Shadow Wolf (2)
『We've passed the critical danger.』
Archeron said as he waved his hand.
Subspace
A subspace opened with a high-pitched whine, and he pulled out the bundle of fur from the baby shadow wolf he'd brought inside.
『Take a look.』
The bundle of fur shimmered like a heat haze, infused with the pup's shadow mana.
The life force within that mana had stabilized somewhat, no longer flickering on the verge of extinction like before.
『We've passed the critical danger, but it still needs more treatment. It must stay in the lair for the time being.』
That sealed it.
“Awooooooo!”
“Woooooo—!”
“Awooooooo!!”
The shadow wolves thrashed like live fish in ecstatic joy at Archeron's report.
“Awooooooo—!”
The largest shadow wolf approached Archeron, bowed its head, and flattened itself to the ground.
The rest followed suit, prostrating themselves.
A clear sign of submission.
They vowed to repay the favor of saving their kin with their lives if necessary.
『Good... good... it worked out... well...』
『Told you... not to worry... The great beings here... are kind...』
The Elatria cheered the shadow wolves on, sharing in their joy.
“Awooooo!”
The shadow wolves volunteered to stand guard around the lair's perimeter.
『Excellent... If you step up... this place will be... even safer...』
The Elatria were delighted.
They knew how sharp the shadow wolves' senses were.
With the shadow wolves joining Elatrium, it was obvious the forest would grow even stronger.
“Awooooooo—!”
『Looking forward... to working... with you...』
And so, the shadow wolf pack took up residence in the lair's territory.
“Kkiiing... ng.”
The baby shadow wolf wriggled right before my eyes.
It had definitely regained some vitality compared to before.
“Wow. As expected of our Popo! Good job.”
“Popo!”
Popo bounced around with a >_< joyful expression at my praise.
“Popo! Popo—!”
Then it hugged and released the pup repeatedly.
A gesture that it needed more healing ahead.
“Yeah. Let's take care of it here for a while.”
I murmured as I stared at the pup.
“Popo.”
“Chuuu!”
『Baby wolf so cute~』
“Baby shadow wolves are really adorable.”
With Archeron out, we all gathered to watch the pup.
Just seeing the fist-sized thing wriggling and squeaking was pure healing.
Dimension Gate
Then a dimension tore open, and Archeron appeared.
『I've informed the shadow wolves of the current situation.』
『They say they'll stay in Elatrium and guard the lair's perimeter going forward.』
“Stay here?”
『Yes. To repay the favor.』
No reason to refuse.
This intrusion had shown the outside wasn't entirely safe.
Archeron handled it easily this time, but future intruders might overwhelm even him.
Any extra help is welcome.
“Approve it.”
『Keron. I'll relay that.』
Kkiiing. Clank!
Archeron knelt on one knee in response.
Then he opened another dimension and headed out.
Archeron's been so busy lately.
He used to just sit forlornly in a corner, but seeing him active like this filled me with pride.
Having Bellerin as the fourth guardian was a great call.
I glanced at Bellerin.
“Great Eldrias, tree imbued with the breath of life and the king of all spirits. Today too, this Bellerin prays to you. Grant me strength so that the flames and hammer in my hands may pave the way for life.”
She was praying to the Eldrias sprout.
Elves really revere Eldrias like something sacred.
I still remembered her gasping in awe and bowing when she first found the sprout.
She said Eldrias was as holy to elves as Yggdrasil, the world tree.
Once I save up coins, I should buy Yggdrasil's seed too.
The Platinum Exclusive Skill Shop sold Yggdrasil's Seed.
Yggdrasil's Seed (EX) - 9,999,999,999 Coins
Ninety-nine billion coins.
With enough coins, I could plant a world tree.
“I'm off to make the scout drone now!”
“Go ahead.”
It felt impossibly distant now, but things could change.
If Bellerin crafted high-grade gear with mithril, we might buy EX-grade herbs or equipment sooner than expected.
“Big expectations on you.”
“Hehe. Just leave it to me!”
Bellerin clenched her cute little fists in a fighting pose.
“Oh! I need magic stones for the scout drone. Do we have any S-grade or higher?”
“......”
Magic stones.
Dropped from high-level monsters.
Beast-types like the Nagatara dropped inner cores, but usually magic stones.
I'd never killed a monster, so no chance I had any.
“Ah... S-sorry. No magic stones yet...!”
Bellerin read my face, panicked, and bowed her head.
Feels like there's a magic stone room somewhere in the passages.
We'd need to unlock up to the magic stone room for her to craft high-grade gear.
