Chapter 64
Chapter 64
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Protecting Dust (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The suspect we captured at the monster scene turned out to be a much bigger fish than expected when we handed him over to the police.
The cops were in full festival mode.
They kept thanking us nonstop, saying this one guy would let them finally dismantle a massive drug ring.
Somehow, we'd ended up making a huge contribution to taking down a drug cartel.
It was late, and the whole team was mentally and physically exhausted, so we headed back to the company, gave the support team a quick rundown of what happened, and called it a day.
As we were getting ready to clock out, Rahee from the support team cautiously shared some news with me that made my steps quicken involuntarily.
"Minjun, I double-checked, and yeah, there was a weak monster reaction at White Tiger's apartment complex this morning. Looks like someone cleaned it up quick, but just in case, check things out carefully when you get home."
Hearing that made my heart sink.
Even if it was just a weak monster phenomenon, the only ones left at home were Leo, the depowered Daeho, and the timid guest Dust—just the three of them.
If a monster's reach had extended to our place...
I bolted out of the company building and raced home. Please, please let nothing have happened.
But my desperate wish shattered the moment I opened the front door.
"..."
Stepping inside, I was left speechless by the scene before me, frozen in place.
The living room was filthy—beyond filthy, an absolute wreck.
Sofa cushions were scattered everywhere, feathers or stuffing flying all over.
The curtains were half-torn and ragged, and my favorite computer chair had one leg snapped, tilting precariously.
The floor was covered in some mysterious black ash-like stuff.
It looked like a mini tornado had ripped through.
What the hell had happened while I was gone?
"Leo? Daeho?"
Worried amid the devastation, I called for the two.
Strangely, before I could even finish, they came bounding over—barefoot, or rather on their plush paw pads—and started rubbing their heads against my legs.
"Phew..."
Seeing them unscathed and fine eased my mind a bit.
This mess probably wasn't from any monster phenomenon.
Still, they were putting on a full-court charm offensive.
"Grrr!"
"Meow!"
It was like they were saying, "Flirt first, explain later." That's when I realized they were behind this chaos.
Even Dust—who'd been terrified of them just yesterday—was rubbing against my legs alongside them, meowing away.
Oddly, unlike before, Dust was glued to their side.
No more fear; it felt like camaraderie, or even a bond.
"...Sigh, what did you guys do to trash the place like this?"
Seeing that, my heart softened despite myself, and with a deep sigh, I decided to forgive them.
Hey, as long as they're safe. I'd been so worried about a monster hitting the apartment.
A messy house was no big deal.
Tattered curtains, exploded sofa stuffing, broken chair leg? Just buy new ones later. Luckily, my computer was intact.
I gave each of their heads a quick pat, then started cleaning up the living room mess.
"Hm? What's this...?"
As I swept the floor, I spotted clumps of black fur here and there.
Wondering if Leo and Daeho had fought, I called Leo over to compare.
No match. Same color, but not his fur.
Not Daeho's either.
If not those two, then definitely not the gray-furred Dust.
Shrugging it off as mystery fur amid the mountain of cleaning, I tossed it in the trash.
Once tidied up, I served their usual dinner, like always.
But the two who normally devoured it in seconds were barely touching the fresh raw meat today, just picking at it.
Dust was the only one chowing down on kibble like he was starving.
"You guys okay? Sick? Wanna go to the vet?"
"..."
"Grr."
Worried they might be ill and debating a vet trip, they seemed to sense it and finally nibbled a tiny bit, reluctantly.
Eh, some days they just eat less. I tried to brush it off, still watching them anxiously.
Contrary to my worries, the three feline housemates coexisted surprisingly peacefully.
Dust's initial fear was short-lived; soon he was trailing Leo and Daeho like they were his big brothers.
Leo and Daeho flicked their tails like he was a mild nuisance but let him hang around anyway.
Thanks to that, we passed the time until Han Sora's return without incident.
And finally, the promised day arrived.
The doorbell rang.
Opening the door, there stood Han Sora, arms loaded with bags.
"Minjun! I'm back!"
She was struggling with heavy shopping bags, so I took them first.
"These are thank-you gifts for watching Dust so well!"
A bit much for "gifts."
Cat toys galore, a huge scratching post, and... a whole melon?
I gave her a puzzled look at the melon, and she beamed, explaining it was a super famous, pricey one from Japan.
I thanked her, accepted, and led her inside.
That's when it hit me.
She knew Leo, our original member, but not newbie Daeho, right?
Yup.
Spotting the tiger lounging brazenly on the living room sofa, tail swishing calmly, Han Sora froze solid.
She gawked between me and the tiger in disbelief.
"Th-that...?"
Her trembling finger pointed at Daeho.
"What is that? Why's there a tiger in your house...?"
The "that" yawned hugely, flashing razor-sharp teeth.
"Eek...!"
Explaining the whole story would take forever.
I kept it short and casual: "Oh, he's my pet tiger."
"...Huh?"
She looked even more flustered, but when I added, "He's got a gentle personality. No worries," she asked awkwardly,
"...He's gentle with other people too... right?"
"Uh..."
"Right?!"
Suddenly panicking at the tiger, she frantically searched for her cat.
"Dust! Where's my Dust?! You okay?!"
Incredibly, Dust had been there all along—popping out from behind Daeho on the sofa, toddling over to Han Sora.
He rubbed his face on her legs, meowing happily.
A heartwarming mother-son reunion you could almost tear up over.
Minus Han Sora trembling because it was right in front of a tiger.
Dust let out a reluctant mewl, said goodbyes to Daeho and Leo, got crated, and left with her.
The moment she closed the door, the long-awaited system messages popped up one after another.
[Sub Quest Cleared.]
[Intelligence increases by 1.]
[Main Quest Cleared.]
[Martial Arts skill level increases by 1.]
That cleared not just the second sub quest, but the main quest it unlocked—both at once.
I immediately checked my stats. Intelligence up 1 to 9, and [Martial Arts] skill leveled up to 2.
Honestly, though, the rewards weren't that tangible for me. Intelligence wasn't like Strength or Agility where you feel the physical change right away, and Martial Arts didn't show obvious immediate effects either.
Though things did feel a tad easier to move.
Then a new main quest appeared.
[Main Quest Generated.]
[Reduce Dongto's forces.]
Reduce Dongto's forces?
A massive, vague goal compared to before.
As I wondered how the hell I'd do that, specific methods and progress appeared below.
1. Cut off Dongto's funding sources (Complete)
2. Eliminate or recruit 2+ Dongto Exploration Teams (Complete)
3. Shut down Dongto-operated sites, or recruit their hackers (In Progress)
I stared, speechless.
Two already done.
Making that underground hotel vanish had cut off one funding source, apparently.
Neutralizing Exploration Team 5 and getting our Team 15 to jump to White Tiger counted as recruiting teams.
I'd just handled things as they came, but unknowingly, I'd wrecked part of some giant machine.
Now just the last one: shut down their sites or recruit the hackers.
...Still plenty vague.
But one suspect came to mind.
"Monster Gallery."
I uttered the site's name for the first time in a while.