Chapter 12: Fleeting Moment

Since Fang had mentioned the day before that Rover's meals required modification with Monster Cells, Hansen chose not to consume all of them immediately. Instead, he saved around a dozen, sealed them into a pre-prepared pouch, and tucked it into a narrow crevice within his armor for later.

"Not having any kind of inventory space is seriously annoying. If I ever run into a space-type ability, I'm copying it without hesitation." He made a mental note of the thought.

Rover's trust took priority over short-term growth. Hansen had no intention of recklessly burning through every Monster Cell just to boost his stats a little. Maintaining good relations with Rover mattered more than a momentary advantage.

Right then, a commotion drifted into the edges of his expanding sensory range. After focusing in, Hansen identified it as the Tiger-class squad he'd dispatched earlier, returning from their assigned hunt. Without delay, and accompanied by a faint tearing sound, he vanished from where he stood.

...

Boom! Boom!

The ground vibrated with the heavy thuds of approaching footsteps as a group of monsters neared. When Hansen arrived at the designated site, he saw the squad dragging in the corpses of various animals. The most prominent among them was a massive brown bear.

Its fur remained largely unscathed, but the upper portion of its skull had been shattered, the clear result of a vicious kill.

"Nice work," Hansen said with calm indifference. He approached the bear's body, retrieved one Monster Cell from the seam of his armor, and, under the wary and intrigued gazes of the nearby monsters, embedded it directly into the corpse.

Thump...

Thump...

Thump...

It was as if the lifeless body had regained a pulse. Within the bear, corrupted tissue began to swell and spread at an alarming pace. The body twitched with jerky, unnatural spasms as its form ballooned and deformed. Beneath the surface, clusters of muscle writhed and multiplied with wild intensity. A suffocating, monstrous aura spilled into the air.

Only seconds passed before the transformation completed. The bear's remains had become distended and hideous, so far removed from its original form that it was nearly unrecognizable.

Nodding in approval, Hansen studied the grotesque result. It looked nearly identical to the meals delivered the previous day. He glanced over the crowd, then pointed at five of the more rugged-looking monsters without warning.

"You, you, and you three. Step forward."

The five selected, four Wolf-classes and one Tiger, froze momentarily in disbelief before breaking into grins, nearly bouncing forward in excitement.

Among them, the Tiger-class, a broad-shouldered Three-Eyed Giant, straightened his back with visible pride. He was certain the new boss had finally noticed his strength.

They all remembered how Fang had risen in rank and taken command. Now, the Three-Eyed Giant believed it was his turn to earn trust and authority. If that weak rat had clawed his way into power, there was no reason he couldn't do the same. This was how background characters claimed the spotlight.

Hansen didn't bother explaining further. "Pick up the big guy and follow me."

"Yes, boss!" all five responded in unison.

Without hesitation, the Three-Eyed Giant stepped forward, grabbed the enormous bear's head, and heaved it up with ease. As he did, he shot a smug glance at the four Wolf-class monsters trailing behind, clearly enjoying the small moment of superiority.

The others grunted and gasped as they dragged the rest of the mutated bear's bloated body along, its grotesque weight slowing them down. Still, they followed close behind their new boss, heading straight toward the passage that led into Rover's territory.

From a distance, Fang and the other monsters watched the procession leave. Many of those left behind were filled with envy, their eyes burning with jealousy over the "lucky" few chosen for such an "important" mission.

But Fang could only swallow hard. A chill ran down his spine as a flicker of fear and relief passed through his small, beady eyes. Unlike the others, he'd already guessed what fate likely awaited those volunteers.

"Lucky I'm malnourished. Not much meat on me anyway..." he muttered under his breath. His respect for Hansen silently grew deeper.

...

The path ahead was familiar, but the silence that wrapped around them now was chilling. What had started as prideful excitement slowly gave way to unease. The five monsters had grown quiet. First, they calmed down. Then their steps slowed. Confusion crept in, and hesitation followed.

At the front, the Three-Eyed Giant had begun to feel a growing sense of dread twisting in his gut.

Something wasn't right.

But before the thought could even fully form, a crushing, ancient pressure descended like the fury of some prehistoric predator. It slammed down without warning, a terrifying weight that froze the group in place.

Two enormous, glowing eyes blazed open in the darkness ahead, sweeping over them. The moment their gaze landed, every one of the five monsters felt as though they'd plummeted into a freezing abyss. Terror locked their limbs in place.

