Kai was the first to speak: "I'm betting something dark. Like… Shadow. Or Doom. Maybe—Dark Slayer of the Moonless Abyss."
James almost fell off the cart laughing. "Bro, it's a cub, not a final boss from an RPG!"
Ruby chuckled. "Moon might call him something totally cute, just to mess with us. Like Snuggles."
Kai gagged. "I will throw myself into a volcano."
James added, "What if he names him after a dish? Like... Biryani or Pizza?"
Minji laughed. "Or Ladoo. Because he's round and sweet."
Kai added Sesame Ladoo ,he is also black.
[Ladoo is a sweet from India which is round in shape ]
Ruby looked at the sleeping cub, tilting her head. "Honestly... I can picture Moon waking up and just saying something weird like 'Oi, you're Lump.'"
All of them stared at each other.
And burst out laughing.
The bull, unfazed by the chaos behind him, kept walking like a veteran of nonsense.
---
Stars and Seals
By nightfall, the world had turned silent.
The forest was darker now, but above them… the sky was mesmerizing.
Countless stars twinkled, forming galaxies, spirals, and constellations none of them recognized. It looked like a moving painting—as if space itself was alive.
Kai couldn't help but ask.
"Minji… do you think in this dimension, we can go to space too? Like… other planets, races, civilizations?"
Minji didn't answer right away.
Instead, she looked up, her expression thoughtful.
"That's not really the outer space."
Kai frowned. "What do you mean?"
She took a deep breath.
"It's a seal. A boundary."
Everyone turned toward her except ruby , seeing this even both cub started looking at Minji and make a face that they are understanding everything what minji js
saying .
But no one sees that and Minji continues.
"A seal that stops higher-tier beings from descending... and lower-tier beings from ascending. It's ancient. And dangerous."
James leaned forward. "So it's fake sky?"
"Not fake," Minji said. "Real… but not what it looks like. Just like a mirror might show you something—but not let you touch it."
Kai nodded slowly. "Has anyone ever broken through it?"
Minji hesitated. "A few saints. Some succeeded. Most… died, but even those who succeeded in breaking that weren't able to cross that because they became rookie level just after breaking that."
Ruby added, "There's also a theory that digging beneath this land might lead us to the 'real' universe."
Kai blinked. "Wait. What?"
James sat up. "That sounds… insane."
Minji nodded. "Several races once teamed up—Gandharvas, Angels, Shura, Giants, Mechas—they sent their strongest Planetary warriors to dig downward."
"And?" Kai asked.
"They only reached 1,000 kilometers. After that… the rock was too hard. Stronger than any weapon they had."
Ruby crossed her arms. "Some say that wasn't rock. It was the boundary itself. Physical. Boundary.
Of course! Here's your line rewritten in simple, slow-paced English with a natural flow and a thoughtful tone:
---
Minji spoke slowly, her eyes still fixed on the distant stars.
"But… there's another theory," she said. "A theory that goes against everything we just talked about."
Everyone turned toward her, listening closely.
She paused, choosing her next words carefully.
"But if that's true… then how come anyone can enter the universe freely? How can weak people—mundanes—even exist alongside Domain Masters, under the same roof… without any consequences?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"It's like… they're all standing under the same ceiling, which Shifting Expanse try Very hard to control because it will become unequal for who are still growing their cultivation and it can lead to dictator ship, and as much we know this dimension Shifting Expanse believes in fair as much it can.
Everyone went quiet.
---
"I'm Making Dinner"
It was Kai who broke the silence.
"Alright. Enough universe talk. I'm starving."
As if on cue, Leo and the wolf cub both lifted their heads and made little "Mmm!" sounds—nodding like elderly villagers agreeing with the village head.
James stared at them.
"...Did they just agree with you?"
Kai clutched his stomach laughing.
"They're your spiritual siblings now, bro."
James said while laughing.
---
Kai stood up.
"Okay. Since I've been roasted for my cooking in the past… I will cook tonight."
Everyone blinked.
Minji whispered to Ruby, "He's serious?"
Ruby: "Unfortunately, yes."
Kai walked over to the Taurus corpses and casually tossed two full bodies to the cubs.
"There. All yours. Don't choke."
Then he got to work.
---
Cooking, Kai-Style
He took out the bird James had hunted earlier that morning—a Rookie-level creature with thick muscles and spicy-scented feathers.
He began preparing it silently.
The sounds filled the air:
The crackling of fire
The sizzle of meat hitting the pan
The snap of herbs
The faint hiss of oil meeting cold spices
Within minutes, the air turned heavenly.
Spices danced in the wind.
Smoke curled like incense.
James was drooling. Minji's eyes sparkled. Even Ruby, usually composed, was staring like a hawk.
The cubs were already munching away on their Taurus buffet, tails wagging.
Kai, for the first time in days, felt peaceful.
As he stirred the stew and flipped the meat, he glanced toward the cart.
Moon still slept soundly, unaware of the smells, the stars, or the laughter nearby.
Kai smiled softly.
"Don't worry, brother. You'll wake up to good food."
And fire.
---
To be continued...