“Can't make the drone without magic stones?”
“No! If there's a substitute, it's possible!”
“Substitute for magic stones?”
“Yes! Um... could I use that as a substitute?”
Her outstretched finger pointed right at a Seondo.
“Ah. Seondo as a substitute...”
“Yes! Like with Archeron's energy core—we can use Seondo to replace a magic stone!”
“Hm. Gotta extract the seed first, though. Still workable?”
“Yes! No problem!”
Oh, really?
Then fine.
“Okay. Proceed.”
“Yessir!”
Bellerin hurried over, picked a Seondo, and extracted the seed.
Popo and Chuchu took the seed and planted it by the Seondo tree.
Watching them tend it automatically brought a warm smile.
“Kids, pick some Shine Muscat and kiwis too.”
The gourmet from Bangbae-dong had sent Shine Muscat, kiwis, cabbage, green onions, and carrots last time.
All five crops had fully ripened in one corner of the lair, glowing vibrantly.
“Popo!”
“Chuuu!”
Popo and Chuchu dashed about, signaling to leave it to them.
They were thrilled at the thought of new crops.
Wonder how delicious the Shine Muscat and kiwis grown here will be.
Gulp.
My mouth watered already.
I watched Popo and Chuchu harvest diligently, then turned my head.
“Kkiiing...”
Its voice sounded much more comfortable now.
I gazed at the baby shadow wolf curled in Dania's arms.
It would live here with us from now on.
Time to give it a name.
“Hm...”
Staring at its body shimmering like the Milky Way, a name suddenly came to mind.
“Fenril.”
The mythical wolf from Norse legend.
The wolf god that slew Odin.
The strongest wolf in myth—I decided to name it after that.
“Your name from now on is Fenril.”
“Kkii...?”
Its clear, innocent eyes turned to me.
“Kkii...!”
It was clever.
Realizing I'd named it Fenril, it smiled with sparkling eyes.
So cute—I reached out and stroked its back.
Lick, lick.
It turned and licked my hand.
Felt like cotton candy tickling my skin, soft as clouds.
『Kkyu! Fenril name, love it!』
Dania beamed, clearly approving of the name.
Then.
Whoosh!
A soft, inky black light seeped from Fenril's body.
The light billowed out, connecting to Dania.
The shadow wolf has been bestowed the name <Fenril>.
You may appoint this entity as a guardian. Appoint as guardian?
Oh...
What's this?
I can appoint guardians myself?
『Kkyu! Baby wolf guardian, great!』
Dania was all for it too.
Alright then.
No hesitation.
Appoint as guardian.
As I thought it,
Vwooooooom!!!
Our energies—mine, Dania's, and Fenril's—resonated in beautiful harmony.
<Fenril> has been registered as a guardian.
<Fenril>'s name has been recorded in the Akashic Records.
The wolf from myth bestows a blessing upon <Fenril>.
<Fenril>'s potential is unlocked.
Groooooow!!
A tremendous surge of energy swirled in an instant.
What, what is it?
I wasn't the only one startled—Dania, Popo, Chuchu, and Bellerin all looked over.
Kwaaaaa!!
A galactic starlight energy formed in the air, shaping into a massive wolf silhouette.
It flowed naturally into Fenril's body.
Flash!
The energy emitted a mystical light once more before vanishing.
With it, a status window appeared above Fenril's head.
“Uh...?”
I was speechless at the sight.
Because.
Fenril's potential was beyond imagination.
8 stars...!
My god.
Archeron, the highest at 6 stars among guardians.
Fenril surpassed that!
“Hah.”
I looked down at Fenril gazing up at me with bright eyes in awe.
Jackpot.
My gut said this one would become something incredible if raised right.
“Well then.”
New family member—can't just sit around.
“Shine Muscat and kiwi party today!”
“Popo!”
“Chuchu!”
Popo and Chuchu scurried over with the harvested fruits at my words.
“Such a sweet aroma.”
Bellerin, prepping the scout drone, had joined us too.
“Shall we taste?”
I picked up a Shine Muscat in front of me.
Its info popped up.
“Oh...”
Forget the taste—unexpected details made my eyes gleam.
◈ Consuming grants Growth Acceleration boost for 45 minutes.
◈ *Permanently slight Growth Acceleration increase afterward.
Growth Acceleration?
Does that mean level-up speed?
I'll find out by trying.
Eat the Shine Muscat, then a fresh Seondo for synergy.
Eyes sparkling, I popped the Shine Muscat into my mouth.
Pop!
Juice burst inside, filling my mouth with an ecstatic, fragrant sweetness.