D-D-D-D... Dragon-level monster—Lord Overgrown Rover!!

Why was the meeting happening so suddenly?

"Raaaargh!!" (You're here!)

A thunderous growl rang out, accompanied by a wave of blistering heat that swept through the tunnel. The air sizzled, and the force of it sent the monsters staggering back, their fur blown flat by the blast.

In reality, Rover was just excited to see Hansen again.

Hansen stepped forward without hesitation. Beneath his pitch-black faceplate, his smile was steady and sincere. "I'm here, Lord Rover!"

Rover leaned close and gave him a big sniff. The scent from the previous day still lingered faintly.

Yup. It was definitely him.

"Raaaargh? Raargh!" (Hmm? You seem a bit taller than yesterday? Kids grow up so fast!)

Hansen had no words. Behind his faceplate, the corner of his mouth twitched.

So this guy really believes I'm a human child, huh?

After a brief, awkwardly friendly exchange, Hansen turned to glance back at the five trembling "lucky ingredients" lined up behind him.

A second later, the tunnel was engulfed in blinding heat as a searing beam of light roared to life. It swallowed the screams that burst out in that final moment.

[Wolf-level monster killed ×4. Gained 9 Origin Points!]

[Tiger-level monster killed ×1. Gained 23 Origin Points!]

In the blink of an eye, the five chosen monsters had vanished from existence. No, they had just lost their shapes, turning into meat paste.

Gulp... gulp...

Rover swallowed loudly, his long tongue licking his lips as the scent of roasted meat filled the space. Without waiting, he lowered his head and took a massive bite.

Bone shattered on contact. The crunch of his chewing echoed through the corridor, steady and pleased. He was clearly enjoying every second.

When he finished, Rover wagged his thick tail, thumping it contentedly against the ground. His mood had never been better.

Rover then lowered his enormous head and affectionately rubbed his rough, fur-covered cheek against Hansen's black armor, releasing a deep, satisfied rumble from his throat.

"Roo roo roooo~"

Thanks to the bond formed through "Beast Instinct," Hansen had long since become fluent in Rover-speak. After an extremely enthusiastic explanation from the giant black dog, Hansen finally pieced together the full picture and could only laugh bitterly at the truth.

Rover hadn't been amazed by his cooking skills yesterday. Not exactly. The real reason was far simpler.

It turned out Rover's signature move, "Scorching Blast," was way too powerful. Every time he tried to hunt for himself, he either vaporized the prey completely or burned it into unrecognizable ash. So up until yesterday, he'd been eating nothing but raw meat.

But Hansen's much weaker, bite-sized version of "Scorching Blast" was just right, hot enough to roast the meat to perfection, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Tasty, easy to chew, and perfectly charred.

Hansen shook his head.

So the only reason I survived yesterday was because my attack wasn't strong enough to ruin the food? What kind of twisted logic is that?

Still, after another successful feeding session, his bond with Rover had clearly taken another solid step forward.

Thinking it was a good time to push the relationship further while the atmosphere was still warm, Hansen decided to offer a bit of pampering. Carefully, he asked, "Lord Rover, your fur looks a bit messy. Would you like me to clean it for you?"

Rover blinked, then twisted around to inspect himself.

Sure enough, his huge frame was caked with dust, bits of gravel, dried slime, and streaks of clotted blood. He looked like he hadn't cleaned himself in ages.

His head tilted slightly as he tried to recall the last time he'd had anything resembling a bath, probably back when he was smaller... and less busy incinerating everything.

To this little creature, who smelled familiar and served good food, Rover had already dropped most of his defenses. The suggestion sounded pleasant enough.

He gave an enthusiastic nod of his gigantic head.

"Raargh! Raaagh!" (Hop on! I know a great place to bathe! I'll take you there!)

Without hesitation, Rover lowered himself and bent his thick neck, motioning for Hansen to climb aboard.

(❍❍❍ᴥ❍❍❍ʋ)

"…man, I am cooked."

Even though he knew Rover wasn't trying to harm him, Hansen still jumped in shock.

Dude. You're a Dragon-level monster, one of the Monster Association's top executives. And now you're offering me a piggyback ride like some oversized Labrador?! Have we really reached this point already?!

Rover rolled his huge eyes and gave an eager huff, clearly excited and urging Hansen to climb up.

Hansen stood frozen for a second, then slowly exhaled and gave up trying to fight the absurdity.

He's just a big dog. He probably just wants some company while he bathes.

Whatever. I'm claiming it.

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