Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Secret of Familiars
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This is the secret of familiars.
They're not just pets.
Beings that have long been the object of people's faith—sometimes even worshipped as gods.
Familiars are entities that sense crises in this world and hatch from their eggs of their own accord to aid humanity.
Yet one of them had ended up in the ring of an illegal dogfighting pit.
"Hold on just a sec."
Without hesitation, I slipped the universal key I'd brought into the padlock on the cage and turned it.
Click.
The heavy padlock that had held the White Tiger captive was utterly powerless against the item.
As the cage door swung open, the White Tiger's form came into clearer view.
"Shh, easy there."
The White Tiger in the dogfighting pit had refused to attack its opponents the whole time.
Still, how a wounded familiar might react to a human was anyone's guess.
I murmured soothing words as I cautiously extended my hand toward it.
Fortunately, it didn't reject my touch.
It simply blinked its blue eyes, gazing up at me.
The fur brushing my fingertips felt brittle and crumbly, like it might shatter like dry leaves.
"You're really parched."
I hadn't noticed from afar, peering through the torn vinyl gap.
Beneath its white fur, the White Tiger was skin and bones.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
Unlike the other dogs, who got some energy from feed, this one was a familiar.
A familiar that, without its contractor's energy since hatching from its egg, must have been starving the whole time.
Mang-i had been lucky enough to be found by Lim Cheong-su in egg form, but these guys were different.
Surviving this long was impressive in itself.
"Good job holding out."
"I'll heal you right up."
The system must have pitied the battered familiar too.
The enhanced healing skill quickly mended the White Tiger's wounds.
I couldn't do much about the blood-matted fur, but its ragged breathing gradually steadied.
"All done... Huh?"
I was just about to pull my hand away now that the skill had finished.
That's when the White Tiger, which had been huddled up, lifted its head and licked my hand.
It felt like a thank you.
Startled by the soft, warm sensation, I murmured,
"Well, it was the least I could do."
But the surprises didn't end there.
The White Tiger rose to its feet... and gently bit my hand.
Careful not to hurt me, it relaxed its jaw completely.
Then it tugged my hand toward the back of the cage.
"What's up? Something in there?"
The inside of the cage was dim, light barely reaching it.
I didn't realize until fur brushed my hand and a pair of red eyes gleamed from the corner of the bars.
"Grrr..."
Something with fur so black it blended into the shadows issued a low warning growl at me.
"Uh... who are you?"
Unlike the White Tiger, whose fur was so fluffy you might mistake it for a puppy,
this one had short, patternless fur and clearly feline features.
If I had to compare, a baby black panther?
What was this one?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when a small status window popped up before my eyes.
There was another familiar besides the White Tiger.
Its name was unknown, but like the White Tiger, it had no contractor.
While I was reading the status window, its hostility sharpened even more.
Unlike the White Tiger, it looked ready to chomp my hand at any second.
That's when it happened.
"Woof!"
The White Tiger let out a small bark and pressed down on the other familiar with one tiny paw.
As if telling it to cut it out.
It seemed a bit prickly, but thankfully, it listened to the White Tiger.
The black familiar wrinkled its nose, baring its teeth with a grimace, then relaxed its attack stance.
Still, its narrowed eyes kept me pinned.
Like it would bite my hand off if I made even the slightest wrong move.
"So you're a familiar too, and you want me to heal this one?"
"Yap!"
The White Tiger nodded and barked in response to my question.
"Got it."
As I kept my hand in contact to use the skill, I realized something.
It had fewer wounds than the White Tiger, but this black familiar was even more emaciated.
Its ribs and spine protruded starkly beneath its skin.
You're racking up two more strikes on the way out, you dogfighting scum.
Thankfully, the black familiar didn't resist my healing skill.
Whether its body felt better or the tension eased, it finally let its held-up head drop comfortably.
The White Tiger at least had that fluffy fur.
This short-furred one looked like it might be cold, so I shrugged off my thin zip-up hoodie and draped it over the black familiar.
"Wait here a bit."
I turned away after telling the White Tiger and the black familiar.
But a soft tap sounded behind me, and when I looked back, the White Tiger was at my feet.
Its bright blue eyes sparkled curiously up at me—it seemed like a inquisitive personality.
"Fine, whatever. Just stay quiet."
Unlike regular animals, familiars could understand speech, so it shouldn't cause trouble.
I pulled out the universal key I'd pocketed for a moment and addressed the dogs still eyeing me warily.
"Alright, time for you all to head home."
No matter how much I relied on the item's power, unlocking over a dozen padlocks and carefully extracting the dogs without hurting them was exhausting and time-consuming.
Even more so when I had to heal the injured ones along the way.
I got so antsy that I stepped out midway to check if the dogfighting ring owner was still lying there obediently.
Of course, I didn't forget to kick his back a few more times.
Once all the dogs were out of their cages, the only task left was loading them quietly into the car.
Confirming no dogs remained in the cages, I finally lifted the black familiar—still huddled on the floor—and wrapped it snugly in the hoodie I'd draped over it earlier before cradling it.
Then I spoke to the White Tiger, who had become something like my deputy.
"Alright, White Tiger. Tell the others to follow me quietly."
"Woof! Arf, woof."
The White Tiger muttered something, and the confused dogs' eyes lit up brightly.
They looked like puppy soldiers marching off to war.
"You don't need to look that determined, but whatever."
I led the dozens of dogs quietly out the house's door.
"Ugh, what a pain right to the end."
The dogfighting owner was sprawled right in front of the door, so I shoved him aside, jamming his head into the corner between the wall and door.
"Let's go."
Small tap-tap-tap footsteps followed in a rush behind me as I headed to the car parked at the entrance.
This makes me feel like some alley boss or something.
As we got close, I unlocked the doors with the remote ahead of time.
The dogs hesitated at first, but once the White Tiger hopped in, they followed suit.
I was picking up the tiniest ones that couldn't jump in on their own and placing them inside when—
"Ugh..."
The dogfighting scumbag groaned a few times, then bolted upright, spotting us.
And he bellowed,
"Dog thief! Catch the dog thief!"
You're the real dog thief here—calling someone else a thief?
I considered giving him another taste of the baton, but then I saw people pouring out of the big house in droves and changed my mind.
Thankfully, all the dogs were aboard, except for one last Chihuahua straining to climb in.
I scooped up the Chihuahua, shoved it inside, and slammed the car door shut.
Then I whipped out my phone at the mob charging toward me, clutching various objects.
Click!
The flash burst, clearly capturing the faces of everyone from the illegal dogfighting ring.
Guess they don't know how good modern phone cameras are.
As they faltered at the camera flash, I hopped into the car and started the engine.
The trash that barely qualified as human snapped out of it and came charging again, but the car was already moving.
A few agile ones were among them, though.
Bang! Bang!
I could tell from the way they pounded the car with clubs and yanked at the doors.
"Stop the car! Stop, I said!"
Like I'd stop because they said so.
"Hey! You dog-thieving bastard!"
Well, I was stealing their dogs, so thief fits.
I floored the accelerator, cracked the window just enough for a finger, and yelled back,
"If you're pissed, call the cops!"
I'm doing what I gotta do!